Being weighed down with 40kg of luggage isn't something I tend to do very often, so I had little option but to take one of Nice's overpriced taxis from the airport to Biot/Sophia anapolis, which is apparently the silicon valley of Nice. Well, I could (maybe should) have rented a car for the week).
The apartment is really nice, complete with a large balcony perfect for some stretching and gazing into the distance. And there is a pool, which means I can keep my feel for the water.
Luckily, considering it's a bit away from any town, and I didn't get a car, there is a Casino supermarche right next door, so I have everything I need. Somehow on day one I missed said supermarket and cycled to a big Carrefour which had everything but I just didn't feel comfortable leaving the bike outside while shopping. Incidentally, I was wondering why I confusingly saw signs for Carrefour everytime I hit a roundabout - seems "Carrefour" is roundabout in French. Never knew that before.
Arriving during euro 2012 was also a big bonus, with games to look forward to most nights.
On my second day I went for a Recee of some of the Bike course - including the short 12% climb at the 20k mark, as well as the first few k of the 20k climb later on. The initial part of the ride was a bit busy and uninspiring, but once I got out onto the small roads and into the hills, I could see why this is considered to be the prettiest Ironman courses around. Though also one of the toughest.
On Sunday I rode down to Antibes, a very pretty town that I hadn't really seen on my trip here last year. The old part of the town is really quaint, and I love the old defensive wall surrounding it. It's definitely somewhere I wouldn't mind spending more time soaking up the sun, eating at some of the many restaurants and enjoying a beer or three, but for now my focus is on Sunday's Ironman, so no such indulgences.
Monday saw another bit of a course Recee, and my last "long" ride before the big day.
Sean's place isn't that far from the start of that aformentioned 20k climb, so I decided to do a little more of it - up to the beautiful village of Gourdon - self proclaimed as one of the prettiest villages in France (they're not wrong). It was a hot day, so doubled as a good heat acclimatisation workout.
It's been a bit tricky balancing the tapering and acclimatisation - one calls for shorter and shorter workouts as the race approaches, the other for a minimum of 100 minutes a day in the heat exercising at a moderate level. Hopefully I'm managing to get the balance right
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