The penultimate stage is complete. It went from Le Creusot to Mantceau-Les Mines. It was the time trial stage, which means a much shorter distance, since the pros go one at a time. In our case, we simply ride it as a group, at the same pace we have done the rest of the trip. The stage was 57KM, and it felt pretty much like a recovery training ride at home. The terrain was flat to rolling, not very different from the roads in the Warrenton area that I ride back home.







I felt so much better today. It is amazing what a single day of rest will do to the body. I felt I could have easily done an 120+ mile day again. The ability to recover quickly is a key ingredient for this event.

However, a quiet, eight hour sleep night in this trip has been rare. One would think that if we have everything taken care of, we should be able to get some good sleep. But that is not the case. By the time we are done with the 120+ mile stages, it is easily past 6 PM when we get to the hotels. Then there is massage and getting dinner, which depending on the day, it could be 8PM or even 9PM. Then it is past 10PM and you head to your hotel room. Now you either have a choice of preparing your stuff for tomorrow now, and get packed, or wait until the early morning to do all this right after breakfast.

If the hotel has AC is it wonderful. At least you will be cool. Also, depending on the location, your hotel might be noisy. Then there is the early morning start. If we have to drive to the start, we have to start even earlier. Breakfast at 7AM was the norm, but we have had 6AM and even 5:30AM breakfasts.

The mountain stages, in addition to the difficulty in terrain, combine all of these issues: No AC, LOUD drunks outside, very late dinner because of late finish from the prior mountain stage, and very early breakfast. The organizer tells us that this year was much easier for us with transfers. Last year’s tour, they had to do a lot more driving from finishing city to starting city. We did not have that problem this year, except for a couple of stages. So recovering quickly, and with little sleep is key.

Now, having finished this time trial, we drive closer to Paris for the last stage. As we drive in the vans closer to central France, I realize the trip is ending. It feels like I am in an airplane and I am feeling the pilot getting ready to land. I start noticing all the different things that have made this trip so awesome.





The Flechage van passes us and honks. We have seen those guys all along the stages. We have established this unspoken bond with them. They see us and smile and wave and honk. If we see them first we do the same. They have been so critical to this trip. Imagine having someone nailing arrows all along the routes so that when you go through, there is no question where to go. Sure we had GPS, but an arrow is easier for us on the bike, we do not have to wait for the van if it got stuck in traffic. These Flechage guys have tried their best to stay ahead of us and place those arrows before we would get there. One night, we saw them at a hotel, and they asked what time we were starting to make sure they got started earlier. Those guys were great!



In the van, I also have time to contemplate the company I have kept over the past three weeks. I have been with an outstanding group of people. The support staff, the participants, everybody here has a can-do-anything attitude, extreme toughness level that one does not see everyday. They have been an inspiration all along.

Another item I will miss will be all the food we have been able to get away with eating. Candy, Cokes, McDonald’s cheeseburgers, milkshakes, patisseries, you name it, we ate it. And that was in addition to the lunches and dinners. When you are riding 8-9 hour days, you can get away with it. Now, I do not think I have lost weight, but I do not think I have gained a pound either.



Having arrived at the hotel for the final stage into Paris, I can definitely tell I am close to Paris. The hotel is more modern, and traffic and highways are bigger and busier. Yes, this journey is coming to an end; one more 100 miler tomorrow and we will be in the Champ Elysees.