Saturday, July 18: First Official Training Ride in France

Saturday

It was a perfectly sunny, 90 degree Saturday morning. The wind was a bit strong but we were only going for a 25 morning spin through Provence following breakfast. Breakfast consisted of crème freche, fresh strawberries, croissants and delicious coffee. This was my first group ride since coming to France. I stayed in the back of the pack so that I could get comfortable with the pace of the other riders to determine where or whom it made the most sense to draft from. We cruised through Suze la Rousse, St. Paul Trois Chateaux and Visan. The objective of the ride was to keep the legs loose and make sure the bikes were working correctly. I noticed that my derailleur wasn’t shifting very smoothly and made a mental note to address that at the end of the ride. The ride took about an hour and a half because on the way back some of us got the bug and started racing each other. It made for a quicker ride than we thought. After lunch, we rode over to Montelimar and the Etape du Tour Village to register. To officially sign-in you had to have your passport and official letter, which included your bib number. The registration process was very organized and quick! Afterwards I checked out some of the Tour de France sponsors then we headed back to Rochegude for dinner. I found a pizzeria in Rochegude and ate an entire pizza followed by a Magnum bar, which is very much like a Dove bar. The sun does not set here until about 9:30pm in the evening. Rochegard provides a clear view of Mont Ventoux on a day like today. I spent a lot of time thinking about the ride. This would definitely be the most difficult ride I have ever done. What you will hear is that the climb itself is not difficult but that it is filled with many small difficulties, which is what makes it difficult. Throughout the day there were many conversations about the best way to tackle the mountain but at the end of the day, it comes down to each rider.