Sorry for the delay in posting this. Some telecom issues had arisen last night, but I believe they're solved for now. Enjoy!

In today’s notes of the TdF roadbook, a keen eye might observe a litte note on the side of the page, under the directions for the off-course route. “Risque de circulation très dense sur l'A7 et l'A46.” Heavy traffic.

Très dense is très an understatement. This was unfathomable traffic with respect to the region we’re in, its population density, or the 3-lane, 130 kph autoroute that otherwise functions just fine everywhere else I’ve been on the Tour. Maybe this is like the Bermuda Triangle of France or something weird like that? L’Octagon Lyonnais, perhaps? The whole day, anywhere along the off-course route (useful for getting from photo spot to photo spot) was spent at a crawl.

To make matters worse, the stage was subject to a fierce headwind for much of the day, to the extent that the organizers even bumped the start up by 15 minutes to account for a slower pace. Between the abysmal traffic and early departure, I didn’t even make it to the start in time to dip onto the route ahead of the riders. Total bummer.

However, once finally on course, I would say the situation improved quite a bit: sunflowers!