Le Tour 2010

No strange clouds over your head this morning I hope Chris.....................today is a seven hour marathon on Eurosport and I've been in training for it yesterday with the kids' sportsday at the Finsbury Park Athletics arena and then a trip out to Osterley and back to facilitate Anthony playing in a pre-season game at Brentford last night.

I thought the fella did amazingly well yesterday what with winning the long jump and 60 metres as well as a football skills based event ( as I would have hoped) and Olivia winning the egg & spoon race and long jump too ~ fell badly in the skipping race though, and came home with a large plaster on her knee!

Anthony followed that up with a storming performance last night ~ as well as I've ever seen him play and seemed to have the bit between his teeth with a couple of opponents having to depart the scene ruing the day they tangled with him.

Back to the Tour......................and if you refer to The Jelly's Diary of Sept 22 last year you can read of my misadventure on The Tourmalet where they will be shortly ascending and also if you refer to Chris's "Basque Country or Bust" blog you'll get a good taste of the Pyrenees complete with some stunning photography.

Let's just take time out to honour the memory of the late Fabio Casartelli who lost his life on the descent of the Col de Portet d'Aspet fifteen years ago when he smashed his head into a granite "safety" stone on the side of the mountain pass.

If anyone's ever down that way, there is a fabulous granite and marble monument to the tragedy featuring a bike wheel being borne to heaven by angel's wings.................truly evocative and thought prevoking.

Wonderful blog. Are you still in Rennes or couldn't you be bothered to write about the ferry journey home?

I did a job in Rennes many years ago in the company of Dexy's Midnight Runners who were busy unravelling their "Celtic Soul Bros" image and desperately trying to copy Paul "The Modfather" Weller.

They should never have bothered ~ they were crap, and so was Rennes.....................you're right there is nothing to write home about in Rennes!

Rennes is supposed to be a pretty decent town to go out it at night but I was too knackered when I rolled up there and it was pissing it down the day after. From there I just went to Roscoff on a forgettable stretch of motorway. Saint Brieuc looked like it was a decent town but it was just Tractor dealerships and signs in Breton.

The only really blog worthy story was the stripping of my car at Roscoff by French Customs (they do exist!). I learned many years ago never, ever, on no account let French officials know that you speak decent French otherwise you lose the advantage. I had three of them go through every nook and cranny of the car and my bags. All three asked me the same questions in slightly different ways then conferring in French before trying a slightly different tact. "Wazzz zer snow in ze Pyrenees Monsieur?" was their favourite question. It was only when one of them scoffed at my 14 year slightly weather beaten BMW and said to his colleague "he's never been to the Pyrenees in this old crate" that I almost snapped but I held firm.

But remember, never let on that you speak French. Make them work for it. ;D

I think the cloud looks like France! Very roughly!

Having just taken a look at a map I can see where your coming from, I blew your picture up very large and I swear I can see the Eiffel Tower breaking through the cloud.

Oh! ..... I'm glad you cleared that up Dave. I was seeing faces and various landmarks and as the thread was about Le Tour even at one stage a bicycle. Didn't like to ask as I was feeling a right thicky being sure that everybody else had immediately got it!

France is a strange shapeless country in any case unlike my favourite foreign bolthole Italy (five weeks today until next visit and counting down the hours!) which is easily recognisable whether in cloud form or otherwise!