Well summer has surely arrived here in France as the mercury has been rising often well above 30, or as the French call it “La chaleur”, the heat.  It’s just after nine pm and as I sit here typing away in our apartment I have the feeling it could be another restless sleep in the sticky air.

Since I last got on here I’ve spent a few hours in the chamy rolling round the country side here in the Tarn Region.  For those of you who know the Waikato back home in NZ, the Tarn is quite similar with its rolling green hills and flat stretches which are always good for the old recovery ride.  Though the terrain can also get a little more on the mountainous side here too, head out along the Tarn valley and you are inundated with climbs from 5 to 8km long to keep you occupied.  It sure has to be one of my favourite rides around here, as you get to roll out on the valley floor following the river and are usually fairly sheltered from the Tarn wind.  If you caught the first time trial at the Tour de France this year and saw all the crashes on the descent before they flew along a valley road that is exactly where I’m talking about.  Then when you’re feeling ready to get into your work you can turn up a number climbs and make a nice lap out of it. 

Lately it’s been a real treat as there has always been someone around to head out and enjoy the scenery with.  With Pete being here most of the time with just one day races the last few weeks, a few of the other kiwis from the area have been up to visit us. Then there are the local French pros and of course the old French fellas on the weekend morning rides who are always a reliable start to a long day. Though if you are ever in the area, more company is always welcome for a spin or a quiet red for that matter, they make a pretty good bot around here. We are always keen. 

With all this training your sure need some good fuel and France isn’t really a bad place to be when you have a bit of a hunger on.  Pictured below is our local Mie Caline Boulangerie, or bakery in English.  Owned by a cycling fanatic Jean Pierre and his wife Loraine they always have a fresh loaf of our favourite the “Pave 7 céreal” waiting for us after a long day on the velo ready to be made into some huge sambo’s.  If it’s been a big day a slice of “flan” which is pretty much just custard cake, always goes down well too.  Though I think Jean Pierre and Loraine are more concerned about our weight than we are so they make sure we’ve done at least 4hrs before they sell us the real good stuff. 

After a few solid weeks of solid training I am not far away from my first race back; this weekend I am off up to Chateauroux for the Classic de l’Indre which is followed up a day later by the four day tour Poitou Charentes.  It will be an interesting few days as I find my feet in the peloton again but I am really looking forward to getting back to the race atmosphere and catching up with my team after quite a lay off.