Trip to France Plans

Oct 28 The Tour de France has announced it's route for 2005 and I will be able to see a mountain Stage finish on my birthday!!!

I have the following goals to accomplish. Ride Mont Ventoux, and Alpe D'Huez, See the stage finish on my birthday, and finally visit Vimi Ridge.

Jan 13, I GOT PLANE TICKETS!!!!!!! now I just have to get my passport :)

April 15, Passport arrived YAY!!! 75 DAYS TO GO~!~!~!~!~!~!~!

May 7, My friends Ian and Natasha are on their different trips right now and I can't wait to here their stories.

June 7, I have created a journal on a website that is a collection of adventures that people have done. I will be able to update that website from France a whole lot easier than this one. Here it is hope you enjoy mine and the many other journals

RandyinFrance.crazyguyonabike.com

Aug 9, I have returned safe and sound. 1500 photos have been taken and I tried to put the best on the above website. It was a good trip!!

THE PLAN

Fly in to Nice and begin a 9 day ride along the Grand Canyon Du Verdun and then into The Luberon & Mont Ventoux area. This ride will feature according to my guide book: "gorgeous scenery, challenging terrain on limestone plateaus, pretty perched villages, remote gorges and the long haul up Mont Ventoux." There is three approaches to Ventoux and I might just spend a few days around and try all three. I plan on taking a rest day in Avignon or Orange. Then start the Majesty of the Romans Tour. This 206 Km loop will take me to the south west of Avignon to view Roman Baths, a Coliseum and the Palace of the Popes.

On my way from Avignon to Arles my plans cross Le Tour's path. It is the day before my birthday and I have found a nice climb to watch the events pass by me. This gives me more ride time instead of loosing 3 days to go out to Ax3 to watch the stage on my birthday.

Maps I got from www.france-for-visitors.com the red dots I added are the towns I plan on staying in or visiting.

The plan after recovering from that fun is to get to Grenoble and climb up Alpe D'Huez and Col du Galibier.

Then I take a bit of a history trip. I have discovered that my Great uncle Lloyd Miller is resting in a WW1 Cemetery. I am going to travel around the area that was the St Mihiel Offensive by the 1st US Army which he took part in. It is very close to Verdun which saw very intense fighting and has many memorials to the fallen. I then will take a train to see his grave site.

I will be in Paris to watch the completion of the tour on July 24. I am also going to catch a train and visit Vimi Ridge. Also I am going to ride part of this years Paris-Robouix route that has some famous coble road sections called Pave. Then I head to the UK, the old way by ferry. I have decided that I am going to ride my bike as far towards London and if I need to I can catch a train if I am running short on time. I don't think I will spend much more than a day in London. I want to see the changing of the Guard at 11:30 then the next day I fly out.

But these plans can all change if a rich red head takes me under her wing :) as long as Dwight can stay at the guest house. (my friend at work that should be back in Provence for the riding)