Day 2: About face

After yesterday's disaster I had to scale back a bit.  I decided that even though it was only 80 miles to Vaison la Romaine, I had to take it in two steps and give myself time to recover.  It has become obvious that in many ways, racing is the least of the peloton's troubles during the Tour de France.  Strange beds, strange food, fickle weather... you just don't know what's going to happen next.  Add to that the fact that I don't know where I'm sleeping each night and that I'm carrying all my stuff with me, I'm having to scale back my tempo and daily ambitions.

I was helped today by a tailwind and a spit of rain now and then, which believe me was a welcome relief after yesterday's hell on earth.  I made Crest in two hours, found out that Vaison la Romaine was another fifty hilly miles away and gave up.  As a reward got to tour the Tour de Crest, a magnificent castle from the eleventh century.  Eight hundred feet up; and at nearly every step some horrible fate awaited a would-be attacker.  Break through an outer wall and another wall awaited you.  Break into a room and it could be sealed off and you would then be subjected to giant stones being dropped on you, along with boiling oil; etc.  Minus gunpowder; it was essentially impregnable.  Check out the beautiful carved facade from an original door.  . 

Okay; back to vacation.