Today is my last day in France and I can’t believe it has gone by so fast. The training has been intense, but fun. I have never felt so good on my bike and enjoyed challenging myself so much.

Yesterday I aggravated my hip injury from my crash on the SX course a few weeks ago so coach is making me take the morning off and I have a bit of extra time. I figured I would point out some of the significant differences I have seen on this trip both in BMX and in general.

-The Cars:

The other day I saw a Mini Cooper and thought it looked BIG. In France you are taxed not only on the size of engine you have, but also on the pollution it emits. Add to that the outrageous gas prices (1e40/L) and it’s no wonder you rarely see anything over 4 cylinders. 99% of the cars are hatchback or look like minivans, but the size of a Toyota Corolla.

The average year of car seems to be 1994 and I have only seen 1 car wash this whole trip. Here cars are for function only, not status. They run their dirty can into the ground until it dies then buy another one that is 6yrs old. Sure you see the BMW’s, Mercedes, and occasional Ferrari, but generally speaking most people don’t put that much worth into their car. It has made me realize how obsessed we are in the US with our cars, myself included.

-The Clubs

BMX here in France is run in a club format. Riders pay a membership fee to belong to a club and that gives them 1 year of trainings on that particular track. The “practice sessions” are run by 1 or 2 older riders who are paid part of the club fee and they basically run it like a clinic, working 1 straight per time. Warming up together, cooling down together. The benefit of this is that ALL the riders become VERY skilled. The downside is, this is the format all year, meaning NO local races. They usually do the first straight/gates last and don’t spend much time on them resulting in the lack of French Pull down the first straight.

Each club has a little kid section built off to the side where the kiddies can learn jumping before they get on the real track. It’s the cutest thing ever to see a train of 5yr olds jumping trails.

-The People

I didn’t see a single obese person until we went to McDonalds. Seems to be a trend there…

They also think its crazy we don’t normally greet eachother with a physical gesture in the US. The other day Arnaud asked me “when you see your friend in the morning, how do you greet them?” I said “with a hello.” He said that’s all? I replied “unless I haven’t seen them for awhile then maybe a hug, or if it’s a formal introduction a handshake.” Here in South France its 3 kisses (4 in Paris, 2 in North France) EVERYTIME you say hello or goodbye. I have had my personal space violated more times than I can count by people I don’t know trying to kiss my cheek.

Contrary to popular belief, not all of them hate Americans. In fact for many it is their dream to go to America

-The Food

Their Milk isn’t pasteurized, they rarely eat Poultry (mostly ham and beef), and they love bread. I have adjusted to most stuff except the Milk. Back home I love my Skim Milk and I just can’t get used to the stuff here.

They also eat laaate; breakfast at 9, lunch at 2 and dinner at 8:30. I can’t stand that.

-The riders

The dads start their kids on bikes with no cranks or pedals and let them roll down the jumps. The theory being they need to learn to control the bike before they learn to pedal it. In France they ride A LOT. Last week I put 53 miles on my BMX bike riding tracks, this week so far 70miles. Practice lasts 2-4hrs and sometimes twice a day. Since they rarely race, they ride BMX for the pure enjoyment of it, not for winning. It’s a good philosophy to ride by…

That’s long enough, I am getting bored with myself. It’s kind of interesting to see the differences in culture though. This afternoon we will ride Cornillion, which is 2nd only to Les Angles in my book, then I fly home in the morning. Au Revoir