Paris-Nice, Stage 1

Here's the AutoGrill restaurant where we ate. Kind of like the Kearney Arch, eh?

This will be short (again) because it's now Tuesday morning and my plans to write an entry last night were foiled by a malfunctioning tether system.

Can you figure out what's going on here?

Basically, Monday's stage went fairly well for me. Brent Bookwalter did crash, which is never good, but I got comments from him, John Lelangue and Tejay van Garderen, as well as Philippe Gilbert in French. So that was good. I also had a conference call and a bunch of the usual stuff to do but the bonus was that I was staying at a different hotel than the team. Normally, this isn't the best situation. But I've learned that it can actually be a good one. The key is to get there soon enough to enjoy it. So as soon as we arrived at the team hotel, hospitality director Jacques Michaud and I took our own car and zoomed to a Kyriad Hotel. There, I enjoyed my own room (pictures below) and a nice dinner at a restaurant just 200 meters down the way at the same highway rest stop. Overall, it was a good night.

The dessert selection was pretty good tonight.

I saw this at the restaurant last night and immediately had to order it.

Check out the traffic in Paris.

There's my bio sheet in the corner. AG2R was the only other team to supply press information.

The press center was in a gymnasium.

Check out the construction just outside Paris.

The bathroom was not very scenic.

The area near the finish line featured this canal. Pretty scenic.

Jacques Michaud and I high-tailed it from the team hotel to our hotel.

Tons of little amenities, which is surprising for a three-star hotel.

This looked pretty stark and barren. But it worked fine.

My room at the Kyriad Hotel was a bit no frills, but well-lit and spacious.

Traveling with Jacques Michaud in France is great. Everyone knows him.

Jacques Michaud and I stayed at the Kyriad Hotel, about 45 km from the team hotel.

The view from the restaurant overlooks the highway. Reminds me of the Kearney Arch.

Not the healthiest, but well-deserved and probably not possible the rest of the race.

From where I stood, you couldn't even see the finish line for Stage 1.

Surviving The Prologue

How's this for placing your order at a McDonalds? It's how they do it in France.

Montesson, France – This will be short because it's getting late here. But I wanted to add some narrative to the few photos I have to share.

Sunday was definitely a busy one. In addition to the usual activities of the day, there was also a race preview to write, a director's report to share, a post-race interview session at the hotel and a bit of a fight with the hotel internet, which finally gave up the ghost about a half-hour after I returned. Thank goodness for Tether.

The highlight of my day/night was a trip across the street to McDonald's for a McFlurry. Incredibly, they gave me two when I thought I ordered only one. Yes, the receipt confirms I ordered one. The reason I wasn't sure was the automated kiosk you see pictured. Pretty cool. You order and pay away from the counter, then wait for your order number to be announced.

I've also included two photos of my room, which is now a private room. Some staffers left the race today, which meant my roommate – 1983 Tour de France Stage 19 winner Jacques Michaud – got his own room as well. We're staying at a Campanile, which I have stayed at before in France. They're a bit the equivalent of a Motel 6 or a Super 8, only with a restaurant.

All of the photos I took at the prologue today are in the BMC Racing Team's Flickr gallery.

Small bathroom. But this is a three-star hotel. Actually, I would give it two.

Two small – very small – beds. But a nice workspace that overlooks the outdoor corridor.

Here's the proof that I only ordered one McFlurry.

Two McFlurrys for the price of one.

This was dinner.

And a peek inside the M&M McFlurry, with extra chocolate.