Monday 9 July 2012

Stage 9 Arrivée: O'Grady, Hincapie, Kessiakoff, Vichot, Kiserlovski (being overhauled by), Peraud, Szmyd, Casar

Monday 9 July 2012

Stage 9 Arrivée: Other sights from on and around the time trial finishing straight.

Monday 9 July 2012

On the climb: Legend Jens Voigt doesn't seem to understand it's a TT & there's no-one behind to put the pain on! wink

Monday 9 July 2012

On the climb: Velits, Fofonov (with no back-up & next rider in his team due almost 20 minutes later!), Minard

Monday 9 July 2012

On the climb: Henderson, who joked via Twitter about not trying too hard was certainly the one smiling most here!

Monday 9 July 2012

On the climb: Levarlet, De Kort, Knees, Trofimov, Morkov, Devenyns, Boeckmans, Popovych, Kern, Marzano

Monday 9 July 2012

On the climb: As you'd expect from a legend like Johnny Hoogerland... he was up here like a rocket!

Monday 9 July 2012

On the climb: Roelandts, Petacchi, Zingle, Impey, Kiryienka, Perez Moreno, Bak, Roy

Monday 9 July 2012

On the climb: Martin, world TT champ looks like he knows how to suffer, but even he though is on the inner ring here!

Monday 9 July 2012

On the climb: Quinziato, Ruijgh, Lund, Kadri, Pineau, Grabsch, Cummings

Monday 9 July 2012

On the climb: Other things snapped in the 2 minute time gaps between riders. And yes - this climb was steep!

Monday 9 July 2012

Saw the start, now on the 14% section of #TdF TT course. Glad these guys look to be finding it as hard as I did yesterday! wink #SweatPouring

Monday 9 July 2012

Stage 9 Départ: Cavendish, Gretsch, Van Hummel, Ladagnous, Oss, Pineau, Eisel, Westra

Monday 9 July 2012

Stage 9 Départ: Farrar, Timmer, Lemoine, Renshaw, LL Sanchez, Hutarovich, Lloyd

Monday 9 July 2012

Stage 9 Départ: Have to include a few of the caravan, but think was more impressed with the Italians at the Giro.

Monday 9 July 2012

Stage 9 Départ: Other random stuff. Note the trend in team busses, everything including... wink

Monday 9 July 2012

Stage 9 Départ: TT Bling! And some more standard stuff - what is that doing here? Well - it is a bike show, right?

Monday 9 July 2012

5:30am local time. Can try for another hour's sleep or get up & not worry so much about getting good place on course. Hmm. #TdF live day! smile

Sunday 8 July 2012

Oil companies who claim to be clean 'energy' players yet still cause disasters like Deepwater Horizon/Oil Sands: You're not kidding anyone!

Sunday 8 July 2012

@inrng Sky should try and eliminate Cav on these hills... then he can go rest up for the Olympics wink

Sunday 8 July 2012

@CyclingCentral Have you noticed that the CNN F1 show is using the same title music as you guys? #RandomFactsFromAHotelRoom wink

Saturday 7 July 2012

These birds seem to be all over rural France. Here hunting mice spooked by tractor in a field next to our lunch stop.

Saturday 7 July 2012

Macro fun in a field of sunflowers. Very, very pleasing smile

Saturday 7 July 2012

When in France... in summer... it just had to be done. Messing about in a field of sunflowers of course!

Saturday 7 July 2012

Picking up some goodies for a picnic lunch in Bourbon-Lancy. Plus a last look around before we leave. Nice place.

Saturday 7 July 2012

Our hotel here is right by a small lake. Very pretty spot and very nice for an early morning stroll before breakfast.

Friday 6 July 2012

Wow! OK, I take it back about Sagan. Just out-sprinted Greipel & Goss (& trains) on the flat. And even a more normal celebration. Chapeau!

Friday 6 July 2012

@inrng Close, watching from hotel bed after nice spin this morning wink BTW, pavé/strade bianche a lottery? Seems plenty of crashes without!

Thursday 5 July 2012

OMG... restaurant this eve has run out of tart! Had to chase perfect duck in honey sauce down with some kind of chocolate pudding thing grin

Thursday 5 July 2012

Le Relais Fleuri in Toulon sur Allier: Simple yet amazing lunch. Stew and potatoes, meat that melts in the mouth. Oh, and tart for desert smile

Thursday 5 July 2012

Leaving region of Auvergne. We like cheese, but they love it here! Was sweating it out on the ride yesterday wink Wonder what's in store next?

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Seems latest moronic FB trend is posting with a caption, "Hit like if..." I know what 'like' is for thanks, and it's not posts like that! smile

Wednesday 4 July 2012

French #TdF coverage break: nice ad. asking viewers to join in with their local bike club. All disciplines included: road, MTB, BMX, etc. smile

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Afternoon at Lac Chambon, then back again for dinner & walk after. Funny having raclette in summer, & with no heater.

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Just arrived in Murol. Beautiful little hotel, very nice room. #TdF in HD! Riding around here looks great, best have a good meal tonight! grin

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Crossing Col de la Croix-Morand, looking East. Down there somewhere is Murol, where we'll spend a couple of nights.

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Beautiful spot for a picnic. Carrying your own food is the best way to guarantee finding lunch in countryside France!

Monday 2 July 2012

Evening picnic by le Plan d'Eau de Mialet (Mialet dam). Took a random road in search of a quiet spot and voilà! smile

Monday 2 July 2012

French TV 1962 TdF footage: Moto pillion sipping alcohol & passing to driver! Riders taking beer from cafés & washing in fountains. Great grin

Monday 2 July 2012

Hey Sagan, not so easy against true sprinters when you have to work is it? Few more like that and you can kiss green goodbye! #WheelSucker

Monday 2 July 2012

Stumbled across aftermath of what we discovered was La Félibrée in Piégut Pluviers. Looks like it was some party!

Monday 2 July 2012

Morning visit to the lovely little village of Brantôme. Then lunch overlooking the river (for both us & the ducks) wink

Sunday 1 July 2012

Couldn't find anywhere open to eat this eve, but did find pizza van & field with views to sit in. Good for us, bad for Euro-zone recovery wink

Sunday 1 July 2012

Back from Château de Hautefort in time for last hour of the TdF. French video, English sound. Got to love being in the correct time zone grin

Sunday 1 July 2012

Château de Hautefort: beautiful gardens and not so scary dungeons. The accommodation wasn't bad either wink

Sunday 1 July 2012

Very nice lunch at Auberge du Parc, Hautefort. Perch wrapped in some crispy pastry stuff and other goodies. Yum! tongue

Sunday 1 July 2012

This is Château de Jumilhac. Nice, but just took these pics in passing on the way to the next one. Spoilt for choice!

Saturday 30 June 2012

Wow... my ankle feels a whole lot better after some Tramadol Hydrochloride and a couple of Leffe Blonde! Thank you and goodnight! grin wink

Saturday 30 June 2012

More duck as dinner for me. Foie gras (as we are so close to Thiviers) & veal for Pratiwi. Plus huge deserts. Yum! tongue

Saturday 30 June 2012

Roll ankle, drive 5 hours: ouch! Fantastic duck lunch for €7.50 made it bearable. Wondered why everyone in café was eating the same dish! wink