The first "Wally Award"

Commissaire, Delicate Derierre has been too busy enjoying his pedalling to pen his travels until now. Enjoy!!!!

After the Prawn Laksa crew decided to join us the group headed for the airport Gard to catch the TGV to Nimes. Speeds of up to 250kms/hr through beautiful countryside, fields of ripening corn, harvested grains and verdant forests we arrived at Nimes 3 hours later to check into our hotel, our home for the next 3 days.

To stretch our legs we had a 36km ride through rolling country side, very pretty villages including a nice long down hill to test our speed abilities up to 60kms/hr. We then cycled to Pont du Gard through vineyards on country roads as well as nice bike paths. It was on one of these bike paths that the first mishap occurred! During our ride we were honing our bicycle ettiquette and doing very well until Steve went overboard with a cautionary signal for a bollard in the middle of the bike path. As a consequence he clipped a green metallic fence and came to grief adjacent to the bollard. To all our horror (including Steve's) we thought his Tour was over. But before anyone had a chance to say much more than "Are you okay Steve" he was back on his bike and off like a shot to keep his pride and save embarrassment. We were all very relieved that he, his bike, the fence and the bollard were okay.

We reached Pont du Gard without any further mishaps and visited a most amazing architectural wonder from Roman times built nearly 2000 years ago. The arched bridge built over a river is truly a monument to man's ingenuity. The river is a popular spot for the locals to cool off and for the fool hardy to leap off 10m cliffs and into the water.

Back at the hotel refreshed from seeing the beautiful Provence countryside and blowing the cobwebs out of our legs we had our first meal together. At this time Fitzy (John Fitzgerald) welcomed everybody and built up our expectations for adventures yet to come. He also made an important announcement of a tradition which was started at last year's tour in Tanzania. Without going into too much detail, at the end of each day the guy/gal who has done the dorkiest thing for the day gets the coveted "Wally Award". Steve was a natural for this award after his mishap with the fence and bollard. For his couragious dawkiness he was annointed the first wearer of the Wally Beret which he has to wear with sheepish pride until it is passed on to the next Wally.

After dinner it was off to bed for an early start the next day up the beast, Mont Ventoux.... Stay tuned.

Your Delicate Derierre. Photos to come.
(typed via French keyboard by Southern Hack (Steve))