Author: johnstourdeforce

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:30. Transfer: 0h35 (post ride). Start time: 07:57. Distance: 170km. Terrain: hilly (2,808 metres climbing). Climbs: one Cat 1, two Cat 3. Finish: 17:01. Time in saddle: 7h40. Temp: 28C. Drinks: 4 litres.

Thunderstorms: 0

Feedstops next to water: 4

Suffer score: John 5/10. Wim 7/10. James 6/10.

Local lowdown

Le Beaujolais nouveaux est arrivé! That’s one of the famous wines from around these parts anyway, and at the end of today we will be one step closer to arriving at a well-earned rest day! Meanwhile, Brioude is the home town of French favourite Romain Bardet and apparently a number of his training routes have been marked on the road with a distinctive “RB” logo. I didn’t spot any on our travels today, possibly because they have been covered by new tarmac or the numerous stretches of gravel that I expect will be swept or compacted before next week.

Tale from the Tour

Just to pick up on where I left off yesterday with the hail. On the news this morning they were reporting from other areas in the region where hailstones the size of onions were coming down – 9cm in diameter! I think we were lucky in comparison! Despite the odd shower yesterday, this is still very much the “Sunshine Tour de France”.

Started off feeling strong this morning, which is odd given the distances we have covered so far. This is possibly because I rode within myself more yesterday, or was just generally having a good day today. The temperature was lower after the storms of yesterday, but still managed to rise to 36C again just as we were on the final climb of the day. Still, we were in time for the first bus to our hotel at tomorrow’s stage start so that we can begin our recovery straight away rather than hanging around at the finish for a bit.

The main climb of the day was the Mur d’Aurec sur Loire, a Cat 1 that we climbed just after the first feedstop. Only about 3km but very steep, as the name suggests. The roadside marker claimed the average gradient for the last 200 metres was 12%, but I never saw less than 15%, so that was a lie! We regrouped at the top before continuing together, as much of the rest of the day was more rolling and it’s great to ride as a group.

Indeed, this evening our group riding was recognised by Emily, our lead rider, who awarded the day’s “arrow” (aka rider of the day) to Rob and Jenny, who instantly said they were receiving this on behalf of the group of course, which they didn’t have to. Well done both.

Another good day, one of the main features of which was that each feedstop was in a picturesque location near water. A swim would have been nice, but there will be time for that soon enough.

This has been a really tough first week, designed I am sure to soften up the pros who will be coming through. And it hasn’t ended! Normally the first rest day would be tomorrow, but it’s not a rule and this time we have a tenth straight day to ride before resting up in Albi.

Feeling good for most of the day and just a little tired at the end with the return of the heat so a slightly higher suffer score, but still pleased with how my tour has been going so far. Wim found it tough today and James said that he probably pushed too hard, but then tomorrow is his last day so he might as well go for it!

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 05:45. Transfer: 1h00. Start time: 08:07. Distance: 199km. Terrain: hilly (3,800 metres climbing). Climbs: five Cat 2, two Cat 3. Finish: 20:29. Time in saddle: 10h28. Temp: 34C. Drinks: 6 litres.

Thunderstorms: 3.

Suffer scores: John 4/10. James 4/10.

Local lowdown

Not really a “local lowdown” today, but this is noteworthy for being the stage I nearly didn’t do. Today is graduation day for Babs, who has been studying for a diploma in Counselling for three years. Given how close we were to Lyon, I saw that it would be possible to take the first flight out to Heathrow and then the last flight back to Lyon. More important to celebrate success I thought. However, although it was feasible in theory, the cost of taxis was just prohibitive in the end, never mind the carbon footprint.

One small item of local news – we passed through the Capital of the Saucisson!

Tale from the Tour

Clearly the main story of the day is that it rained! Or rather, we had three lots of thunder, lightening and hailstones.

We had awoken to stormy clouds overhead and a warning that rain was forecast for later on in the day. Not a surprise really, as the weather had to break sometime, even if only for a short moment.

At feedstop 2 I thought that the rain would be a way off yet so didn’t bother taking a rain jacket. A matter of minutes after leaving I felt the first spot of rain this trip and then there was a massive crack of thunder. The roads were awash, making descending difficult and the hailstones were stinging my arms. Fortunately that didn’t last very long. For a while I was then a little chilly, but not cold, and by the time I was climbing again I had dried out.

I was not with my usual group today – the weather conditions saw to that. So I spent the day either on my own or in the company of others that I had not previously ridden with.

Temperature had dipped to below 20C, but on the two Cat 2 climbs after lunch I was in full sun and 34C again. So instead of my jersey being soaked with rain it was now once again soaked with sweat.

I could see storm clouds building once again as I approached the final feedstop. The first drop fell on me just as I was turning into it, and then it all clattered down. We took shelter in the van where there was a real cacophony of noise from the hail hitting the roof.

We waited a long time for the storm to pass before we could see the skies clearing over the area we were headed. All thoughts of arriving at dinner for 8pm were abandoned, though we knew that a late arrival would not be a problem as the buffet would still be open.

Final stretch down into Saint Etienne to arrive at the hotel just as the first drop of rain from the third storm of the day hit me. Thank you Lord for your protection.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable day even if I was out for longer than anticipated. It was less fun for those unfortunate enough to receive the full brunt of the storms and ending up with bruised forearms as a result! For that reason, both me and tonight’s roommate James have given this a low suffer score. This is despite there being many more climbs than the seven categorised ones – maybe the route setters didn’t want to disclose their full hand concerning the challenges posed by this stage of the Tour.

Before I forget, in between all the thunder business, I did get to enjoy views of the Brouilly vineyards and passing through St Symphorien sur Coise.

As you can see, we had some decent weather too.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:30. Transfer: none. Start time: 08:05. Distance: 230km. Terrain: flat (2,600 metres climbing). Climbs: one Cat 3, two Cat 4. Finish: 19:29. Time in saddle: 9h16.

Suffer scores: John 6/10. Sharing with Daniel tonight. I know he’s back, but I’ve not seen him yet.

Local lowdown

A classic “transition” stage today, linking two bustling cities. We will pass through Ornans, which is the birthplace of Gustave Courbet in 1819 (happy 200^th birthday Gustave!), a primary figure in the Realism movement. Babs and I are going on a painting weekend in August. She will be fine, being very artistic. I can barely do matchstick men! Temp: 36C. Drinks: 7.5 litres.

Tale from the Tour

Long, hot and uninteresting route today, but at least that’s the longest stage of the Tour out of the way. The best thing about today was the group riding between the seven of us that got us through.

So without much in the way of scenery or incident, this was a case of: Rotate rotate rotate. Feedstop 1. Rotate rotate rotate. Feedstop 2. Rotate rotate rotate. Feedstop 3. Rotate rotate rotate. Feedstop 4. Rotate rotate rotate. Beer!

Yes, it was as dull as that but there’s always one like this and now it’s done.

There were two highlights – two of the feedstops had fountains and water troughs where we could dunk our heads in to cool down!

Otherwise, the Coca Cola stop at some point in the afternoon really helped too.

On a more general point I have previously commented on negative reactions to us from some motorists. This is more than outweighed by positive reactions from many others. For example, the people waving to us and cheering us on from their doorsteps, the young boys holding their hands out for us to high-five them on our way past and the crocodile of primary school children in their high-viz vests (“gilets jaune”, but not the protester variety) all with big smiles on their faces and cheering us on.

I think that mentally I am in a good place so although it was a hard day, it was one I was expecting. Had the weather been as poor as 2017, then no doubt my suffer score would have been higher. Wim said his score for yesterday was 9 to my 7. I still think there are harder days to come!

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:00. Transfer: before stage 0h45, after stage 0h45. Start time: 07:38. Distance: 157km. Terrain: mountain (3,740 metres climbing). Climbs: four Cat 1, one Cat 2, two Cat 3. Finish: 18:16. Time in saddle: 8h57. Temp: 30C (25C in the forests). Drinks: 6 litres.

Dinners: 2. Tarte aux myrtilles: 2.

Suffer scores: John 7/10. Roomie – see below.

Local lowdown

We are very close to Germany (and indeed to Switzerland also) when we are in Mulhouse and the whole area has a very Germanic feel because, well, it was once German. Today we end up at the very top of La Planche des Belles Filles, with the final few hundred metres now having been gravelled. If you check back to my post from May this year, you will see that I did not like this final climb very much so it’s anyone’s guess as to what will happen today.

Tale from the Tour

Well what a superb day today was! Some early group riding again and we don’t seem to have annoyed people. After the first feedstop I mostly rode on my own as I gradually slipped off the back of my group, which was fine and to be expected. I can only climb and descend at my own speed and on this kind of terrain there’s not much drafting benefit to be had anyway.

We approached the Grand Ballon via Markstein which I have only descended before. Decided to go into the cafe at the top where I had taken refuge from a thunderstorm two years ago. The tarte aux myrtilles was just as delicious as before.

The Vosges never fails to disappoint. I have previously referred to it as the cyclists’ playground and it’s just got even better with so much new tarmac. Sometimes it’s so fresh that stones stick to the tyres, which ultimately could cause a problem. The trick while still riding is to put your hand on the tyre lightly and knock the stones off without slicing your fingers open!

The next major climb was the Ballon d’Alsace, which again I have ridden but from the opposite direction – today I think we did the steeper side. Hard work, but enjoyable.

Lunch, and time to eat again. Delicious as usual and I was ready for it – unlike this morning at breakfast when I knew I had to eat but had to force it down as my body just wasn’t ready for it. First time that has happened this tour.

Before we hit our final climb of the Planche des Belles Filles, there was the small matter of Col des Chevreres which I had overlooked. Only 3.5km (short for a Cat 1) but horribly steep and with lots of loose gravel which seems like it has only recently been put down. A real challenge, especially with the lack of shade and temperatures hitting 34C at times though mostly it was less than that today.

Then finally finally, the Planche. I was not quick up that climb, determined to keep something in reserve to at least have a crack at doing the top section. In the event, it turned out that the surface was now a smaller grade of gravel and closely packed. Wheel still slipped at times, but I was delighted with the condition of the road because I now thought that completing it was achievable – and I did it!

Only had 20 minutes to consume my dinner (which I wasn’t ready for), but on the plus side it meant that I was on the first bus down to our hotel in Belfort, from where we start our ride tomorrow, meaning that we get a bit of a lie in. Oh, and when we got to the hotel it was time for beer, burger and massage. Probably only one of those was absolutely necessary. I will leave you to work out which one!

I’m scoring this as 7 because of the unexpected toughness of the penultimate climb. Wim has left me for James to share with him for a few nights (they rode and roomed together last year, so fair enough). Richard, my roommate tonight arrived back more than two hours after me, so now is not the time to ask him foolish questions about suffer scores!

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 05:45. Transfer: 1h15. Start time: 08:23. Distance: 169km. Terrain: hilly (2,294 metres climbing). Climbs: two Cat 2, two Cat 3. Finish: 17:13. Time in saddle: 7h23. Temp: 33C. Drinks: 5 litres.

Suffer scores: John 5/10. Wim 8/10.

Local lowdown

Saint-Dié-des-Vosges is apparently known for its International Festival of Geography and the author of the first known map of the American continent. The city features in the Tour for the first time and today’s route ends in Colmar, which coincidentally or otherwise is the birthplace of Auguste Bartholdi, who designed the Statue of Liberty. Today is the first full day in the beautiful Vosges region, what I term as a veritable “cyclists’ playground” and which has been the location for a couple of my training camps prior to taking on the Tour in 2017 and again this year.

Tale from the Tour

Opening kilometres fast, on busy roads. Drivers unusually intolerant of disciplined riders. Loud horn blasts aplenty. Is it “National No Cycling Day”? Never mind, soon on to quieter roads. A couple of climbs to get the blood pumping on what is going to be another hot, cloudless day. Unforgiving, relentless heat? Cool shade on the tree-lined roads through the forest, giving out strong, wonderful scent of pine into the air that has been warming all day. Gloriously reducing the heat by several degrees until reaching a most welcome 28C.

Mixture of group riding on the busy roads to near-solo efforts on the descents and climbs – losing too much time on descents to then climb with the group, but happy to be in the zone and finally going up some longer climbs. Two Cat 2s today, both about 6% gradient. Finding that rhythm that I really enjoy. Almost clawing back the gap to the group by the last feedstop, to lose it again on the next descent.

Passing through towns more German than French, with names like Grendelbruch, Scherwiller and Ammerschwihr, and with architecture to match.

Finally dropping down towards Colmar, the town – ugly from a distance with its dozen or more tower blocks – rapidly approaching. First, some tricky weaving in and out of surrounding villages until gratefully reaching the hotel and the massage that awaits for tired legs.

Wonderful day of typically beautiful Vosges scenery. In the villages again witnessing the preparations being made for the pro Tour next week. Where do all the bicycles come from that are painted in the Tour colours of yellow, green, white and red polka dot?

Today not as hot as Stage 1, but still too hot for Wim. Me? This is one of the stages I’ve been waiting for. Suffer score is subjective – heat and climate a factor, but possible to overlay with enjoyment of the Stage, so not feeling the effects like I might have done.

Promise of more tomorrow. Vive le Tour indeed.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 05:45. Transfer: 0h40. Start time: 07:26. Distance: 215km. Terrain: flat (1,822 metres climbing). Climbs: two Cat 4. Finish: 17:09. Time in saddle: 8h18. Temp: 30C. Drinks: 6 litres.

Suffer scores: John 4/10. Wim 6/10.

Local lowdown

Reims (pronounced “rance” as in “manse” rather than “reams” as in paper) is of course the main city known for its champagne, with its 250km of cellars and chalk quarries. Meanwhile Nancy is another classic northern French city with a huge “Grand Place”, a bustling market and buildings that look even more impressive when they are illuminated at night. Although we are in champagne country, we will be passing through the aptly-named village of Bouzy which produces the northern-most red wine in France. We also pass through Bar-le-Duc, birthplace of the Michaux brothers who invented the “velocipede a pedales” (bicycle).

Tale from the Tour

Reims appeared on the horizon from the top of the double decker coach that took us to the start point slightly outside of town. Good job we saw the cathedral yesterday then.

We were on the road early this morning, just as various hot air balloons were taking off over the wheat fields. A bit difficult to capture in a photo, but I took it so might as well post it.

We rode steadily to the first feedstop at 42km, after which we divided up into our riding groups which are becoming more established. Today our group fluctuated between 8 and 12 people and we practiced good discipline all day. Riding two abreast, this made us more like a slow moving vehicle and so easier for vehicles to pass us on the wide, open and very straight roads. Yesterday we rode more as a long, sinewy snake.

The focus was very much about getting this long stage done. Scenery was not as attractive as yesterday and although the roads could be described as boring, the focus needed to ride in such a disciplined manner, taking it in turns to lead and then rotate off the front, meant that our concentration did not wander as it otherwise might have done.

The towns and villages we passed through have put out a lot of decorations already though we did not stop for many photos. Less of a touristy kind of day today. I did have the opportunity to take a few though.

Commercy was one of the high points. It came just as I was flagging towards the end of the fourth section (i.e. before feedstop 4), so it was a timely moment of respite. The final section had the last categorised climb of the day, which was not too bad but just as we approached the hotel we had a steep “bonus climb” before we could start the end of day routine – firstly with a massage for a body that has been put through the mill a bit, with a promise of more to come!

I found today tougher than yesterday, I think on account of the scenery not being quite so nice and we did have some headwind and crosswind, though the way we were riding mitigated that to some degree. I think Wim just works harder and so suffers more. On the plus side, it means he is at the hotel and already showered by the time I get in, so the logistics work just fine.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 05:45. Transfer: 1h30. Start time: 08:18: Distance: 214km. Terrain: hilly (2,529 metres climbing). Climbs: three Cat 3, one Cat 4. Finish: 18:05. Time in saddle: 8h06. Temp: 26C. Drinks: 5 litres.

Suffer scores: John 2/10. Wim 7/10.

Local lowdown

We start in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Binche, renowned for its medieval battlements and Mardi Gras carnival. Although the finish in Épernay will give us the opportunity to stock up on champagne, we are a very long way from Paris in terms of the Tour (though only 120km away geographically).

Tale from the Tour

Today it feels like the Tour really started. No more riding to and from the hotel with no need to worry about packing. Instead we’re into the normal routine of early breakfast and main luggage on the vans by 06:15 so that we can take a coach transfer to the start of today’s stage. Thankfully there are no more cobbles either!

One more photo from Stage 1 taken by Ray:

After 12km we crossed the border into France and were met with mile upon mile of great roads. We formed a good group of about 10 people fairly early on and, rotating the lead on the front in a disciplined manner we just ate up the distance. For large chunks of today we were rolling along comfortably at 35kph, though a few climbs towards the end did bring the average down. In fact, for a supposedly flat stage we still managed over 2,500 metres climbing as a lot of the terrain was rolling. This meant we also had some fast, sweeping descents which allowed me to reach a top speed of 60kph without feeling like I was taking any risks. Great roads, great countryside.

Indeed, the poppy-ribboned wheat fields in the morning gave way to champagne vineyards peppered with roses along the way. Such stunning scenery, such a good group and this is now possibly vying as one of my top 10 rides, though I probably already have 20 top ten rides, such has been my good fortune over recent years. The fields were also strewn with wind turbines which tells you what it is like around here. The Tour organisers are hoping for a lot of cross-winds which would make racing interesting, however today was not too bad. Though there were some gusts that moved you sideways, there was nothing serious.

We passed through Reims and caught a glimpse of the magnificent cathedral there.

Looking back the other way having taken that photo was a sight that made us laugh. Perhaps that’s where to go for the best prescription!

If so, then perhaps this is the chemists:

A few more shots from the ride:

Last night we briefly discussed whether Le Loop is an event or a club. Given the camaraderie that reaches across the years and the numbers of people who come back, we quickly concluded that it is a club. A club where for us the membership cost is a light sprinkling of insanity!

Wim and I have decided to continue rooming together – better the devil you know! It’s a good call, given the number of self-confessed snorers and messy people around. Wim is from Belgium though has lived in Scotland for 13 years, so I still have a Scottish accent to listen to! Sorry Alex, you have been usurped.

Wim reckons today’s suffer score was 7 on the basis of the heat (it did touch 32C this afternoon at times) and the effort put in to riding so hard. On the contrary for me, I was comfortable with the pace in our group and was ok with the temperature too.

Now, where’s that champagne?

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 07:00. Transfer: none. Start time: 08:30. Distance: 27km. Terrain: flat (highest point 109 metres, 350 metres climbing). Climbs: none. Finish: 12:15. Time in saddle: 2h22. Temp 25C. Drinks: 1.5 litres.

Suffer scores: John 1/10. Roomie (Wim) 0/10.

Local lowdown

The atomium is one of the most popular sightseeing attractions in Brussels. If we had time, we would be able to go up and enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view over the city. Like the Eiffel Tower that we are ultimately aiming for, when it was originally constructed (for the 1958 World Fair) it was never intended to be a permanent structure. We have some locals with us for the first few days and they say there is a good restaurant up there and that parties of school kids can get to stay overnight at the Atomium, which sounds like fun.

Tale from the Tour

A very sedate ride today, averaging just under 20kph. We actually rode 53km because we first rode to the start from the hotel and then back to the hotel from the finish. Again, a lot was on cycle paths which are fine for getting about but a bit of a pain if you just want to ride. Never mind, we will be out of the city tomorrow and riding on open roads in France.

Before we started the official route, there was time to pop down the road from the Palais Royal to visit the Grand Place, whose cathedral we only saw from a distance yesterday. There was an option to stop for a coffee before embarking on the stage route, but Roly, Gerard and I opted to just take a few photos and then crack on. The thought of getting back to the hotel to generally relax and enjoy the swimming pool was too alluring.

The four sides of the Grand Place:

Although our route was slow, we could tell that the team time trial that’s going to take place here will be fast. Wide, flat roads that should be good to watch. The course is pretty too, with its tree-lined roads and excursion into a park.

That’s about it for today. Bike is fully charged and the chain is clean and oiled. Going to go for a swim now. Early start tomorrow, with coach transfer to the start of Stage 3.

Wim is probably correct that the suffer score should be 0 today, but I’ve gone for 1 on the basis that there was a lot of stop/start.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:45. Transfer: none. Start time: 08:00. Distance: 192km. Terrain: flat (some Belgian cobbles, 1,839 metres climbing). Climbs: one Cat 3, one Cat 4. Finish: 18:00. Time in saddle: 8h16. Temp: 36C. Drinks: 7 litres.

Suffer scores: John 5/10. Roomie (Wim) 8/10.

Local lowdown

Today we will be starting and finishing in Brussels and we have a time trial here tomorrow – a luxury, as it means no change of hotel tonight. We are here, of course, because the Tour is celebrating Belgian hero Eddy Merckx who won it five times. Chris Froome was looking to emulate him this year but is now out of the Tour following a bad crash, though a certain Geraint Thomas may have had something to say about that anyway. My my, we will also be passing through Waterloo, where we hope we won’t be defeated by cobbles or climbs but will win the war. Well, first skirmish of the 2019 Tour in any event. And now you have ABBA in your head!

Tale from the Tour

Firstly, if you are new to the blog the welcome! If you are returning having followed my exploits since 2016 then welcome back! I do my best to avoid too many typos and other errors, but as I do all this on my phone then it can be a bit fiddly. So please forgive me if autocorrect makes a mess of what I have written and I have not spotted it!

I arrived yesterday and met up with some new people on the way and once at the hotel met up with a load of people from the 2017 Tour. It was great to catch up and to reminisce, but I think that by this morning we were all looking forward to creating 2019’s own story.

We were expecting a hot day and got one! It wasn’t too bad first thing, though the pace was slow as we had to navigate Brussels’ cycling lanes. Apparently it’s the law to use the lanes when they are there, which are shared with dog walkers, babies in buggies and other pedestrians – so plentiful scope for things to go wrong. What with that and crossing tram tracks and having to wait at a level crossing! Still, it made for a leisurely opening and the first section was otherwise fine. Main challenge was to drink enough.

We soon had our first view of the cathedral on the Grand Place. The Tour starts there next week, but we don’t play with traffic in the centre of town. The Grand Place will be the ceremonial start anyway (depart fictif) and then we always make sure we are riding before we get to the actual start. In fact, although the official Tour distance is 192km, we rode more like 209km as we start and finish at the hotel. A bit of background there for those new to this.

After the first feed stop we had the two cobbled climbs of the day: Muur de Geraardsbergan and the Bosberg. “Muur” means “wall”, but it wasn’t too bad.

On to the lunch stop and by now it was baking hot. You don’t notice it so much when you are moving, but as soon as you have to stop you realise that you are in an oven. Not as bad as elsewhere in Europe, but challenging none the less.

I was riding with some of the guys from 2017 plus a few others, but 20km after the lunch stop I could not maintain the pace so dropped back a little. Heat probably. This, though, added to my confusion at Waterloo. I thought it would be a nice place for a feedstop but also thought our actual stop was a few km further on. So I missed it and wait straight past. Once I realised what I’d done, I stopped to call Sarah so that no one would wait for me at the feedstop, bought an ice cream and some drinks at a newsagents and carried on. No harm done and I was back in time for a massage and do all those other things that are important: ring home, shower, wash kit, drink some more. And then dinner!

Meanwhile of course we have done some cobbles. Not just the 1.9km mentioned in the roadbook (plus the two climbs), but six or seven “bonus” sections as well. I think maybe they don’t count if they are less than 1km in length, but taken together they at least doubled the anticipated amount of cobbles! But we are in Belgium after all, so that’s to be expected along with farm tracks and concrete roads. Occasionally some nice tarmac was welcome though!

Looking forward to a quieter day tomorrow as it’s only a time trial stage (which we don’t race) and a swim in the pool. Staying in a really nice hotel at the moment.

I should explain the “suffer score”, but first if you need a reminder about how the climbs are categorised, you can look back at my 2016 explanation! Simply put, Cat 4 are the easiest of the categorised climbs, rising to HC which are the hardest (“hors catégorie, or simply “hard climb”!). There are often many energy-sapping climbs along the way which don’t merit categorisation by the organisers though!

My suffer score increased during the day until I reckon that heat + cobbles merits a 5. Wim, my roommate for these first few nights went with an 8 because of extra issues such as mechanical problems and waiting in the heat with someone who crashed. Wim rode half the Tour in 2018 and is here for the duration this time. He has also had to cope with not getting his suitcase until past midnight last night due to it not arriving from the UK at the same time as him.

Finally, a note to those who like examining the stats (you know who you are Steve P!). For your delectation and delight I have added in litres consumed (in flight only, not counting recovery drinks and beer!) and temperature. You might also like to try plotting a World Cup Cricket-style “worm” and compare my aggregate suffer score at the end of each stage with 2017!

My preparations for my Le Loop/Tour de France exploits in June/July 2019 reached their peak on the middle weekend of May when I spent four days in the Vosges region of eastern France. This was spent in the company of fellow Bigfoot rider Rob and most of the same bunch of guys with whom I spent a happy few days in Briançon last June – John, Ben and Andy, plus Olivier who had not been able to make it last year. Sadly, Ying was not able to come this time.

But first, a quick training update. The winter’s work on the turbo in the garage seems to have paid off and I’ve been going well on the local climbs. I’ve been focussing on doing some challenging rides and on doing some long rides, finally reaching the point on the occasion of my 58th birthday in late April when I completed my hundredth century ride of all time – averaging 10 per year since my first one in May 2009, though of course the frequency of completing rides of 100 miles or more has increased in recent years.

I’ve ridden less distance than when I started half the Tour de France in 2016 (4,000 miles) and the whole Tour in 2017 (4,500 miles), but 3,100 miles year to date is perfectly acceptable given my “smarter” training programme this winter and I expect to be at around 3,500 miles when I head to Brussels on 28 June. One thing I learned in France just now is that my climbing speed seems to have increased compared with last year. Sadly, I still descend like a feather so I’m still going to be losing time there.

So on to the Vosges, which I also visited in May 2017, both to recce some of the route and to get some good climbing in. It’s not as high as the Alps, but you can still put in some 30-40 minutes climbs rather than the 7-10 minutes that you typically get in the North Downs.

Thursday: Gérardmer

Rob and I travelled down early Thursday morning, with the others not due to arrive until late in the evening. So of course we went for a little leg-loosener in the afternoon, heading over our first col of the day (Col de Grosse Pierre, at 955m) to Gérardmer where we cycled around the small, pretty lake before heading home via a second lake and a sweeping descent back into La Bresse, which was our base for the trip. We then went shopping for the essentials but forgot the milk. Kronenbourg 1664 with your cereals anyone?

Friday: Planche des Belles Filles

Friday, and we were all set for a big day. Very soon we arrived at the Ballon d’Alsace, which provided a first indication of how we were all feeling. It was clear that John was going well and that Olivier was going very well. However, our points scoring system was based on performance against our own individual targets (i.e. our climbing speeds), so we wouldn’t know until we got home who actually won any of the climbs even though Olivier always reached the top first. While I descend like a feather, he is as light as one and just seems to float away!

Next up was the Planche des Belles Filles. This also featured in the 2017 Tour, but on that occasion the route stopped on a flat section just after a 20% ramp. This year the route continues for another 900 metres or so and goes up a second ramp that is even more steep but affords a great view at the top. The especially tricky thing about that final ramp is that it is all gravel. Whether it is still like that by the time the Tour comes through remains to be seen, but if they don’t tarmac/sweep/compress the surface then it could have a big impact on the race. I was unable to get to the top without walking a bit, but full marks to Ben who rode up and down the gravel without stopping, to John who only had to put a foot down briefly but crucially was able to restart and to Olivier who cleverly rode on as much grass as possible, including taking the ski-run down! Andy was wise and left us to it, while unfortunately Rob had a mechanical lower down the climb and never got that far. In fact, he ended up having to limp back to the bike shop in La Bresse with a knackered bike, though they were able to replace a broken part so that he could ride again – on which more later.

 

Finally, up and over the Ballon de Servance, followed by a most marvellous Pâté de Lorraine from a boulangerie (think of a Cornish pasty, but stuffed with pâté and you get the idea) and we were back home. 123km with 2,600 metres of climbing.

Saturday: Munster – Calvaire

Ben had plotted a route for us that was much more of a holiday ride than the day before, though it was still 103km with 2,100 metres of climbing. After climbing out of La Bresse we had a long long descent into Munster (18 km). Feeling very German here, and that’s the language we heard most at our cafe stop. Well, this area has changed hands a few times in the past and that is also evident from some of the place names and the architecture. Climbing back out through Stosswihr (see?) and we ended up deviating from our intended route and ended up at the top of Col du Wettstein (see again?) and then on to Linge. Back down to our original route before climbing up to Orbey. The final climb of the day was up to Col du Calvaire and then there was a fantastic undulating plateau for about 12km where I was feeling really strong, especially compared with my sluggish start to the day pre-coffee in Munster.

 

 

We stopped at a cafe in Schlucht, just over the road from an old customs building as this used to be the border point, though we are a fair way from the current French/German border. It had been getting chilly, so here there was a chance to warm up by the stove and eat what seemed like half a pig each. Rob had not been with us this morning because he wanted to test out his repaired bike on the Grand Ballon rather than risk going for a longer ride. Although we were only about 15km from home at this point, Rob was unable to join us for lunch as another problem had arisen with his bike and he was planning to head off to a bike shop in Épinal, an hour away, as the local shop could not help. Fortunately, after lunch we all met up at the ski station in La Bresse Hohneck where we had to register for tomorrow’s event. This meant that I was able to call the bike shops in Épinal for him and learn that they did not have the part he needed, so at least that saved Rob spending a couple of hours in the car for nothing. In the end, although the jockey wheel was damaged, the bike was still rideable.

John had been keeping score in our little competition, though its rules and calculations remain a thing of mystery and confusion. Sunday’s ride was not going to count towards all this, so after dinner that evening John announced Olivier as the worthy winner of the main competition. There was another prize to award too, for the “Côte de la Loulou”. Loulou is the lady who looks after the house and let’s just say that she is a real character (“Foufou” is what comes to mind!). We had found this Strava segment that started from the main road and led up to the house. Rob was the winner with a time of 1:26. I was a few seconds back on 1:48. Well done Rob!

Sunday: Granfondo Vosges

Originally the plan was that we would just go for another ride in the area, but after we had decided to stay in La Bresse we found that there was a sportive event taking place on the Sunday, starting and finishing in La Bresse Hohneck, just 10 km away from us. We all decided to do this and had signed up for the Granfondo (176km, 3,600 metres climbing), though there was talk of some possibly switching to the Mediofondo (122km, 2,700 metres climbing). The forecast wasn’t great, with the threat of rain and even possibly thunder throughout the day. In the event, after a damp and misty start I just caught a few brief showers, but nothing significant.

Today was not a day for waiting for each other at the tops of climbs or anywhere else, but of completing the challenge in the best times that we could. I had estimated that it would take me 8 hours. Now since I was in France for training purposes it frankly shouldn’t really matter which side of 8 hours I came in (so long as it didn’t take too much longer than that), but with Gold time for my age group being 7h59, well that gave me something to aim for.

The ride itself was rather like the Kentish Killer on steroids! The climbs were as steep as some of those in the North Downs, but went on for longer. Initially there were floods of people riding past me, to the point where it felt like the entire field of up to 2,000 riders were going past. I had decided to save some time by not stopping at the first feed station which was at 40k. I had food with me and still plenty of water, so I decided to press on until the second stop at 94km, which is more or less where I tend to have my first stop when I do my longer rides at home anyway, albeit not on such demanding terrain.

Another steep climb after the second feed station and by now there were riders weaving in front of me to try and lessen the gradient. I was still feeling strong – indeed this was the fourth tough climb of the ride but I had been feeling strong so far and was on a mission. I had cleared that second feed station after four hours and was hopeful of completing the rest of the ride in another four to get Gold. There was a lot of climbing left in that second half though, and with an uphill finish so it wasn’t going to be easy.

Pressing on to the last feed station at 145km, where I again took heed of Rob’s advice which was to spend no more than six minutes on any stop. Discipline – pee, fill water bottles, grab food, stuff pockets with more food (jelly sweets in this case), go. Eat what you can while still stopped and finish the rest while riding away. I had managed this in six minutes on the previous stop, but this one I did in three! Thanks Rob, I would no doubt have faffed around longer but for that advice. But had I taken longer then it probably would have meant that I’d have finished my brie baguette more elegantly rather than having cheese spread all over my top lip – which wouldn’t have mattered had there not been an official photographer shortly after that stop.

Now I was moving again, but straight into a bank of mist and then a short, sharp shower. I was thinking that if it stayed like this the rest of the day then I was going to have a horrible time as I was now also a bit cold. But the mist cleared and the rain stopped and I started on my mental arithmetic again. I figured that if I got down into La Bresse by 15:30 then I would have half a chance of getting through town and up the final ramp by 16:00 for Gold. I had not properly noted what time I started, but I figured that I had not rolled over the start line until about 5-10 minutes after 08:00, so I probably would have still had a few minutes in hand, but not many.

Still two more climbs to go before La Bresse though, and that section panned out in the same way as it had since just before half way once all the fast riders had gone through. Lots of people passing me on the descents and then me catching and passing them on the climbs. Up the penultimate climb – the Col de Grosse Pierre – but from the other side to what Rob and I had climbed on the day of our arrival. Summit at 15:25, but still 6km to descend into La Bresse. An arrival time of 15:30 was clearly not going to happen, but with the roads now dry again and some newly laid and smooth tarmac I didn’t do too badly. Heading through town, head down, powering away. Past the turning for our house, but no thought of calling it quits. I knew from the start to yesterday’s ride that the climb up to La Bresse Hohneck wasn’t too steep, but it was long at nearly 10km. How long had it taken me yesterday, albeit with fresh legs? Couldn’t remember, but I thought it was about 30 minutes. That was from the house though wasn’t it? Oh boy, this is going to be close. Telling myself that it didn’t really matter because I was only there for training and this organised event was never the main focus of our trip and our participation was a pure coincidence rather than being planned. So what if I did finish in 8h05 rather than 7h59? It just didn’t matter in the overall scheme of things did it? Did it? LIAR!!

I was just emptying the tank now. I had scoffed more gels and jelly sweets than I had ever before and it took quite a while before I realised that I was still powering along in the big ring rather than having switched down to the smaller ring and spinning up. OK, so the gradient wasn’t so steep for the most part but this was still a big, sustained effort. Feeling a need to pee. No time for that – I can wait a few more minutes. Flying past others who were slowly grinding their way up. I just wasn’t tired and had felt good all day. Maybe that was the adrenalin that I’m feeling again now as I write, because I was both tired and buzzing at the same time later that evening. Two inflatable arches come into view. Which one do I need? I hope the end isn’t going to be complicated. The route has been well signposted all day, but do I aim for the farther red one, which is where we started? Or the closer, less obtrusive and smaller pale green one that was just past the roundabout that I was now approaching? It was the green one! Great, seconds saved, and with a final surge past another rider I was over the timing mats to finish. Time now 16:04. That’s enough isn’t it? I’ve done it, no? Yes!! I had stopped the clock at 7h57! To cap it all, I had done that last climb in 14:32, more than a minute quicker than yesterday morning. Proper chuffed.

Crossing the line and happy to receive another medal to put in my drawer when I got home. I had seen Andy and Ben coming down the climb on their way home, having completed the Mediofondo. I was pretty sure Olivier and John would have finished ages ago, so the only person I was likely to see at the “Pasta Party” was Rob. However, where the routes diverged Rob had decided to switch to the Mediofondo and was already at home. Good job he had driven up to the start, because the over-enthusiastic chap putting a medal around his neck did so before he came to a proper stop, causing Rob to fall over and for the rear derailleur to snap off good and proper this time. Broken bike. Bloke disappears. Whether he was sorry or not we will never know. Rubbish end to a good ride from Rob though, who would have got Gold for the Mediofondo even in a much lower age group. Chapeau for that and for putting up with some misfortunes.

Belly full of pasta and a cheeky beer, it was time to head back down the mountain and dinner. Côte de Boeuf and Crozes Hermitage all round.

I now declare myself ready for Le Loop. Just need to stay healthy and keep ticking over without overdoing the cycling, even though it’s still probably a tad early to be thinking about tapering.