Last entry from NYC

So this is it. I am leaving for the Etape tomorrow. Here's my itinerary for the trip:

Thursday to Friday AM - Flight from NYC to Geneva
Friday - Wander around in Geneva for a little bit and then transfer to Lyon (2 hour train ride)
Friday night - stay in Lyon, hopefully find something good to eat since it's apparently the gastronomic capital of Europe
Saturday - Meet up with my touring group, organized by Custom Getaways and transfer to Valfrejus, on the outskirts of Modane (the starting village of the Etape)
Saturday (hopefully) - do a recon ride up the Telegraphe
Sunday - Rest day
Monday - The ETAPE!! And then spend the night at the summit of Alpe d'Huez
Tuesday - Transfer to Geneva
Thursday - Return to NYC

I have to finalize the stuff that I'll be carrying on the ride. Here's a preliminary list:

- Honey Stinger energy bars and waffles.
- Hammer Perpetuum energy drink
- Water
- 2 spare tubes, small minitool, pump
- GoPro HeroHD connected to my handlebars
- Sony TX5 camera for regular snapshots

Anyways, that's the easy part. Making a list of things to take on my ride/trip takes no thought at all. The more important question is... do I feel like I'm ready? I don't know for sure... since there are no routes anywhere near NYC that come close to approximating the Etape route. But I think I've done what I can to prepare for this ride. Any more time on the bike this spring and I'm fairly sure that I'd have a blog entry about how tight the current job market is.

More than anything, I'm excited about this. No matter what happens, it'll be a great experience... riding the Queen stage of this year's Tour with thousands of other cycling enthusiasts, testing myself on some of the most iconic climbs in the Alps. How often does one get to do this? I'm hoping to take a lot of photos and videos to share with you guys. And to help me remember the ride since I'm fairly sure I'll be delirious during some of the climbs.

Thank you to all my friends who've wished me luck on this ride. I will update this blog over the next few days whenever I get the opportunity. See you on the other side of the pond!