We arrived in Annecy, France yesterday afternoon after transferring from Rochegude. We picked up the folks who are doing the second portion of our trip at the Airport in Lyon.
By the time we arrived in our hotel in Annecy, it was around five o'clock and I was pretty tired from the day I had yesterday, so we elected to take the day off off the bike.
Found a local laundromat and washed all my riding kits and explored around town for a bit before calling it a night.
This morning, we rode from our hotel here in Annecy to the summit of the Col de Colombiere which was the last climb of the day for today's Tour de France stage.
We had an added bonus to the ride when Chris Carmichael, who is Lance Armstrong's coach rode with us. He is a really nice guy.
The scenery was incredible and there were people everywhere. Just as I arrived at the summit, A storm was blowing in and I managed to make it under a patio umbrella along with dozens of other cyclists and spectators.
I didn't ride up with any raingear, or warm clothes, so I waited there until the storm blew over. It was actually pretty neat. Once it began to clear a bit, I carefully made my way down the mountain to secure a spot to watch the pros come through. I found a great vantage point at the 10km marker and camped out there.
After brushing up on my Spanish and Basque while chatting with some rather inebriated young men, the tour procession began.
It starts with the tour sponsors vehicle caravan which consists of everything from candy to tires. They throw samples to the crowds while flying down the mountain. (It's amazing what some people will do for a silly hat, or a small package of gummy bears while jumping in front of a fast moving truck!)
Then the motorcycle Gendarmerie come through along with the race leaders. It is amazing how fast these guys are actually going. Television does not do it justice.
Once all of the riders come through, they immediately open the roads back up and it is total chaos getting down the mountain. The best way by far is by bicycle. You can actually fly by all the cars which have to wait for hours to get down the narrow mountain roads. That was a lot of fun.
Attached is a picture I took today of Lance Armstrong and a few of the other leaders as they came through.
In the morning we are riding the 40km time trial stage. The pros will be riding in the afternoon.
It should be a blast.
KR
By the time we arrived in our hotel in Annecy, it was around five o'clock and I was pretty tired from the day I had yesterday, so we elected to take the day off off the bike.
Found a local laundromat and washed all my riding kits and explored around town for a bit before calling it a night.
This morning, we rode from our hotel here in Annecy to the summit of the Col de Colombiere which was the last climb of the day for today's Tour de France stage.
We had an added bonus to the ride when Chris Carmichael, who is Lance Armstrong's coach rode with us. He is a really nice guy.
The scenery was incredible and there were people everywhere. Just as I arrived at the summit, A storm was blowing in and I managed to make it under a patio umbrella along with dozens of other cyclists and spectators.
I didn't ride up with any raingear, or warm clothes, so I waited there until the storm blew over. It was actually pretty neat. Once it began to clear a bit, I carefully made my way down the mountain to secure a spot to watch the pros come through. I found a great vantage point at the 10km marker and camped out there.
After brushing up on my Spanish and Basque while chatting with some rather inebriated young men, the tour procession began.
It starts with the tour sponsors vehicle caravan which consists of everything from candy to tires. They throw samples to the crowds while flying down the mountain. (It's amazing what some people will do for a silly hat, or a small package of gummy bears while jumping in front of a fast moving truck!)
Then the motorcycle Gendarmerie come through along with the race leaders. It is amazing how fast these guys are actually going. Television does not do it justice.
Once all of the riders come through, they immediately open the roads back up and it is total chaos getting down the mountain. The best way by far is by bicycle. You can actually fly by all the cars which have to wait for hours to get down the narrow mountain roads. That was a lot of fun.
Attached is a picture I took today of Lance Armstrong and a few of the other leaders as they came through.
In the morning we are riding the 40km time trial stage. The pros will be riding in the afternoon.
It should be a blast.
KR
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