Stage 16 done

What a great day with William and as a special treat Liz and I had dinner in Nimes tonight, not that I was great company after 180km today.

It was hot again, in the 30s and windy which made riding quite tricky. Never before have I pedalled so hard downhill just to keep moving because of the wind.

William slotted in to our small peloton with no problem at all and having set out at 8am, we arrived back at the hotel at 5pm, to a super welcome from Liz and Maud. I think it would be true to say William got a real sense of riding a TdF stage and how, even a flat one is challenging. A day I will always remember.

Nimes is a fantastic city, especially the centre with its arena and historic buildings. One for Liz and I to return to when we are less pre-occupied. The Pont de la Gard is also am amazing Roman structure and we rode on a more recent bridge alongside the original aqueduct. It was one of the more interesting starts to our days cycling. Otherwise the route was uneventful but as the flattest stage of the Tour it was fast all day.

The Tour team and staff were very inclusive of William, they clearly saw the potential of a future participant.

On to more mundane issues, my iPhone hasgone on strike today, it didn't like the heat, so I can't post photos at the moment - please bear with me.

Whilst in Nimes I have eaten well - had steak twice, with chips and more chips - heaven. Protein and salt are a great combination given the heat. A couple of days ago in Tarbes after the time trial stage, I headed from our hotel to McDonalds for lunch! I walked 2km and my saliva glands were working overtime. Chips, curry sauce - stuff that is not good for you except when your taste buds have packed up. However, when I arrived at the said restaurant, it was closed because of a power outage! Just imagine how I felt and then had to walk back to my hotel for a cold pasta dish! That was a bad moment.


Comments

Caroline L said…
What a very special experience for a father and son to ride a stage of the TdF together. Well done William on keeping the old man going. Big hugs to you all xxx
Wife said…
(Message for Stato. I have sent some pictures to Tony’s work email address, in case you can access them from there.) Nimes is a wonderful city but I can testify that it was hot & exhausting just sightseeing!
Anonymous said…
A fantastic day! Glad William managed to keep up with you.

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