Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be able to do what I have done because of my bicycle. Never did I think I would be able to go to Europe to ride, let alone twice in a year. Having the chance to go to France for the largest event and see a little bit of the country was beyond my dreams, and thankfully the wife gave me the go ahead on this. I mean how often is it that you get a paid for trip to France? Yeah, not too often.
To be honest, two weeks before I was in Oklahoma for the grands, and having France coming up, I guess it took pressure off the grands, and I was able to do ok at that race. Making both mains and being up front for most of the races made me feel good about things. The two weeks that I had in between were a complete blur. We opened the business, had work, kids, and life to take care of before I left for another six day trip. I was excited but also pretty nervous for some reason, couldn't quite put my finger on it, but tried to stay positive.
Our first day in France we were in Lyon. The third largest city in France. It was really cool and I appreciated the age of the city. Everything was super cool and old. I compiled a small list on my phone to remind me of what I wanted to write about. So lets get into that.
BTW this is going to be a long post.
First of all, I didn't go through customs to get into France. Nope, just walked straight into the country. That pretty much blew my mind. But hey, I sold some stuff so it was all good. (jokes)
We almost died on the freeway. Our tour guides were trying to talk to us and would look back over the seat to make eye contact, taking his eyes off the road. Its all good, I think you need to do one thing that scares you each day.
There was graffiti everywhere, and it did not suck. Amazing, huge art pieces everywhere you looked. At times I did think that it was a bit over kill, but I was in awe of some of the pieces. The traffic and streets in Lyon were gnarly. Super small, and traffic was super bad. I was amazed how these people drove on streets like that, and there would be no way that my truck would fit on those streets, or parking spots. Driving on cobblestone roads was rad. For lunch we went into an old tavern and on the menu was horse. So I ate horse. Sorry mom. After lunch we walked outside and there was a christmas festival going on, there were mini horses there, I apologized to them for eating their brother.
I saw some adults on scooters. I laughed at them. It was freaking freezing the first day in Lyon. Raining and fog, and Felicia and I were not prepared for it. We didn't want to complain though, because we figured this would be our only day to see some stuff. We had a great lunch, and then found out that most French people don't eat after 2PM. Ummm, anyone that knows me knows that wasn't going to work out very well for anyone. We were lucky though and all hangry crises' were averted.
We went to the most popular cathedral in Lyon. It sits high up on a hillside overlooking the city, and is massive. Cool, old architecture and streets around the building, just made it feel so cool and old. When we walked in I was in awe. I had only seen pictures of such places and just couldn't believe i was there seeing such a place in person. I started walking in when I noticed the holy water basin. A large 4' by 3' basin made of marble and on the basin there were the words "In Hoc Signo Vinces" I was taken back and instantly loved the place more. In this sign you will conquer are words that I have tattooed on me and it means so much. Very cool to see that.
I had a great chat with our guide Dorian about all things political in French. The government, the welfare system, the taxes, free healthcare, handouts, free educations, and gasoline. Umm 10 bucks a gallon anyone? No thanks. Dorians girlfriend walks one hour each way to work just to save money. Buying a house is super hard, and banks don't just loan out money like they do in the states. It was pretty interesting to hear what he had to say on all these subjects and France is actually in a pretty bad spot. They need to figure some of that stuff out.
Speaking of free Health care, Felicia crashed on day two and we spent 6 hours in the ebola stricken hospital in St. Etienne. It was horrible. The service, attitudes, and overall experience confirmed my opinions about socialized medicine. Barry bailed on me 2.5 hours into the experience and got to go back to the hotel and sleep. He was passed out on the chairs and needed sleep. Sleep for me was pretty much non existent this trip. Something that I just chalked up as the experience.
Typical rolling hills with cool old buildings and houses on top of them. Houses stacked on the sides of hills, and the ever so typical euro apartment living. I did love seeing the houses with actually shutters that they close every night, not used just for aesthetics.
We kept going to the track too early. Dorian thought we would like to be there the whole time, but it sucked and on the first two days they didn't have the heat on in the building. It was so cold in there that we would leave and go over to a Mcdonalds type place and just sit in there because it was warm. Barry decided to pack super light for the trip and was forced to buy some some socks. He is an athlete for Oakley, and wanted some Oakley socks. 29 euros later, or 44 bucks, he had one pair of socks. He was pumped though and thought it to be totally worth it.
Speaking of Barry. He and I were on the same wave length the entire trips. We knew what the other was thinking, and kept talking about what the other was thinking. We talked about how people are bought together that are meant to be friends. Having Barry there made the trip for me, and Im glad to call him a friend. I worked on educating him on all things coffee, and when I got home I sent him a french press, so he could enjoy a proper cup of coffee. We also took a morning and went to the craziest museum I have ever seen. So much random shit, it blew our minds. I couldn't believe some of the displays, and wouldn't let my girls see that stuff. While at the track Barry never got anytime to himself, he is a complete rockstar. It was great to see him never tell someone no when they wanted a picture or autograph. He is what being a professional athlete is all about and the fans absolutely loved him.
Everyone smokes, and it sucks. Our pit was by the door and smokers would leave the door open and smoke would just pile into our pit. lame. I consumed more second hand smoke than I ever have. I hate it. I also ate more bread in that short six days, than I have in the past two years. I wasn't impressed with the food at all. The coffee is straight euro, so thats just espresso. It was alright and helped with the lack of sleep that I had.
As far as the race goes, it was nuts! I have never witnessed such a crowd and the enthusiasm they had for the event. Lazors, lights, stages, music, fog, smoke, fire, dancers, it was so much more than a bike race. They advertised on the radio, TV, newspapers, and billboards. They made this such a big deal, and the French didn't disappoint. There were so many people there, no seats left, and the standing room only was completely packed. That shit never would have happened here, fire code wouldn't allow it. The track was the gnarliest track I have ever raced on. I was told that it was going to be difficult, but Im pretty lucky to have grown up in Utah where we don't just race, but also ride bikes on jumps, skateparks, and have fun. So I was looking forward to a hard track. They were so creative with the jumps, and sizes, elevation changes, and turns. It was so cool. My favorite feature was the off camber roller out of the last turn, so fun to get wicked on. I didn't jump anything until race day. I had a crash on the pro jump on Friday and my mental game was shot after that. I just couldn't find my groove and had a bit of a mental breakdown that night. I called the wifester at 3:30 AM my time, couldn't sleep, and pretty much had an anxiety attack. Talking to her when I am away always helps, she helps me keep things in perspective. She completes me.
My race day was Sunday. We had 30 minutes of practice, and when I got to the top of the hill for my first practice lap, I said screw it, and pinned it first lap. I jumped everything first lap, and that set me up for how I would approach the day. I love the UCI format of racing and makes me stay in race mode the whole time. I relaxed and enjoyed the moment. I enjoyed the experience and welcomed the stress. I was able to put it together every lap, and didn't lose a lap all day. I had first gate choice going into the main and chose one. Behind the gate for the main I told myself that I could win this, and did just that. Had a great gate, and tried to check out. I didn't have the smoothest lap but kept it together. Knowing how the French ride, I was prepared to get blasted in every corner and thats what happened in turn two. A guy had taken his foot off the pedal and cut the corner and drilled me. I was ready for it. I had lowered my center of gravity and had a solid base. As soon as he came into me I placed my elbow under his arm and started pedaling and lifted him off and over. Still in first I hung up a little on a jump down the last straight but was able to squeak out with the win! I was in shock, and still as I write this can't believe I won.
I wrote Devin and told her I couldn't believe it, and she replied with "I can believe it." I lost it and broke down. She never waivers in her support and Im so damn lucky. The award ceremony was cool and I was asked to give my jersey to hang in a babies room of a fellow competitor. He brought his pregnant wife down and I gave her my flowers and gave him the jersey I was wearing, We took a photo and I told him to remember whats important as I showed him the back of my number plate and the photo of my girls.
The last night, Barry and I had an awesome dinner and we stayed up all night so we could sleep in the plane. It didn't work for me, but it was all good. I carried my trophy on the plane with me, I felt kind of funny, but oh well. It was so good to get home to my girls waiting for me at the airport.
I have been so blessed to enjoy this journey. Thank you to all the support me and make all of this possible. Without you I am jacks empty coffin.
Photos to come
