July 27th (times two)

Today, we got to have two July 27ths. We departed from Paris at 11:20 and we were scheduled to arrive in Denver at 4:30. That’s only five hours, but we were actually traveling for about thirteen hours. Explain that one math teachers. Our day was kind of hectic with lots of walking, train riding, and airplane flying. First we had to walk to the Train station from our hotel, then we caught the packed subway to the Charles de Gaulle airport. Once at the airport we had to wait for some problem with our tickets to be cleared up. As we approached the line to security, it was time to start boarding the train. Thankfully, they sent some of us to a shorter security line. Our plane was delayed in leaving for some reason, but it was a relatively nice flight. Since our flight was delayed and we had to go through customs, I thought we were cutting it a bit close to our connecting flight, but it turns out that that flight was delayed to our benefit. I am writing this from the plane to Denver because I know life will get crazy again once we land. We’ve had a fantastic trip with memories we’ll never forget and now await a nice get together at home to see us off to Montana.

Advice on [European] travel
do it
don’t plan every detail
tourist/information offices have great advice and often maps and lists of hotels
B&Bs/pensions are cheap and lovely places to stay
Try the food, not the water
Have extra batteries on hand
Talk with the locals
Talk with the foreigners
Always close your tent when heading out for a while
If you see somewhere you’d like to go from a train window (regardless of plans), just get off
There is more to see of a country than all their tourist sites-ask locals for recommendations
Always have food on hand
Take a siesta
Jaywalk as often as possible
Don’t tell British people “Happy Fourth of July” (as one of our friends found out)
Also, don’t ask British about soccer when they’ve just tied with the US in the World Cup (as the same friend found out)
Bring toilet paper and soap into a French restroom
Switzerland is expensive, but beautiful
Bring ENGLISH books
Stay at places you can cook your own food
Camping is the cheapest way to do it
RVs are a great solution for family travel
Eurail passes are good, but confusing
Always validate/stamp your train ticket at their little machines (or get fined)
(for eurail users) trains that need a reservation will have an r with a box around it in the timetable
Bring your own food on the trains
Plan to take your bike back on the plane with you instead of shipping (British Airways is pretty good with that)

Last Day in Paris

inside the Louvre



the famous entrance to the Louvre



a very small part of the gardens of versailles



The Palace of Versailles


July 26th
The morning began like any other lazy morning, but we certainly had lofty ambitions for the day. Once we found ourselves at the subway station we bought tickets to the Palace of Versailles just outside the city as that was the morning excursion we had decided on. Right after this we were planning to spend the rest of the sightseeing hours at the Louvre.
The palace of Versailles was constructed by King Louis XIV of France (who began his rule at the age of five) in order to show off his wealth to all other nations. With this goal in mind, King Louis constructed a palace with only the largest, most expensive, most intricate, and most grandiose items. We knew that the museum would be closed today, but the gardens were still open which are a sight to see on their own. The palace of Versailles is the largest historic property in the European Union ( from my understanding). When we arrived, we were greeted by first a statue of Louis and then his very large palace. The palace contains famous sights such as Marie Antoinette’s quarters and the hall of mirrors. Since we could not go inside, we quickly made our way to the back where the gardens were. Our eyes were greeted by splendid greenery and blossoms on every side. The gardens were decorated with many fountains, sculptures, and ponds. One of the ponds was quite similar to the one seen at the foot of the Washington Monument. In the gardens we saw labyrinths cut into the grass, rows of trees, dozens of rows heading in other directions, and of course tons of flowers.
After Versailles, we grabbed lunch and ate it while catching the subway to the Louvre. I had heard stories of the Louvre. Many friends have gotten lost inside and some statistic ran through my head about “if you stop at every piece of art for 5 seconds, you will spend three days in the Louvre…” And when you see the building itself, it suddenly all makes sense. The Louvre is huge! Just walking around the building from the outside would probably take an hour. We walked in through the clear pyramid and put our art critic personas on. Once again we had to prioritize the works we wanted to see. I chose the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo while Nate chose the medieval portion. We began our sprint through the artworks of the Louvre. We quickly learned that if other people were gathered around something, it was probably important. By this method we discovered five of Da Vinci’s works, the bow of the Samothrace, the sphinx, the Mona Lisa, and Venus. We found other gems such as the big face statue from Moai and the medieval castle and dungeon that lie beneath the Louvre. I found Rennoir and Etruscan pottery, Napoleon’s personal affects and Egyptian mirrors. Everything I learned in school came to life. I guess that’s what museums are supposed to do. However, when an employee announced the closing of the museum, Nate and I were all too happy to go find a place to finally sit down and have dinner. For our last night in Europe, we chose to dine in a New York themed restaurant. After that we headed to the hotel to finish up some things before coming back home.
Mo

Last Stage of Le Tour

My favorite pic of the day...I snapped this shot of Andy Schleck just as someone else put their camera in front of mine



Lance: up close and personal



The "man blockade" protecting all from angry Parisians!! (when our barriers were knocked down by the French)



If you look closely, I'm doing a handstand at the base of the Eiffel Tower



View from the top

July 25th
Today was a busy but fun day that forced us to be on our feet from the moment we left our hotel until about 9:30pm when we made it back. The day started off with an hour long walk to the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel as they call it in France). This walk took us past several beautiful sites such as the Louvre Museum, Museum of D’Orsay, National Assembly, the Grand Palace, and of course Palace de Chaillot which sits directly across the canal from the Eiffel Tower. When we arrived at the Eiffel Tower we didn’t expect there to be many people because after all it was a Sunday morning. However, we found lines going all over the place and we quickly jumped into one of them until we could figure out what line was what. So after some questioning we learned we were in the line for the elevator and the line for the stairs was much shorter and cheaper (7 Euros for both of us). So we took off for this line but shortly after getting our ticket we heard some loud screaming by a girl up in the tower. Come to find out some poor gentleman passed out while climbing the stairs, broke his arm and then proceeded to puke (we assume that is why the girl was screaming as she probably got hit from some of the splatter.) Anyway, they of course shut the stairs down for about 20 mins while they cleaned up the mess and then we proceeded up the tower. Once arriving on the 2nd floor (as high as the stairs go) we were stunned by the beauty of the city and all the monuments we were able to pick out.
We didn’t have long to stay there as we had to go catch the last stage of the Le Tour. So, we made a quick lap around the 2nd floor deck to get some pictures and took off toward the Arc of Triumph (Arc de Triomphe) on the Champs Elysees (one of the most beautiful and recognizable streets in the world) where the tour would be finishing. Once we got there we met up with some great friends from Cyclists Combating Cancer (CCC) whose dedication has brought them to Europe in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation every year Lance has competed in the tour… Anyway, this couple (Jerry and Angie) arrived on the Champs at 5am to save enough spots for the rest of us that would come later to join them.
Finally after the crowds of French people broke down the barriers they had constructed and we were crammed, the tour procession started. Then after about another hour to hour and a half the riders started coming and made the 8 laps on the Champs before the finish. Then after the finish and award ceremony the riders came down with each of their teams to take pictures in front of the Arc de Triumph near where we were standing. This of course set us in perfect position to congratulate the riders as many of them came by to say hi to the fans. This was really neat because you could see the riders were really enjoying a moment to relax and celebrate as they knew all the racing was over. So we were pleasantly entertained by Bradly Wiggins as he cracked jokes about Lance, as well as others who greeted us such as Carlos Sastre, George Hincapie, Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck, and others including a former collegiate racer Brent Bookwalters who I last raced at collegiate nationals a few years back. Then Lance made his star appearance and spent several minutes taking pictures by us… However, all I really remember was about 6,000 flashes from nearby cameras that left me blinded as Lance stood in front of me after just completing his last Tour de France ever.
All and all it was one very neat and long day filled with lots of standing and some incredible sights. It was one to remember for many years to come.

Nate

Paris

The Seine River



In the Place du Chatelet (once the center of a fortress)



Notre Dame!

July 24th

Today, we didn’t quite wake up in Paris. Our train was supposed to pull in at 7:30, but didn’t end up getting to our destination until 11:30. How we got so behind I’m not sure, but it was okay because we didn’t know if we would be able to check in to our hotel that early anyways. So, when we got to Paris we finally grabbed “breakfast” and walked to our hotel. We took the scenic route to our hotel of course to maximize our sight-seeing experience. After all, we only have about 2 ½ days here, and tomorrow is basically dedicated to Le Tour! If you have ever looked at a map of Paris, you know that there are many things to see. Everywhere you look is a huge building that has some history behind it. So, we had to prioritize what we wanted to see. The list is as follows: Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomfe, and the Palace of Versailles (and of course the Tour, but that is not even a question). So far we have seen Notre Dame which was quite the gothic spectacle, gardens, and many important looking buildings. After that we found our hotel and watched the last time trial of Le Tour. Then it was off to do laundry (something we needed desperately) and to have dinner. While our laundry was in the washer we decided to get some Chinese food. Nate was a bit skeptical of Chinese food in France, but I am getting very sick of the sandwiches and snacks that they serve here. It turns out that the restaurant was fantastic and they were even making homemade noodles. It was very nice to get some variety in our diet. I also discovered that I have a talent that could earn me millions on city streets the likes of Paris or Barcelona...While inhaling my food, I forgot to chew a couple of times. Then I got a funny feeling in my nasal passages. I blew my nose and what should come out but one of my rice noodles at least an inch long.
Then, when our clothes were in the dryer, we hit the grocery store to get some food, drinks, and snacks to hold us over for the next three days. We are making plans for visiting the Eiffel Tower tomorrow morning, but that will require waking up early so we will see. Then, the rest of the day will be spent on Champs d’Elysees watching Le Tour!! But, for now, we are hanging out in the hotel reading our new English books.

Mo

Waiting for the overnight train

This pretty much summarizes how we were feeling when we boarded the train behind a million teenagers



Relaxing on the Mediterranean!!



Apparently even statues do the mountain man pose!

July 23rd
Our train tonight does not leave until 5 so we have some time to burn. Nate and I decided to head towards the beach and also be able to see some sites such as the World Trade Center, the Olympic Village, and the ports. The weather today was great, moving from overcast to sunny, but not too hot. Once we reached the actual beach we decided to spend most of our time here and actually enjoy a refreshing dip in the Mediterranean.
After drip drying for about an hour in the sun (which caused us both to get a sunburn), we decided to head for our train. Unfortunately, the station we were closest to did not offer connecting trains to the one we needed across town. This meant that all of a sudden our pace had to increase. We made it to the station with twenty minutes to spare (which is just fine, but we thought we were going to be an hour early). We had a three hour train ride ahead just to catch our overnight train, but no amount of time on a train could scare us now because we had books to read. We boarded our train from Barcelona to Cerbere, grabbed some “dinner”, and boarded our overnight train to Paris.
We didn’t know what to expect from an overnight train (especially since we couldn’t quite nab tickets on the luxury train). It is a great way to travel, because the tickets count as our transportation and our room for the night. We walked onto the train behind a million French teenagers and thought “oh great.” Thankfully, we roomed with some nice older people. Nate and I nabbed the top bunks (the top two of six in one room). I actually felt much safer on the overnight train than I thought I would since the beds are split up into cabins. I was also able to sleep well because of the rocking of the train and the absolute darkness the cabin offers. The only thing that woke me was the old man in our cabin going next door to yell at the teenagers. LOL. And I know understand why the signs on the trains say “Please don’t use the restrooms while the train is stopped.” I thought it had something to do with keeping track of tickets and paying customers and such, but no. It turns out that when you use the restroom you just let it fly all over the tracks! It’s really quite disagreeable to have someone’s load left all over the tracks right in the middle of a station.
Mo

Barcelona: Under Construction

The tower of the sagrada familia



The spray paint artist from our window



Barcelona's version of the arc de triomfe

July 22nd
We made the decision this morning to take the train to Barcelona so that we would be positive to make our overnight train from there on the 23rd. Plus, Barcelona is a big city and we want to give ourselves plenty of time to see the sights. We ate a last breakfast in our B&B and wrote in the guest book. We were sad to leave such warm hospitality, but excited to see the coastal city of Barcelona. So, we made our way back to the train station and caught a train. The train was so crowded that most of the people we boarded with had to stand for the whole hour and a half train ride. That was kind of crazy to me because there is a train every hour, and I’m willing to bet each one is that full.
Barcelona has one of the biggest train stations we’ve seen. That makes sense since it is the second largest city in Spain, but it still through us for a loop. We didn’t even know how to get out for a little while. We finally found a map and an exit and started making our way to a main street to try to find a hostel. On the way, we found a little gem: a bookstore with a selection of books in English! Before this, we had checked at least six book stores with no luck. You see, we couldn’t really lug around books before, but it has been about a month since we read something and train/plane rides are made much better with a good book. So, after the bookstore we continued on to a small hostel on the main street. From our window we could see many things including the spray paint artist who captivated audiences well into the night right below our window.
We took some time to recuperate in the hostel by watching the Tour. After the Tour we found some dinner and made a loop of the city to see the sites. Barcelona has some very unique buildings I never knew about. Most of the wonderful works of architecture that we saw, though, were under construction. After the long walk we got some groceries and went “home” for the night. Tomorrow we will probably stop by the beach and catch our train to Paris.
Mo

Girona

The cathedral of Girona



This bridge was constructed by Gustave Eifel just before the Eifel Tower



Every time there's a crowd, we have to see what's going on. Well, Nate walked right in the middle of a media session this time



Stairs to the wall



Inside the wall

July 21st
We had a nice restful morning sleeping in until about 9am. At that time we figured we should get some breakfast and see the city before it got too hot. So we took off and headed to the “city wall” which had been constructed in an effort to protect the city from being sieged as it has been 7 times by different kings and rulers. We walked the entire length of the wall which ended at an ancient chapel and church. As it turns out this area has lots of Jewish history (much of it I am not clear on) and I am sure at some point these churches were tied in with some of that history. After checking out the churches we went to a city park and then walked back to our B&B through the historic part of town. By the time we made it back to our B&B it was time for siesta so we also quickly took advantage of this down time and took a nap. After the nap we hit the town again to grab a bite to eat and check out more of the historic areas of the town. Much of this city (or at least the historic area) is suited best for walking and is very beautiful. After checking out more of the city we headed back to the B&B for the night to catch up on the blog and get some rest for tomorrow.
*Girona really isn’t a well know city amongst most travels but is well know within the cycling community… This is because many riders have called Girona home including Lance, Christian Vande Velde, Michael Barry, Marty Jemison, Tyler Hamilton etc. So this is how I know about it and as it turns out we have really enjoyed our time here and enjoyed much of the city and the people. It is in the region of Spain known as Catalan and just inland from the beautiful Costa Brava.

Nate

Trains, Trains, and more trains

Buildings along the river in Girona



The Costa Brava seen from our train window



We took advantage of a long layover to explore the town of Avignon

July 20th
We woke up early this morning (5am, the earliest we have had to yet) to catch our 5:58am train toward Barcelona. After catching this train we had several stops and train changes to make throughout the day in order to make it to our final destination of Girona, Spain. Thankfully we made all of our stops and train changes without major difficulty (we did have a mechanical issue on one of the trains but that got fixed and we made it to the next station just in time.) After arriving in Girona at about 6:30pm we hit up the information desk at the train station to find a place to stay and the sites to see. After looking at our options for places to stay we decided to opt out for a small bed and breakfast which offered us a small room and breakfast for 40 Euros a night! Tomorrow we plan on seeing the city and determining our plans from here.
Nate

Shipping

July 19th
The whole goal of today was to first get the bike sent off along with the bob trailer and our other equipment. Then after sending everything off our next goal was to make it to Geneva where we hoped to find an overnight train to Barcelona, Spain. So, after waking up and grabbing a quick bite to eat we continued our packing process from the previous night. Finally at about 11:00am we had everything in the box including our tent, sleeping bag, pads, riding clothing etc. The next challenge was to find a way to the shipping drop off spot at mail boxes etc.. After some thought we decided it would just be easiest and best to call a taxi instead of trying to piece together several different bus routes while carrying our large box. This ended up being a very smart decision and a huge time saver. We got to the shipping place at about noon just after they had closed for lunch. However, this ended up working out for the best as this allowed us a chance to get a bit of lunch while we waited. Then after they opened back up we got the bike all shipped off and everything (we hope) sorted out with customs. Finally at about 3pm after a rather large shipping bill we found ourselves at the train station figuring out how to get to Geneva. As it turns out they only offer bus rides there so we bought two bus tickets and headed off. We arrived in Geneva at about 6:30pm and tried to book an overnight train ticket to Barcelona. As it turns out this wasn’t an option as everything was completely full so we were stuck in Geneva for the night. So we hit the streets trying to find a hotel. After several stops at different expensive hotels we found a small family owned one down the street from the train station and called it a night.
Nate

Beach Day

It takes a lot of boxes to fit a tandem in... a whole tent full of them!!



Windy and stormy weather at least make for beautiful lake scenes



The beach

July 18

We finally have a day just to enjoy the beach. We were able to sleep in and check the internet and then hit the beach…It is just too bad that a hurricane (or at least gale force winds) hit our beach for the entire day! So we never really actually got in the water but we did sit on the shore and watch the waves crash as others were trying to suntan. However, watching the waves and lake only kept us occupied for so long so we decided to head to the nearest gas station and try our luck at getting some fuel for our stove. This was only mildly successful at first as no one was there and once again our card wouldn’t work in the machine so we waited for a passerby to come and ask them if we could pay them in cash to fill up our bottle. After about 45 minutes of waiting the first person pulled in on a scooter and filled our bottle with a bit of convincing. After topping off the fuel bottle we headed for the shelter of the campground TV room and watched Le Tour with several other campground patrons. After the tour finished we decided to cook dinner and box up our bike to ship home. As you can imagine the boxing process for a tandem can be very time consuming as it is so fragile and large, but finally at about midnight we finished with it and called it a night.

6km to the gas station
Nate

July 17th one last ride

Sun set after a long day


Castle we passed on the ride


Our last col of the day


Scenery of Lake Annecy from col de la forclaz

The plan for today was to ride the loop that our nice neighbors suggested. We needed to go out with a bang so the loop was 94k and included 4 cols: the Col de la Forclaz (a different one than before), Col de Marais, Col de Croix Fry, and the Col de Aravis. We wanted to go for one more ride just in case we did sell our bike. The ride was very enjoyable, but we were trying to beat two things: weather and the clock. The temperature was perfect for riding, but threatening to rain the whole day. Second, we needed to go back to the bike shop from yesterday to see if there were any buyers. We started up the Forclaz which is the take off point for the paragliders around here. After that, we had an easy climb up to Marais. Then, the Croix Fry and Aravis are at about the same elevation with a short descent in between. We found some great scenic points today. One of my favorite little towns that we ran into was called La Clusaz. It is a ski town that reminded Nate of Snowmass (but not as nice). And the road back to Annecy was almost all downhill. In fact, we had a cyclist drafting us on one of the downhills. Then the cyclist either decided that he would pull for a bit or try to pass us, but as it turned out we actually were coasting and hitting the brakes as he was going all out (its great on downhills having the weight of two people). The only place we have an advantage on other cyclists: straight downhill. We took a few wrong turns, but ended up back in Annecy at a reasonable time. Since it was Saturday, we needed to stock up on food and then we needed to clean up our bike in case we had a buyer and get to the bike shop by six. Our grocery shopping trip was an adventure. We went to the normal grocery store. Then, we decided to go to a butcher to get meat for philly cheese steak sandwiches. Nate tried to order 200 grams, but the guy asked him if it was for one person or two. Nate answered honestly: two. 15 euro and one gigantic hunk of animal later, we had plenty for dinner. We arrived at the bike shop to find out that we did not have a buyer, but they did give us directions to another bike shop out of town. We tried two more bike shops with no takers. Disappointed, we were ready to go home. The only bad news was that we desperately needed fuel for our stove and it was well past time for anywhere to be open…and tomorrow is Sunday. We rode to three gas stations and put on another 24k for the day with no luck. They have self-serve gas stations here, but only with the correct kind of bank card. Apparently, they have special chips in their cards here instead of the strip. So, we decided to go home again without any luck and try to cook our block of meat with what we had. We’ll try to get gas tomorrow. We enjoyed dinner at about 10:30 and passed out.
~140k
Mo

Please take our bike!!!

The Island Palace



A canal



Our beach at night

July 16
It was down to business today. We needed to find a couple things in Annecy: the mailboxes etc to ship our bike and some bike shops to get bike boxes/packing material or bike shops to buy our bike. We took off in the morning and searched every nook and cranny in the city and neighboring cities. We finally had to ask a local to find the street for Mailboxes etc. after cruising the streets for about an hour. We finally found the place after some guess work. It turns out that our bike is not quite as expensive as the quote the internet gave us, but still more expensive than we’d like to pay to ship. The problem is that no one we’ve found actually “ships” packages but sends them by plane. We would definitely be willing to wait a month or more for our bike to arrive if it meant paying less, but everyone just really wants to fly our bike to America within the week. We also tried at the post office and they gave us the name of another shipping company that ships by train, but we could never find. We also saw DHL and UPS trucks, but they all ship by plane. As a break in the day, we visited the office of tourism to ask what there was to see around the city and where bike shops were. They have these offices in every city and they are very helpful. We went to see two sights that the lady suggested and then it was back off to find a bike shop. The bike shop was easy to find and he had exactly two bike boxes which is what we needed. He did not, however, want our bike or know anyone who did. So, we went to the other bike shop in town. That owner said that he might know someone who wanted it but we would have to come back tomorrow to find out. He even told us that we should ask for more, but Nate said we would just be happy to sell it. After our long day of searching, we finally went grocery shopping, made dinner, and relaxed by the lake before going to bed.
~30 k
Mo

Road to Annecy

Notice the very small AG2R cyclist




July 15 Chambery-Annecy
Today we started out a little slow. We decided to leave our campsite to go buy breakfast and food for the day before we even packed up. Once we ate, we definitely needed to catch up on our internet usage and blog. So, we packed up most of our things and used the internet until the last minute before checkout time. When we took off, we decided on a route to Annecy that would have a little bit more climbing, but the map said it was scenic. We hit two cols today. They can barely qualify as cols because of their elevation, but they’re still two cols under our belt. We saw some good scenery and even a real AG2R rider who must not be in the tour anymore. We tried to wave to him in good cycling camaraderie, but he did not wave back. The descent into Annecy was gorgeous. The road was twisty and turny and tree-lined and every now and then when you could see through the trees, you could see beautiful scenes of Lake Annecy. Finding camping in Annecy was difficult, but we finally found some 6k away with its own beach!! We met the nicest couple near our campsite. They let us borrow two camp chairs (a rare luxury for us) and tons of books and maps of Paris. We spent a good part of the night talking with them. They gave us some suggestions for what to do and see around Annecy. They suggested that we ride one of the loops around here that included 4 cols and beautiful scenery. We are excited to see what Annecy has in store. We have heard its gorgeous and even has canals like Venice. We also hope to find either a buyer for our tandem or somewhere willing to ship it for a reasonable price.
~60 k
Mo

Le Tour stage 10

Andy Schleck's bike (current race leader)



Levi Leipheimer



Jens Voigt



Spectators

July 14 Chambery

We weren’t sure what was going to happen with the second half of our day today when we woke up. All we knew was that we were going into Chambery for the start of stage 10. We strolled into Chambery at about 9:30 even though the race didn’t start until 1:00. Regardless, it was still packed. I’m not sure if all starts are that crowded, but today was also a national holiday so I’m guessing people didn’t have to work and came down for the festivities. At the start, there are booths, lots of people, and a Tour de France stage with commentators. Of course we couldn’t understand much of what was going on until the riders actually showed up. It was fun to experience the difference in personal space between us and the French. In fact, later we ran into some British people who were commenting on it as well. We also ran into one of the guys from the Seattle crew that we met on the Col de Madeleine. We hung out with him for the rest of the start. He and Nate were able to get some pretty sweet spots next to the barriers as the riders came through to start the race. Then afterwards, they also jumped the barriers to take a picture in front of the Tour de France banner. Of course, they were ready to play the foreigner card and just say that at home everyone jumps barriers. Coming out of that unscathed and starting a trend for the onlookers who also wanted a picture in front of the banner, we headed to lunch. All the cafes and restaurants were packed because of the Tour yet all of them were understaffed because of Bastille Day. It took us a while to even order and our Seattle friend had to leave to catch his train before anyone even waited on us. Capitalist moneymaking idea #37: overstaff your restaurant the day the tour comes through your town (and throw a tv in the mix with the tour on). After lunch we tried to go grocery shopping and discovered that stores are also closed on national holidays. So we stopped at a side of the road produce stand and bought fruit to get us by. (We had some dinner but no breakfast with us). Then we headed to our campsite where we decided to stay another night. We watched the tour, caught up on the internet, did laundry, ate dinner, drank our 3 euro bottle of wine and went to bed. Tomorrow we will head to Annecy.

~10 k
Mo

Le Tour de France!!!

Part of our hat collection Some famous cyclists (video to come later) The road just below us-the first group we could spot our "after" tent spot The boys watching the tour on the tiny tv until the actual cyclists arrived
July 13 Le Tour Stage 9
Yes, the late night stayer uppers once again woke up before us. In fact, they woke up at six this morning. So, we got up and started the day too. We found out that some of the people even ended up sleeping in the road. On today’s agenda were going to the top to see how some of the paint jobs on the road turned out and waiting for some guys in spandex to come through. We started seeing traffic cars and police at about noon. We ended up meeting more Americans(identifiable by the flags and the English they are speaking). We started scheming how we could profit off of this event with so many things (very capitalist-I realized I really am American). First, we would definitely sell more food. They come with a bread truck and a fresh produce truck, but if you stuck some sandwiches in a cart or popsicles and went up and down that road, you’d be a millionaire by the end of the day. The next thing, the restaurant at the top could make tons of pizzas and send people down selling them (of course not after your bathroom overflows). And of course, hike your prices way up just for this one event. It’s okay I kind of like the way it’s laid back and fun, but definite money could be made. After those Americans, some more showed up. If you remember our before picture of our tent spot, you should see the after because a whole group from Seattle showed up right before game time. They are riding around and catching the mountain stages of Le Tour. After the scheming, we started to see intermittent caravan vehicles. After some more time had the caravan came through! They passed out all kinds of goodies including a million and one hats that Nate happened to catch. Along with that, they threw detergent, candy, pastries, coffee, etc. Many of the floats were very entertaining with things from big plastic horses to jungle scenes. Our least favorite but entertaining for some were the male stripperesque men in speedos(with poles) passing out laundry detergent. Why they would have male strippers at an event that had mostly male spectators I do not know…I guess they figure it’s just like spandex. Once the caravan passes through, you’ve got about an hour til the riders actually start showing up. It turns out that one man had a tiny tv with the Tour on. When word got out, a crowd showed up at his doorstep. Nothing unites people of different nationalities like television. It was cool though to see the Tour on the tv having seen that whole stretch of road before and then seeing them pop up around the corner coming straight for you. Once we could finally see riders everyone scattered away from the tv and we waited for the cyclists to show up at our corner. Let me paint the scene: two helicopters were flying overhead stirring up the trees and frightening the cows. The cowbells joined in for a chorus of cheering from down below. The gendarmeries were leading the pack with cyclists and support vehicles close behind. The race was about to approach. The breakaway group rounded the switchback right before ours and started heading right towards us. In staying with tradition, a few people started running next to the riders. I readied my camera to capture a live video of the epic 2010 Tour de France and what should grace my screen but a man running with the riders in nothing but his birthday suit. I bet you didn’t know it, but I came to France to be a director of X-rated films. I’ll have business cards made up soon. Nate also ran with the riders once, but stayed fully clothed. I got plenty more videos and pictures, none quite as exciting though. The videos go a bit fast, but if you watch them and pause them every few seconds, Nate could pick out guys like Armstrong, Cadel Evans, Contador, and many more. Our videos and pictures are nothing that could be sold to the media (well except that one for a different reason), but it is cool to have footage that we shot ourselves. All in all, our first stage of the tour was very exciting. Nate and I were talking tonight, and both of our heart rates went up when we could finally see the riders. Plus, seeing them go up a hill compared to how fast we climb on our tandem is quite impressive. Once the final rider came up our corner, Nate and I (already packed and ready to go) got on our tandem to go back down the mountain the way the riders went trying to beat most of the traffic. This was relatively easy to do since the police stop traffic to cars at the top and let bikes go through. However, it was somewhat hairy trying to navigate two lanes of traffic, people parked on the side, cyclists everywhere and such. I was high-tailing it out of there like there was no tomorrow. We finally made it to the top where someone offered to take our picture. Shortly after that another man jokingly “stole” our camera but quickly gave it back. On the descent, we were able to pass traffic because the oncoming lane was closed for a good distance. You should have seen the flock of cyclists using the lane to get down. When we descended the 20k into La Chambre, we needed to get dinner and groceries before the stores closed. Then, it was off like madmen to Chambery for the start of the next stage. We had 60k to go and it was already 7:00 by the time we ate, busted a valve, changed a tire, pumped up our tires, and found a place to use the restroom. But, since we had just had our rest day, we decided that a time trial would be the perfect thing for today. We arrived just short of Chambery in an hour and forty minutes. We showed up at a campsite that was supposed to be closed, but thankfully stayed open just for Le Tour. We enjoyed a fireworks show for Bastille Day with hundreds of locals and then went to bed. Today was quite a day. Stocking up on food for the wait………………………………………………………………………………….........21 euro Climbing to the top of a mountain lugging 60 pounds…………………………………………………painful Camping next to hundreds of other drunk people……………………………………………………...…..sketchy Being close enough to Le Tour de France to feel some of their sweat With the added bonus of seeing a naked dude right next to them………………………………....................priceless
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Mo