Yes - if I lived in mainland Europe I think I'd take it for granted, being able to go and see all these races, but we still have to cross the Channel to get there. It means leaving the house about 6.00 but it's cool to be able to go to France for the day!

With all the mud it's a bit tricky to recognise people, but I remember seeing a Telekom rider who was covered in mud except for his cap which was pristine! Either he'd just taken off his helmet or the team car had handed him a new one so the rest of the team could recognise their team mates.

If anyone is interested I've got a few more Euro- trips to write about but don't want to bore people by writing great big posts. Maybe I should start a Euro -trip thread.?