Arrived in Paris 6am Wednesday morning in preparation for Paris-Brest-Paris. All luggage arrived safely; found the train; found the apartment; immediately went to a patisserie for croissants. Then assembled the bike on the terrace under the watchful eye of the Cathedral de Notre Dame.
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| Not too shabby a location |
Sleep was calling, but rather than surrender, we went for a walk to find a local street market. They were tearing down just as we got there, so we found an Italian cafe for a late lunch, then a little more walking just to stay awake. Early dinner at a cafe near the apartment, then after 32 hours since leaving Albuquerque, hit the sack for a solid 10 hours of sleep.
Fred and I took the train back out to Charles de Gaul to meet Colin and Julie coming in from LA. With their two bikes and luggage, the minivan was not big enough for 4 of us, so Fred schlepped back to the apartment via train, while I drove with Colin and Julie to their hotel near the start in Saint Quentin. I mainly wanted to do this in order to take the train back to Paris so that I would know the stations and if there were any peculiarites to the route. Turns out there is construction on the RER C line on the section that contains the St. Michel - Notre Dame station. But they had a free connecting shuttle bus. Very glad to get all that sorted out before trying to take the bike.
Yesterday, Fred and I reversed that route (with the bike) and met Colin and Julie at the station in St. Quentin. Colin and I met up with a large group of American riders for a preview of the first 25 miles of the course, while Fred and Julie sorted out the GPSs and maps, practised driving the country roads of France, and met us at the turn-around point. During the ride, found and chatted with 4 Rocky Mountain Cycling Club members (Billy Edwards, Paul Foley, Vernon Smith, Brian Rapp). They're all having a big Colorado dinner tonight in St. Quentin, but unfortunately I won't make it back out there for it.
After delicious coffee (for Fred, Julie and Colin, I'm still on the caffeine/alcohol wagon), rode back to St. Quentin for a shower and lunch. Then off to do chores (hardware store for PVC for a flag pole for the support van ID flag, auto store for a Thule rack for the minivan for Colin and Julie's tour of the Alps after PBP (yeah I know, Colin's nuts), then drove 80 miles out to the first support point so we could nail down the exact location for a swift exchange.
Train back to Paris, arriving about 9pm. Andria had already eaten dinner, but joined us for a drink as Fred and I had a late meal. Another 10 hours of solid sleep, and it's time for a little sight seeing before Colin and Julie meet us here for dinner.
So far everything has gone very smoothly, jet lag was minimal, and the bike is working well. Tomorrow is official bike inspection and registration, and the first groups of the fastest riders leave tomorrow afternoon. We'll be staying in St. Quentin Sunday night, ready for a 5am departure on Monday morning.
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