Welcome to Ardeche!

We just got here and to our utter and complete shock- we found out that we have internet access!

This is a really beautiful area- it seemed like we were driving around San Diego, it is very dry with a lot of chaparral, but then we would see castles and little French towns with narrow streets. It was beautiful and I really enjoyed the drive. I am excited for this race... and I have to confess to not having too much initial enthusiasm.

I had heard that this race was a rough one. Instead of the plush hotels to which we are accustom, here, we stay at a campground with trailers. Two years ago, the trailers were horrible, so the rumor goes, and it rained constantly, confining everyone inside their stuffy, cold and smelly close quarters. We look to be in luck with beautiful weather and brand new trailers! So, the initial trepidation that I had about doing this race has mostly subsided and now I am excited to get a chance to do some more racing. It will be a very challenging race for me though- very hilly courses. So, I am just going to do the best I can.

I am tired right now and ready for a nap. I am getting better and slept through the night last night without waking to cough. So, my fears that I would not be able to do this race after being sick are also subsiding. I don’t think that Holland took too much out of me- the racing did not feel that hard. Don’t get me wrong... when we went hard... we went hard! But the races were short (only 100k) each day and there was a lot of downtime during each stage. When we were here before doing the one day races, they were hellish from the get go. So, this time, I felt like my training has prepared me and I think that I am ready to race again. Two days off were a treat and now I am looking forward to getting back in the saddle.

I am going to take off now- get settled in and see if I can get a nap in before dinner.