"Sorry, you're on your own." Six days before my first international cycling trip, my five friends informed me they were all canceling. I now had a choice. Would I drop too or fly to the heart of the Tour de France and bike some of the hardest mountains in the world all by myself? After a few hours of soul-searching and encouragement from my wife, I decided to go anyway-without a plan, a friend, or even a place to stay...