The Tour de France starts in London this year. The first day is a time trial around all the sights and the second day is a road race from London to Canterbury. It is 117 miles and last week they advertised a road ride the week before the tour, following the route. It cost £40 to enter and there were 5000 places. They sold out in a day! Ian and I were thinking of doing it but it seems we hesitated for too long! (Well it was a bit far anyway). We will have to make do with watching it and a more gentle bike ride. I was staying in the town in the Alps that hosted a Tour de France finish in 2004. It was a great day. People were 2-3 deep along the last kilometre. We stood outside in the baking heat all day while the various cars and processions went up and down and eventually the tour bus, the troupe of sponsor cars and caravans, paraded through throwing out toys and souvenirs for the children to fight over. The excitement got more and more tense as we waited for the leaders to arrive and eventually they arrived and were gone as quickly as that! I didn't even get to see who won! (It was Lance Armstrong as usual!)Watching the rest of the riders in various degrees of pain as they pushed up the last climb was more interesting, although even that was over in a matter of seconds. After we went to get something to eat and then struggled to find a taxi to take us the 4 miles or so (up the mountain) back to the chalet as all the taxis were booked weeks in advance. The picture above is the one picture I got of Lance Armstrong. He is in the yellow top!
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