Déjà, déjà, déjà vu

The lucky streak continues, and here we are in France for yet another dream trip in what has come to be, for me, my favorite part of the world (aside from wherever my family is, of course). Everyone had a long trip by - literally - plans, trains, and automobiles. And, with Becky, Mark, Chris and Guin having been through chateaux and hillside eating slabs of foie gras and goat cheese, it is time to settle in for some hard riding through the mountains. The biggest in front of us tomorrow being the mythic Alpe D'Huez.

Since Mark's blog work was evaporated into the "cloud", I'm dropping in some photos from the prior week's leisure adventure. Can't add much by way of commentary on the photos, but they are certain to make you envious!

Cool piece of graffiti art in Toulouse, I think.

No idea about this one - only that I find it beautiful.

A bottle selected and appreciated by B, Mark, Chris and Guin (or B-McG or short. I just made that one up - sorry guys)

B looking cute in Toulouse

Behold the mighty slab of Fois!

The B-Mc of B-McG

The cG of B-McG (it is late and I'm still jet-lagged, give me a break on these captions!)

Another B-McG selection. You know it was good, it said Superieur right on the label.

There was more than wine and food on this leisure tour, I'm told . . . .

But, I'll leave it to you to believe or not.

Those photos really didn't do the leisure tour justice. Everyone had an amazing time and was raving about how beautiful the scenery was and how delightful the food was. But, so begins our sportive tour. I didn't bring a camera with me on this trip, so I'm picking up photos from after we all met up outside of Grenoble and I took over one of the B-McG cameras. We picked up a new guy, Thomas, a young fella from Australia. Other than that, it is most of the old gang, including David and Susan as guides (yeah!)

Our hotel tonight dates back nearly 4 centuries, when the grounds were used as a medical sanctuary for people in Grenoble. It is out of a movie, really; you couldn't imagine another place that is more continental country manor. The buildings are all a few hundred years old, with flowers blooming around the pool, and a billiards and salon to sit down in the shade for a nice aperitif.

We got the bikes all set up for an easy spin to make sure our legs and everything else was still working after our travels. Only a few minor adjustments needed to get things dialed in (I hope!).

David working some magic on Mark's bike.

A pretty hard-core velodrome on the outside of town. The turns are banked beyond belief. It would take some serious guts to race on this thing.

By far one of my favorite signs I see when we are here in France. It asks people to think of kids and "roll sweetly" through town.

After our ride, time to shower up, have a little refreshments, then to dinner. This is a beer brewed in Grenoble. Not amazing, but fruity and nice on a hot day.

Here comes trouble. Lock the doors! (Thomas in the strips)

A menu of incredible food prepared just for us! Off to a good start.