Michael Brodsky and I took off late last night from Washington DC to Nice, France (via New York) on our way to ride our bikes through the Southern Alps of France and Italy as part of the Rapha Cent Cols Challenge. We will be endeavoring to ride up to 10 days. Each day will be about 120 miles of riding with 12,000 feet of climb! We are both anxious just thinking about it.

We just arrived in a very sunny Nice today and are staying at the beautiful Boscolo Exedra Hotel just a few blocks off the Mediterranean Sea. We started our adventure by taking our good friend Nicole Valentine to lunch. Nicole is a professional triathlete formerly of the DC area and now of Boulder. Nicole just competed in Ironman France herein Nice and made it to the podium as the 3rd woman across the line. Way to go Nicole! We have ridden many times in DC and with Nicole and the “Miele Gang” over the years and as recently as a few weeks ago. By finishing 3rd and recently 5th at Ironman Brazil. She jumped from 130th ranked woman to 60th in the World! We had a lovely lunch and wished her well as Nicole heads off to Paris to visit with another ex-pat member of the Miele cycling gang.

Above is the Beautiful lobby, the facade of the Boscolo Exedra Hotel, the rocky and beautiful beach of Nice and a fountain that reminded me of my wife’s horse back in Virginia.

Tomorrow we head to Carros, France to meet up with our fellow Rapha Cent Cols Riders and the organizer/leader/spiritual guru if the event Phil Deeker. Can’t wait to experience and write all about it.