Long Intervals : 2 x 1600m
Long day. Woke up right in the middle of Les Essarts, camping cars everywhere, concert in town evening before, then fireworks (remember the sun doesn't go down until 11), then the ones who drink with a bugle in their mouth wander home, then the sun comes up at 4...not much sleep for one inside a petit camping car.
Running at 6am, the workers a still putting the barricades up, queue outside the boulanger for baguettes, one man carried 20 home in a basket, 62 min before I have the location sussed....yoghurt and baguette with cheese tomato mustard and loads of pepper is brekky.
Next for a nanny nap. Get the blue sun hootchie and pillow, put it under a tree on the course, watch the people and riders warming up on course, a team time trial.
Then the caravan...all I want is snacks...instead I get 2 t shirts, hat and magazine. More baguette for brunch...
Back to the car, get tv on the netbook, start recording before the tour, then the race itself. Teams take off at 7 minute intervals. I have more than eniugh time to watch them start on tv, lock the car jog 30m, watch them come past, back to the car, 20 odd teams, lots of jogging.
The race is over...need to move quickly or huge traffic jam, I take a risk on a couple of small roads, drive 12km more than I needed to, saved an hour. On the freeway, get past the big scary city of Nantes on the ring road, on the next freeway McDonalds...blogging and coffee...more driving, follow the yellow course route signs, somewhere to put the Kangoo...just past the finish a picnic area, only 5 vehicles in it including a huge truck that supplies bottled water for the race vittel, have own picnic table, go for jog find athletics track, tip water on head, eat picnic, drink wine, try to get some sleep, do it all again tmoz.
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GT