Ed note: Check back as this will be updated regularly!

Photo: Riders on the Tour (www.letour.fr)

Day 16
The Tour comes to its grand finale today. Last night after the TT I lay down and didn't wake up til the sunrise, even my chromosomes were tired. But I am well rested and ready to enjoy myself thoroughly today.

My mom decided to come to France too. Once she heard I was coming here she felt she deserved a trip to Europe and she was right, neither of us have been here since I was born. She hooked up with the Zaca Mesa winery tour group that just happened to be following the Tour so she got to see the races as well as drink great wines and enjoy fine meals. Mom has become quite a cycling fan. She comes to some of my races but while recording OLN for me she has gotten the bug, maybe not a 'Virenque housewife' as many French women are, but a fan none the less.

I walk to her hotel for breakfast since I slept through dinner last night and it is great to see her, I can tell she has been enjoying herself. Since the MJCT group has congregated early on the Champs to reserve space I take the opportunity to have lunch with the Zaca Mesa at Bistro Romain on the first floor (in France the first floor is our second floor). Seated at the windows overlooking the Champs we have a great view of the race.

Lunch was delicious and the conversation lively as we watched the crowds gather on the sidewalk. I am glad to be seated in the shade close to cold beverages.

The race goes by and I think we lose count of laps since it is taking a long time for them to go by for the ninth and final lap. After a long wait I head back to the MJCT group for the parade lap. All the teams go by one by one and pause at the turn by the Arch du Triumphe where the group is waiting, good site selection by Marty and Mike. Once Postal passes, with 'All I wanna do is have some fun' playing over the loud speakers, everyone heads to the hotel via train, I walk instead to enjoy the beautiful weather and sites of Paris. The train would have been a good idea because I nearly miss the group departure for dinner and that would have been disappointing.

We dine aboard La Calife, a long narrow vessel that cruises up the Seine River past the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, numerous enormous structures and under beautifully ornate bridges. This city has everything and it's all done up to the utmost.

Hours later dinner ends, we say our goodbyes even though many of us will stay on for a few more days, and head out for one final drink to savor the moment of Lance's victory, reminisce about the trip and revel in the glory of a job well done.

Day 15
Quelle heure es t'il? 6am? What was I thinking volunteering to get up this early? Oh well, it will make everyone happy that they got to ride before we leave Chablis. Trying to get ready quickly and quietly is a difficult proposition and costs me time, soon I hear guests at my door knocking quietly for me to answer.

Not too long after we are out of the hotel and in the garage unlocking bikes, a big portion of the group heads out of town to rip but I just want to wheel around and relax. With about an hour to ride and another day of moving ahead I don't feel like killing myself so I roll around and never make it beyond the Chablis town limits which is saying something.

Joining me on my casual stroll is MJCT guest Ron (Ron gave me helpful photographic tips and let me use his cell phone to call my lovely girlfriend Julie) and we sought out photo ops. We have some great pics including some of an 1100 year-old church, incredible something so old is still standing.

We return for breakfast and hit the road for Paris. Two quick hours pass and we arrive. Traffic is surprisingly light so we keep all four vehicles together til we get to the Hotel duc du Bourgegone/Best Western in the heart of Paris between the Louvre and the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Paris reminds me a bit of Manhattan; all the buildings are five stories high and go the length of the block, the streets are packed with people of every variety and everywhere you look you see shops and restaurants, but Manhattan doesn't have 500 year-old palaces on nearly every corner, this is one cool place.

We have a few duties remaining and as we finish them we are notified of the fact that the TT is on TV and cold beers are available upstairs so we pick up the pace. In the TT Lance destroys everyone again but for what reason? Is he trying to leave a lasting impression because he is not returning or is he still pissed off over last year's doubters, this year's jeering fans or the insubordination of Basso? Either way we will be enjoying a relaxing afternoon on the Champs Elysees tomorrow, Lance too. JPH ;-)

Peace
CV

Day 14
Today is again a travel day and I am still beat. Started the day with my shirt inside out throughout breakfast until it was brought to my attention. I do not feel very rested and I hurt all over. Marty is going to let me drive since my ability to navigate is obviously impaired. We have a short drive to Annamasse for the start of Stage 19.

When we get to Annemasse I am feeling horrible and volunteer to watch the vans and bikes which will result in me missing the start of a stage for the second time, it doesn't bother me, I'd rather sleep in the van. My decision turns out to be a good one since it pours most of the time, the racers stay in the buses and the usual excitement surrounding the start is subdued. More good news is I stay dry and my freshly cleaned bike is in the truck where is also stays dry and clean.

The race gets off and the group returns to the vans for lunch. I am wide awake now and feeling like a hundred euros, I am even able to read the map and know how to reach our destination which allows Marty to nap a bit in the van til we reach Chablis.

It is no surprise that the Hostellerie des Clos is an exceptional hotel with exquisite accommodations. It is in the heart of wine country so we will drink the best of the best and again our meal is another five-course, five- star hit with everyone.

Plans are made to ride tomorrow morning before we head to Paris to watch the Besancon TT. With our duties well in hand and the Champs Elysees in sight we head to bed relatively early and with visions of the maillot jaune dancing in our heads. JPH;-)

Peace
CV

Day 13
This morning we out of the Beausoliel early for a short drive to the Auberge de Letrz in Annecy. More luggage loading and unloading. This is my off day but I don't really have much time off. The group is riding to a spot to see the race and I am washing three vans and fueling two other vehicles on top of my luggage duties. I do get to wash my bike and it needed it badly. When I am done I shower, watch Lance smash everyone again, have a number of beers, take a dip in the lake and sit by the pool writing journal entries. I get a little sun while overlooking Lac d'Annecy with the Alpes in the background. Everyone should have a day off like this. JPH ;-)

Peace
CV

Day 12
The Alpe d'Huez Time Trial--time for Lance to put everyone away for good. Also a great opportunity to view all the racers since they will be going by one by one over the course of three plus hours and at a reduced speed with the climb. We have been told to expect nearly a million spectators today so we leave the Hotel Beausoleil early.

The drive is back over the winding, undulating road with no guard rail that I drove two days earlier, only this time I will be hauling people and not luggage. The entire drive is filled with comments regarding fear for life and a desire to stay on the road. Not much I can do about a smooth easy ride since we are trying to keep up with Marty who is setting a good pace and the mediocre road conditions complicate matters. Potholes are not the problem but the fact that the roads bank away from the apex of the turns and not into them, this is brutal with a tall top-heavy vehicle. My passengers are not overjoyed.

Continuous jokes about getting sick and going to the bathroom are made but they are kidding, right? Wrong. On the only long straight stretch of road I notice in my side view mirror one of my passengers puking out of the window onto the side of the van and road. I WIN! I record the first sick passenger of the trip. I ask if I should stop but no one wants to so we go on. Turns out to be a case of motion sickness and a lack of breakfast.

We attempt to drive all the way to Villard Reculas which leads to an intersection on the Alpe d'Huez course 5k from the finish, but we are stopped 4k from the intersection, still we are very close considering the huge crowd. It is only 8:30am so we have five and a half hours til race time. We unload the bikes and our guests are off to select viewing points for the race. I jump in the back of the van for a two-hour nap then ride to the course and lock up my bike there.

I search the little town for a place to buy batteries but there no stores. I ask in French, German and American for batteries but none are available. It looks like I am going to the peak of the Alpe via gondola, something I wasn't crazy about doing, I didn't want to deal with the crowd up top but I want pictures. When I get to the top the crowd is light and I quickly find a ski shop that has batteries. When I exit I realize there are 20m of open railing less than 2k from the finish, I am on it. I try to contact other MJCT groupers with the walkie-talkie but I get no reply. A short time passes and I receive my first clear transmission of the day so I know someone is close. We spot each other and unbelievably we find an open table for four with an umbrella just off the course, I am on that too.

Two of our guests join me at the table for a cold beer and we sit and hang out for a couple hours waiting for the race as the caravan rolls by. We snag some schwag and decide we should get to the other side of the course or we will be cut off from the gondola til the race is over. Marty wants everyone heading down to the vans as soon as Lance passes so we don't get stuck in the huge traffic jam that is expected and being in a long line for the gondola would assure us of just that.

During our wait for the race I grab a copy of La Dauphine newspaper for start times and other race info and my two companions treat me to pizza and wine for lunch (thanks Bill and Tim). This is pretty sweet.

Soon the riders are coming by and I am taking crappy pictures missing badly as they ride by so I just watch, I'll get pictures later. About 20 riders pass and we decide to eliminate all chance of disaster and take the gondola down now, a good 2 hours before Lance takes off to make sure we are in place for a quick exit.

Back at the 5k point the rest of the MJCT group had lined a great spot on the barricade and they are very happy. Lots of pictures are taken and lots of anticipation builds as the roll call winds down to the final 20. Not all 20 have a chance to win, in fact really only two do but we have Virenque, Kloden, Ullrich, Van de Velde, Voelkers and many more excellent riders to watch, so now I bust out the camera and start shooting. I try to get each of the final group but I take mostly pictures of some guy's hat and the head of a guy who seemingly grows taller by the minute. Finally Basso passes and a huge gasp/cheer goes up because Lance is less than 30 seconds behind having made up over a minute and half already--the Tour is over.

Once Lance passes the crowd breaks up and immediately is on this little road through Villard Reculas to Allemont. Winds pick up, storm clouds roll in and the temps drop, it's time to get out of Dodge. Surprisingly we get 20 guests and bikes and 3 vans out of this mass of people, bikes and cars in no time and we are back at the hotel by 7pm. There we watch the finish in replay and are totally amazed at Lances destruction of everyone and feel confident in his capturing his sixth Tour. We are proud and excited and all is right with our traveling little world. JPH ;-)

Peace
CV

Day 11
Again we are having trouble remembering days and dates but we have a relatively easy day, no travel or luggage (they call it luggage because you have to lug it everywhere). Just a ride up the Col du Glandon and across to the Col de la Croix de Fer.

The ride starts out easy enough because it is all downhill but we keep descending and that means only one thing, we've got to climb back up and this ride ends with a 7k descent back into St Sorlin d'Arves. We are really going to climb.

The Col du Glandon isn't too bad, at least I think for the first 12k, easier than the Alpe d'Huez, Col du Tourmulat or the Luz Ardiden. But, with 5k to go I stop at the sag truck to get water and encourage our guests as they pass, once a fair number are by I get back on and try to catch as many of the group as possible before the Croix de Fer so I can remind them of the dangers of the descent since it has rained earlier and the road is still wet.

I make great time for 5k but I was only prepared physically and mentally to ride hard for 5k. What I think is the summit is actually 2.5k from the actual summit. The road markers indicate distance from the race finish, not the actual summit, a nice little game to play with my head. On top of that the next kilo is a 12-15% grade, totally brutal and I am in no condition to continue, I am cracked completely. I get off the bike and begin to think seriously of hopping in the sag vehicle but along comes one of our heartiest guests. I have watched him suffer over my shoulder the whole day but he refuses to quit or even stop for a moment. It is his determination that gets me back on the bike for the totally unfair next kilo and final 1.5k to the Croix de Fer. I start out behind him using his cog set as a metronome to help me set pace. After the first switchback I take the lead and set pace for him to the top. At the top no words are spoken, just an outreached hand of gratitude and knowing without saying a word each made a big difference for the other. That's cycling. JPH;-)

Peace
CV

Day 6
Today is a travel day so there is not too much to tell. I did get to sleep in the hotel and I even had a meal (breakfast) there as I passed out upon arriving last night. We are headed to Luz St. Sauveur to stay as Les Templiers (again, special thanks to Sam and Sian at Les Templiers for letting me use their computer to send this submission) where tomorrow we will ride to the finish at La Mongie for stage 12. We arrived at the hotel in this little village and again it is spectacular. There will be more to come including pictures. JPH ;-)

Peace
cv

Day 5
Bonjour. After less than two hours sleep Charlie and I are up and prepping the truck for lunch (repacking bike boxes and day bags, organizing food and promo items). Once we finish we change into our riding gear and ride down toward Aurillac to meet up with the group as they ride up to our prearranged meeting place.

For a brief time we munch on lunches of mixers; cheese and some sweets but that time passes quickly as our group wants to ride to the summit of Pas de Peyrol Puy Mary and secure a quality vantage point for the race. We adjourn and ride a relatively steep 14k to the top. Thanks to the kindness of my fellow ride leaders (Charlie and Sean) I am freed from my lantern rouge duties to rip up the final 4k of the climb in my 42*25/23 gear in a mere 12:30 (boy that sounds slow).

Already hundreds of fans are lining the barricades, roadside and cliff outcroppings. Our group split into two with one group heading further down, just beyond the left turn heading to the summit, while my group preferred to get at the barricade just 200m from the top. We are in place over 2 1/2 hours before the race will pass but our time passes quickly with nearly an hour of caravan passing and throwing schwag to the excited throng. A brief period of calm ensues but it is interrupted by the buzz of helicopters above and below in the valley, the crowd cheers as we see the lead caravan followed by two lone cyclists. Minutes later the peloton follows, they look like ants from at least 500 ft vertical.

Soon the copters are overhead and we know the race is headed our way. The crowd roars, horns honk and lights flash. Cars and motorcycles pass and here comes Richard Virenque followed seconds later by Axel Merckx. They pass slowly enough to get a good look at them, they are sweating, working and very focused. The silence of their suffering is countered by the screams of "Allez Allez Allez".

Seven minutes later the peloton approaches and the cheering begins again. Lance, Jan and close behind Tyler. It is amazing to see these riders in person--they are real, they do ride, they are not just people on TV. The entire site is awe inspiring. I will remember this next time I feel like giving up on a workout.

They have broken up a bit but mostly everyone is together. At the back are the sprinters, strung out but conceding nothing, legs bulging and cadences dragging as they continue--this day is not over. Ahead is the descent and another climb, suffering and drenched with sweat they will continue for another hour plus.

Support vehicles roll by for another 10 minutes and it is over. Fans swarm the road as they head home. A few thousand came and waited for hours to watch 20 minutes of cycling. We will descend to our picnic area but a majority will hike down the long road at least 14k to their cars, while others will walk further, maybe the whole 38k to Aurillac, some carrying children on their shoulders. A long string move down a steep grassy peak just to cross our path and continue on the other side to the valley below. It is a terrific site, the dedication of these fans is beyond belief.

The whole experience has left a permanent impression on me; the pageantry of the caravan, the effort of the racers and the patience of the fans all set in this beautiful French countryside. Do yourself a favor and come to see this for yourself. JPH ;-)

Oh yeah, Virenque won making this a splendid Bastille Day.

Peace
cv

DAY 3
Today is an off day from racing for the boys of the Tour but we are riding. We were up kind of late, but that's OK, we needed a little sleep since our chores have kept the staff pretty busy.

We rode to the towns of Blot and Manzat where we stopped to have bag lunchs and drinks at a little cafe. Manzat is a quiet little town with cobble streets and numerous fountains which quickly became the most popular places to have photos taken. While lunching we crossed paths with a young Norwegian gentleman named Anders. He flew from his home in Oslo to Frankfort and has ridden his bike to Manzat on his way to view the Tour for a few days. It is amazing the attraction the Tour holds for so many Europeans of all backgrounds. It is an honor to be a part of it all.

The riding takes you upward and your legs begin to sting a bit but it is dulled by the amazement of the views. You feel the need to take picture after picture but to what purpose? They will never come close to the real thing, so I guess I will just have to come back again...soon! Again we rode through many small villages where the buildings almost touch the road.

As for riding in France, cyclists take precedence over auto traffic. Drivers wait patiently for minutes at a time on very narrow roads for an opportunity to pass without so much as a beep or finger and even wave politely as they pass. Sweet! I ALMOST miss Chicago. Traffic is light and barely an unnecesarily oversized SUV is seen. In fact, I haven't seen one yet, not even in Paris. There is an underlying sense of control here with the preference being necessity over showiness, it has been a wonderful and welcome change.

On Tuesday we will have an early and heart breaking depart from Mont Chalusset but all is well as we are heading for our first day of Tour watching. We will take a three hour drive to St. Leonard de Noblat for the start of Stage 9 and Marty is going to try to get us a quick get together with Levi Liepheimer and Scott Sunderland prior to the race.

Shortly after the start, Jill, Marty's wife, and I will go to our next stop at theTrois Soleil hotel in St. Cere to pick up groceries for Wednesday's picnic on Plomb de Peyrol/Puy Mary and unload luggage. Once we are finished Charlie and I will cruise up to Plomb de Peyrol/Puy Mary where we will camp out overnight to save a spot for our guests to view Stage 10. Oh yeah, Wednesday is Bastille Day so it will be like camping out before the World Series on the Fourth of July. This could be fun, who knows? JPH ;-)

Peace
CV

DAY 2
Hello again . Sorry for the delay but we have had a very busy couple of days. Charlie and I have successfully picked up and delivered our guests to the most beatiful hotel (remember, it is pronounced Otel a Francais) I have everyseen. We are staying at the Hotel Mont Chalusset in Chatelguyon in the Masif Central region of Paris, about three-plus hours south of Paris. (A special thanks to the proprietor Peter who has graciously allowed me to use his computer to complete these two days entries).

Chatelguyon has all the classic looks of a European village I hoped for. Narrow, rolling streets lined with outdoor cafes and buildings with shuttered windows. Our room is on the third floor so I decided to take the elevator. It is more like a moving phone booth barely big enough for two, but I am not here to move furniture and it only adds to the quaint feel of the town. The room again is typically European, meaning small, but the view is incredible--overlooking the village and the hills beyond. Upon opening the window I nearly fell over the railing outside as I lunged forward to take it all in. It wasn't long before Charlie and I had our cameras out snapping pics.

After catching our breath we headed downstairs to unload and build bikes for our first ride of the trip. We hit the road and away we went. Much of the riding was uphill and the scenery was gorgeous. We rolled through the very narrow streets of a few small villages that could have been around for centuries and eventually stopped in the small winery village of Chatueaguy. The five story tower that was the town's landmark had a gothic look and the small courtyard inside feels like a step back in time. Later that night we drank wine from that very winery at dinner.

As for dinner, what can I say, it was superior. Marty has covered every detail of this trip and I am quite happy to be on the receiving end of such awesome treatment. I am going to cut todays report a little short as our duties preclude me from spending too much time on this journal but I will have much more to write soon. JPH ;-)

Peace,
CV

Day 1, July 12, 2004
I have safely arrived in Paris and find myself in one of those small rooms they always talk about but who cares, I am in Paris. The flights passed quickly with the help of some friendly fellow passengers (Quinn, Helen and William) and in no time I found out that I have no clue about speaking French. Despite picking up "French for Dummies"; and watching "Band of Brothers" in French I still freeze and the words want to come out in English or German but the people here are very helpful and friendly and speak significantly better English than I do French.

Our duties started today with the filling up and washing of the truck, I know, real glamorous, but as I mentioned before, I am in Paris, who cares. From there Charlie (another tour employee) and I began our trek around near north suburban Paris in an attempt to locate the hotel where we will pickup our guests tomorrow. Mission 1 accomplished and we didn't even end up in Memphis, because all roads lead to Memphis.

With our first days work completed we hopped the RAR and headed into Paris. It was so sweet popping out of a subway tunnel and not being in downtown Chicago. Within site of the exit was the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Nice way to make an entrance. I snapped a few pics and in we went. It was an amazing site, the history, the decor, the pictures will not do it justice and neither will my desciption, you just have to see it.

Then it was on to Shakespears Books, an ancient bookstore where famous writers have often taken up temporary residence. The store is a cathedral in its own right, every nook and cranny packed with books new and old. After a full walk around we dined on gyros, headed to La Favorite for a great Belgian beer and watched the end of today's stage of the Tour. If it seems like it is raining every day and there are a lot of crashes, that's because it is and there are. If you don't like the rain you had better watch Sundays stage because rain is expected most of next week too.

Race coverage here is great with nearly uninterrupted coverage of the final two hours each day, constant reruns and total results for every rider in the papers. But as I said before, my French is poor and Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin don't handle the coverage in France. I guess I should use it as practice.

Once the beer and the days racing ended we headed to La Seine river near the Cathedral for a bit of people watching and a photo op or two then back to the RAR for the ride home. The travel has Charlie and I a little whipped right now so we both napped on the train and missed our stop but being at the next to last stop before the airport we quickly corrected and made it to our hotel (pronounced otel in French, I have learned something).

Tomorrow we have a long drive ahead of us but the day will conclude with our first day on the bike in Claremont-Ferrand, this is gonna be awesome. JPH ;-)

Peace
CV