Woke up Wednesday the 21st to a rainy drizzly day in Lourdes. Having done the Tourmalet the day before I decided that today would be a good day for shopping and exploring Lourdes. After breakfast a group decided to walk to the local bike shop. The direct route would be about 2k-3k but some took an undetermined long route and wound up with about 6k through some of the less scenic residential areas. I had the concierge draw me a map and point me in the right direction and we intersected our wayward friends along the way. The bike shop was Hubert Abares Cycles. It was a really nice shop that carried better cycling goods and numerous brands of high end bikes. Don was on a mission to buy a floor pump since the two we had were not in good shape and inadequate for our whole group. I wanted to find a local bike kit (cycling outfit) that you couldn't find on line or anywhere else. As luck would have it we arrived at the shop just before the big rush and I was able to find a really cool kit. The lady that helped me pointed out that Tourmalet was misspelled on the back (left out the T) and that she would give me 30% off. Besides being very friendly and helpful, the French people I encountered were also very honest. I wound up buying the kit for probably less than a nice one in the states would cost so I was very pleased. Now I had my souvenirs, a Tourmalet jersey that you can only get at the top of the Tourmalet and the local French bike shop kit. Don was successful in getting what we determined to be the last bike floor pump in all of southwest France. After paying for our goods we walked back to our hotel while a standing room only crowd waited outside for their turn to enter the store. Funny thing about the French, good or bad they do not seem to be so hung up on the money side of things. Despite the hoards of people waiting to enter the shop and a sure fire windfall of sales, the shop would be closed the next two days during the TDF. I found out after we left that Hubert Abares was a Tour stage winner probably back in the late 80's and he was actually at the shop. I guess I could have gotten him to sign it, but oh well. My shopping was not finished for the day. I had not been in contact with anyone, family, friends or office since the Friday afternoon of my departure and thought it best that I invest in a cheap GSM phone and make a few calls. I found the French version of a Verison/ATT store called Orange and purchased a phone. Had I known what I do now, I would have asked ATT to unlock my Blackberry and just bought a phone card there. The phone came with 10 minutes of prepaid talk time which I used up in short order for a call to the office and a couple texts to my kids. I would purchase another phone card to add minutes but found out after a frustrating couple of days, it was only good with landlines. Other activities this wet Wednesday included lunch with Don (Atl Cycling owner) and Tom (our tour guide). Don has been riding for 30+ years and Tom who is 68 still races in England. There were a lot of good stories, cycling lore and a wealth of information about bike stuff I never knew. We talked about riding to the Hautacom, a remote mountain climb where Lance Armstrong as a new Tour rider first got national attention as a potential Tour contender back in the early 90's. Tom and I wanted to ride it but Don did not want to with it so wet and after a beer or two at lunch we let it slide. Today was a rest day for the Tour riders and some of our group had ridden to Pau to check out the team hotels and local scenery. We would take the bus there in the morning to see the start. It would be the second climb up the Tourmalet and the last and decisive mountain stage. Andy Schleck would have to put some time between he and Contador if he was going to have any chance of winning the Tour de France. Friday would be a flat stage that would be for the sprinters and probably not affect the overall general classification riders. Saturday would be the 57K individual time trial (rider against the clock) that would be the last chance for a change. The final stage to Paris and the ensuing criterium (race around the Champs Elysee) would only decide the green jersey winner for the sprinters. It is Tour de France cycling custom for the final ride into Paris to be more of a processional for the GC winner, sipping champagne and riding at a very slow parade like pace. The Tour purposely had the riders take the TGV train (bullet train) from the end of the time trial stage in Pauliac to the outskirts of Paris to shorten the overall ride. I decided to go out with a few others for dinner and then head back to the hotel to hang out with others. See you in the morning.
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