Carcassonne (France; 1 of 2) | Le Tour au Repos - Day 40

Today is a rest day for Le Tour. A rest day simply means that there is no official stage today. There is much that needs to get done by the teams, so calling it a rest day is a bit misleading. I head out to wander the city around 9 am. I grab a little quiche and a bottle of water from a little pastry shop. This is my first opportunity to enjoy Carcassonne. My first impression of Carcassonne, this is a lovely little town. The streets are clean, the tallest building only has 3 stories, and green space is plentiful. I am really enjoying this morning's stroll. The wind is strong and pleasant this morning. It makes the heat much more bearable than yesterday. The photo below is one of the green spaces I pass through.

Around 10 am, I get my first glimpse of a tour team passing through town. Teams use rest days as a way to recover, though it is vital to stay on the bikes. Each team will spend several hours on their bikes today, working out kinks and helping their legs recover. As I move through Carcassonne, I see several riders in the distance passing through town. They drop out of sight before I can grab a photo. They are heading out for their morning rides. Behind them are tour fans that follow along on their bicycles. This is welcomed by teams. You must give the riders space to complete their workouts. Meaning, no riding next to the pros and no selfies! The pros also enjoy the leisurely cycle through towns during their rest days. It is an opportunity to give back to fans by making themselves visible. I may need to plan this for my next tour experience-riding with pros on a rest day.

I set out to find the team busses. Sometime after noon, I find Cofidis, Education First, and Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux parked on the west bank of River Aude. These three teams are focused on winning individual stages. The picture below shows how big a team really is. Education First is the pink team below. They have 6 support cars, two small mechanic vans, 1 large mechanics shop (flared out sides), and 1 tour bus (back of photo). The riders are relegated to staying and sleeping on the tour bus. To avoid getting sick, riders are also kept on a strict food diet. They do not consume liquids or foods that are not provided by their team.

All bikes are disassembled by the team mechanics. All components are tuned and adjusted daily. Sometimes handlebars wraps are replaced. Wheels with the right cassettes (gears) are installed to match the rider's output with the terrain for the next stage. This ensures that the bike and rider are operating at maximum efficiency. On special days like Time Trials or those with heavy cobblestone, the mechanics will have entirely new bikes with different frame configurations ready for each rider. This is Owain Doull's Cannondale bike, a  British rider for EF.

Tour buses are ultra-modern and include a clothes washer. Nothing can be risked to outside entities. Imagine what would happen if the team sent off their kits to be washed and didn't get them back in time to start a race? Personnel on teams include nutritionists, massage therapists, and many others with non-glamorous jobs. Each person has specific roles and responsibilities, which is what makes the team function. 

Below is one of the mechanics from  Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux washing one of the many bikes today. Bike #125 is Andrea Pasqualon, from Italy. Notice all the other mechanics around and in the workshop. Each is busy with their list of to-dos for the day.

I attempt to locate other team buses this morning but quickly realize that Carcassonne is much bigger than I can cover afoot. Nevertheless, I am pleased I found at least a few teams today. It is a great way to spend the morning. I love seeing what goes on behind the scenes on a rest day.