On Friday we transferred from Villars to Paris. The first sprinkles fell as we were loading the van, and the rain became torrential as we drove. That was really the only rain we saw… All our rides were under clear skies. 

Villars, as I’ve said before, was beautiful, as was that whole region. Here’s a couple more pics from the Alps. 

The drive to Paris took most of the day, and we were very ready to check in to the Meridien Etoile, a workhorse hotel nicely located near the Porte Maillot. When we got there, the race was almost over, but Vlad convinced one of the bellmen to pull it up on his computer screen, so we got to see the finish. 

Manny and Marybeth had purchased a museum pass that needed picking up, so Vlad and I joined them for the walk. 

It turned out to be further than we anticipated, so eventually we sent Manny on ahead while the rest of us had a drink in front of the Madeleine. 

Sadly, the tourist office was closed, but it’s hardly a bad thing to walk around Paris on a summer afternoon. 

But now it’s 8 pm, and dinner time. Vlad has spent quite a bit of time in Paris, and in general is seldom in doubt about what ought to happen next. He vetoed several restaurants, and so found himself in charge of picking one.  We walked for an hour, but finally mutinied… we ended up having a thoroughly marginal meal at the next place we found. It was too bad, because we were just a few blocks from lots of good eats. 

Another day in paradise…

Up early to enjoy our second (and final) Departure Village. Knowing a bit more what to expect, we got some autographs, got a little closer to the “important ” riders, etc. Here’s me and Richard Virenque enjoying a moment. He was a great climber from the late 90s and now a TV commentator. 

Here’s a good shot of the UCI guy checking the bike for motors by running a magnetometer over all the tubes. 

Some teams are more organized than others. At the Tinkoff bus, I watched as a 2-man team inflated tires to each rider’s preferred pressure and then a third guy came along to ensure that the water bottles were all turned to the same angle in the cages so the sponsor’s name showed well for the cameras. 

No oyster buffet this time, but still lots of good eats. These husband and wife wine producers took the plunge to showcase their stuff (kinda sweet for my taste), and it certainly was nice to talk to them for a minute. Very “real” amidst all the celebrity. 

After, we drove out of town a bit and set out on a ride. We followed the course up the first of the 6 (!!!) rated climbs the racers did, the Col du Berthiand (6 km at 8.1%, which is ouchy but manageable). It was over 90 degrees, and I heard Phil Liggett in my head talking about the melty tar on the roads. 

Then we continued down through the countryside along the Ain river, a very nice ride. 

Whetstone Station #2?
Dinner in old town Lyon, which was very nice but, again, inexplicably slow. It’s normal here, but why does it take an hour and a half to get the food to the table? On a Sunday night at 11, the well-reviewed ice cream place we trekked to had a line around the corner, which defeated us. 

And so, although we tried to turn in early, it was another long day. We decided to shorten tomorrow’s agenda… everybody’s tired.