Celebrating « Santa Cristina » with Chechu and Laura We only attended one stage of the Tour de France this year as, for the last six months, my husband Roger and I have been living part of the year in the south of Spain, to be closer to our daughter and to be able to take care of our grand-children.
But Andalusia is far away from Asturias and this does not mean we see Chechu any more than before. I had no clue Chechu would be there. The day before though, which was a rest day, Johan Bruyneel and Alain Gallopin had told me Chechu would be joining Team Radio Shack soon and stay until Paris with the sponsors: Nissan, Radio Shack and Trek, but unfortunately we did not manage to cross his path there and this made me very sad.
Then, when I learned that Chechu would be joined by wife Laura and that they both would be at the Sunday arrival of the Tour in Paris, I was overjoyed.
I use the word "mythical" because that's where the Hotel Ritz is located, the place where Princess Diana spent the last hours of her short life. She was an icon for the French. Chechu had travelled up from Grenoble penultimate Tour stage which consecrated the first Australian victory on the Tour de France with Cadel Evans the night before with a charter flight carrying all the team sponsors. Laura had arrived the same day in the morning and had had time to visit the Louvre museum with Asturian friend Sara Noval, wife of Chechu's longtime teammate Benjamin Noval.
She also visited all the exclusive shops around her hotel only to discover that one can find the same boutiques and merchandise in Spain, much On Sunday 24th, Chechu and Laura, contrary to Spanish "tradition", were on time for our date. I think Chechu was returning from a training ride in the Bois de Boulogne since he had to go to his room to change, while Laura stayed with me.
