Day one is done! We started climbing immediately in order to avoid some of the busier roads. this was followed by some beautiful riding north through Provence. After lunch we began the more serious climb of the day to the top of Colmiane. Everyone finished the ride and had good reason to be proud of their accomplishments for the day!

Tomorrow we tackle the Bonette- it is a longer ride and involves more climbing but the climb is not as steep until the very end (the tail always has a stinger).

Here's a profile of today's elevation gain...

We have all arrived in Nice and met our guides for the week- Sakari, Stephane and Julien.

I was reminded again in Munich how lucky we are to have so many options available to travel. I usually take the S-bahn to the Flughafen but today my line was shutdown for maintenance. So, a last minute change of plans and my wife drove me to the airport. I'm raising money to give school girls and teachers the option to ride a bike instead of walking. Having a bike means that she is more likely to stay in school, to get better grades and raise of her family's standard of living.

Tomorrow is a relatively short day with 67 km and 2100 m of climbing and it's just me and a very high-end carbon-fibre featherweight bike. I can't imagine if I were racing the sun (see the video)...

Bad luck and the opportunity to contemplate how lucky I am.

I went to Austria on Saturday morning for ride with co-worker and fellow rider Max that we planned to be a long as a typical day in France and with an equivalent amount of climbing.

Two kilometers in and I had a catastrophic bike failure! The rear derailleur hanger broke, the derailleur wrapped around the rear cassette and wedged itself between the wheel and frame. My bike is essentially unrideable until I get a new hanger, rear derailleur, cable and housing and get the wheel trued.

Lucky me I'm renting a bike from our tour provider in France and I won't need to worry about my bike until I get home. In the meantime I can ride my mountain bike to stay maintain my fitness and keep my energy levels up!

I also realized over the weekend how lucky I am that I have options! I ride a bike for fun and sometimes for actual transportation. I am lucky to have two bicycles (I raced as an amatuer for about ten years and had a much larger bike collection). I'm lucky that I have a car and live near great public transportation options.

This is even more motivating for my fundraiser! A bicycle to a student in Africa has the potential to change her life!

I take off for Nice and the start of my ride on Sunday, August 25th! I am excited and apprehensive. The rides will be long and challenging with lots of climbing. Since the beginning of May I really increased my training and it feels great to be fit again.

I appreciate your support for this great cause with World Bicycle Relief!