Finale

Final post from France, for this season. The last 2 days have been hectic, with moments of peace filling the gaps. You realize how comfortable you have become in a place when you truly live there, and then try to pack. Two days of packing, cleaning, goodbyes, and last minute errands. Barely even a chance to ride a bike, but a few goodwill deeds to fill in the gaps. Last night happened to also be teamate Ed's last in France, so we all hit the town (a relative term in small town rural France) for a delicious supper out. Good food, good wine, and good company and a little bit of bubbly at home left us all with a good taste in our mouths and fond memories. Today I spent some time building Yannick (our host and manager) a new bike out of his many as most were lying in disrepair. A gesture well worth the effort. Today we'll head back out for food, as our fridge is empty and our hosts here have a hankering for some Chinese food. All that remains is to pack the last bits into the carry on baggage, and a mildly early trip to the Nice airport. How time has flown. I'd like to thank everyone for following along again, and can't wait to see many of you. But a special thanks to those who have helped to support my season (again): Pete of Stevens, Vince of the Cyclery, my folks, and the multitude of others who have helped make this work. Rest assured, I've learned, I've lived and will be back to fight another day. Ciao.
Sandy