Twice now I have arrived in France without a piece of luggage. Last year it was my small carry on bag which h was taken at Queenstown airport - rather than put it in the overhead it was put back in the hold, and of course it arrived two days later. No problem.
This time it was the bike that arrived two days late. It missed a connection in Hong Kong. Mind you both of my connections were tight - just two hours in Hong Kong and the same in Frankfurt - which in fact is only just enough time.
Frankfurt is a big airport - perhaps the biggest in Europe and even though I was traveling on Lufthansa for the next leg as well, it was still a long way to the customs and security and then the same terminal back. Anyway the bike missed the Hong Kong connection
It could have been just 28hrs behind me but a festival in the small town where I stay meant that we delayed it till the next morning. My mistake as that meant another 24hrs of delay. So without bike - what is there to do? but indulge in the French national pastime of drinking and eating.
But first on the Friday I was taken to the start of the Ultra-Tail Mount Blanc - the North Face sponsored event that is the major event on the Ultra Trail circuit. Some 7,500 runners over 5 divisions - from the short 55kms CCC (Courmayer- Champex- Chamonix) to the long distance PTL (a full extended circuit around Mount Blanc Chamonix - Chamonix for teams of two or three) of 300km.
But the main event is the UTMB - the Ultra Trail Mount Blanc 168ms (Chamonix - Chamonix)
Of course the town is full of fit and some not so fit looking runners. After a stroll through the athlete village and chance meeting with Tom Langley from The North Face Australian 100kms race (a ex Southern Traverse competitor) we move to the main start line and watch the grande depart of the UTMB.
Of course traveling in the company of senior manager for WL Gore (now retired) means that she knows everyone in the outdoor world in Europe. So standing on the steps we meet the boss of communications world wide for Salomon, and then his boss - the overall GM for Salmon. Later we are joined by Martine and Daniel. Martine is also a ex senior promotion manger for Gore.
We stand in the rain and watch the depart - the rain stops just a short while later, and we shop for desert to have with the invited meal at Martine’s house up the valley. To much wine and fine food later I arrive tired back in Saint Gervais after midnight.
The following night the same - more drinking and eating (of course the eating part comes between 10-11pm - just the normal time in France - but quite late for this Kiwi) This night was a 30th birthday celebration of a kid I meet more than 20yrs ago. Her sister politely remembers meeting me and explains a couple of things that I had done in company with her parents.
So another days passes - and still no bike. Am I getting less or more tired - of that I am not sure.
More tomorrow and hopefully a bike story.
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