Here's how I described it in an email to John
a few hundred meters away -- then everybody starts banging on the barricade --.
OOPS -- forgot to fill in the winner's name, it was Pascal Ackermann. They went by so fast I didn't have a chance to see who it was, just the team!!
Chris
On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 7:05 PM Christophe
Thanks for the update. It's such a long trip, we just kind of fall into a groove. But every few days we move and it's always something new. The last couple days it's been bike racing, you would really enjoy it. Today we went to the finish line of the stage, you don't see any of the race (except for the giant TV screen which shows what you would see at home, or stream live on your phone) until you finally see the peleton
thunder sounds -- then the racers are on us and RUSH BY in a blur of color and then the race is over with one rider (today Bora-Hansgrohe rider XXX ) raises his arms in triumph, then it's over. All with an excited narration the entire time but it's all inFrench so we don't understand a word
The guy standing next to us at the barricade today saw his son on TV -- standing in front of city hall as the riders passed by -- and it took us several minutes of Google Translate to figure out what he was telling us. It was funny and charming at the same time, although he clearly understood that we spoke no French, he kept trying to tell us stuff. Finally he communicates to us -- completely irrelevant but still sweet -- that his son (ma fils parlez l'Anglais) speaks English. At least that much French I *could* understand, so that was something.
The second peleton finished over five minutes behind, and there were several more riders finishing WAYYYY down on time, even ten or more minutes behind the sprint finish. One guy came rolling in as the winner was getting his flowers on the podium, that must suck, 'cause it's several minutes behind most of the slow finishers. The last three guys finished 18 minutes down. Ouch.
Team Time Trial tomorrow -- that should be different!!
Chris
x
derstood that we spoke no French, he kept trying to tell us stuff. Finally he communicates to us -- completely irrelevant but still sweet -- that his son (ma fils parlez l'Anglais) speaks English. At least that much French I *could* understand, so that was something.
The second peleton finished over five minutes behind, and there were several more riders finishing WAYYYY down on time, even ten or more minutes behind the sprint finish. One guy came rolling in as the winner was getting his flowers on the podium, that must suck, 'cause it's several minutes behind most of the slow finishers. The last three guys finished 18 minutes down. Ouch.
