Aimez Vous Radis?

Came home after a session this morning to what you see above. Radish accompanied with a note saying: "Radish. Eat with salt and mustard." I love this place and the people in it even more. I've never been surprised with a bowl of radish (plural?) before. They're really good, too. Not too strong, but with plenty of kick.

So I was supposed to ride mellow in the short-week between races, but it's been too nice and California-like lately to sit indoors. Also, a nice set of circumstances gave me a chance to ride out from the Rhonne Alpe region of France to the southern-most region of Côte-d'Azur. Any opportunity to leave the house, I take. It's a bit...stagnant...sometimes. A friend from Aubenas goes to school down there during the week and comes home on Fridays, so I got to ride the 130 k there, and carpooled it home by car. It took 3.5 hours riding at/near tempo. On the way there were two principal cities: Orange and Avignon (my final destination). Both cities are way wayyy bigger than Aubenas, so it was a refreshing reminder of how busy more populated places can be. Traffic lights! First time since I've left Los Angeles. They're much smaller and less pronounced than their American counterparts, and subsequently more confusing...particularly if you're used to the ease and efficiency of the rond-points (roundabouts). Flashing yellow means go, Red is stop.

Allright. The most striking feature of Avignon is a gigantic, thick, tourist-magnetizing (me included) wall that encircles the entire city. It almost looks like a natural formation, because of how old and weathered it is. I wonder if current Avignon residents sleep better knowing they're well- protected from the chance barbaric invasion? The first photo is from the outside. It took me a while before finding a road to the inside, but I did, and so you have the second photo from the inside. The outside was hectic. Too much traffic (it was rush hour), lots of one-way streets, tourists, etc etc. A little bit more serene on the inside, as there weren't as many cars. Anyhow, after putting around town, I'm VERY proud to say that I was eventually able to find my friend's apartment with just the address. If you knew how insane the street-structure of a 2000 year old city is...and how limited my French speaking/understanding is...it's a big accomplishment! No tourist games other than the photos you see, so rest assured. Didn't bring enough clothes (130k with a pack wouldn't be fun...), so had to get creative with some borrowed threads...

Yep. They were comfortable pants. Bike looks good huh? I'm prettttty close to hopefully "temporarily trading" my Cannondale Si SRM for a standard one to fit this bike. I will be stoked when this happens. Maybe the guy i'm supposed to trade with is reading this paragraph? Email me, guy! The funny part is the SRM cranks are probably lighter than the Centaur cranks they'll replace. Double-positive. Fingers crossed on that one. I'm slowly figuring out the workings of the SRM head unit as well. Lots of algorithms. Lots of possibilities. 160 page manual! Anyhow. After the big caloric hole of a 130k ride, I indulged in some pizza. Pretty sure it's near the necessary 4:1 ratio, no?

Email me if you require a higher-resolution version of this photo. The details are critical. This one's with Roqueforte (local type of blue cheese), mozzarella, and olives. C'est trop bien! Too good. Blue cheese on pizza must be tried. And a really thin crust...so I was still hungry afterwards. So, that's all I got...Race tomorrow. Legs are good. Hair is ridiculously long and out of control. Mind is good. Rode a bunch, but I think they'll be fine. It's 150k and "should suit me well". Heheh. Heard that before! It will be fun regardless. The speed-radishes i'm eating (in droves) right now should help!