Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Mt. Ventoux Race Weekend

For those racing state-side on the East Coast, you have your choice of racing in my neighborhood of Grandview Heights, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The riders have been previewing the course this week. Ober will have burgers, dogs & beer on hand. You may have to assist him or help yourself to the food & beer - you may have to make it yourself, too, as I will be in West Virgina racing my team race in the Lost River Valley.

Bring chairs and if you like - a watermelon or side dish would be greatly appreciated, too.

I am reminiscing to the days, Marcy, Blackie, Tim & I spent at the 2004 TDF.

Carcassonne Start (Southern France) - Ekimov

The caravan...
Hey!! How did that American get on the INSIDE... On the other side of that Powerbar feed station was the sign-in for the riders. We left Blackie on La Mongie DAYS ago. That is how our trip went for two plus weeks. Blackie would disappear on a stage and we would somehow meet up with him days later at another stage. Mind you, we did not have cells phones back then so there wasn't any texting and calling to meet up.

Mt. Ventoux!! Blackie left us at the town at the bottom (Bedoin) of Ventoux, drove our car to the top and he met people that drove him to the next stage. Thank goodness as we ROASTED on the climb; handed off our helmets to him on our ride up, he handed bars to us and then we were thankful to have the car at the top because we would have FROZE if we had to ride down.