The Mountains Are Calling and A Vacation

When is a vacation not a vacation? When it is someone else's vacation. My Assistant Manager, Chickie, will leave tonight for her vacation consisting of a few days in Yellowstone National Park and then going on into Montana for her annual family reunion. She'll be gone for what seems like a long time. It's a long time because I have to work for her so I'll have a six-day workweek next week and my Manager will also have to be present at the shop instead of having the freedom to work from his home computer. Vacations are always difficult in small businesses because someone else needs to work for the other person. This time it is my turn.

The geysers are part of the unique sights that await visitors to
Yellowstone National Park. Of course the thought that they are walking
on top of one of the largest super-volcanoes in the world rarely crosses
visitor's minds.

Taking care of the shop is only part of the deal. I also have morning cat sitting duty. This isn't really a problem - Sasha-kitty is a sweetie who usually just ignores me. We have an agreement, however. If she hisses at me, I feel perfectly justified in hissing back at her. I feed her, give her clean water, and clean her litter box every morning and one night while Chickie is gone. Fortunately she lives quite close to the shop (she usually walks to work every day - it's that close) so it's just time, not a major trip. And I'm happy to help a friend so it's not a big deal.

Stage 14 features a rolling landscape but no mountains more difficult
than a Cat 3. 

Switching over to Le Tour - The Mountains are Calling and I couldn't be happier. The profile for Saturday is rolling hills - five Cat 4 hills and two Cat 3's. It is 191 lm from Saint-Pourcain-Sur-Sioule to Lyon. It ends on a flat, though, so if the sprinters have survived the roller coaster, it could be a good fight for the stage win. Yesterday's splits on the flats showed that a flat stage can still hold high drama and today's rolling terrain should make things even more exciting. Congrats to Cav for winning Stage 13 and his 25th all-time stage win - a Tour record.

Sunday will crack the boys wide open. Just look at Mont Ventoux at the end!
Here is where time will be made and lost and the GC contenders can show
why they are such amazing athletes. I have the profile of Mont Ventoux below.

Then on Sunday, we get a MONSTER. It's a long course, 242.5 km from Givors to Mont Ventoux, and it will have me blued to my TV screen. Three small Cat 4 hills in the beginning and a single Cat 3 midway through the course lead to a monster end with the HC Mountain of Mont Ventous, a 20.8 km slog up a 7.5% grade. This will break the Peleton and give them a preview of the Alps that are still facing them. Here are profile maps of the stage (above) and the Mont (below). What a BEAST!

Mont Ventoux - a sledgehammer that will break the Peleton apart.

Have a totally fabulous weekend. I'll be enjoying my Sunday off before I dive into serious work for the next six days...