Activating Martin Dugard's Tour de France Blog

Once again Martin Dugard, author of last year's Chasing Lance, is writing the best Tour blog. Good cycling insight and enough descriptive details to make you feel like you're there — or wish you were.

"Bordeaux, scene of today's rest from competition, is a grand European city, gloriously awash in sunshine and decay. The grand town squares and great spires recall another time in history, and are stunning to see. I feel like I'm walking through the 17th century. The streets are jammed with tourists, and a small red trolley gives tours. As I write, road crews are busy repaving the main streets so the riders will have smooth pavement for the departure. With the temperature almost a hundred degrees in this port city today, paving a road is one tough gig."