Day 20 - Aix-en-Provence, France (Tour is Finished)

Thank You!
The tour is done and one day into overtime, and the gang is enjoying the Rodet home, exploring the city of Aix-en-Provence, taking apart unicycles, and packing. It's time to reflect on the many individuals who have made this tour such a great success, and in many ways, have made it possible.

For the many months of pre-tour organization, we are deeply indebted to the awesome team of four: Andy, Connie, Irene and Nathan. They planned our routes, booked our lodging and ferries, and gauged the elevation, among many extremely time-consuming activities that all require patience and persistence. Endless thanks are due to Connie who prepared PDF files of maps with all the useful info we might ever need, and who was the best support one could hope for: she was accountant (so we never had to wait around at the ends of meals to pay), luggage hauler, driver, sidewalk chalker, water supplier, route navigator in difficult areas (which was often), and a thousand other things which gave us the easy job of just riding, eating, sleeping, and enjoying ourselves. Truly, without her many roles, all handled expertly, this tour would not have been nearly the smooth operation it was, nor half the pleasure.

We are indebted to all the hosts and co-organizers we had in our four countries on the tour: Petra and Jure, for organizing the river rafting, routes and lodging, unicycle demos and press, the barbeque, and many other events that made us never want to leave Slovenia. Very special thanks to Jure for lending his Coker to An'So (who STILL has not received her Coker from British Airways, a mere three weeks later). Many thanks to Marco, Amedea and the entire Italian unicycle contingent who were so hospitable to us in and around Siena (and David Poznanter for help with Italian lodging); as well as the French unicyclists who greeted us in Nice. Thank you, Leif, for meeting us in Toricella and organizing a lovely dinner. And of course, we are all so deeply indebted to the Rodets whose home was open for all 15 of us, and who made us all feel like kings and queens at the end of more than 1,000 km of riding.

We are very grateful to all the hotel proprietors who were so kind to us throughout the tour, accommodating our great numbers and our Cokers, and cheering us on along the way. We experienced much hospitality from strangers, and are particularly grateful to the tavern owners who whipped up a homemade meal for one group when nothing in town was open. Thank you to the random driver in Zadar, Croatia who led us to our lodging past midnight when our ferry wound up in an expected terminal. And thanks again, Kim, for the drink on Joe's birthday.

Thank you John for staying up past everyone else's bedtime to write the daily updates and prepare the site for uploading photos with captions. It's a good thing you're a night owl. And thank you all the riders and support who took photos and helped edit and select them for the site. We had 6,500 pictures from 12 cameras to choose from!

A big round of applause for the bike support, Andy and Grace, who helped before, during and after rides in countless ways (e.g. navigation, photography, supplying energy tablets and food), and offered moral support (and much needed massages) as well. Connie would like to thank all the riders who helped her in her duties, lending a hand with luggage hauling and water bottle filling. We are also all fortunate to have had the expert uni and bike maintenance skills of Roger, who was there at every mishap, flat tire, bent crank, and other malfunction, with a solution and a smile. Thanks for all that, Roger, and for phoning about An'So's Coker at your own expense, and for your uncanny ability to read maps and navigate whilst moving at great speeds.

Once again, hats off to everyone for a wonderful, unforgettable tour!

Support of the Day: Connie
1. What was your best day?
Probably the day crossing the border into Delnice, Croatia. It was very pretty.

2. What was your worst day/moment?
Probably into Siena, between people going onto the motorway and having to pick them up, and trying to find a parking spot that was legal, all in time to get Hans his luggage for the train.

3. Why did you decide to go on the tour?
It's one of Andy's: I have to go.

4. Favorite gelato flavor(s)?
Strawberry: there is no other.

5. Are there any items in your CamelBak you haven't touched or used this tour?
I think I've used everything.

6. Are you collecting anything?
Beer and wine glasses, though my collection got reduced by two yesterday morning.

7. What was your favorite bathroom/lodging this tour?
I wish I had the bathrooms at Gubbio. For lodging, nothing's really stood out as fabulous, though Zadar was nice and the air conditioning was sublime.

8. If you could change anything about your van, what would it be?
Make it smaller; it's way too big. It's a real bummer to drive, and we could have gotten by with something two thirds the size.

9. What were your favorite two or three films of the last 10 years?
The first Shrek, and really I haven't seen many films. Also, any uni video that Jon Atwell sends me.

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Created: Saturday, July 07, 2007 14:26