Alsace Prologue

Today’s VéloSport Vacations Prologue got off to a fast start. Just one hour after arriving at our hotel in Riquewhir, everyone took off for their rooms to get ready for the “shakedown” ride. The sun came out and stayed out for us for the entire 24-mile ride – amazing considering the fact that it has been raining on and off for the last four days.

The ride started downhill on a road that split a vast sea of vineyards. One kilometer into the ride we hit what will the last part of tomorrow’s stage 8. We were riding the opposite direction the Tour riders will go tomorrow and more than one local fan made sure we knew we were going the wrong way on the wrong day.

We saw an old Peugot bike hanging from a pole above the wines to serve as a welcome for tomorrow’s stage. We rode past a regional stork park where huge stork cutouts were positioned on bikes. And if there was any doubt we were not in Kansas any more, all those doubts were washed away when about 12 local cyclists treated us to a full on French-style nature break. We had just hit a flat section of road before the village of Ribeauville when about 12 guys stopped right on the side of the road, lined up sitting on their top tubes with their backs to us, and relieved themselves.

As soon as we hit a long section of beautiful farm roads, I got to meet some of my fellow travelers. I talked to Heather Jencks from Lombard, Illinois who was happy to be back in France. She fell in love with the country and the culture a few years ago as a student. At one point, she even got a job working at Euro Disney for a year just so she could work on her French. Vera Rasmussen from Boise, Idaho told me that their trip was a special wedding anniversary gift from her husband Chuck who is also on the trip. He gave her the trip last summer and then had to buy her a road bike so she could train. Only after a few months, she is ready to take on the Alps.

One intrepid traveler I met is going to be doing the entire Tour with VéloSport. Erin Hinnov from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is back after doing the Tour de France last year with VéloSport. And she has been training hard and looks on form to do quite well this year in the mountains. John Myrick from Clemmons, North Carolina is also on for the whole Tour, and as another former VéloSport traveler, seems to know full well what he is in for.

We wrapped up the ride in style with a short climb up to Zellenberg. There every one got to stretch their climbing legs in preparation for tomorrow’s category 2 climb up the Col de la Schlucht. I think we’re ready for the mountains. I just hope the mountains are ready for us!