24 July 2013

The ride into Paris (Stage 21 TdF, Versailles > Paris Champs-Élysées, 133.5km (but not really))



Finally it was here, the last day of the Tour.

For many it was a day of mixed emotions - glad that the physical and mental exertions were coming to a close, but at the same time not wanting the journey to end or the all consuming 'bubble' to burst.

The last stage of the Tour of course would finish on the streets of Paris. Unfortunately for us Annecy, as beautiful as it is, is rather a long way from Paris... This meant the day started extraordinarily early, with a coach picking us up at 5am for our six hour transfer to our start point just outside of Paris. It was a pretty quiet coach journey. People catching as much sleep as they could.

Given that it was Bastille Day and large sections of central Paris would be closed off, including the Champs-Élysées itself, our route for the day had been slightly shortened (we wouldn't be doing the traditional laps around central Paris either) and would end at another iconic Paris landmark, the Eiffel Tower.

The shorter route was ideal for all the friends and family that wanted to show their support and ride a stage themselves. A large number of Linklaters riders/supporters made the trip out including Vicky, Nic, Caroline and even Dan's seven year old nephew, Ben, and his elderly father, Peter.



The Pros have arrive... (although note the non-cycling specific sunglasses)
Today was also only the second time I had seen Vicky in the past two months(!) and I had been looking forward to it for the whole of the preceding week.

Our meeting point (and starting point for the ride) wasn't the Palace of Versailles as for the pros, but a goat farm (really!) on the outskirts of Paris. It is seemingly quite difficult to find somewhere in (or even near) Paris that can feed a 100+ people and house all their bikes on Bastille Day.

Mark T getting to know the locals a little too well
The 'day trippers' had been at the goat farm for some time waiting for us to arrive and, after some brief hellos/reunions, set off before the rest of us, with the expectation that we would either catch the majority of them on the road or arrive at the day's only feed stop in Versailles at around the same time.

Being a goats farm, the lunch that was laid on for us consisted almost entirely of various types of goats cheese. Delicious, but hardly cycling fuel.

The first half of the ride passed through some lovely rolling countryside and even included a few climbs with switchbacks (17 switchbacks on one of them I am reliably informed), nothing too challenging and well within the capabilities of our extended party for the day.

It wasn't too long before we rolled into the first feed stop, just outside the Palace of Versailles, where we had taken over a huge area and general chaos was ensuing. It was here that we caught Vicky, Nic and Caroline and after waiting for the entire Hong Kong crew to regroup (and everyone else to leave) we set off into Paris together.

Feeding frenzy in Versailles

Team HK, fed and watered
At this point the roads started to get busier and it wasn't too long before traffic, traffic lights and a (wall of a) climb split to group. Vicky and I were separated and rode the rest of the way together, chatting and catching up.

We were soon directed through a barrier and onto a closed road leading towards the Eiffel Tower. A concert was being held there later that evening and we had the place, essentially, to ourselves.

Team HK; TdF done. Questionable framing....
Paris! Boom!
Much congratulating, hugging, shaking hands, kissing, photographing and posing ensued as everyone, from the Lifers through to those who had just ridden one or two stages, soaked up the atmosphere and sense of achievement.

Once the photo shoot had wrapped, the Linklaters group headed to a nearby cafe/bar and enjoyed a few beers in the sun whilst watching the world go by.

The day was rounded out by a party on the top floor of the Montparnasse Tower with its commanding views over all the major landmarks of Paris. Prime position for the Bastille Day fireworks with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. Impressive stuff...

And so, as the party continued into the night, another Tour de Force drew to a conclusion; another great experience with more unforgettable memories!

Look out for a Restrospective sometime soon....






19 July 2013

Amazing, Awesome, Alps – The Alpine Triple (Stage 20 TdF, Annecy > Annecy-Semnoz, 125km)



These blogs are getting pretty boring to write. I am running out of superlatives to describe the scenery that we have been treated to each and every day. The hills in and around Lac d’Annecy were no different. Exceptional, yet again!

After a massive day previously the shorter distance for this stage, just 125km, was welcome news. Just 125km…. easy. Well if the distance was easy, that was the only easy thing about the day. We would still be climbing in excess of 3,500m, ending the day on a tough HC climb.

Rumours that Janice has received a little more than just saline solution the night before were confirmed when she arrived at breakfast, fully lycra’d and ready for the days stage. Unfortunately the previous nights doping didn’t boost Pt and Janice’s navigation skills and they spent much of the early part of the day lost.

A short transfer took us to the shores of Lac d’Annecy where, due to the early hour of our departure, we were treated to sunrise over the lake. More superlatives.

Setting off in the morning light
It wasn’t long before we left the flat shores and were tackling a Cat 2 and a couple of Cat 3 climbs. Up and down all the way, the pace was yo-yoing as there were a lot of leaden legs in the peloton from the day before.

The first feed stop was a very relaxed affair, departure times slowed significantly by the availability of good coffee from a road side café. As we chilled and took a welcome caffeine hit, Baggy snuck off stealing almost 30 minutes on everyone else and Pt and Janice cycled in circles somewhere in the French countryside.

Yet another cafe stop!
Immediately after our refuel we were straight up again, rising over a short Cat 3 climb before a fast descent into Saint-Jean-D’Arvey. From here it was 17km up to Mont Revard, not a steep incline, averaging 5-6%, but certainly an interminable drag. For all that the road was boring the views over Lac du Bourget and Aix-les-Bains we were treated to were spectacular. Many more superlatives.

Our feed stop and the road leading into the descent were not quite at the top of Mont Revard and we had been told it was 400m up a side road to the top. Given the views we had seen as we climbed to the feed it was definitely worth taking the small diversion even though it turned out to be more like an additional 1.5km of climbing!

Boring, rubbish views over Lac du Bourget and Aix-les-Bains
Another great descent was followed by a short drag as we traversed across the valley. Alpine scenery – lakes, cottages, mountains, foothills, cows with bells – all around.

Soon we were at the base of the last climb of the Tour. On reaching the summit all the hard work would have been done; just a glory ride into Paris to follow. For the Lifers it would be an emotional milestone.

The climb started (in reality) with 15km to go, rather than the advertised 11km. The additional 4km of climbing were not exactly welcome and I was heard cursing not so quietly under my breathe. A, barely noticeable, dip took us to the 11km road marker and the official start of the Annecy-Semnoz climb – a final HC climb

Luke and I rode together (managing to shake off some annoying old woman that insisted on riding 10 metres ahead of us for some time) as we tackled the first 4km of the climb. We had been told to expect these to be tough, hovering around 10%, but that the remaining kilometres would ‘level off’.

The 'levelling off’ never came. At every kilometre marker we passed we were expecting to see a 6% or even a 7%, but were instead greeted, almost without fail, with a 9%. The climb was unrelenting. We cursed. Its only saving grace the fact that once it was done there would be no more climbing for this year’s Tour.

As we got to within 200m of the top we passed a mountain top café with riders that had finished ahead of us quaffing beers and cheering on every finisher. Spotting Baggy just up the road I jumped out of the saddle and, for a bit of sport, sprinted him to the line – calling the victory for myself as I narrowly crept past him (although there may be differing accounts of this…).

All the climbing done! I did half expect this sign to say "9%"
After taking in the view at the summit I headed back down to the café and joined the beer and the cheering.

Janice and Pt arrived (in that order…), having completed the three toughest days cycling I am sure they will ever want to do, relieved and exhausted. Pt was sporting arm warmers despite the burning heat of the day – choosing to boil alive rather than burn his un-suntan lotioned skin. Janice could barely walk.

Once the last of the Linklaters group were in (i.e the last man of the day) we headed back down the climb for one of the best descents of the whole trip – mixing fast and sweeping corners with some technical hairpins and turns. Totally brilliant as we dropped like stones down the side of the mountain back to our hotel (or more correctly, motel) on the banks of the Lac d’Annecy.

16 July 2013

A day in the Alps (Stage 19 TdF, Bourg-d'Oisans > Le Grand-Bornand, 204.5km)



The middle day of the “Alpine Triple” was the longest (205km) and involved the most amount of climbing (5,000m). Arguably it was the Queen stage of the whole Tour and, other than the Ventoux stage, was the one that most of the riders were concerned about / fearing. No matter how you approached it, it was going to be a long day in the saddle!

The briefing the night before was detailed and the tension around the room was palpable. People were already feeling tired from having been up Alpe d’Huez twice within the last few hours… to be told they would be going up two more HC climbs, from the harder sides, within the first 80km of the stage wasn’t necessarily welcome news.

A big day meant an early start. Breaking from the traditional format of all regrouping at the first feed stop we were offered the opportunity to set off from Alpe d’Huez at anytime between 7 and 7.30am. Today everyone would be going at their own pace. The slower riders being urged to set off as early as possible.

I set off at around 7.25am with a bunch of the Linklaters crew. Pt, Janice and JK had set off and were down the road already.

Whilst the official Tour route would leave Bourg-d’Oisans we started from our hotel atop Alpe d’Huez and descended down to join up with the route at Lac du Verney. The views as we left the hotel and started our descent were magnificent, the morning sun lighting the clouds that sat below us in the valley. We descended the first 4km of the climb and took a right at the village of Huez along to Villard-Reculas giving great balcony views of the valley and the legendary switchbacks of the Alpe d’Huez climb.

Not a bad view to wake up to....
Another fast descent, through the clouds, took us to the base of the Col du Glandon / Col de la Croix de Fer climb and our first HC climb of the day – 22km to the top of the Glandon.

Knowing that another monster of a climb was to come and that the rest of stage was no walk in the park either, I tapped out a very comfortable pace and slowly worked my way up through a number of the earlier starters.

Epic Alpine mornings...
Cycling in the cool and crisp mountain air as the climb took us first through tree lined forests before opening up to rugged green pastures and mountain vistas (yet again) provided breath-taking scenery, making even such a long climb thoroughly enjoyable.

Standard

Looking up towards the Col de la Croix de Fer
Another fast descent took us to our first feed station, halfway down to the valley. Following a quick coffee and some food we set off again with the second half of the descent delivering us directly to the base of the Col de la Madeleine. Phil had described this 19km climb at an average of 8% as the hardest climb of this years Tour.

It was true that the climb was relentless (it maintained its 8% gradient for the entire 19km), but taken at a comfortable pace again it was nothing to fear. The views were fabulous and it wasn’t long before I was at the summit, the second highest point of this year’s Tour (by just a metre!).

Almost the highest point of the Tour
The second feed stop of the day was in the car park at the top and I waited for others to arrive whilst refuelling. I was keen to set off, but others were faffing for quite some time and I opted to head off on the descent with Luke and JK on the assumption that if we slowed in the valley below others would soon catch up.

An awesome 26km decent later (I was pleased to be going down this side, having winched my way up it in the 2010 TdF) I slowed at the bottom, having lost JK and Luke (not renowned for the speed of their descending). I soft pedalled a while, but there was still no sign of the others. As I continued on I was faced with a 20km solo ride across the valley floor into a block headwind – not the most enjoyable 45mins of the day!

I finally caught another rider who had loitered less at the feed stop and rode with him up what should have been on paper a simple climb, but in the heat and after the headwinds was a little tough. At the top we stopped for lunch.

After lunch I headed out with the Lifer that I had caught along the valley floor. All that we had between us and the end of the stage were two final 1st category climbs – the Col de l’Epine and the Col de la Croix Fry.

Spoilt for views all day long
Whilst they looked simple in comparison to the first two climbs of the day they were still tough climbs – particularly with the number of kilometres already in legs and that they would be ridden in the heat of the day. It was another scorching hot day!

I rode the Col de l’Epine at a steady tempo and waited at the top for my companion before we both descended to the final water stop of the day and then hit the Col de la Croix Fry.

The Croix Fry was a tough little climb, with some really tough sections of well over 10% in the middle, but with the end of the stage in sight it wasn’t too difficult to push on to the summit where I stopped again to wait for my riding partner. Whilst taking a photo I somehow managed to drop my chain only for the guy I had been waiting for at the top of every climb to just ride straight past me and race off down the descent towards the hotel. Odd, but in many ways not unsurprising, behaviour…

The final bump of a massive day (thanks for waiting)!
The final descent into Thones (a town just beyond the official finish in La Grand-Bornand) was very fast and we arrived back at the hotel, together, as the second riders in.

I took advantage of my early arrival to have a (very painful) massage for my weary legs before watching people slowly come in over the course of the next few hours (JK arriving back as the first girl of the day, by some margin, and ahead of the vast majority of everyone else).

We eagerly awaited news of how Pt and Janice had fared during the day and soon learnt that Janice had been really struggling up the Col de la Madeleine, arriving at the top completely dehydrated, exhausted and vomiting. Poor Janice had been forced to get in the van for the rest of the stage and was put on a saline drip in her hotel room to help her recover. Pt meanwhile had been helping Janice up the Madeleine and as a result had lost a lot of time. He arrived at the base of the Col de la Croix Fry too late to be allowed to go over it and had taken a shorter route back to the hotel. Over 30 riders failed to make it over the last climb! Even not making the last 20km loop, Pt had still cycled over 180km (the majority of which as done on his own) and climbed 4,300m – as tough a day as any other stage of the Tour and an awesome achievement.

A blatant disregard for the no needles policy...
As for myself, I had an absolutely awesome day and felt great throughout. The contrasting climbs and scenery and the sheer magnitude of the day encapsulated everything that I love about cycling.

14 July 2013

The Double d'Huez - (Stage 18 TdF, Gap > Alpe d'Huez, 168km)



Pt and Janice had arrived in Gap the night before and, jet lagged, were being thrown straight into the deep end.... starting with Stage 18 the Tour would spend three massive days in the Alps, promising exciting racing for the pros and long days for us mere mortals.

Much confusion trying to figure out the bike bags... Pt managed to avoid tyre issues for the first time though
The route for the day would take us over the Alpe d’Huez, twice! It is the first time the Tour has gone over this iconic climb twice in one stage. The day was going to be all about the Alpe...

We started the day by climbing out of Gap up the Col de Manse, they way we had descended in two days previously. I rode with Pt and Janice, it was a good introduction for them - a climb that barely registered on the days profile that was longer and steeper than their training hill - the Peak.

Ready for a long day in the saddle!!
The scenery once at the top of the climb was worth it though. Glorious sunshine with a layer of cloud below us in the valley.

After the first feed I headed off in a slightly faster group and as we comfortably ticked along over the Rampe du Motty and on towards the Col d'Ornon.

Off to the Alpe
After another brief rest we again headed off and climbed the Col d'Ornon at a decent pace before a cracking descent took us all the way down to Bourg-d'Oisans and the base of Alpe d'Huez.

A quick refill of the water bottles and it was every man for himself as we all picked our own pace to climb the 12.3km hors category climb. Knowing the hill well, and that we would be doing it again in only a matter of hours, I rode relatively conservatively. Today certainly wasn't the day to try and beat my best time up the mountain.

Halfway up the Alpe
At the top we stopped for lunch and headed out of the town an onto the Col de Sarenne. It was a short climb, but a pretty punishing one, with lunch still settling and the searing midday heat.

The Col de Sarenne is wild and beautiful, with some stunning scenery again. However, its 'wild' nature unfortunately translates to the quality of the road surface on the descent. A very narrow, steep and technical descent was made even more sketchy by an uneven, potholed and gravel covered surface. The bails of hay with red and white tape on them at cliff edges, corners and posts did nothing to make you feel safer. How in gods name the pros are going to race down that road I don't know!!

The road was so dodgy that my a bolt in my Garmin mount came lose and fell off, I had to stop and fix it and then continue to descend like crazy to catch back on to the group I was with.

Before a final loop back towards Bourg-d'Oisans we stopped at a small café and had an espresso and ice cream before rolling back out for the final climb – the second ascent of the Alpe d’Huez.

Round once more...
The effort going up the second time around was pretty much the same as the first time, except this time in far greater heat. The times for the two climbs were similar, if not anywhere near my best – nice and steady…

Arrivee!!
On hitting the top we had a quick photo and then headed back down into the main village to find a bar to watch the rest of the riders come up and give them a cheer for the final 2km. We settled in and had a few beers and coffees.

Much to my joy there was even a Rapha pop-up shop right across the road.

To feature in the next Rapha catalogue
JK, the birthday girl, hit the top a little later than we had expected having somehow contrived to take a wrong turn and a 10km diversion shortly after having to stand on the side of the road whilst Matt F tried to change an inner tube for 45 minutes.

Birthday girl hits the top (after she found it)!!
Pt and Janice were someway back (having caused a minor panic by not signing into the last feed station so no one knew where they were) and arrived back at the hotel as dinner was starting, broken but having both completed (by far) their longest and most punishing bike ride ever! Awesome.

12 July 2013

Stunning mountain time trial (Stage 17 TdF, Embrun > Chorges, 32km ITT)



Stage 17 of this year’s Tour was the second individual time trial. A short 32km blast from Embrun to Chorges with the blue waters of Lake Serre-Poncon as a stunning backdrop.

Again, a shorter day meant a later start - a very civilised 8.30am departure time from the hotel in Gap for a transfer to Embrun. The day, whilst short, included two category 2 climbs so was by no means a ‘recovery’ ride.

Playing it cool at the start... contrary to suggestions - magenta is not my new favourite colour!
From Embrun we were set off at 30 second intervals. The staggered start times were less to simulate a real time trial and more to ensure that we wouldn’t be riding as big groups on narrow twisty roads and technical descents. You wouldn’t have guessed it though from the way a number of people set off (although thankfully we were spared some one coming down in a full skin suit this time… ). [The difference in attitude/approach of the participants as compared to 2010 is something I have found noticeable/interesting and am sure is something that I will touch upon at some point in a later blog]

Frankly, those that did set out to post a time (most likely) missed out on the truly picture postcard vistas we were treated to today. It almost felt like every corner you’d stop to take a photo of the view, only to go round the next corner and be forced to stop again as the view was better.

Awesome!
Again, contrary to suggestions this is the only selfie (so far)
The first of the climbs was the Cote de Puy-Sanieres followed by a narrow steep and technical descent. Great fun and great views. As soon as we hit the bottom of the descent it was straight back uphill again for a slightly longer climb to the Cote de Reallon, before a fast winding descent into Chorges – barely needing to touch the brakes.


I really can’t wait to watch this on the TV in a weeks time!

The length of the stage meant that we were finished by 11.15 and had time to change and stroll into the main square of the town for a coffee and some cake in the sun. Exactly what cycling in the Alps should be.

A short transfer back to Gap meant that we had the afternoon to ourselves. A chance to rest up and relax for the next three days…

10 July 2013

A glorious holiday ride (with some hail stones) (Stage 16 TdF, Vaison-la-Romaine > Gap, 168km)



After a massive day two days previously everyone was glad to be setting off at a far more civilised time of day – 7.30am. Not exactly a lie-in, but an improvement.

Added to the ‘late’ rise, it was a glorious day. The perfect day for cycling through Provence. It was also a much more relaxed atmosphere amongst the group – the apprehension of Stage 15 and Ventoux had gone and a rest day spent relaxing by the pool had clearly worked its magic.

The more relaxed atmosphere meant a gentle pace and plenty of stopping to take in the views. It really felt like we were on holiday as we rolled up and over a couple of categorised climbs with stunning scenery on either side.

The route took us out of Bedion and back over the Col de la Madeleine. Not quite the same route as the Tour itself, which would be leaving from Vaison-la-Romaine, but after passing through Malaucene we were quickly on the official route.

As we rode away from Malaucene and up the Col de Macuegne we were treated to a stunning view looking back at Ventoux. Another opportunity to stop and take it all in.

Ventoux, I think I love you...
Dropping down the valley we passed through the small town of Sederon, where road works were underway in preparation for the Tour itself. We had been warned that we could ignore the diversion signs and roll through the road works as they only lasted a few hundred metres.

As I approached I recognised the familiar sight of wet/melting tar and decided to walk my bike round. Others were not so lucky and spent a fair amount of time at the next feed stop trying to clean their wheels of tar. Using wet wipes for this task seemed a little odd though.

Luke was amongst those faffing about the tar on his tyres. He was convinced he was about to get a puncture, but after some pressure decided to roll out again with a big group heading off.

We had barely gone 4km when Luke’s front wheel let out a large hiss. A puncture.

Luke then proceeded to try and change his inner tube. We pulled a tack out of the tyre and then on trying to inflate the tyre, realised that Luke had unthreaded gas canisters for his threaded valve adaptor. Just as we were chiding him, a random dude rode past.

“My wife is in a car just behind me with a track pump if you want”

The guy looked like a pretty serious cyclist. He was as it turned out. He is cycling the route of all three Grand Tours this year a week ahead of the pros – solo! His wife was following him in a car for the whole trip, washing his kit, sterilising his bottles and giving him sports massages each night. Mental!

It turns out she was a little bit mental (the nice type of mental), and after a slightly bizarre conversation we were off again (Luke puncturing again not too far down the road).


We sat and had lunch as the storm clouds gathered over the mountains. The chances of getting wet were increasing.

Once on the road again it wasn’t long before the relaxed attitude of the day was evident again as we dived into a café for a quick espresso. Then an ice cream. And then a round of cokes. The Tour was on the TV and the mood was jovial – it was pretty hard to get back on the bike again.

A couple of the Lifers who had been chilling at the back of the peloton for the day suddenly were having a bit of a jours sans, fatigue sweeping over them. Transition days can be hard, and after such a big day to Ventoux and a the Alps looming, the mental side of things can often be more difficult than the physical. It reminded me a lot of how I felt riding through the artificial forests of Bordeaux in 2010.

We had a fast decent into Gap before starting the final ascent of the day, the Col de Manse. Just as we hit the base of the climb the heavens opened. Hail stones and lightening. The hail was hurting and being on a metal bike was a little concerning. As the torrential rain and streams of water sweeping down the road got heavier and more intense my only thought was to get back into Gap as quickly as possible. Mark T, Luke and I pushed perhaps a little harder than we needed with the dry and warmth firmly in our minds.

Going over the top it was just a narrow step and technical descent to contend with before we were back at the lovely Gapotel…

Rest Day - Ventoux.... again

Getting a rest day on the second day seemed a little bit unfair, but given the day before I wasn’t complaining! Still, as the legs were relatively fresh, I decided to take the opportunity to climb the Ventoux again…

This time, however, the plan was to go over one of the easier sides – the ascent from Malaucene. In some respects it was a little bit of a reccie for my planned Cingles du Mont Ventoux ride in September.

The climb from Malaucene is definitely easier than from Bedoin, it may be longer but the average gradient is less and it is nowhere near as relentless. The views are perhaps more spectacular too.




An enjoyable climb, with great views and a fast descent into Bedoin was rounded off by a lovely long lunch with the Linklaters team before a well deserved afternoon nap.

The furnace of Ventoux (Stage 15 TdF, Givors > Ventoux, 242.5km)



Having arrived in Lyon with JK the night before, checked our bikes had arrived and were in good shape and had our ‘new arrivals’ briefing (I was pleased to know nothing much had changed in terms of the daily routine over the past three years) we were fully prepared for our first day on the bike. It was going to be a big day!

We were jumping right in at the deep end with the longest (although arguably not the ‘biggest’) day of the 2013 Tour de France. In total we were scheduled to cover ~245km from Givors (a smallish town just south of Lyon) to the top of Mont Ventoux in the heart of the Vaucluse. A stage that is expected to take the pros seven hours to complete would take us approximately ten (not including rest stops and lunch).

A big day naturally meant an early rise, with breakfast at 5.30am and the transfer bus leaving at 6am. The peloton rolled out at 7am.

Ventoux here we come...... (the magenta is burning!)
Mark T had targeted this stage and was aiming to be the first to arrive at the top of the Ventoux and rolled out with the ‘fast group’. The remainder of the Linklaters group set out together (even I had been talked into wearing official Linklaters team kit).

The group was quickly rolling along and, assisted by a favourable tailwind which would follow us all day, it wasn’t long before we were approaching our first feed stop at 44km - the initial ‘neutralised’ section of the day (all riders would ride together and regroup at the first feed stop before doing the rest of the day at their own pace)

Chocolate milk and cake.... cycling fuel!
The stage profile for the day is obviously dominated by the Ventoux at the end, towering above Provence at an altitude of 1912m, but the 221km leading to its base were in fact anything but flat. Not long after leaving the first feed stop we were already ascending our third categorised climb of the day (admittedly only Category 4 climbs, but climbs nonetheless).

The day was punctuated by feed stops at 44km, 92km, 137km, 188km and then a final stop at 225km. A combination of the tailwind, good group riding and fresh legs meant that the kilometres were ticking by with ease, fields of lavender on either side. JK, who had been pretty nervous upon our departure, was noticeably more relaxed as we rolled into the third feed station for lunch near the top of the Cote de Bourdeaux.

Lunch after 140km...
The early part of the day had been a good opportunity to chat to other riders. For some this was the last day of their ‘Tour Taster’, others the first day and for a sizeable number it was day 15 of 21, ‘Lifers’. Aside from the serious guys out the front, who I didn’t get a chance to speak to, everyone was welcoming, chatty and keen to share their experiences, goals and/or motivations.

Leaving lunch with JK and a few of the other Linklaters guys the groups, and the times between them, were beginning to fracture a little more and I found myself amongst a group of five Lifers for the ride into the fourth stop. By the time we arrived we were all running low on water as the temperatures began to rise above 30 degrees Celsius. A glorious day, but increasingly becoming uncomfortably hot for cycling. Rehydrating at every opportunity was becoming more and more crucial.

JK arrived at the stop not too long after me having ridden the majority of the previous 30km on her own in the heat. She was beginning to really suffer in the heat and we stayed at the rest stop a little longer to cool off as much as possible. When we came to leave there was not much enthusiasm from the others at the stop to head out; many were really suffering and wanted to stay as long as possible.

JK and I headed out as a pair and I towed JK along for the next 40 or so kilometres as JK became increasingly, and deliriously, fixated on which type of fruit she would like to eat; shouting out there names at random intervals. I am sure she wont mind me saying, but she was beginning to lose her marbles a little… On the final climb before the Ventoux, the uncategorised Col de la Madeleine, we were going at a snails pace as JK battled, doggedly up the climb (a climb that, without 200kms in her legs she would have cruised up normally).

The Giant of Provence, looming
The Ventoux was now in sight, looming in the distance, as we descended off the Col de la Madeleine and rode into Bedoin for the last feed stop of the day, with 225km in our legs and the prospect of 21 more up the Ventoux.

We were really in the hottest part of the day now. The average temperature across the day was 28C, with temperatures consistently above 35C for most of the afternoon. As I set off to climb Ventoux at 4.30pm the temperature on the road, with the heat reflecting back up off the tarmac was 45C!

I left JK at the base of the Ventoux, in the shade and keen to get more rest and headed out to start my ascent. For all that the previous 225km had barely hit the sides, the next 21kms were amongst the toughest I have ever experienced on a bike.

The initial gentle gradient of the Ventoux quickly ramped up to 8 or 9% on entering the forest. The temperature was insane and the air claustrophobic as it closed in around you. It wasn’t long before I was beginning to labour and I knew that I had to knock the pace off a little to avoid blowing up completely.

I ground out the first 10km and arrived at a water stop to refill my bottles and to take the opportunity to cool off a little. I found several others at the water stop, all with thousand-yard stares and several with their heads between their legs retching.

Setting off again it wasn’t too long before I was at Chalet Reynard, a café 6km from the top, and just as you exit the forest and enter the ‘moonscape’ landscape that Ventoux is famous for. Thankfully, with every metre I climbed the air became cooler and the wind more refreshing.

The suffering didn’t abate though and I began to feel the first few twinges of cramp in my salt covered legs. Painful twitches that meant briefly freewheeling to recover.


Emotional. 3km from the top.
At 3km to go, as I passed graffiti across the road in Dan’s honour, I was moving at a snails pace.

At 2km to go I experienced cramping like I have never felt before – both legs completely cramped up - calves, hamstrings and quads - locked solid! I was lucky to stay upright on the bike and had to put my foot down and take time to recover. The heat and gradual dehydration across the day finally caught up with me.

The final push...!

It was an extremely painful final 2km as I cycled through the cramps as they came and went, finally hitting the summit just as an electrical storm started brewing in the distance.

1911m
After the obligatory ‘summit sign’ photos I layered up and loitered at the top for a while as other riders arrived. Every one, to a man, totally broken by the day – some huddling in balls wrapped in blankets, some slumped against walls, head in hands other bursting into tears. It was an epic day and everyone was physically and emotionally drained.

Standard.
I finally decided to descend, stopping at the Tom Simpson memorial on the way down for a quick photo, before bumping into JK climbing up the road at around 3kms from the top. Her earlier delirium had been replaced with cramps. Knowing how hard the final few kilometres had been for me I turned round and rode back up to the summit again alongside JK, trying my best to offer encouragement and support.

Tom Simpson memorial
When we hit the top I turned and immediately started descending as the heavens opened and the rain started pouring down. The rain (or was it hail?), got so heavy that it was stinging and I was forced to stop and shelter at Chalet Reynard on the way down. I found others, still on their way up, doing the same.

Finally, as the rain lightened, I began descending again, the road now streaming with water and debris washed all over it. On my way down, shivering with the cold, I passed many of our group still climbing, determined to get to the top.

Everyone did get to the top, a totally epic achievement and a physical and emotional rollercoaster for all!

In total I covered 275km with 4,000m of elevation gain, riding for 11 hours and being out on the road for 13.5 hours. A very long day on the road and with an excessively long blog to match….