Good thing I came to France because I was just beginning to miss Napa. Limoux reminds me so much of Napa...plus the aggressive driving, roundabouts and old men standing on street corners with a baggett and cappuccino.
I got to Limoux after a day and a half of airports, the last 6 hours of which was spent on a metal bench in Toulouse. Megan Garnier came to pick us up once Allison got in (without a bike or luggage...unfortunately). I slept until 1 o'clock Thursday afternoon.
We're staying in a house in Limoux, about a two minute walk to the "town center" with plenty of bakeries and coffee shops. There are six of us who will be racing, Allison Starnes and Jerika Hutchinson (also from Norcal), and Sinead Miller, Jo Markhem, and Devon Haskell (from somewhere besides California).
If I was on top of things, I'd have pictures of the house and town to accompany this update. I'm not on top of things. The house we're staying in is smashed in between other houses, three stories with a gnarly staircase. It's a rough trip upstairs..almost a harder workout than riding.
Chris Georges, our director came over for dinner last night and talked a little about the races we'll be doing and training during the week. Tuesday is sprints, Wednesday TT, Thursday "Ten hills" ride, Friday recovery, race on the weekends. Since our race this "weekend" is on Monday, we're doing the hills ride tomorrow. I don't know much about the ride, but it sounds pretty self explanatory...go hard up TEN hills with recovery in between. Most of the races will be in France, two in Holland. In a couple weeks we'll go to Paris for a race (long drive) and see the Eiffel tower and touristy things you're supposed to do when you go to Europe.
We had a great ride today, really windy out and blue skies. We kept a pretty mellow pace, rotating pacelines on the flats and the gradual climb. Cars pulled over for us on the narrow sections! It was a pretty uneventful, beautiful ride. Got lost coming back into town, went around a roundabout twice (that's the beauty of roundabouts..you don't have to turn around, just keep riding in circles), went the wrong way on a one way street, but eventually made it.
Megan took us to the store this afternoon. You have to put a deposit of one Euro in to get a grocery cart. Apparently they've had problems with people stealing grocery carts? No peanut butter, lots of nutella, no grape nuts, TONS of pasta choices, lots of produce. I set an alarm off because I walked through the checkout line with a grocery basket. You're supposed to leave them on the other side of the checkout asile. They are REALLY worried about their grocery baskets!!
So things are good, I'm having a great time, felt surprisingly good on the bike today. About the bike...it made it safe (and free) to France. And thank you to USWCDP to getting it to me just in time to be put together and packed up (a few stressful moments there).
I'm looking forward to the hilly ride tomorrow...and of course a trip to the bakery in the morning.