Telethon

Saturday: Today is a special day; it is a national fund raising day for charity and medical research. The Village of Cadalen organizes a bike ride that goes around the area and gives out balloons, collects money etc. I did this ride a few years ago, and there were very happy to have me join them… in fact I gather from what people have told me, that they have been talking about it ever since. 2 years ago I didn’t make it as I was racing, last year I was laid up in bed sick… so this year I showed my face. They were once again really happy that I had turned up. It’s a very slow ride, but it’s fun. We stop at every village in the area, the Maire comes out, and they put on coffee and cakes in the village hall. It was a fun group of guys, with lots of joking, and of course the inevitable questions about racing, the season etc etc. Again people where out clearing woods and yards, burdening stuff etc, so the smells were magnificent. In the morning, the smells lingered in the misty morning air, as we plodded through the vineyards, past awakening houses and into sleepy towns. After a thousand coffees, lots of cake, something like 3 hours and 40km I was back home to do some shopping and usual boring life stuff. In the evening there were some things going on in the town hall… there was a demo of country dancing… “YEEEEHAAAA”. My buddy Stephane joined us and we spend the evening drinking wine and shooting the shit over a good meal!