Le Tour Viewing Question

[clipperton]

sorry if this comes up as a double-post, i hit submit and it vanished.

i'm off to france tomorrow night, catching a couple of stages down near pau, including the tourmalet stage. the better half is planning on joining me for that stage and try as i might i can't find any information on the "amenities" up on the mountain. can anybody with experience let me know whether there are portaloos set up, or is it commando for all once you go past the last of the mountainside villages? google searches just tell me about how to hitch your knicks up and get a hand from a teammate at 50kms/h which doesn't help much.

[jvb]

We went a few years ago and followed the tour mainly around the alps.
For the mountain stages, you won't get a spot on or near the summit unless you camp out days in advance.
We stayed in St Jean de Maurienne and drove to the start of the climbs early in the morning to get a good spot. Or went to the finish, where you also need to be early to get a good spot.
No amenities on the mountains that I can remember. At the finish there is plenty of food and drink, otherwise take your own and turn it in to a day out with a picknick, like the locals do.
If you drive, make sure you park completely off the road, they will make you move. The caravan is fun, lots of freebies, we still have some.
Otherwise enjoy, France is great, the people are great and welcoming.