bike4bike

The hardest day so far in the tour, recovered well from yesterday but still tired which compared with todays heat peaking at 100 degrees, made it a really difficult day. Completed a couple of Category 3 climbs before lunch and then the tough haul began towards the Col de Tourmlet. The day seemed to be one long climb, which suddenly got harder once I began the 10.5 miles to 6,600 ft. I can only describe this as torture on a bike, got to the top after 1.5hrs then sped down the other side to the foot of the Hautacam. As if I hadn’t had enough I then faced the second horse category ( hardest catgory there is) climb of the day. The 8.5 mile climb to the ski station was incredibly tough but thanks to Stuarts help for cycling the 5 km with me, and the motor home headlights that lit the way to the top, I made it. Arriving at 9pm we decided to spend the night at the summit surrounded by livestock and lightning as thunder storms lit up the valley below.

Good start this morning with Jill now on board organising the boys ! A long day which got progressivley harder as the miles went by. Completed four Category 4 and one Category 3 climbs. It was another red hot day with temperatures in the 90s. Arrived at the bottom of the Cold der Peyresourde, 97 miles into the ride, then completed the 8 mile climb to the top with dancing soignerurs on the side of the road providing support and encouragement.

At 115 miles I reached Col d-aspin feeling tired by this time. Cycled the Category 1 climb reaching the summit just as the sun was setting. Final descent to the finish arriving just after 9.00pm. A fine meal of steakand potatoes before bed, hoping to recover before tomorrow.

Average 13mph and 9.5hrs in the saddle.

Up at 6am for egg omlette.  Started at 8.15 with a nice descent to start.  Market day in Ville Francere.  Had to negotiate closed roads, parked cars and pedestrians which made it too stressful to stop for my much needed coffee, before I hit a very hard climb.

It has been a transitional day from the Massif Centrale to the Pyrenees.  Temperatures today peaked at 97 degrees with an average of 80 all day.

It has taken 7 hours today’s ride.  Mark is struggling with the heat and is removing his clothing to cope with the soaring temperatures in the motor home, the bad news (for Jill who landed today) is it’s going to get hotter.

Hearty breakfast at 7am this morning of porridge and bananas set me off straight into 1700ft of climbs in the first 8 miles.  Good morning Jonno! The road surface was really poor this morning which was dragging me back somewhat and made it all hard work. 

Stopped at 11am for a feasty 4 egg and ham omelette which fired me up for the rest of the day.  Great weather all day with the temperature in the mid 70’s and little wind.  Cycled through some beautiful countryside in the Massif Central region.  Can liken to it to the landscapes of the Lune Valley this morning into the Lakes this afternoon and reaching the Scottish Highlands near to the finish (just alot warmer!).

Fantastic but tough climb up the Col d’Entremont (1210m) with a 10% finish followed by a 20 mile descent and then straight into the Pas de Peyrol (1588m).   

Feeling tired tonight with a few aches and pains but nothing to worry about for a man of my age !

Enjoying a dinner of steak and potatoes followed by stewed apple cheesecake washing it all down with a glass of red wine.

Managed to find a good campsite to stay on tonight which makes life alot easier - showers and bathroom facilities etc !!  We will need to get organised tomorrow, I don’t think Jill will approve of parking up in car parks and lay bys - where would she plug in her hair drier ??  We’re picking her up at Toulouse airport tomorrow night, looking forward to seeing her.

125 miles today from Aigurande.

This was the first day of my climbs and I’ve topped 10,000k over 125 miles. The ascent begun almost straight into my day at 8am this morning with my first 2nd category climb of the tour.  I’ve cycled over 95 miles of continuous undulating climbs with my final 7 mile climb of 11% up to the ski resort of Super-Besse. 

The weather has been great as I cycled through the Massif Central region and I felt good today.  The climbs left me feeling tired but I’ve had a deep massage tonight and feel alot better and fresher.  I know I’m in the hills as I’ve cycled through the cow bells ringing in the fields around me. 

I’ve had 9 hours in the saddle today and finished the day at 7.30pm - now enjoying a glass of well deserved red wine!

Longest day of the tour today, covering 144 miles.  Set off at 8am this morning in thick fog from Cholet, thankfully by midday the fog disappeared and we’ve had sunshine and a temperature of about 70 degrees for the rest of the day.

Whilst this was the flatest stage of the trip, I’ve climbed over 4000ft between miles and miles of sunflower fields through the Loire region.  It’s been a long day and I’m quite pleased that I managed to average 16 1/2 mph.  Things will start to slow down tomorrow as the big climbs begin! 

We are on our way to Aigurande this evening which is just over 20 miles away from today’s finish - I’m feeling tired but seem to be recovering well and my legs are strong.  The forecast for the next week is looking good with only slight cross winds which are manageable.

Masterchef Stuart has prepared some great meals, not sure he’s ever read a recipe book but whatever he throws into the pan always tastes the business and is full of protein and carbs, just what I need.

and… we didn’t get lost today ! Hoorah

The three of us managed to complete the 18 mile time trial around Cholet today, although the 18 miles became 22 as we got lost (again!).  We then tapped in the post code of a recommended camp site into the  trusty sat nav system and set off in the motorhome for a relaxing afternoon.  Needless to say we should have relied on our map reading skills because the sat nav took us 1 1/2 hours in the wrong direction - turned out we were only five minutes away from the site when we set off?

Anyway we’ve found it now and are enjoying a relaxing dinner thinking about tomorrows 144 miles.

Thanks to all those people who keep texting me messages of support - I really appreciate it.

Cycled through some superb countryside and beautiful villages today in Brittany.  Although the stage profile showed no specific hills to climb I managed to total 5000ft - so not altogether flat!  After our usual slow start at 8.15am, my first stop was at Calor Guen (the home village of Bernard Hinault, five times Tour de France winner).  Unfortunately we couldn’t find him because the locals didn’t seem to understand our vocabulary.  I rode the next 110 miles without a stop except to collect food for on the move.  I felt strong today and really enjoyed the ride. 8 hours in the saddle at an average of 15 1/2 mph.

My soigneurs are fantastic support, keeping me fuelled up and heading in the right direction.

When we finally found the official starting point in Auray I set off at about 10am - would’ve liked to have got away earlier and think we probably need to be getting up a bit sooner in future.  The later the start the later the finish.  Weather was fine today although cloudy, but I was up against strong cross and head winds all day which made it tough.  Felt stronger again this afternoon (I’m obviously not a morning person!) and enjoyed the final 50 miles.  Mark cycled along with me for 20 miles this afternoon which was good company and support.  Arrived in Saint Brieuc early evening where Stuart gave me a good massage and I’m pleased to report the hot water in the motor home is now working and I didn’t have to go through the cold shower ordeal like last night.  We are now parked up for the night in a cozy lay by just outside Saint Malo, ready for tomorrow’s start.  I’ve climbed 6,000 ft today and cycled 102 miles (not counting a couple of unplanned de-tours due to poor navigation on my part!). Easier day tomorrow I think, less climbing although more mileage.  Good forecast is expected - Bring it on !

Overnight ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff left me feeling somewhat ship lagged this morning with little sleep.  Off to a slow start from Brest in poor weather conditions but I started to gain pace into the afternoon.  The sun came out and I cruised into Plumelec this evening feeling pretty good.  The gears on the Trek are running really well, thanks to Steve’s minor adjustments late last week!  Driven over to Auray tonight and all fired up for Stage 2 tomorrow.