The whole European leg of racing was quickly turning into a bit of a disaster. Luckily for the Sardinia training camp or the whole three weeks could have been a write off. Not fully recovering from Texas and training through to Pescara the body wasn't right to race and I should have seen the signs. I didn't take my usual week off post Ironman and it ended hurting me big time.
Amanda had planned to meet up with her coach Siri in France but with that being a late cancellation it freed up our week we had till we flew back to the USA. Flying into Geneve, Switzerland I mentioned to Amanda I would like to take her to Aix Les Bains where I lived and trained with the Aussie junior team back in 2001/2002. We drove over the border into France and we were greeted by pouring rain and 10 degree weather .... not ideal! What to do? KEEP GOING! So onward we drove for another 2-3 hours till we had hit the South of France. We didn't even know where our destination would be. It had turned into an adventure! We got out of the car in Avignon in the heart of Provence to a beautiful sunny afternoon and 30 degree heat ... PERFECT! So began a random few days of light training and enjoying a beautiful region of France we had both never seen before. We feel in love with the place and it was a great time for us to reconnect after a very hectic few weeks of racing and travel. I think both Amanda and I left France very refreshed, refocused and ready to take on the rest of the year.
We are back in the US now and excited about the weeks of training that lay ahead. Frankfurt is just under 5 weeks away!
Beautiful Avignon, France was a great base for a few days
Amazing riding in Provence!
Amanda turned around at the bottom because her coach gave strict instructions to "take it easy"
1km down ... 21km to go
A peak of the summit about half way up
1km to go
Poor old Tom Simpson died of exhaustion in a stage of the Tour de France on this very spot!
The average gradient of the climb is a pretty solid 9% (over 22km)
FINALLY .... the last switchback
Made it! View back down Ventoux
1912m above sea level. City of Avignon down below
I'd always wanted to climb Ventoux. It probably wasn't ideal to ride it during a week of "light" training but it sure was fun.
Le Mont Ventoux from the vineyards below
One of my favorite wines - Chateaunerf du Pape!
Amanda made a few purchases for the cellar
We had to try the Escargot
and Steak Tartare
Wine tasting!
Have a week of randomness every now and then ... IT'S FUN!
