'There's always wine' - Marc Madiot offers unique dinner experience for fans at Tour de France

If you're travelling to the Tour de France this July, and in need of a dining companion, Groupama FDJ's manager Marc Madiot is available, at a price. 

The French team is running a number of auctions during this year's race, offering race-worn jerseys, signed dossard numbers, and an eye-catching flagship lot – a dinner with Madiot.

The winner will spend an evening at the squad's hotel with the team manager, "in direct proximity to the riders", and will also receive a tour of the team's bus. 

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Madiot explained that he has already hosted similar experiences twice before. Does he like doing it? "Yes," he said. "Not every day, but every now and again it's not bad."

Last year, the Frenchman remembers, he and the lucky winner "spent the evening in a nice Parisian restaurant". The meal this time round will take place in Nîmes, on the evening of stage 16, and the winner will be allowed to bring a guest. 

During last year's Tour, Groupama-FDJ's mealtimes were drawn into controversy, when Jumbo-Visma manager Richard Plugge claimed he saw "a French team" drinking "big beers" on the rest day in their hotel. Groupama-FDJ were understood to be the only French squad staying in the same place. 

"Alcohol is poison," Plugge said, "and when you are already tired, it'll make you even more fatigued."

Madiot later responded to the comments, calling them "shabby", and saying he "didn't give a damn about what he [Plugge] says." He also corrected his Jumbo-Visma counterpart, adding that his riders were actually drinking Perrier water. 

At the end of the race in Paris, Madiot mocked the exchange, holding a fan sign that read ‘a little beer for Jumbo’. He told Cycling Weekly that the winner of the latest auction will receive the same hospitality. 

"There's always a beer for the winner," he smiled. "And, of course, there's always wine."

The lot is currently live on the website of online auction house Catawiki, with the highest bid at €450 (£381). It closes this Sunday 7 July. 

The site is also offering two further experiences with Madiot, each comprising a "day at the heart of the Tour de France" alongside the Frenchman in his pre-race car. One of the lots is for stage 12, between Aurillac and Villeneuve-sur-Lot, and the other for stage 16 to Nîmes. 

To bid on the lots, and win a chance to share a bottle of wine with Madiot, visit the Catawiki website.