With the advent of the Tour next weekend i was wondering if we will see the traditional French Police/Gendarme motorcycle outriders, then got to wondering what is the difference?
I understand the Gendarmerie is actually a military unit quite seperate from the Police but how does that work in practice?
Plus, if we do get the outriders will they be allowed to carry their firearms? Can’t imagine they will be.

Can’t remember all that when the Tour came to England last time.

The outriders are the Garde Republicain. On previous visits to the UK they have been unarmed.

Was French outriders last time, when it was in London/Kent.

OK, so who are the Garde – military or policemen?

According to wiki the Garde are part of the Gendarmerie and a military unit with infantry & cavalry designations.
So soldiers then.

Someone told me that the Gendarmes that do the tour escort the President around when there aren’t any bike races on

Apparently they form honour guards etc.

At tourmaker training they said there are about 80 police bikes – half english and half french.

We were told at tour makers that the gendarme would be there but not carrying guns

Basically if they told us to do something then we do as they were the experts over and above any englishers

Now see if I was them and I knew that I’d be abusing that power…

In the road races that I’ve done and marshalled at (National, UCI race last weekend) escort has been by a mixture of police and the NEG

http://www.neggb.org.uk/abouttheneggb.htm

I assume the tour will be done in the same way with mainly British riders so no guns, just flags and a good sense of humour.

They are French Gendarmes – not exactly famous for their sense of humour!

It’s not the race I’m wondering about it’s the notorious illegal hooning driving that the support cars and journalist have to do to get round and between stages that seems to be understood and accepted for 3 weeks in France but I’ll be surprised if it works like that in Yorkshire.

Iirc it’s a condition of having the Tour that they bring their own escort riders. In 2007 I was stood by a traffic island and the French motorcyclist was amazing to see in action.

That said, the NEG who escorted the Tour of Britain through the village a couple of years back were also great. The car driver who tried to sneak out of a side road just ahead of the race probably still wishes he hadn’t tried it. Two NEG riders stopped him, closely followed by four police motorcyclists with blues and twos going 😆

Gwaelod, yes they do: a friend’s dad was one (now retired). Pretty prestigious post within the Gendarmerie.

To help the French outriders they have drafted in about 100 motorbike police as I saw them around 4.45 riding into Leeds. A bit of an odd sight as you had two lanes for about 200 metres full of flashing blue lights and new fluorescent jackets.

The police motorcyclists escorting the ToB 2 years ago, when it finished in Guildford were great. Hooning up the high street, getting air over the bridge, pulling wheelies. Top entertainment.

The gendarmes are definitely here too, they were hanging round outside my office earlier.

hjghg5 – Member 
The gendarmes are definitely here too, they were hanging round outside my office earlier.

It’s no use hiding, they’re on to you. There’s no escape just hand yourself in and plead for leniency

The Brit police on motorbikes who were escorting Olympic baton were excellent too.