A Glimpse of Cycling Heaven in the Midi-Pyrenees
Almost a year ago, Mark got a chance to fulfil a long-held dream and go to see the Tour de France during one of the stages in Normandy. Little did we know back then that we would end up living in France and Mark would get to immerse himself in Cycling Heaven here in Europe.
It has been a rainy weekend — gray, yucky, not a good set of circumstances for walking around with expensive camera gear — so we’ve just stayed snuggled up in the house. And Mark has been rather run down with a bad case of bronchitis that, in spite of the meds that our new doctor gave him, he’s fighting to shake off.
But what excitement there was in his voice when he got up from watching a movie yesterday afternoon because he heard a lot of honking and noise coming through our teeny-tiny-village and then I hear him say excitedly, “Here they come!” Something made me grab my camera as I raced to the kitchen window at the front of the house and arrived just as the first cyclists were going by.
Zoom! The cluster of men on bicycles was a blur — literally! You can see the sign on the other side of the road that states Salle des Fetes and Tennis Court quite clearly, but the cyclists themselves were a true example of ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ action.
They were followed by more police and ambulance services and several support vehicles with spare bikes on top. Then the clump of people and vehicles in this organised racing event wove their way through the valley and were gone in less than a minute.
We’re just entering the beginning of the cycling season and there will be a lot more such events, not to mention the Tour de France, in the coming months. What fun this is for a diehard cycle nut like my darling husband!
COPYRIGHT
©Deborah Harmes and ©A Wanderful Life
Please respect the words and images on this page.
All rights reserved.
21/05/2012 at 12:30 PM



21/05/2012 at 5:07 PMChris
link
Very cool! So the Tour route is passing through your village? That would be amazing!
21/05/2012 at 8:11 PMDeborah Harmes
link | my site | author
The Tour passed through here year after year and they’ve changed the route slightly THIS year and are bypassing us. But Mark and Matt are already discussing an ‘excursion’ (field trip day!) to go and see it. Somewhere in the recesses of my brain I recognised that odd two-tone tootling sound that they make when they go through and that’s why I grabbed my camera. It is so VERY cool here, Chris. You’d just love it!
22/05/2012 at 5:35 AMRani.C
link | my site
Hi lovely Deborah, looks like you’ve come full-circle & ‘full-cycle’!
What a great moment & wonderful reaffirmation of your dreams…..So happy for you.
Hope hubby gets better soon & a beautiful French Rainbow rears it’s sleepy head
Take care
Rani