what it is not doing today

the sun did not shine all that wet, wet, wet day.
so, here is one from a few days ago.
The so-called "queen" stage is today, from Pau to a mountaintop finish on the Tourmalet. The climbs are rated on a category scale: 5 to 1. one is harder than five, and some climbs are HC - haute category, beyond classification. As Mr T said in that Rocky movie "I predict PAIN!"
The first climb is Renoir, a softy at category 4. It is only 3 times longer than the climb up the High bridge on Smith avenue. It must be named Renoir after the soft, fuzzy paintings, an impressionist climb.
Next is Col de Marie-Blanque, a category 1, 1035 meters of climbing, and steep. Another cat 1, the col du Soulor is almost 1500 meters high. The stage finishes by climbing to the top of the Col du Tourmalet. It comes up the other side from the way the race went on Tuesday. We looked down that side from the top, and crikey! It looks like a hard one. Tres steep.

Plus, I am looking out the window right now. There is a pretty good rain, and it is a chilly day. You could certainly pay me to go out and ride some mountains in this weather, but I am not sure how much I would enjoy my job.

Speaking of jobs, I am here working, and it has been a long three weeks. Sometimes I feel like this:(actual photo of me, doing my best Renoir imitation)
Au Revoir!