Caught up with the bus to Angouleme this morning at the Hotel. The day was warm and was a bit of a shower too as we left Paris but overall not too bad.
By the time we arrived in Ruffec – 3 or 4 hours after leaving Paris, the weather was pretty good with the sun shining brightly. Had lunch at Ruffec and that wasn’t too bad after we got around the broken English and French. We also kicked some people off the bus so they could ride to Angoleme which is about 40km+.
We arrived in Angouleme @ about 1430 which meant we were there before the riders arrived and before the publicity caravan too! The sun meant sunburn was the order of the day but it wasn’t too bad for most people with normal skin! We managed a good haul from the publicity caravan with hats and other things of various descriptions. John the tour guide wanted to search everyones stuff for the better items.
I also got caught having a ‘moment’ with one of the girls in the publicity caravan. I have no idea what it means 
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A group of 4 riders had got away including Sandy Casar and Axel Mercyx. Casar won the sprint and the French crowd went up in celebration. Viva la France!
The bunch came in about 5 or 7 minutes later with Boonen taking the sprint.
After a long day in the sun watching the races and, and the caravan girls, we were back to the bus and the off to Poitiers where we were staying for the next two nights. The trip wasn’t too bad and Poitiers wasn’t too bad a place either. It was sort of large place but at the same time not really that big or busy.
Getting to the hotel ended up being a little bit of an issue though. We were going through the little streets of town and they kept on getting narrower and narrower with little ability to turn a bus with a trailer on it around some of the corners. Until there was not ability at all!!!
The driver and a few others ended up taking the trailer off and putting that aside. The driver then had to reverse the bus back down the narrow streets which where a little twisty and had a few cars around the place to get in the road. After a few attempts the driver managed to get out far enough to enable him to turn around. We then went down the same street we came up the hill on … the WRONG WAY. That was amusing to watch as the locals made their way up the street only to find that this big bus was in the way and going to run them over if they didn’t reverse back a bit or find a place to park quickly!
Once we were out, I think Allen (the driver) was a little relieved after being taken for a ride up the garden path.
We ended up walking up to the hotel, although we still managed to get a little lost doing this. Allen stayed back with the bus until they figured out a way to get the bus up to the hotel. They eventually did this at about midnight!
Posted by telfie 
