Free WiFi in France is hard to find. Even when I get a password in a bar I can't get it to work - where is Keith when I need him!
The lead riders are approaching the Col de la Croix de Fer. But I need to fill in a bit about our great Tour day yesterday (is there a bad Tour day? - I don't think so).
We drove into the night so we could get to Jausiers for the finish. We ended up in Barcolonnette, about 10k from the finish and looked for a campground - they were all full. So we drove up a mountain road and found a flat pull-off and just set up our tents. It worked out great as the road was closed just beyond us so there was no traffic. That is until the work trucks came down at 11:30, while we were enjoying a cup of wine along the roadside. We kept waiting to be kicked off the road, but I honestly think the French just aren't that concerned by commando camping.
--5k to the summit of the Col de la Croix de Fer and CSC is riding perfectly - the Schleck brothers are riding strong, Cadel is on the Maillot Jaune's wheel. Everything is setting up for a battle royale on L'Alpe d'Huez.--
We awoke early and headed through Barcolonette, got our daily grande café and pain au chocolat and headed towards the finish.
As is typical, even at 8:30am on the morning of the finish, we were stopped a few kilometers from town. We didn't have the proper credentials….Andrew and Pat geared up for a ride up the classic: the Col de la Bonnette and I prepared for a day soaking in Tour-mania. They left for the ride and I wandered around. Early in the day there are fewer people so one can wander about more. I got to see them painting the finish and I saw the podium for the first time. As I settled in along the barrier I met a very nice American couple - Cindy and Paul, from Alabama, who completely took me under their wing. They were on a vacation and are big Tour fans. Like many, they got hooked during the "Lance Years" (as it is commonly referred to here). They were staying in a timeshare right along the finish and were very accommodating. I charged my computer in their room and Cindy even tried to help me find WiFi by taking me to the Versus truck and asking. Earlier in the morning, while wandering around, she met She met Phil, Bob, and Craig. She even had a conversation with Johann Bruyneel. I now know the whole access thing is about being at the finish early in the morning and just wandering about. Well, my trip to the Versus truck resulted in a pic of Bob Roll - my closest brush with celebrity.
--The Col de la Croix de Fer was just crested - the race is truly on!--
FYI - I just found out the free WiFi is at, of all places….McDonald's. I just can't do it, I'm in France for gosh sake! You'll have to be satisfied reading about this after the fact.
In the mean time, I was able to secure a good spot along the barrier about 50 meters from the finish. The tough thing is that then you need to aggressively protect your space. Which, thanks to Cindy and Paul's chairs, were able to do. I was also fortunate to be next to a nice family from Italy. It was fun speaking with them, as the daughter, roughly middle-school aged, was studying english in school. It gave her a chance to practice her skills and at the same time made her parents proud. The father, Emilio, emphasized to me how important it was to Italy that the race was in their country. Every so often, the Tour has a few stages into another country and this year was Italy. When we were watching in Villanova Mondovi, it was obvious how proud the town and region was.
We also had a great view of the big screen tv that is at every finish. It was a scorcher so we took turns wandering about. I went to the PMU truck and jumped into the fray in search of Tour schwag. By being willing to raise my hand and lean - hard - I procured a foam hand and a green hat. PMU sponsors the Green points jersey (for sprinting). I also picked up a fun comic book about the Tour in French. I then went back to "the spot" and endured the next 5 hours watching the race on the big screen tv - how about that over-the-edge crash of the Barloworld rider! His bike went so far down the mountain it was out of the camera shot. Believe it or not, he continued and is racing today. While waiting at the line, there was all day entertainment by advertisers. People on stilts for cheese, girls on in line skates giving out pom poms for the French tv station 234. A guy doing tricks with a trials bike (over a person), guys wearing backpack pumps containing chocolate milk, and of course, the yellow jersey sponsor, Le Credit Lyonaise, giving out perhaps hundreds of yellow hats. These guys are relentless. I think if I had wanted to I could have gotten one for everyone in Corvallis! It was a festival scene that lasted all day, until the Tour caravan arrived. Then it got even wilder as cars, motorcycles, and high-speed parade floats are now added to the mix. Again, remember, the French love chaos!
With regard to the riders: Stage 16, Cuneo to Jausiers was 157 kilometers and had 2 "hor categorie" climbs - which means insanely hard - not just steep, but long as well. The climb over the Col de la Lombarde was 21.2 kilometers, averages 7%, and tops out at 2351 meters. Similarly, but higher, the Col de la Bonette-Restefond is 26.7 kilometers, averages 6.2%, and tops out at 2802 meters.
Do the math kids:
1 meter is about 39 inches
1 kilometer is .6 of a mile
The gradient remains the same.
Go out for a ride and find a steep hill, then put it on Mt. Batchelor, or maybe higher! Now ride it for hours. Sound fun?
--25 k to the top of L'Alpe d'Huez - the bar is getting crowded and we're in the middle of France - about 4 hours drive from the location. This is The Tour Baby!--
The finish in Jausiers was as expected, without any big changes. The riders came by so fast that I missed the picture because I was watching the big screen and the delay to the satellite was enough so that, while I was watching them (on screen) come to the turn before us, when I turned to shoot the pic, they were flying by - oh well, it's etched in my mind. They were going about 45 miles per hour. Another remarkable day for the Schleck brothers - and the Luxembourg fans are beside themselves. There are flags everywhere and people are breaking out in songs and anthems at the podium. They love their bike racers and they are not afraid to show it!
--The peleton is approaching the start of the climb. My feet are sweating and twitching as they show the overhead helicopter shot of the climb. I need to sit back, watch, and cheer. CSC has positioned themselves well. The question remains: who will have "the ride of their life?"--
Well, I'm now in Paris at the airport Hilton, waiting for my flight back to the states. Andrew and Patrick leave Thursday and I leave early Friday. We now know that Carlos Sastre truly had "the ride of his life!"
It's late and I've hopefully done some good updating - I've been surprised how dificult it has been to get WiFi the last few days. Time to retire. Look for pics tomorrow.
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