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.

The Front Page

His first Tour de France victory brought Cadel Evans some front-page treatment Down Under. Here's the scoop.

Not The Best Days

This crude broadcast is how I watched the Tour today.
When Greg LeMond won the 1986 Tour de France, he crossed the finish line shortly after 9:30 a.m. CDT. The race wasn't shown live, but CBS did do a tape-delay type broadcast, beginning at 11 a.m. But get this, CBS affiliate KMTV did not choose to show it.

So, I called my senior year roommate at Mt. Michael, Matt Schmidt, who lived in Bennington. He said his TV was able to pick up 10/11, the CBS affiliate broadcasting out of Lincoln.

So I packed up a new VHS tape and drove the 35 minutes to his home. And that slightly static-filled broadcast is what I have to show for today.

Flash forward 25 years and here I sit, trying to watch the final stage of the Tour de France again. Only this time, my cable connection to Versus is not working – just like it didn't work yesterday.

Here's my view of the race:

First Trip On The Bus

My first look at the bus I'd heard so much about.
Throughout 2010, I would frequently call riders and staff members of the BMC Racing Team after races. At least 90 percent of the time, they would be "in the bus." Sometimes this meant they couldn't talk to me. Other times, they said they could reply by e-mail because the bus had wi-fi.

So what a nice surprise it was to finally see – and ride on – the BMC Racing Team bus on my way from the airport to the hotel. It's really nice inside. And I heard today that the team is having a new bus built for the 2011 season. Nice.

A nice touch on the seat backs.

Todd Herriott (right) caught a few winks while
Carrie Needham read my Christmas letter.

In The News

Yep, I said that.