Day 17 - Climbing Into the Alps, and Finally A Day Off

Yesterday's stage was rather boring, and that leads to a lack of attention and accidents. It's those pile-ups that can make the peloton so dangerous and the flat stages so challenging. Yesterday's stage was no different, with a crash in the pack taking out one of the favorites, Jakob Fuglsang (Astana Pro Team). He had been riding a terrific race with an outside shot to a podium step on Sunday, so this was an extreme disappointment for any serious TdF fan. 

Personally, I wouldn't be categorizing today's stage as "flat", but
that's the official term used. They actually are starting to climb up
to the Alps and these are the lowest of the foothills in front
of those majestic peaks. 

Today's stage is again "flat", with 200 km stretching to the foot of the Alps. We'll have mountains for Thursday through Saturday, we just have to get to them first. Anything can happen in a flat stage, as we saw yesterday. So even though the topography won't be super challenging, keeping positions and safety within the pack will be. 

Here's the "official" blurb from the Le Tour de France website. 

Stage 17 will kick off from Le Pont du Gard where the riders already passed yesterday, showcasing an extraordinary heritage. Heading to the Alps, the Mont Ventoux will offer a beautiful view at the exit of the Rhône valley where the wind could be a factor, but it’s a stage for attackers. Thomas De Gendt is up for it. Sprinters like Peter Sagan and Michael Matthews can also be ambitious, either in being part of the winning move or getting their team to set up a bunch gallop in which not all the sprinters will be in contention. The cat. 3 col de la Sentinelle with 8.5km to go is too hard for some but not all of the fast men.

Today Chickie finally returns from her vacation and I get a real "day off" - the first day off I've had in over a week. Hurrah! I'm delighted to be back on my personal schedule again, not having to compress my errands and housework into odd corners of the day. I'll catch up with her tomorrow, but from her occasional posts on Facebook, it seems it was a good time for all, despite the fact that everyone had gathered for a funeral. 

Chickie is back home and I finally get a "day off". It's time
to party! "Celebrate ... celebrate ... dance to the music ...". 

So, I'm off and running. Physical therapy, followed by a couple of quick things at the shop followed by a day of actual work in my house. Yippee! Here's hoping you have a wonderful Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow for the first of three days of the BIG mountains!