Nice, France – We made it to Nice last night and it was far from "Nice."
Actually, Saturday's race was run in miserable conditions – strong winds, plenty of rain, a bit of a chill (low 50s). It was quite a contrast to the weather we've enjoyed at the race to this point.
Even before we left the hotel (the one I'll miss), the wind was howling. It was so blustery, I had to tighten the strap on my hat to keep it from flying off my head.
We arrived at the start and found another ample parking area. But the wind and impending rain (and probably our unmarked camper) kept many fans away. The one person I've yet to run into at a start – and really need to – is Tim de Waele, the photographer for the BMC Racing Team. I must keep missing him.
Anyway, the transfer to the finish was pretty short (about an hour), but I used the time to take a nap. Filip Sercu, one of the soigneurs, took a shot of me (which I knew would be the case).
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. One rider (Yannick Eijssen) dropped out, another was on a long breakaway (Karsten Kroon) and the rest looked absolutely shelled when they finally rolled in.
The hotel where we're staying in Nice is nice, with Ethernet connections in the room. That's how I gauge hotels most of the time – by their Internet connectivity. I will be staying there again tonight. Funny thing is, I'm the only one from the three teams who will stay another night. The people at the desk even knew me as "Room 106" because there are three teams staying there - and probably 60 rooms taken up by the race.
From the Notebook
- Just like it has all week, the wifi in the press room crashed when live, streaming race coverage began. Today, that meant not being able to see the final 10 kilometers of Tirreno-Adriatico, the other race I am covering.
- The press room was located in some type of school today.
- The rain jacket Steve Morabito left for me is working out well.
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