Tuesday, July 20

Today was perfect. Outstanding breakfast; in addition to the croissants, baguette with butter (which I'm starting to like more than croissants) we got our own pot of coffee and a pitcher of steamed milk. Left the hotel by 9:45, stopped in the local Casino, which a chain of small grocery stores throughout France, bought bread, camembert cheese, and some dried fruits, and by 10:00 we were starting our walk up the Col d'Aspin. We walked for about an hour, the crowds were heavier than last year, and there werefar fewer Americans today than yesterday. Around 11:00 we found a place that was relatively flat for our chairs and gave us a view of well below us.

As we set up our stuff (flags, chairs, etc) the first vehicles in the caravan started arriving. We couldn't resist begging for some of the handouts and we scored another Caisse d'Epargne jersey, and a yellow baseball cap.

Around 12:15 the helicopters started arriving, and soon lead group of about ten riders appeared below. The Dutch man and his son who were next to us informed us that Lance was leading the breakaway, and sure enough when the reached us, there he was. He passed within inches of me as I cheered him on. I could even say we made eye contact. Today's groups were much more spread out than yesterday's even though this was only the second of four huge climbs in today's stage. Contador was in the second group, about 3:30 behind Lance's. Contador looked like he was struggling, whereas Lance looked confident. I focused less on getting photos and more on watching the riders who all passed within inches of us. I never saw Andy Schleck, but the Dutch guy next to me was very knowledgable, and continually pointed out who passed. Jens Voigt was last rider and he was bleeding and shorts and jersey were ripped. He must have fallen. Sprinter Robbie McEwan was next to last, and he also looked liked he'd fallen. All in all it took over 3o minutes for everyone to get by.

As we descended back to our hotel in Arreau we heard that Lance was the first over the Col d'Aspin and the Tourmalet.* Lance was back!!!! He stayed in the lead group for the final 100 km to Pau, but he could hold off Frenchman Pierrick Rodrigo who caught him during the final sprint. But on what will probably be considered the toughest stage this year's Tour, Lance held his own and challenged for the whole race.

When we got back to our hotel we cooled off in the bar and watched the race for a while, then we drove to the village of Soulan St. Lary, which is a lot like Lake Placid. We walked the streets and window shopped, but also watched the race in a bar.

After the race we drove south to a beautiful ski area just above the Spanish border. The area is known for its controversial modern architecture which reminded me of a resort in Argentina that is often written about in ski magazines. We liked the architectural style, but the buildings were in terrible condition and even had graffiti on them. I kept thinking how disappointed someone might be if they booked a week in this place without seeing it first. The scenery was spectacular, with many of the mountains going straight up. Must be fantastic for rock climbing. The slopes also were covered in a velvet like vegetation. I've never seen prettier mountains.

We returned to Arreau, I went for a quick swim, and then we showered and went to dinner. Another delicious meal, I'll skip the details.

I love everything about this place. It was a perfect day.

*PS according to Wednesday's L'Equipe, Lance wasn't 1st over either of those cols. However, in the minds of his fans he always will be!