St Ybard France

News from St Ybard

The first week here we had the two day village fete. This included bric-a-brac sale, fishing competition, a parade with a brass band and tractors pulling display floats, cycle race and finally a firework display. The cycle race had about 50 entrants of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th cat rides and juniors. A lap was about 17 minutes and included riding out of St Ybard up the long hill around and back through the village.

This week there is the more serious race – The 40th Tour du Limousin. a four day, 720 kilometre race. The second stage finished in the local town of Uzerche. Not only this but it passed through Uzerche with 50 kilometres to go and then did a circuit through Espartignac, Vegous and St Ybard, passed our house and down to Uzerche again. Arriving at Uzerche there were three riders in the lead but by St Ybard the Credit Agricole rider, Pierre Rolland, had a lead of about a minute and went on to win the stage. This was fine effort for junior rider. The rest of the field behind were fragmented. The hills, cold and rain all day, on the hardest longest stage of 187k, had taken there toll. The Nippon team were struggling. They were all Japanese riders and nowhere near the front of the race. Several abandoned after the stage. Obviously the conditions were too tough for them! This stage reminded me of a picture from a news paper in Uzerche of Mick A and another English rider when they rode the Tour du Correze some years ago. This was a similar stage race but held earlier in the year. The conditions then were same, cold, wet and lots of hills! The tour of Limousin finished on Friday and the vainqeur was Pierrick Fedrrigo, Bouygues Telecom in 17h 59’n57”.

The work continues on the house. Half the floor in the roof has been laid and the new staircase has been assembled but not installed. It has been so cold the wood burner has been burning a lot of the old floor boards. This has cessed as it is very sunny and warm here now.

Trevor