As I read about the progress of this year's Tour de France, I am reminded of my first bicycle trip in France--and no, it was not the Tour de France, far from it. I signed up for a 2 week trip in the Loire Valley bicycling from town to town, chateau to chateau. Not only was it my first bicycle trip to France, it was my first bicycle tour ever. It was a no frills trip--no van back-up, no fancy hotels. We carried all our gear in panniers attached to our bikes. I had little training, but I did have a sense of humor. I was assured by the tour leaders that the sense of humor was the most important ingredient in my training regimen.
As we rode a modest 40 miles a day, we forged thighs of steel. Each day we faced at least one monster hill that challenged the best of us. We survived all that pedaling and arrived in Paris for a few days before the Tour riders. As we stood with hundreds of others on the Champs Elysees, the cyclists sped by, a blur of colored jerseys. I couldn't make out who was in the lead, they all seemed to pass at once, but it didn't matter. I was in Paris and I had successfully completed my own tour. What could be better? Well it got better, but that's a story for another time.
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