Ah, France in July. The Alps. Its warm, warmer than usual for this altitude. I'm standing just off the road, near a drain, behind the guardrail. The beautiful Italian girl standing next to me is just as excited as I am. She flashes me a grin, white teeth contrasting nicely with her tan skin and long, chestnut hair. She is wearing a yellow tank top and black nylon shorts, matching my yellow t-shirt and black cargo shorts. Yellow...as in...the Yellow Jersey. Maillot Jaune. The traditional color for the leader of the Tour. It was coming and I could hardly contain myself.
My girlfriend was behind me, ready to take pictures. With her Nikon SLR and 300mm lens, she was ready to catch the action.
There's not much of a crowd here. In fact, we are quite alone, but I can hear the cavalcade around the bend...a massive convoy of press cars and motorcycles, official vehicles, team cars, a doctor's car and, most importantly, 170 of the best bicycle riders in the world. I was elated to be here.
I looked down at the girl next to me and reveled in her beauty. Shapely figured, wide-set dark eyes that smoldered with sensuality. She said she was twenty, but she looked even younger. She said she had never done this before and I believed her.
"They're almost here" my girlfriend called out, camera at the ready.