CONTADOR HAS ARRIVED IN HIS PLAYGROUND!

Stage 15 begins in the Swiss Alps and the boys will put the “peddle to the metal” when they leave the city of Pontarlier and head through the mountains for 128.6 miles to the ski resort of Verbier.

Predicted Fireworks appeared in the final miles of Stage 15 of the 2009 Tour de France as Alberto Contador “arrived in his playground”! An initial break away by 10 riders during their ride into Switzerland fell apart as the true mountain test began late in today’s ride. Once Contador broke there was no stopping him….Andy Schleck tried but couldn’t touch him as he cruised effortlessly up the steep mountain in the Swiss Alps taking the Stage and the Yellow Jersey!

The leaders are:

#1: Alberto Contador

#2: Lance Armstrong + 1.37

#3: Bradley Wiggins + 1.46

#4: Andreas Kloden + 2.17

#5: Andy Schleck + 2.26

Our Jerseys were awarded today to:

Top Team Overall: Astana

Maillot Jaune: Alberto Contador

Maillot Vert: Thor Hushovd

Maillot a Pois Rouges: Franco Pellizotti

Maillot Blanc: Andy Schleck

Today is a rest day for Martha but I’ll be back after the teams take their rest day tomorrow, Monday July 20^th…..we’ll continue our 2004 Journal on Tuesday, July 21^st ………

OUR TRIP UP THE ALPE D'HUEZ

Stage 14 of the 2009 Tour de France begins in Colmar, how nice that the riders had an opportunity to enjoy such a beautiful town last night. The Stage runs through the beautiful countryside ending 123.7 miles later in Besancon, an historical city now known for its art and history. It was the birthplace of Victor Hugo who wrote Les Miserable.

Early rain again kept today’s race across the plains on a more predictable course. There was an early break away of 12 riders with a broad representation from many different teams today. The rain stopped as Astana kept the pace of the Peloton strong to keep the break lead down. The rain was light enough for the most of the race that the race caps stayed off their backs. During the last few miles the Russian rider Serguei Ivanov, six times Russian Champion broke from the group and finished for his second Stage Win in his seventh Tour de France.

The story of the day was George Hincapie, part of the break away closed the time gap for the Yellow Jersey for this stage throughout the day missing his opportunity by just five seconds!

The leaders are:

#1: Rinaldo Nocentini 58:13:52

#2: George hincapie +.05

#3: Alberto Contado +.06

#4: Lance Armstrong +.08

#5: Christophe Le Mevel +.43

The Jerseys today:

Top Team Overall: Ag2r La Mondiale

Yellow Jersey: Rinaldo Nocentini

Green Jersey: Thor Hushovd

Polk-a-dot Jersey: Franco Pellizotti

White Jersey: Tony Martin

And so we pick up our story in 2004 during our first full day in Grenoble at the base of the Alpe d’Huez; the site of many of the more famous mountain stages in the history of the Tour de France…….

Tuesday, July 20^th, 2004 Grenoble

At breakfast this morning we met a very nice lady from Seattle, Washington; probably about fifty years of age. She travels by herself for about a month every summer in Europe; mostly France, sometimes driving and sometimes by train. Got to talking about the Tour and she is also following the race. She will go from here to Beaune. We noticed her yellow bracelet that only Nike is selling here in Europe to support the Armstrong Cancer Fundraiser. We’ve been trying to purchase them for a week and haven’t been able to. They’re only a dollar. Everyone from all the riders to thousands of the spectators have them. They’re yellow rubber and have the word “LIVESTONG” on them. Nike has pledge to match the money raised (up to one million dollars) if they sell one million during the Tour. You can order them in the States online from the Armstrong Foundation; not sure of the exact website; but a little searching should find it for you if you’re interested. But, she had two extra ones that she gave Jim and me after she found out that we'd been trying to buy one without luck...and we still don't know her name! People are so nice when you travel.

After breakfast we headed for the Alpe d’Huez by car. Since Jim is not planning to find a place to park and sleep all night in the car; I went with him. We drove thirty eight miles each way and it took us a little over three hours. We came to a dead standstill in traffic about three miles from the top. We’d been inching along for at least a mile before that along very steep switchbacks. No places to park even if we wanted to. I finally believe their prediction that there will be a million people on the mountain tomorrow for the race. After turning around we timed the traffic jam….we passed cars headed up the mountain that were bumper to bumper, inching along for six miles from where we’d turned around. The smell of clutches and brakes was everywhere. We asked one German camper on the corner of a switchback when they’d arrived to secure their spot (and they were only about 2 miles up)…they’d been camped there since last Thursday. Oh…we also had rain for about two thirds of our trip up the mountain. Many of the bikers had full packs on their bikes for camping overnight on the mountain. Everything had to be soaking wet by the time they arrived.

The Road heading in that direction will be closed at Vizille (about 25 miles before the race starts in le Boure-d’Oisans) after midnight tonight and will be closed for two days. The race on Thursday also starts from the same town and goes over another mountain heading north in the direction of Geneve.

Arrived back at the hotel and spent the afternoon packing boxes to mail tomorrow and watching Stage Fifteen of the Tour de France. It will end today in the town of Villard that we visited yesterday. Weather is very humid and warm. But the mountains in this area are spectacular. Everywhere you look there is a vista of mountain ranges to enjoy.

The race is now over for today. We have thunder outside, mountain climbers are beginning to practice climbing on the shear cliffs next to our hotel. Lance Armstrong won the Stage and the Yellow Jersey today. Little Thomas Voeckler, the brand new rider; a Frenchman riding for a French Team (his first year), only 23 years old, has said goodbye to the yellow jersey. He has won it nearly every stage since the beginning of the Tour. He’s truly the “darling” of the tour. He’s like Thomas The Train….I think I can, I think I can…… I’m sure he’ll get a top contract and probably be a team leader next year after the results this year. I’ve challenged Jim that if Thomas gets to number seven win in years to come; we’ll come back to see him win! Many people feel that he could possibly be the next Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France!

COLMAR

Stage 13 of the 2009 Tour de France begins in Vittel and ends 124.3 miles later in Colmar; a quaint town with a mixture of French and German known as the Alsace-Lorraine Region. We visited Colmar in 2002. We’ll have some mountains today for the first time since our three days in the Pyrenees Mountains.

RAIN dampened the action but didn’t stop an early break away by 7 riders that quickly reduced to three. For a long time there were three….then there were two….and finally in the last stretch there was only the German Heinrich Haussler! A 25 year old born in Australia of German parents; he returned to Germany and has lived there for years. Today he took his first Stage victory 4 minutes ahead of the second place rider; this is his third year of riding on the Tour de France. Colmar is less than twenty miles from his home in Germany.

No serious attacks today, probably because of the weather, all the main leaders remain the same except for the loss of Levi Leipheimer who broke his wrist yesterday and is now out of the race!

The leaders are:

#1: Rinaldo Nocentini

#2: Alberto Contado +.06

#3: Lance Armstrong +.08

#4: Bradley Wiggins +.46

#5: Andreas Kloden +.54

The Jerseys today:

Top Team Overall: Team Saxo Bank

Yellow Jersey: Rinaldo Nocentini

Green Jersey: Thor Hushovd

Polk-a-dot Jersey: Franco Pellizotti

White Jersey: Tony Martin

Today I thought that I’d print out a journal from our visit to Colmar in 2002 to give you a taste of the region and possibly entice you to visit there someday……

September 10^th, 2002 Colmar, France

Bonjour Amis et Famille…. September 10^th, 11^th & 12^th

September 11^th: As you can see by the salutation, we’re enjoying being back in France again. Yesterday it rained most of the day, gentle but steady. After playing with different things on the computer for about an hour I finally tried a different number that was at a very low speed and it connected and stayed! So, we got the journal about Switzerland and the cow country sent! We then checked out the lay of the land….a truly spectacular postcard perfect old city. Not a straight street in town, they change names every few blocks and many are pedestrian traffic only; but worth the extra effort. We’re staying at a Comfort Inn on the outskirts of town. Have to drive to the sites but nice to save the Euros after Switzerland. That was VERY expensive! And the conveniences are more modern. Had a lovely traditional Alsace meal of choucroute garni in the hotel dining room and Jim ordered his favorite meat: duck.

Up this morning and out the door early for our last trip to the Laundromat. Had fun conversing with a mother and daughter who travel for a month every summer in Europe. They live in Minnesota; mother is a retired real estate broker and daughter is a teacher (going back later than usual this trip). We had lots in common and spent the time discussing our travels and the different people that we have met. The time flew for me and Jim had fun exploring the town in his rain gear…yes, it’s still coming down with spells of clear in between.

We spent the afternoon walking the town of Colmar. First we went to La Petite Venice, which is a canal that meanders through the old town. We rode with two German couples in a flat-bottomed boat powered by a battery operated fishing trawling motor. The guide only spoke French but the view was so great we didn’t need the stories as we went under stone bridges so low that we had to duck our heads. On one house you could still see the Latrine room that emptied into the canal (only for looks nowadays!) This town is almost entirely half-timbered buildings that have been here for centuries. The town didn’t have any damage from the wars, so it’s all real as opposed to rebuilt after the wars.

Then we went to the Tanners’ Quarters and found a Creperie for lunch. Mine had thin slices of ham, cheese and topped with a sunny side up egg in the middle. They make a wonderful light lunch. Especially when washed down with a beer! Afterwards we visited the churches and a Museum in town. The Museum had some unusual Altar pieces and one entitled Isenheim Altarpiece by Grunewald had the face of Christ; in the words of Rick Steves: “a psychedelic explosion of Resurrection joy…is the spiritual equivalent of jumping from the dentist’s chair directly into a Jacuzzi”. Jim had seen this image used in a television program once and wondered where it came from. Finally came back to the hotel for the newscast of the 9/11 Remembrances. They were carried live on almost every channel on TV. Had hoped that I would hear some church bells ringing in town but didn’t.

September 12^th:

Spent the whole day touring the “Route Du Vin” and we were surrounded by vineyards of all different types of grapes on every road we took! Grapes are definitely their one and only crop in this area. It will be the same in Beaune. Contrary to recommendations, we didn’t tour the wineries but instead spent our day in the picturesque little towns that dot the hillsides in between the vineyards. We went to the best one first but even then it was hard to stop taking photos all day. I’ve taken 225 photos in the last three days. Good thing I use a digital camera. One of the things that we noticed was that many of the vineyards had a full size Crucifix at the corner of their plot of land. Interesting that there are so many religious icons everywhere in Europe and yet we don’t see that many young adults in the churches on Sunday. My daughter Mary would say, “Mom, there’s more to religion than attendance at Sunday Mass!”

Our very first stop this morning was up the hill in the forest to walk a quarter of a mile in to see three old Chateau Ruins. Could have been a great view but it was hazy from all the moisture in the air. Rained all day yesterday on and off, today was beautiful but cloudy. Couple interesting things; first we saw a wonderful sign on the road going up that showed a diagram of a car with a masked man dipping into it. I think they were telling us to beware of auto burglary in the area. Then when we arrived at the ruins there were two young men in costume. One was dressed all in white with a devil’s mask and a white plastic space gun, he was sitting inside one of the towers in the doorway. Allowed me to take his photo but otherwise was silent. Strange was the only explanation.

Next we went to Eguisheim; I couldn’t stop taking photos. First thing we saw was a 1000-pound stork’s nest at the peak of the church tower. Flowers were in every window and ledge in the half-timbered buildings. Buildings were painted all different colors. Baskets of flowers were hanging on light posts, and every other conceivable open space that could hold a blossom. We finally had to leave as we had lots of other villages to visit today. We stopped for lunch at a local Cafeteria along the highway. Knew the food was excellent as it was full of locals. We were right!

Then we stopped at Kayersberg, the birthplace and home of Albert Schweitzer, another extremely picturesque village in every detail. Saw another stork’s nest at the peak of a tower but this time it also had a live stork nesting. She followed us with her eyes as we walked around the base taking photos. Then at the bridge we saw a fly fisherman in the stream. Walked around to another bridge near him and took video’s of his catching two different trout within a few minutes. The first was about ten inches and the second one had to be sixteen to twenty inches in length. He had a wonderful way with his rod and the line whipped through the air like strokes on a canvas creating a wonderful visual image.

Our next stop was in the village of Sigolsheim. We drove up through the vineyards to a World War II cemetery for French Soldiers. On the bluff overlooking the valley they had built a Memorial to the American Soldiers who helped the French liberate Alsace. Then on to our last village of Riquewihr that Rick Steves said was “overly picturesque”. Had to see what that would look like compared to the others we’d seen today. Yes, larger and also very picturesque, but we didn’t feel that it was more so than the others we’d seen. The exception being that it was absolutely packed with about ten tour buses. It was impossible to take a photo without a dozen or more tourists in front of you. So overall, we much preferred Eguisheim and Kayersberg.

HEADING FOR THE ALPS

Stage 12 of the 2009 Tour de France begins in Tonnene, a rural town located half way between Paris and Dijon. The race ends 131.1 miles later in Vittel, a city known for its rich architectural heritage.

Wind again was a factor today and the 7 man break away happened just before the 50 mile mark on today’s Stage. With a 4 minute lead they stayed away from the main Peloton right up until about 12 miles from the finish when 2 of the 7 broke away for a short time. Then at 3 miles to go Nicki Sorensen, Danish rider with Saxo Bank, broke loose and headed alone towards the finish line for his first stage win in seven tours. He is also the 2008 Champion of Denmark and now in the top 20 of the 2009 Tour de France!

The leaders are:

#1: Rinaldo Nocentini

#2: Alberto Contado +.06

#3: Lance Armstrong +.08

#4: Levi Leipheimer +.39

#5: Bradley Wiggins +.46

The Jerseys today:

Top Team Overall: Saxo Bank

Yellow Jersey: Rinaldo Nocentini

Green Jersey: Mark Cavendish

Polk-a-dot Jersey: Egoi Martinez

White Jersey: Tony Martin

Our journey in 2004 continues as we leave Gordes heading north to Grenoble….

July 19^th, 2004 Traveling towards Grenoble

Today was a travel day for us and a day of rest for the Tour de France. But, we discovered on the road that the riders may be resting but the trucks and cars were on the road headed north for the next stages to be held near Grenoble. We left “the girls” (our sunflowers) behind in Provence as we journeyed north on toll roads. Must tell you that if you ever plan to stay overnight in Gordes, we were extremely pleased with our hotel. They even had an exchange shelf of novels in English. So now I have two new books to read. I chose them more for their size than content.

There are rumors that there will be a million people on the Alpe d’Huez on Wednesday for the time trial stage straight up the mountain. We arrived in Saint-Egreve, a suburb of Grenoble, about noon. We went shopping for some boxes to start mailing extra things home. We need to lighten the baggage before the end of the month so thought we’d get a head start here. The hotel is a one star with a fabulous view of the mountains. But the air conditioner does not work and it’s 95 degrees. This was the closest we could get a reservation to the Stages that are happening in this area. Price was not a question, space was the only criteria; and, Jim started very early attempting to get reservations. No mosquitoes (rarely see window screens in Europe) so we’ve got the one window open and can hear the tour group of bicycle riders from Belgium enjoying their evening. They moved tables and chairs outside and partied until late in the evening. Jim finally asked the last group to move inside about midnight. They were right under our window. We do have a television and access to the Internet. Cell phone is working fine…I needed to add time and that’s why it hasn’t worked for a few days.

During the afternoon we drove to the south part of Grenoble (Eybens) for a visit with our friend Sam, his brother Bob and friend Steve. Finally put our schedules together and had a very enjoyable two-hour visit sharing stories about our trips. Sam got caught in the cold rainstorm when we were in La Mongie. He was on the mountain on his bicycle; a bit different from our version as we were in a dry hotel room. Tomorrow Sam says he’s riding his bicycle up to the top of Alpe d’Huez. Jim has definitely decided not to drive up and sleep in his sleeping bag the night before the race.

The final decision came after we took a couple of hours and drove up to Villard, the stage end on Tuesday. Remember this is Monday. The road was packed with parked cars and campers, thousand of bicycle riders and bumper-to-bumper traffic. The final place that the road would be open after 9 am on Tuesday would be at least six miles from the finish line. We stopped, picked up the tour route through the town, drove as far as they would allow us to drive today; still several miles from the end. We were allowed to drive as far as the Luge Site from the Grenoble Olympics from the 1960’s. And this is not the big day!

Back to the hotel for a quiet and light dinner before cold showers to cool off and another session of Band of Brothers in French on the television.

STAGE 11 RESULTS

Stage 11 of the 2009 Tour de France begins in the rural town of Vatan, a population of approximately 2,000 people plus the overnight addition of about 10,000 people including fans and staff for the Tour de France. The race through the countryside ends 119.3 miles later in Saint-Fargeau, another small town steeped in history.

Another early two man break away by the Belgium Johan Van Summeren and a Polish rider, Marcin Sapa. They held their lead right up until the 5 km mark when they were caught by the Peloton. An exciting finish by Mark Cavendish who regained the Green Jersey also by his fantastic finish. He’s taking the podium for the 11^th Stage; his 4^th Stage win of 2009.

The leaders are:

#1: Rinaldo Nocentini 39:11:04

#2: Alberto Contado 39:11:10 +.06

#3: Lance Armstrong 39:11:12 +.08

#4: Levi Leipheimer 39:11:58 +.54

The Jerseys today:

Top Team Overall: Ag2-La Mondiale a 3 second lead over Astana

Yellow Jersey: Rinaldo Nocentini

Green Jersey: Mark Cavendish

Polk-a-dot Jersey: Egoi Martinez

White Jersey: Tony Martin

Our 2004 Journal continues tomorrow when we travel to Grenoble and the famous trek up the Alpe d’Huez….do we watch the race in person or on television…that is the question of the day!

GORDES IN PROVENCE

Stage 10 of the 2009 Tour de France began after a day of rest in the city of Limoges and ended 120.5 miles later in the city of Issoudun with history going back to the Gallo-Roman era. Flat stages today but the French will want to win to celebrate the major holiday of the French Revolution: Bastille Day!

On the first hill today we saw a break away of 3 Frenchmen and 1 Russian riders. They held their lead for over four hours, a lead of only three minutes most of the time, until the last seconds of the race when the Peloton caught them! Mark Cavendish sprinted into take the Stage Winner position with Thor Hushovd a close second, third place was taken by the young American rider Tyler Farrar! An exciting but not unexpected finish for Stage 10 in the beautiful city of Issoudun.

Our top four leaders are:

#1: Rinaldo Nocentini

#2: Alberto Contador + .6 seconds

#3: Lance Armstrong +.8 seconds

#4: Levi Lephemier + .39 seconds

Our Jerseys were awarded today to:

Top Team Overall: Stages 8, 9 & 10: Ag2R-La Mondiale

(Team Astana is 3 seconds behind on the overall team score)

Maillot Jaune: Rinaldo Nocentini

Maillot Vert: Thor Hushovd

Maillot a Pois Rouges: Egoi Martinez

Maillot Blanc: Tony Martin

Back to our 2004 story as we leave La Mongie and head for Provence…

Saturday, July 17^th, 2004 Travel day to Gordes in Provence

We had breakfast at the hotel in La Mongie before heading out for the long drive to Gordes in the Luberon area of Provence. At breakfast we enjoyed watching some Americans (from Charleston) type emails and send them on their Blackberry. Their service was through T-Mobile and he said that all he did was notify T-Mobile prior to leaving the states that he was going to be in Europe and they “registered” him. A piece of information for you Blackberry fans if you travel in Europe. We offered to take a photo and email it for them after they mentioned that it was too bad it didn’t have a built-in camera. [my how fast times change!] They loved the idea and provided me with a friend’s email address. We took the photo and sent it after we arrived in Gordes.

It was a long day of driving even though we paid the tolls for the major roads. There was very heavy traffic between the weekenders heading to the coast of the Mediterranean for cooler weather and the thousand heading for the next stage of the Tour de France. We never made it to Lourdes while we were in the area; but since we’d been twice before it was not high on the priority list. From Toulouse on we had fields of sunflowers. Some were so new they hadn’t bloomed yet. No rain but overcast skies.

Arrived in Gordes at our wonderful Hotel Le Mas des Romanins located an easy ten minute walk from the center of the village. We had a wonderful view of the village from our bedroom window. After we watched Lance Armstrong take first place in Stage thirteen on television; we walked into town and then we drove down to the Abbey Senanque. The Abbey is a ten minute drive down a narrow, winding road that is mostly one way with pullout located along the sides every fifty meters or so. People park to take photos of the Abbey from the road. We arrived at 6 pm, just in time for the Vespers service in the Chapel. It lasted about an hour; there were seven monks, no music except for their chanting. Made us want to come back for Mass on Sunday. The Abbey is surrounded by fields of lavender. Last time we were here they were in the process of harvesting but now it is in full bloom. The bees and butterflies were very busy.

Back at the hotel we walked to our dinner reservations in the village; a charming little Bistro called The Bouquet de Basilic. Very elegant in a simple way; we ate outside in the patio area. Enjoyed a Kir and then a tomato/cheese salad followed by thinly sliced salmon with a wonderful sauce. Jim enjoyed sharing the salad and his plate of Canard with an assortment of vegetables. We’ve been pretty good about the “spirits” and generally have a Kir and then share a large bottle of water with gas instead of wine and/or beer. Helps us sleep better at night. We walked home to the sound of the insects in the trees. If you watched Tiger Woods play golf in Georgia several months ago…that’s the sound that we hear outside. Cicadas are something like grasshoppers but they make more noise and stay in the trees. And another beautiful day has come to a gentle close.

Sunday, July 18^th:

Down to breakfast by 8 am, we enjoyed a buffet style continental breakfast on the patio overlooking the city. By 9 am we were back at the Abbey Senanque for Mass. The church was full and today there were nine Monks; six priest and three brothers. They all participated in the celebration of the Mass. We were able to sit right up in front and even attempted to sing some of the songs during the mass with the French people. Again, there was no music except for un-amplified voices enhanced by the high dome of the stone chapel. The Mass lasted for an hour and fifteen minutes. But who was counting; it was so beautiful. Afterwards we walked the grounds and enjoyed smelling the Lavender again. Several of the people at the mass were staying there at the Monastery. Lots of empty rooms and it appears they rent them out? Don’t know the details but if you’re traveling in this area it might be a good one to check. I do know that Borders Books has some books specifically dealing with staying at convents and monasteries in Europe.

The weather was getting warm so we changed into shorts before walking into the village to check out the Historical Sites. One that we visited was an Olive Oil Mill. Due to the location on the hillside, every building had extensive basements (caves) dug under them for storage and production of wine and olive oil from the fruits of their vineyards and orchards. Some of these went down for up to seven stories underground. They date back to over a thousand years ago. Very cool place to tour on this very warm day!

Bike race time, we watched the fourteenth stage of the Tour from our room. Nothing exciting, rather level day; unknown leaders…as Jim said they’ve started their rest day early. They spend the night in Nimes and have Monday off as an official rest day before the mountains starting Tuesday. High ranking riders are going to remain about the same but it’s a great opportunity for those in the back to have a great day.

Tonight we’re driving over toVenasque, about half an hour away, for dinner at the Hotel Ramparts. We stayed there for a week in 2000 and remember their spectacular sauces made from herbs picked fresh from the nearby woods every day.

We’re off for Saint Egreve tomorrow; high in the mountains near Grenoble. We’ll be there three days to experience the ride up the “Alpe de ‘Huez” mountain by the riders on Stage 16 of the 2004 Tour. Yes…we will have missed four stages and one rest day while we’ve been enjoyed Provence.

Jim has to make the big decision on Tuesday as to whether or not he is going to drive up to the top of Alpe d’Huez to see the finish at the top of the mountain on Wednesday. If he goes, he will be sleeping in his car for at least one night in the sleeping bag that we’ve brought with us from home for this purpose. The problem is not that our hotel is so far from the race as the fact that there is only one road in and out and they close it early and open it long after the race is completed. Me? I’m going to stay comfortably in the hotel and watch it on television. He probably will also as we’re finding the crowds are extremely large and traffic is horrible on the roads. Also, we change hotels the day after that Stage is completed.

STAGE 9 OF THE 2009 TOUR RESULTS

Stage 9 of the 2009 Tour de France began in Saint-Gaudens. The route took them over and down the Col du Tourmalet, passing through our ski village of La Mongie and the famous village of Lourdes before ending 99.4 miles later in the French city of Tarbes at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains.

Stage 9 was definitely “Strange” and not as expected. A break away by Franco Pellizotti and Pierrick Fedrigo on the first main climb of the Col d-Aspin and they stayed away for the balance of the race! There was no real battles on the mountain stages because the finish was just too far away.

The Frenchman, Pierrick Fedrigo took the Stage, his second in the Tour de France, just nosing out the Italian Pellizotti and less than a minute in front of the Peloton. This makes three stage victories for the French in the 2009 Tour!

All of the leaders finished in the first chase group so all of the times of the leaders remain the same! Eight seconds separates the top three riders as they fly to Limoges today and have a rest day tomorrow.

The Jerseys at the end of today belonged to:

Top Team Overall: Team Astana

Yellow Jersey: Rinaldo Noncentini (Italy)

Green Jersey: Thor Hushovd (Norway)

Polk-a-dot Jersey: Egoi Martinez (Spain)

White Jersey: Tony Martin (24 year old German)

For more information on Lourdes, visit my older blogs for the story of my visit there last spring on March 11, 2009.

http://marthajans.blogspot.com/2009/03/lourdes-france.html

Tomorrow, July 13^th, Monday, is a REST DAY for the riders…so I’m taking a rest day also. But, I’d like to leave you today with a story that I found on the Internet:

By Joe Silva

Perhaps the most unattractive thing about the Tour De France passing through one of the many towns it visits every year is that in just about 24 hours it’s gone. It’s a rolling caravan of pomp, prestige, and pain touching the lives of millions of countrymen even if the interaction amounts to not much more than a few blurred seconds as it whizzes down their city center…….

So true Joe, but the memories will last a lifetime!

Au revoir until Tuesday!

LA MONGIE IN 2004

Stage 8 of the 2009 Tour de France began in the Principality of Andorre in the capital city of Andorre-la-Vieille and ran for 109.4 miles to Saint-Girons in France. They started at an altitude of 3800 feet, reached 8054 feet and ended at 1325 feet; having completed three mountain climbs during this stage.

Speed…Speed…Speed: The word of the day as the riders raced back into France!

An early break away group maintained their distance for the entire race. The final sprint brought the 25 year old Spanish rider, Luis Leon Sanchez, across the line ahead of the other three for victory on the podium today as the winner of Stage 8!

The overall standings remain the same as all of the leaders crossed the finish line together minutes behind the four man break away!

At the end of the day the Jerseys belonged to:

Top Team overall: Astana

Maillot Jaune: Rinaldo Noncentini (Italy)

Maillot Vert: Thor Hushovd (Norway)

Maillot A Pois Rouges: Christophe Kern (France)

Maillot Blanc: Tony Martin (24 yr old German)

And now for our exciting story of our day in 2004 at the finish line at the top of a mountain in La Mongie; one of the villages that the 2009 Tour will pass through during their Stage 9 Tour tomorrow from Saint-Gaudens to Tarbes.

Friday, July 16^th, 2004. La Mongie: On the Finish Line

We didn’t sleep much but what an exciting night. We had a jam session going with a very loud DJ until 1:30 am…sounded like a radio in our room with the volume up as high as it would go. Earplugs were of little help. In addition to the DJ, who was playing mostly American tunes with English lyrics there were at least a thousand or more very loud observers, mostly men, who were singing and yelling with the music. The D.J. and music stopped but the partygoers kept going…one very drunk group until 5 am. Firecrackers went off intermittently all night long.

About 1 am the large empty parking lot directly across from our room started to fill with huge trucks that had arrived from the finish line on Thursday in Fignac. From that point on they very quietly or as quietly, as they could work, began to set up for today’s finish. We are looking directly into the awards podium from our window. The finish line and all the officials are directly below us. It’s going to be a long and fun day. I’ve moved a table in front of the window to sit on as it’s difficult to tear myself away from the window. The best part is I’ve got a bathroom within five feet of my window that flushes and is private! The sun is out and it’s getting warm very fast. Last night it got pretty cold here on the mountain. The fireworks have started again. It’s almost 10 am and the race does not arrive here until about 5:01 pm (per Mister Jim with the help of a newspaper). The riders leave at twelve noon from Castelsarrasin, 197.5 kilometers (122.5 miles) with two killer climbs at the very end.

We had wonderful seats from the window in our room. Jim went down to the lobby to see most of the race on television and raced back to our room for the finish. I sat in our window for most of the day (tethered by a scarf tied to the radiator under the window). For a cushion I used the laundry bag (also tethered to the radiator). The sun was out bright and early and lasted until about 2 pm. The storm clouds gathered with lightening and thunder until the sky opened and poured buckets on the people sitting on the hills, walls and just about any open space. Many had been there since very early this morning. Lots of sunburns! Most stuck it out for the hour that it rained but a few gave up and went inside where ever they could. Vendors were prepared and begun selling rain gear as soon as the dark clouds started gathering. We were safe and dry inside our hotel for the duration.

The first two riders arrived right on time at 5 pm; it was Lance Armstrong and Ivan Basso, an Italian and very good friend to Lance. Basso beat him across the finish line at the last minute. Rumor was that Lance let up at the last minute to give Basso his first Stage Win; a friend whose mother is being treated for cancer. Armstrong was also a winner that day as he made a huge cut in his overall time that should put him in the lead after tomorrow’s race. It was neck and neck for the last two hundred meters. Very exciting, but not the outcome we had hoped for; Lance had taken first on this mountain in 2002 and we fully expected him to be first across the line again. But, tomorrow there are many more steep hills to climb and Lance tends to excel at that challenge. The Yellow Jersey was awarded to little Tommy Voeckler who has won the hearts of everyone as he continues to hold on to that small point lead to maintain first place; each day is a struggle as they head further into the mountains where he will eventually lose that lead to a rider that excels on the mountains; probably our Lance Armstrong tomorrow!

Well it’s now 9 pm. The race was over and the prizes awarded before 6 pm. They were taking things down before the awards ceremony was completed. It’s pretty much down but they are still loading some of the equipment. Many of the vehicles have already left for the next Stage tomorrow. They will work all night and tomorrow preparing for the twenty minutes or less that it usually takes for the last riders to finish, and an awards ceremony that last about fifteen minutes. But, it’s a real moneymaker for the town and the Tour de France organization. Thousands of people are following the tour from town to town for the three weeks that it lasts; others are content to pick up one or more stages. This particular ski area is usually closed this time of year and opened especially for this event. They will all close within a few days.

Most of the photos in the slideshow were taken from our hotel window!

PYRENEES MOUNTAINS

Stage 7 of the 2009 Tour de France will take the riders 139.2 miles from the coast of Spain to the mountain top of Arcalis above the tiny principality of Andorre in the Pyrenees Mountains. There are a series of five climbs which should start to separate the sprinters from the climbers!

Another exciting day on the Tour with the Yellow Jersey surprise victory by the first Italian rider since 2000 to take the honors; Rinaldo Noncentini is 6 seconds ahead of Alberto Contador for the best time of the Tour to date and will start in the Maillot Jaune tomorrow!

Brice Feillu, a 23 year old Frenchman, won the King of the Mountain and also was the first rider across the finish line to take Stage 7 glory on the podium!

The top five riders include three members of the Astana Team with Alberto Contador in second place, Lance Armstrong in third place and Levi Leipheimer in fourth.

For more information: http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/LIVE/us/700/classement/

The Standings are as follows at the end of Stage 7:

Over all Team: Astana

Yellow Jersey: Rinaldo Noncentini Green Jersey: Mark Cavendish

King of the Mountain: Brice Feillu White Jersey: Tony Martin

And, as promised here is the 2004 story of our travel day from Triegnic to La Mongie to witness a Stage Finish live and in person!

Thursday, July 15^th, 2004 Traveling to La Mongie

It’s after 10 pm and we’re in La Mongie, a ski resort high in the Pyrenees mountains near the French and Spanish border. If you’re familiar with the area we can see the Tourmalet Pass. There are firecrackers going off, music playing and car after car still trying to find a parking place for the night. The mountainside is covered with thousands of tents all here for the Tour de France that ends Stage 12 just below our window tomorrow about 5 pm. This is the culmination of an eighteen-mile uphill climb.

A bit of history about the Tour de France:

La Mongie is on one of the most important stages of the Tour de France. The Tour has regularly passed along the route since the inclusion of the Pyrenees in 1910. In 2004 the 12th stage terminated in La Mongie village. The last time the Tour crossed the Col du Tourmalet was the 10th stage of the 2008 competition; the route passed through La Mongie before reaching the Col du Tourmalet.

Tour de France stage finishes in La Mongie:

Year	Stage	Start of stage	Distance (km)	Category	Stage winner	Yellow jersey
2004	12	Castelsarrasin	197.5	1	Ivan Basso	Thomas Voeckler
2002	11	Pau	158	1	Lance Armstrong	Lance Armstrong
1970	18	Saint-Gaudens	135.5	1	Bernard Thévenet	Eddy Merckx

Today’s story began as we left our hotel this morning and headed south towards the Pyrenees Mountains stopping in Triegnac on the way to mail some postcards. I got out of the car, dropped them into a mailbox and proceed to walk straight into a hanging pot that had just been watered! Not an auspicious start to our day! I was fine; the pot was missing some water and dirt. Shook the dirt from my hair, put on a dry shirt and off we went. Traveled the main roads and paid the tolls for a smooth day of driving. Only saw a few sunflower fields around Toulouse; and there were a few vineyards but mostly open grazing fields or wheat fields.

Jim and I had a different opinion as to where our hotel was for the evening. He was sure that we were in Bagneres-de-Bigorre, a large city at the base of the mountain. I was sure, based on the address of the hotel that he’d given to me several months ago, that we were at the finish line in La Mongie. One must remember not to crow too loudly as he was working over the Internet with five different hotels in the surrounding one hundred mile radius. We arrived in Bagneres, found the Tourist Information and Jim went in to ask for directions to the hotel. She pointed up the hill and said La Mongie and smiled. We headed up the hill. From that point on there were more and more bicycle riders until we were passing one about every twenty feet. They were going both ways on the hill. Traffic was a bear and that was before it really got bad. The road was lined with campers and trailers that have probably been parked here for a week or more to preserve their spot on this long final hill to the finish line. We arrived in La Mongie about 2:30 pm and found our hotel right on the finish line across the street from the Cable Car lifts up the mountain to the Pic du Midi. There is a huge observatory at the top of the mountain as well as the ski runs.

We’re in the older part of the hotel that is considered a “one star”; but, we have a private bathroom and electricity. We’re on the fourth floor and no elevator; it helps that we’re using nylon bags and leaving the large suitcases in the trunk of the car. When Jim first inquired about reservations to the main hotel several months ago, we were told that they were already fully booked. A month later we received an email that said they could give us a room in the “old part” of the hotel. The accommodations would “not be much” but we jumped at the opportunity to be on the top of the mountain as opposed to a hotel at the base of the mountain.

We settled in and then went walking. There are cows, goats and sheep wandering all over the place. People in tents have them walking right beside their tents. They are wrecking havoc with the cars and bikes on the road as they walk anywhere they please. And don’t forget the gifts they leave, also anywhere they please. One walks looking down or runs the risk of a fresh “mud” pie on their shoe!

We looked all day for our friend Sam who said he was riding up the mountain today to see the course. Finally reached Sam on the cell phone on the fourth try and turns out his hotel is further away than they thought so they will see one of the other climbs tomorrow but not the finish. I told Sam that if he was riding up tomorrow I’d borrow a paint brush and put a sign “GO SAM” on the street for him; that gave him a chuckle. Yes, our cell phone works like a charm here, but no internet access as the phone in our room is hard wired and no way to hook into the system. The trend here is to write encouraging messages with paint right on the road for the bike riders. This is especially popular on the hills. They use paint and large roller brushes. The signs last for years sometimes depending on the paint and amount of traffic. Some use chalk which fades pretty fast!

Had dinner tonight at a pizza bar, first pizza we’ve had in months so we also had beer. Hang the diet…this is definitely party night. It’s nearly 11 pm now and the fireworks are going off all over the place. We have a party going on below our window one story down on the deck. It’s going to be a long, long night. Met a young man from Connecticut and he was excited about the “good times tonight”. We have our American flag hanging out the window. I hooked some heavy locks (from the luggage) to the bottom to keep it from blowing so much. Works great. Tomorrow we will have some of the best seats in the house: the windows of our hotel room…right on the finish line!

(Our story will continue on Saturday, July 11^th, 2009, to prepare you for the2009 Race going through La Mongie on Sunday, July 12^th.)