It was a tough steep ride into Nice through Gourdon, but beautiful.  Weather in Nice was excellent with about 5 minutes of rain and mostly cool weather for the climbs.  Food was fantastic, as usual, and we stayed in the same hotel for two nights, which was a rare treat.  

That also meant that on our "easy" day we were able to drop about 5 pounds of bags from the bikes, making the climbs somewhat less taxing.  On this day, Mike and Pavan cycled the Col de la Madonne, a famous Lance Armstrong training ride.  Kaj and I cycled the Grande Corniche, then into Ventimiglia, Italy and through the Formula 1 Grand Prix Tunnels of Monaco.  Luckily Kaj had 2 beers at lunch that day and was fearless.