Sport does the 90 hour--Part three

St. Quentin was a modern town, not like what you'd expect outside of Paris but it was OK. The hotel I stayed at, the Campanile, was nice and close to the start. The bike room had about 200 bikes worth about $1,000,000.
I told you about the ride to Paris with the other 6 guys I met but I have to tell you it was really pretty. After sightseeing in Paris, on the way back through the park, we stopped at an ice cream stand and sat down with ices overlooking Paris in the late afternoon--very nice. When we were in Paris we had our picture taken by a group of tourists that were on a bicycle tour of the city and after we told them what we were going to do next week, I think all their jaws dropped. It was funny looking at them looking at us; are you guys for real?
On one of the days before the ride I went out by myself to make sure the bike was OK after I put it back together and I ran into a guy who was going over the beginning of the course, so we hooked up together. It turns out he was, I think, the president of the Davis Bike Club from California, the biggest contingent of riders from one club, about 100. He invited me to join his club the next day when they were doing a ride of the first 40 miles or so of PBP as training and I said I would but then hooked up with the Paris group instead. When the Davis guy, I think his name was Don, and I were on the ride we ran into a Frenchman who was doing the same thing and even though he didn't speak much English and we didn't speak much French, we figured out he was from near Brest and was scouting out the start of the ride like we were. (He was fast!)
During the ride itself, I can't describe how excited I felt, especially the first few days when I wasn't in danger of not finishing. I told you about the start and all the people clapping. Well, even at night there were kids on the side of the road giving out water and putting out their hand so you could give them a high five. There were people all along the route giving out coffee, cake, and even places to sleep. The old towns in Brittany were beautiful with big old churches and buildings that faced right up to the sidewalks. We stopped in one old town late at night to get something to drink and eat and some of us tried to nap right there at the tables. On the way out when we stopped for water, I ran into this guy from England that was just touring in France and didn't know about PBP. So I told him what it was and boy was he amazed. I gave him the rest of my water and he thanked me and wished me luck.
There were some crazy bike on the ride like the scooter I sent you a picture of. There were four wheeled double recumbents, where they sit like they are in a car, there were bikes that looked like bullets where the rider is inside something that looks like an egg and just about anything you can imagine that can roll.
About when I thought my ride was over; I knew that the group from New York didn't want to leave me behind. We had done all the brevets out of Princeton together, had been on some long training rides leading up to PBP and I had been talking to some of them about you and Sport and about my feelings so we were getting pretty close. But I knew I had to drop out of the ride at that time; I'm glad I finished and I think they were almost as happy as me that I did.
One funny thing after the ride; the six of us went to dinner together that night and Margo had to go to the bathroom. Well, during the ride, the guys and the girls would just pull over to the side of the road and pee there on the side of the road. The guys would turn their heads and act as shelter in case some other riders were coming by. So when Margo had to go, I just told her to squat in between the tables and I'd keep a look out. She got a big kick out of that one.
When I was on my own that Friday I hooked up with a French husband and wife that were probably a little older then me but a lot stronger riders. I asked permission to ride with them and she said, in English, sure. I immediately took the lead so it wasn't like I was just getting a free ride. I spoke to the women behind me and when I explained that the reason I was riding alone was that I was tired and having back problems, she said get to the back and stay there. It wasn't only that she felt sorry for me, she was protecting herself. If I was tired, there was a chance that I could cause an accident that would have taken them out as well--smart move on her part.