French Revolutions
Posted Saturday, July 14, 2007, 10:29 AM by Lonely Planet
We're back on the bikes. Hooray and hurrah. After two days sat on the coach to reach Toulouse, it's an immense relief to be pedalling again. The weather is warm, the roads are dry, and we're rolling along at a nice relaxed pace between fields of bright yellow sunflowers. It's France, Jim, but it could be paradise.
As well as our little team, there will be several hundred other Brits among the 7000+ riders riding the Etape on Monday. Our cycling jerseys are based on the flag of England, but in a spirit of entente the lettering says Angleterre.
Today is 14 July, Bastille Day - a French holiday. After cycling through the quiet countryside for about 40km we reached a small town celebrating the event with a market and small festival. We stopped for coffee, and enjoyed the atmosphere. Vive la France.
It was another relaxed 30km or so back to Toulouse. These limbering-up days are great. Shame there won't be time for coffee stops when we're doing the Etape.
It's Saturday evening now. The hotel is now full of cyclists from Britain and other parts of the world, reassembling bikes after a journey by car or plane, checking the route, talking excitedly about gear ratios, and wondering if tonight's dinner will be pasta.
Today is 14 July, Bastille Day - a French holiday. After cycling through the quiet countryside for about 40km we reached a small town celebrating the event with a market and small festival. We stopped for coffee, and enjoyed the atmosphere. Vive la France.
It was another relaxed 30km or so back to Toulouse. These limbering-up days are great. Shame there won't be time for coffee stops when we're doing the Etape.
It's Saturday evening now. The hotel is now full of cyclists from Britain and other parts of the world, reassembling bikes after a journey by car or plane, checking the route, talking excitedly about gear ratios, and wondering if tonight's dinner will be pasta.
Lonely Planet author David Else is in France to take part in L'Etape du Tour - cycling through the Pyrenees on the trail of the Tour de France. This is the fifth of a series of blog posts.
Labels: cycling, Etape du Tour, Europe, France, Pyrenees
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