Logistics were classic Eazy-E - jumped into plane last minute, no bike, no wetsuit... just strong will and the thinking that it will all be cool. Got into Nice airport on Friday, got my Avis car, drove to our beloved Hotel de la dare en Ville Franche -where No show will surprise me the next morning!- did a nice spin up to La Turbie and hit the sack early. Saturday morning drove all the way to Aix to meet Vince and sign up.
Vincent thought I was a bit crazy not to have a bike ready... and started to get stressed out of my logistics, he did all my registration under my racing name "Pierre" which was great as it allowed me to get to the check in cut off time right on time!!Luckily for me our friends at Rue Libre in Nice had sorted me up with a nice Giant bike. The wetsuit I got it last minute in the TRI exhibition -it was going to be of no use as the swim got cancelled due to extreme weather conditions-
By the time I was crossing the finish line with a very respectable 4h:34' I knew all the last minutes effort had paid off!
Pushing hard on my rental Giant to complete the 90km with 1200 meter elevation in 2hs53'. The ride was challenging due to strong winds but the views of the Provence, which were outstanding, and the feeling of satisfaction of blowing off guys in their super TRI AERO PRO bikes kept me inspired and focus all the way!!As any experience of life, its better when you are sharing the moment, Vincent and twin brothers Aurelien and Julien were great host and made me feel part of the team... they also beat me!!! To my surprise the customary Ranch farting contest was very well known by my new French fellows, specially by the twins who competed fiercely on the space! Merci beaucoup guys for a fantastic weekend!!
