Time is passing quickly here around Lyon, France.  Each morning and evening there is a touch of fall in the air, and I couldn’t think of a better time of the year.  The races this week have been extremely short – covering distances that would more resemble a junior race – but they have been intense.

There is a never-say-die mentality here.  Even the dropped groups, with no chance of returning to the front of affairs, race for every second.  There is no groupetto here.  No laughing bunch that soft pedals towards the finish only concerned about making the time cut.  From the kilometer-zero sign there are a fury of attacks, and even when the breakaway is up the road the fighting for position in the peloton never ends.

We have had the great, and rare, luxury of staying in the same hotel for the entire week.  The Mercure Hotel, in Bourge en Bresse, almost feels like home now.  Our bags are even fully unpacked, a feat I hardly ever achieve, even when at home.  The staff is well aware of our likes and dislikes, making life a little more enjoyable.  The chef knows not to even attempt to serve us his take on pasta that would be easier to eat through a straw than by fork.  Instead, we have been playing it safe with basic rice and omelets on most days.

With only two more days remaining, in what will be my last stage race of the year, the focus will now be on single-day races.  Starting just next week, I will be heading to Italy for a couple of tough one-day races in the mountains north of Milan.  And then on to Canada, and eventually, back to Greenville for one more shot at pulling on the stars and stripes in my hometown.