France
Tour de France: stage 6
I had already been waiting for several hours at my prime spot 5 meters beyond the finish line for today’s 176 kilometer stage when the police decided to tell me and the other 30+ people in my area that we weren’t allowed to be there! So frustrating! But the upside was that I relocated to … Continue reading
Tour de France: stage 5
With today’s stage from Cagnes-sur-Mer to Marseilles being the longest in this year’s Tour, the riders had a relatively early start. For me this meant my shortest day of waiting yet at just 3 hours! I had company again, my dad and my new Belgian friends, so while Fien and I called out to our … Continue reading
Tour de France: stage 4
In Tour de France parlance, yesterday was a rest day for me (no cycling) and I had a long transfer (a 5.5 hour ferry from Bastia to Nice). I still had time for some arts and crafts, so I celebrated Canada Day by making a sign for Garmin. I’m so sorry to say I … Continue reading
Tour de France: stage 2
After yesterday’s excitement at the finish line and seeing so many cyclists afterwards, I knew it would be tough for today to top it. The plan was to catch the start of stage 2 as it left Bastia and headed through Corsica’s categorized mountains for Ajaccio. As usual, I was up and out the door, … Continue reading
The 100th Tour de France: stage 1
I won’t tell you exactly how many hours before the cyclists even started I arrived at the finish and I won’t tell you how many before my alarm went I was already awake (don’t worry, the sun was already up…I think), so I’ll just say that I’d left the Corsican town of Bastia and walked … Continue reading
Lille
Lille is one of those places you go to because you're going somewhere else. For me, it was Paris-Roubaix. I somehow managed to get a few photos that make it look uncharacteristically pretty and French.
Paris-Roubaix 2013
It’s called the Hell of the North for a reason. Go ride your bike for 254 kilometers through dirt, dust, mud and anything else unpleasant you can think of. Just make sure you also rode through 27 different sets of cobblestones totaling over 50 kilometers and then finish with a lap and a half in … Continue reading
Goodbye, Europe!
In another couple of hours, I’ll be out the door and heading to London Heathrow to catch a flight to Tanzania! Over the next four months, Mini Bear and I will travel around five east African countries so be sure to use the new subscribe option in the sidebar to stay up to date with … Continue reading
The 99th Tour de France
I love the Tour de France like puppies love dirty socks. All year long, I look forward to those three weeks in July when 198 scrawny cyclists race around France in a giant circle. It’s a tradition in my family to watch the final stage in Paris when the surviving cyclists ride several loops around … Continue reading
Paris
My first stop in Paris is always the same place: Le Marais. The Jewish quarter is home to some of the best falafel around. Once I had eaten, I wandered around the city, checking out some of the city’s iconic sites. The Louvre museum with its famous glass pyramids and the fountain at … Continue reading