Author: johnstourdeforce

Yep, so I’m riding the whole Tour de France route again this summer having clearly not learned my lesson from my experiences of the 2017 Tour, the events of which are also catalogued on my blog. Good news is that there are quite a lot of us from that year taking part again, so we are guaranteed some great camaraderie already!

There’s not a lot to say just yet, so I won’t say it! If you are a new visitor to this site, then I’ll just explain that if you scroll right to the bottom then you will see reports from 2016 when I rode the first half of that year’s Tour. The most recent posts are from 2018 when I spent a week in the Picos in May (including the Angliru, arguably the toughest climb in Spain) and then four days based in Briancon in the French Alps in June (including an excursion to the Italian side to ride up Colle delle Finestre, where Chris Froome effectively won the Giro d’Italia that year).

I’m currently enjoying being out on the road again having spent a lot of the winter on the turbo in the garage. That doesn’t make for exciting blogging, so I’ll wait until May when I’ll be heading off to the Vosges for a few days to recce the Planche des Belles Filles, which will be the first of our five summit finishes.

That’s it for now.

Today will go down as one of my ten favourite rides. I might have 20 rides that fall into that category if I tried to list them, but this is definitely one! I think because yesterday was such a tough ride and featured the climb I had most been looking forward to, today it was more for the pure enjoyment of cycling rather than another day of forcing myself up one of the toughest climbs in Italy.

Yes, the competition was still on but since Ben and Ying did not ride today, the only question to be settled was who would finish second and third between John and Andy. In the end John remained in second and Andy moved up to third place. Final points were:

Me 141

John 125

Andy 110

Ying 84

Ben 42

The final result was quite close as far as the podium is concerned. If John had not needed to pop home to answer a call of nature before the start of the Izoard (north) climb and Andy not opted out of the Izoard (south) climb on Stage 2, then it could have all been very much closer. That I prevailed may have a lot to do with how the initial handicaps were determined, but nevertheless here I am on the podium this evening receiving my trophy – and a kiss from the random polar bear in our garden!

Today started with a gentle climb up to the first categorised climb of the day, the Col de l’Echelle. I say gentle, but John and Andy were really pushing it and I was just about able to hang on. Good fun though. Andy beat John to the line to win the climb. From there we passed through a beautiful meadow where the fragrance of the pine trees was strong, both early in the morning and especially when we returned on our way back in the afternoon.

A coffee stop in Bardonecchia (Italian side of the Alps) and we were then onto the main climb of the day, the Jafferau. This was a tough climb up through the forest but very pretty. As John and Andy were racing each other for points I think they were not able to appreciate that so much! Andy won that climb too and ultimately claimed more wins than anyone else. I ended up winning 3 climbs out of the 12, Ying 2, John 3 and Andy 4. A fair spread among four of us at least (sorry Ben).

We redescended to Bardonecchia for another coffee before doing the last climb back up to Col de l’Echelle. John won this one and that was the end of all the competitive climbing. Or was it?

Rather than just drop back into Briançon, we decided to take a slight detour to Nevache and back as there were apparently nice views from there. It’s not as if we have been lacking in such views this week of course! As we rode along, it was clear that this little spur was going to involve more climbing than we thought. Although we thought at that point that Ying had decided not to ride today, we could not be certain what he had done or what the final points situation would be. I was reasonably certain that John was secure in second with Andy third, but mischievously suggested that this unofficial climb could turn out to be a tie breaker! That was enough for John who shot off straight away, but Andy was cooked by then. I chased after John determined to try and win a climb again, even if it was unofficial. The time penalties I had picked up for my earlier successes had made this difficult (that and fatigue and the other two getting stronger). I just failed to beat John by about 10 seconds. I would have done better not to announce that this was to be a race as we would have just ridden together and I could have pounced metres from the line to claim an ignoble victory! It was all fun and games though and after a short break to admire the views we returned home.

Plenty of time to enjoy a sauna and a hot tub before Colin, who helps manage the property, came round to prepare a delicious barbecue. We’ve had great weather all the time we’ve been here, but just as we started to eat there was a little bit of rain. We stayed put. Very British. But the rain came to nothing and so all was fine.

Time to pack the bike away now, enjoy the rest of the evening and get ready to return home tomorrow.

It’s been a great few days, superbly organised by Ben but we all played a part in making this an enjoyable as well as challenging experience.

I think I’ve pushed the podcast approach far enough and it’s taking me twice as long anyway!

John, Andy and I set off to do the full ride at 6am this morning, with Ben and Ying deciding they would drive 60km to Susa to do the Finestre climb, redescend and then come home.

It was our toughest day today, 140km and about 3,700 metres of climbing (4 climbs). The first climb took us to Montgenèvre, just before the Italian border. The three of us rode the day together and since we all crossed the line at the same time, on the handicap system this meant that this was a first win for Andy, with John and I sharing second place. Had there been points for a sprint finish, then Andy would have won by a tyre’s width over John who left his surge slightly too late, though he disputes this!

We then had a long descent into Susa where it was time for second breakfast. Well it was still only 8:30!

Finestre is a HC climb and the one on which Chris Froome basically won the Giro, so it was great to experience that. John and Andy pulled away from me on the paved section through the forest (10km) but I saw them stopping for water just before the start of the 8km gravel section. I rode past without wanting to stop but they soon caught and passed me.

The total ascent for the climb is an astonishing 1,683 metres (average of 9%). Going through the forest you don’t really get to appreciate this until quite late on and it is stunning to be able to look so far down into the valley.

On the way up we passed Ben and Ying coming down to Susa where they had left the car. I didn’t envy them having to descend on that gravel – the road surface was unpaved, hard packed earth with plenty of loose gravel so you had to pick your lines carefully. Sometimes you could feel the wheels sticking a little on the damper sections, though we were blessed with a dry day, but there had been some overnight rain in the area.

John, Andy and I finished within 6 minutes of each other, but it was not until we got home and analysed data that we realised that on the handicap system Ying was the winner, with Andy beating me by 50 seconds and John in last place having set the fastest time! Seems unfair, but they were the rules of engagement.

Thankfully the descent off Finestre towards Sestriere is a proper road surface. The road is wide enough for a car to pass a cyclist but not much else, so it’s fairly tight. Again, this shows the skill of the professional riders, being able to control their bikes at such speed on narrowish roads which fall away steeply.

After a few km we were forced to stop and wait for 30 minutes because there was a so-called super-car rally taking place. A few Porsches, a Lamborghini, a Mercedes and a couple of random others that joined in. Don’t know what that was all about and it didn’t seem especially “super” either, so we just chilled out for a bit.

The rest of the descent and the subsequent climb up to Sestriere was uneventful and unremarkable. John took the win here, with Andy second and me third. Time gaps were small though once handicaps were taken into account, once again showing how this method of scoring was levelling the playing field.

Sestriere is a typical ski village, so nothing really going on or to recommend it other than the lasagne we had for lunch, though Andy had Stinco. Would you order it? Andy speaks Italian so knew straight away what it was. It’s basically ham hock and looked pretty good.

Not far to go now before we completed the loop back to the base of Montgenèvre. Another uneventful and unremarkable climb, apart from the tunnels. Andy took his second win here with me again in third – apart from one joint second place this was the story of my day as far as the KOM competition was concerned today. Overall though I only lost one point to John so the current standings are me leading by 36 on 123, John 97, Ying 84, Andy 77, Ben 42.

Back at the house there was a unanimous decision that no-one wanted to do the long climb up to Sestriere tomorrow via a different ascent to today’s. Instead there would be just three climbs and 80km to ride rather than 120km. I felt it only fair to point out that the maximum points on offer if John won all three climbs was 36, thereby meaning that I just needed to complete one climb in order to be the overall winner. Victory conceded. So the battle now turns to who else will be on the podium and in what order? Will Ying hold on for third with a trademark strong showing on the first climb of the day (before fading or going home) or will it be Andy who seems to be getting stronger and is certain to complete the whole ride? Surely neither can catch John and relegate him can they? Can they? Poor old Ben who put so much effort into organising this has been feeling a bit rubbish and seems destined for lantern rouge.

With all the race results settled and plans made for the next day, it was time for the hot tub before then heading into Briançon’s old town and a restaurant within the castle walls.

8am start tomorrow for John, Andy and I who will again do a group ride and sort out the maths later rather than start off with the time differences determined by our handicaps and time penalties for winning or placing on stages. Ying and Ben will probably start out a bit later, if they can be bothered!

This is the Briancon 2018 King of the Mountains challenge brought to you by the Cycling Podcast in association with, er, no one in particular.

Richard Moore: Where are we Lionel?

Lionel Birnie: We’re in Briancon Richard as well you know. All the stages start and finish at the competitors’ house.

RM: Ah yes of course. I expect they all enjoy that?

LB: Well speaking with John G I know that he is more than happy to be in one place as he has done a lot of moving around between hotels on previous bike trips. Says it’s great to have been able to unpack all his kit for the duration and not have to worry about getting his bag on the van before breakfast.

RM: So what happened today Lionel? Give us the tale of the tour.

LB: Well Rich, as Daniel would say using his football analogies, it was a game of two halves today and gave the race jury something to think about too.

Daniel Friebe: Are you trying to steal my thunder Lionel?

LB: No not really, it’s just that this time a football reference seems to make sense!

DF: Touché.

LB: Anyway, today was a 67km stage with two ascents of the Izoard, first from the north and then from the south. The first climb saw Ying set off, followed by Ben 13 minutes later, John G 7 minutes after that. Andy was a further 3 minutes back and John E a further 5 minutes.

RM: Those are big time gaps Lionel!

LB: Yes, but you know it showed how well the handicap and penalty system worked. Well partially anyway.

RM: What do you mean by that?

LB: Well the first three to set off all arrived at the top of the climb within 3 minutes of each other, with Ying taking the honours and John G just overhauling Ben in the final kilometre of a 19 kilometre climb to take second. Andy was a further 5 minutes back and I think he is suffering from the initial climbing speed assessment, or VAM as it’s known.

DF: Yes that’s an Italian acronym which means …

RM: Yes thank you Daniel we may come back to that later but we need to complete the round up first.

DF: Sorry Rich.

LB: Anyway, John E brought up the rear a few minutes after Andy, which is kind of an appropriate turn of phrase in a way as he had internal problems of a different sort today, though thankfully he did not end up with a Tom Dumoulin moment on the side of the road.

DF: Did you have to mention that Napalm? You know how squeamish I am about such matters.

LB: Well it’s kind of relevant yes, as it had a bearing on how the day panned out. The group had first descended 2 kilometres into Briançon for the official start of the climb which then actually went Back up past their house. John E decided to start with Andy as he knew he was going to have to pop home to use the facilities.

DF: Oh I see. And did that have a bearing on the chaos and rebellion that followed?

LB: I think so. John E was in a sorry state at the top and there was a suggestion that he should just go back to the house instead of doing the southern ascent. He insisted that he was going to do the descent but not muck about at the bottom waiting for his start time and instead come straight back up again. Meanwhile Ben and Andy declared that they were going to go home so that they could save themselves for the big Finestre day tomorrow. John G was always going to complete both sides of the mountain which left Ying wavering a little. In the end, and probably flushed with success from his victory on the first climb, Ying decided to follow the two Johns.

DF: Such anarchy is unheard of in the Tour de France surely!

RM: It does sound chaotic and highly irregular. How did they sort that out? I take it we are now talking about the second half.

LB: Indeed Richard. John G, as Head of the Race Jury quickly decided that while the time penalties incurred on the first climb would stand, there would be no time penalties on the second climb. Ben and Andy needed to be penalised in some way for their actions and this seemed to be a reasonable way to deal with it. Anyway, everyone agreed.

RM: If you ask me I think Ben and Andy got away with it lightly.

LB: Quite possibly so Rich, but of course they did also forfeit their opportunity to score King of the Mountains points. So the format of the second part of this stage was that the three riders who were doing the second climb just started when they were ready, which meant that Strava had to be interrogated to determine what times they each recorded rather than have the winner decided on the mountain so to speak. The cumulative penalties that had been incurred prior to that were then taken into account with the result that John E was declared the winner, with John G second and Ying third. This was a real resurgence in form for John E and sets the final two days up nicely.

RM: So what’s the points situation at the moment?

LB: John G is still leading with 92 points though there were no wins for him today of course, John E is still second on 65, then Ying has surged from fifth to third with 54 points, followed by Ben on 36 and Andy on 29.

RM: So the gap between the two Johns has widened then?

LB: Yes but if you look at the schedule for tomorrow, with John E seemingly recovered it could be game on.

DF: Sounds like a mouth watering prospect. Could the Finestre again be the turning point like it was in the Giro d’Italia recently when the leader Yates cracked and Froome made what turned out to be the race-winning break?

LB: It could well be Daniel, though as the day is only 120 kilometres I don’t see an 80km break going away but you never know. All the signs are that John E is not going to mess around waiting for his start times. He’s going to shoot straight through and let John G do all the calculations later.

RM: And is everyone going to take part on the whole stage?

DF: I’ve been speaking to John G and he thinks it likely that a car is going to be involved.

RM: What else did the race leader have to say about today’s stage?

DF: Given the time gaps, I think he would have settled for maintaining third position on the first climb, seeing no one either ahead of him or behind. In the event he saw Ben about 300 metres ahead of him with 3k to go. He knew it was possible to reel him in, but had to bide his time. In the end the catch was made just in time of course as we now know.

RM: And what does he think about tomorrow?

DF: Well John E trounced him on the second climb despite having been unwell and declaring that he was taking that climb easy. So John G is a bit concerned. It’s a far cry from this morning when the others all seemed ready to concede victory to him.

RM: We’ve said before and will say again that it’s not possible to win a stage race on day 1, but it is possible to lose it. We’ve been joined by Orla Chennaoui. Hello Orla! I though you were covering the OVO Energy Women’s Tour at the moment? That race clashes with this one does it not?

Orla Chennaoui: Hello Richard and indeed it does. But you know that we women are far better at multitasking.

RM: Steady on, I’m covering the Women’s Tour with you as well!

OC: Indeed you are Richard. You know how I like to wind you up sometimes! Anyway, I really liked today’s stage in Briançon. It was similar in length to La Course which the women rode last year, only instead of a warm up before the Izoard climb these guys did them both. A tough day in the saddle. Although as we have already spoken about, the women could easily have done the full stage that the men did last year.

DF: Yes, today was a tough day for those who could be bothered to complete the whole thing.

OC: Indeed so Daniel. I must say, though, that this has been a terrific event and I’m all in favour of innovation. It keeps the racing interesting. The only suggestion I would have for Ben is that he considers doing a Women’s Briançon next year.

RM: We’ll pass that on to him, thanks Orla. We had better let you go now as you have another podcast to record.

OC: Thanks Richard.

RM: So I think we should wrap it up there chaps. Is there anything else we need to say before we do?

DF: Just to say Rich that it’s going to be an early start for the riders tomorrow and they are probably in bed already. It’s a 4:30 alarm for a 6am start so that they can get up the Finestre before it gets too hot and can get back in time for a sauna and a hot tub.

LB: I believe only Andy managed a sauna today did he not?

DF: Quite so Lionel, but there were no points on offer for that, or even penalties!

RM: Right, that’s quite enough from us, we’ve gone on long enough. Thank you Lionel. Thank you Daniel.

LB: Thank you Richard.

DF: Thank you Richard.

[Cue music]

Well I hope you enjoyed that podcast. Just to finish off from my side, here’s a few photos from the day.

We arrived safely at our home for the period yesterday. Ben, Ying and I took all the kit in two cars while John and Andy took a train from the airport in Turin to Bardonecchia and then rode over the col to drop down into Briancon and on to the house from there. We found that there is a steep climb up through the village which is going to prove testing at the end of each day!

After stuffing our faces with pizza, we had a quick photo shoot before heading for bed, conscious of the challenge before us.

Who will earn the right to wear a polka dot jersey to signify the leader of the competition each day? And who will win the trophy outright at the end of the competition? As Head of Race Jury I considered awarding John and Andy time penalties for showing off by getting a sneaky ride in yesterday, but that might have been a bit harsh!

In the end, John started in the polka dot jersey on the basis that he had won the two-up “prologue” against Andy.

As for the stage itself, well let’s hear from the Cycling Podcast who are covering the event.

Richard Moore: Where are we Lionel?

Lionel Birnie: We’re in Briancon Rich for the first stage of the Briancon 2018 King of the Mountains challenge.

RM: I’ve not hear of that before, is it a new event on the UCI calendar?

LB: No Rich, it’s five amateur riders who have just come to chase each other up all the climbs in the area and it sounds like a bit of fun too. They have a handicap system to try and make a race of each climb and if it all works to plan there could be sprint finishes at the tops of mountains like the Galibier.

RM: That sounds innovative. Maybe the Tour de France could learn from that.

Daniel Friebe: Well chaps, I think you’ll find that the Tour is going to try something similar on one of the Pyrenean stages this year with their grid system.

RM: Good evening Daniel, and yes you are right of course. This competition could be an early indication of how that may work out.

DF: I doubt that very much.

RM: Anyway, let’s hear about today’s stage shall we? Lionel?

LM: Today’s stage featured three climbs. A category 2 climb up to the the Lautaret where the riders stopped for coffee and croissants and then another cat 2 climb up to the top of the Galibier. They stopped for lunch after descending back down into Serre Chevalier before taking on the hors category Granon and then going home for tea. Sounds like my kind of ride. Without the hard climbing obviously! After all it was only about 100km but with about 2,900 metres of climbing.

RM: That’s all very well Lionel, thinking with your stomach as always, but what happened on the ride? Give us the tale of the tour please.

LB: Well they all set off within 20 minutes of each other from the bottom of the climb, Ying first followed by Ben, John G, Andy and John E. It’s a long climb, 26km but fairly steady.

RM: And did they arrive on that order or did it end in a sprint finish like Ben the organiser hoped?

LB: Not quite. John G managed to pass the two in front of him without being overtaken and so took the 10 points on offer and also attracted a one minute time penalty to carry over to the next climb. John E also managed to jump up a place as Andy had briefly taken a wrong turning.

DF: That’s a bit of a schoolboy error. Didn’t he know that the art of mountain climbing is that you keep going uphill?

LB: Well that’s a bit harsh Daniel, Andy simply started up the Granon too early. But yes, the Lautaret is clearly signposted.

RM: So that put John G into the virtual polka dot jersey. What happened next?

LB: Well after the aforementioned coffee and croissants …..

RM: Lionel …….

LB: Sorry. Sidetracked for a moment. The summit of the Galibier is another 8km. Once again John G managed to finish first and gained another 10 points and a further one minute penalty. Ben hung on for second, then John E followed by Andy but Ying slipped back to finish fifth.

DF: You mean last.

LB: I think fifth is kinder. He worked very hard and was one of the riders to have a NVE?

RM: NVE? Is that related to a TUE or something?

LM: No. A Near Vomit Experience. A sign of just how hard some of these guys were working.

RM: OK so the polka dot jersey is really slipping from John E’s shoulders at this point?

LB: Yes, and it got worse for him on the Granon. Even though he climbed 4 minutes quicker than John G, the handicap system played into John G’s hands and he won again. As it was a HC climb, this was another 30 points in the bag for him, though John E is in second place.

DF: This John E, John G stuff is all very confusing. Can’t you just call John G the Welshman of something?

LB: They’re both Welsh Daniel, so we will have to live with this I’m afraid.

RM: Thank you Lionel. What else do we know about the ride? Daniel, you were positioned about half way up the Granon. What did you see there?

DF: Well I saw John G closing in on Ben and had taken back two of the four minutes head start he had given him. Is was looking like this race was going to go to the line Rich, when inexplicably Ben stopped. John G unkindly said that Ben should take his pictures on the way back down but from what I heard later I think Ben was just trying to manage his heart rate. Probably sensible but it did hand John G victory on a plate.

RM: But Lionel said that John E was quicker up that climb?

DF: Yes, but not quite quick enough. Also, John E had an ACTUAL vomit experience. Four times!

RM: Sounds messy. Is he OK?

DF: Yes, but his bike needed a good wash this evening. And his bidons.

RM: We’ve been joined by Francois Thomazeau. Good evening Francois.

FT: Good evening everyone.

RM: You were also on the course today. What did you see.

FT: Well the entente cordiale is still alive and well. I saw John G and Ying having a nice chat with a local rider about 2km from the top of the Lauteret. We are used to seeing people chatting in the peloton, but not when the race is on with points on offer.

RM: That’s good to hear. Was there a danger of John G being distracted by this and losing out to one of his rivals?

FT: Well you know not really because I could see he was keeping an eye out for what was going on behind.

LB: Yes and I should just say that although they all started within 20 minutes of each other and the gap did narrow, thus vindicating all Ben’s work on setting the handicaps to a certain extent, it did only narrow to about 8 or 9 minutes between first and last.

RM: So how do we see this panning our tomorrow Lionel?

FT: Well firstly let me just say that most unusually they have not settled on what the route will be. You don’t see that in the Tour de France!

DF: Quite so Francois. How do they get away with that? You don’t see Team Sky or Movistar or anyone else who might have had a bad day picking and choosing what they are going to ride next. There should be regulations about this!

FT: Quite so you know, but actually I don’t think UCI or ASO are going to be too bothered.

LB: To answer your question Richard, the cumulative time penalties that John G has incurred will pull him a little closer to John E who is currently lying in second place and a little further away from Ben and Ying, so it is going to make it harder for him to get the wins on whatever climbs they decide to do.

DF: I’m hearing that climbing both sides of the Izoard is on the cards so that they finish by lunchtime and can use the hot tub and sauna at their house.

RM: Interesting interesting. But Lionel, do you think John E can claim back the jersey?

LB: You know I don’t like speculation Richard.

RM: Quite so. Anyway, we’ve gone on long enough and we do have our own dinner to get to.

LB: Quite right too.

RM: Ahem. So thank you Lionel, thank you Daniel and thank you Francois.

LB: Thank you Richard.

FT: Thank you Richard.

DF: Thanks Rich.

RM: And maybe tomorrow we will be joined by Ciro Scognamiglio.

DF: I think Ciro is going to wait until they visit Finestre or Sestriere. You know he prefers the beach to the mountains, but at least if the mountains are on the Italian side he might make one of his fleeting appearances!

RM: Thanks Daniel. We really must end it there and we’ll reconvene tomorrow.

[Cue music]

Well I hope you all enjoyed that transcript of tonight’s episode. Let’s see if they are back tomorrow!

Meanwhile, some photos from today’s stage:

Something a little different this time. A group of five who like cycling in the mountains are heading to Briancon in the French Alps for four days of serious mountain climbing. We won’t just stick to France though as we are in striking distance of some Italian classics, namely Finestre and Sestriere, so it promises to be fun (in the way that I understand the word fun of course)!

We will also climb the Izoard, which was the last of the serious climbs on the Tour last year, hence my triumphant photo which some may recall!

The competitive element is the brainchild of Ben, who has put together a detailed race book that would surely be the envy of the Tour or the Giro. The book describes all the routes, climbs and rules of engagement. Specifically, as we are all of different abilities this will be a handicap race, meaning that we will set off at different intervals based on our relative climbing speeds.

This means that in theory the summit of each climb should see a 5-way battle for the win, as well as minimising the time we spend at the top waiting for all to arrive. It can be cold at the tops of mountains!

The idea is that as well as winning points for the King of the Mountains jersey, people will also incur time penalties for winning, to be applied to the start of the next climb. This should help even out discrepancies in the estimated differences between our climbing speeds and ensure fair competition throughout rather than early dominance being achieved and maintained by any one rider. We shall see!

I am also looking forward to the inquest at the end of each day where other time penalties may be imposed for other types of infraction. I have been nominated head of the race jury and will do my best to be impartial despite my obvious conflict of interest!

Together we are Ben, John E, Andy, Ying and myself. We have all been preparing for this in our different ways and we will find out tomorrow how successful this has all been. For myself, I am hoping that my recent week in Spain is going to be of benefit.

First things first, we have a plane to catch.

Today was another great day and our final day. It was also the coldest day. Yesterday we were OK in shorts for the most part, despite the presence of snow on the road. The following photos from yesterday are courtesy of Doug and Graham.

Today was definitely a case for full winter set up in the morning as, although the sun was out it was very windy – and also blowing in our faces too. I rode the first flat section and then the climb rotating the lead with Richard and Tony until Graham joined us – he had been suffering a Garmin malfunction which held him back at the start (and yes, I went on without him knowing that he would catch me anyway).

After about 35km there was an option to rode down the gorge to Caín and back before rejoining the main route. Though the legs were still burning from yesterday (and indeed from a week of significant climbing) and the “descent” included a short 19% climb as well as some 20% stuff on the way back up, this was an excellent move. We have seen lots of gorges this week, but this was the best one to gorge on!

Some great views before getting to the little village at the bottom. There was a short cobbled section of road there, so that was fun when climbing back up too!

I nearly stopped on a 20% section on the way back up, but remembering how difficult it was to get started again after stopping on the Angliru yesterday, I pushed on. Redemption time!

It had been 22 degrees in the sun trap that is Caín, but on the next climb the temperature plummeted to about 6 degrees (and it felt colder with the wind) and it started snowing! Only lightly, but it was snowing. Good job I also had my winter gloves and skull cap with me. It was actually snowing when I took the next picture, though that does not show up. Shame!

Ham, egg and chips for lunch. I have eaten too many chips this week, and also bread of course meaning that once again I now consist of 80% carbohydrate!

From there it was just one more push to reach the top of San Glorio. We had climbed this from the longer side on day 1 so were going to be descending from the summit back to our first hotel in Potes for the second time.

First, though, there was the optional extra 2km climb to the Mirador above San Glorio. This was well worth the extra push if only to see the bear!

I don’t take many selfies, but here is one of me with a bear behind.

A final long descent to the hotel and then it was time to dismantle the bike and box it up. There was a final optional extra of another 24km climb to Fuente De and back first, which Graham wanted to do but I did not. I’ve ridden about 800km (500 miles) with 16,000 metres of climbing and that’s quite enough for one week. It’s time to sort out my stuff in good time for dinner and in readiness for a 6am start tomorrow.

Now, I wonder what the gin is like here …….

Today was all about the Angliru. There was the small matter of a warm up climb to reach the top of El Cordial first to make sure the legs were still working after the day before. They were, and now nothing was in the way of the Angliru which was the next climb on the agenda.

At the bottom of the climb you can see the mountain towering over the village and can just about make out the contour of the road snaking up to the top, though the photo does not do it justice.

The climb starts off as a “normal” climb if there is such a thing – in other words nothing more than 9% for a few km and then a flattish section before reaching the Mirador – my new favourite word, meaning viewpoint.

After that things got serious. Just 7km or so to the top, but the average gradient was now about 13-15% and there were two short ramps of about 20% in a couple of the early bends. So far, so good. Then for a while we continued with the 13-15% average gradient with no silly stuff and it felt fine. Finally with about 3km to go it really did get silly. First there was another bend with a 20% ramp which I was able to take, but I had no recovery time as the road then went straight into a 23.5% section. Had I taken a breather on the previous bend (from where it would have been possible for me to restart) then I might have been ok. But I didn’t, so I had to unclip and stop before falling off. From there I had to walk 500 metres to a point where I could restart. Shame really, but there we go. Puts into perspective what the pros do when they race up this mountain!

We got right to the finish point and wondered what the point of the road was as it was a dead end and there was no habitation anywhere or even radio masts like on the Big G yesterday. For people like us to hurt ourselves I suppose!

The descent was tricky – I am not a great descender at the best of times and going down steep twisty roads is a challenge.

The first shot below is looking back up at the 23.5% section while on the descent. The second shows that we had a fair amount of snow for company too!

Having safely got to the bottom, we then had a coffee before setting off on a 50km section to lunch. Graham was already long gone, but Joe, Hugh, Doug, Clive, Martin and I worked together to deal with that transfer back towards the climbs that would ultimately take us back into the Picos and up onto the plateau. Our home for the night would be back in Riaño, home of the best gin and tonic. A few more this time (though not all for me!).

That’s it for now. Should be a shorter day tomorrow, our final day before having to pack the bikes away for an early transfer to the airport on Sunday morning.

Yesterday I did not announce my Pick of the Picos. Well it was a close run thing between the gorge shot with the river and the shot of the peak that we subsequently climbed above. But there was a late contender after I had published the blog, namely the goldfish bowl of gin before dinner!

Orange slices, not goldfish

It turns out that the old town of Riaño was flooded in 1984 to create the reservoir and dam. The old town is apparently beneath the bridge in the shot below, though there are many bridges criss-crossing the water which are quite fun to ride over.

The dam itself was impressive, with today’s shot being so much better because of the clear blue skies.

We spent a large chunk of today on the plateau. This does not mean that it was flat however as there were many “undulations”. We were at 1,000 to 1,300 metres above sea level for the first 100km or so, meaning that though the sun was out, when we were in the shade it was chilly and the wind was a bit nippy too. So we still enjoyed magnificent scenery from the limestone rocks that surrounded us and the various rushing streams and cascades. There was still snow clinging to the sides of the road as well as on the mountain tops.

In places there was more shale than limestone and there used to be a lot more mining activity around here. I took the following shot which reminded me of my home town – not that there were many mine shafts in the centre of Cardiff!

We reached our first cafe stop, after which it got a bit interesting. A dog decided it was going to chase Graham, but he got away. That left Joe, Doug and me to get past. I thought I had succeeded until there was a shout behind me. I looked round and sure enough there was a large dark shape barking and foaming at the mouth. Turns out it was Doug encouraging me to do a hill sprint to get away from the dog that was charging up the side of the road! We were OK, but unfortunately one of the other riders got bitten – nothing that needed hospital attention though.

The four of us had a decent lunch at a spot popular with truckers and with an owner who seemed determined to find it difficult to understand what we wanted to order.

After lunch was a short climb and then a 20k decent. Needless to say I was well behind the others on the way down, made worse when I got stuck behind a cattle truck for a while. After a couple of km of this, I finally had the opportunity to complete my first ever overtaking manoeuvre of a vehicle! That made the rest of the descent a lot more pleasant.

At the bottom of the descent we passed a turning for our hotel, but we were all planning to do the extras today and climb at least as far as the next 9km to Cobertoria and for some of us (including yours truly, naturally) the further 7km to Gamoniteiro. I had arrived at the right turn where the Gamoniteiro started thinking that I still maybe had another km to go before that climb began. So that was a pleasant surprise and also a relief as the average gradient was between 10-15% all the way up and I now only had 6km to go, even if the gradient remained steep.

Both of these climbs regularly feature in the Vuelta also, the latter being described as being the Ventoux of Spain. Those who know that mountain would probably recognise that as being a reasonable description. One key difference was a couple of sections of really rough concrete which made it difficult to navigate, whether going up or down.

But we made it, then it was a case of putting on more clothing for the final descent of the day to get to our hotel. This shot at the top of the Gamoniteiro has to be my Pick of the Picos for today – the mountain is known as The Big G!

It was somewhat frustrating to have no phone signal to call home and only intermittent Wi-fi access with which to contact the outside world, but I will catch up.

We have the beast that is the Angliru tomorrow. Various short-cut options were proposed for other sections of the ride which will be the “queen” stage – 170km again like today but with 3,600 metres of climbing, not “just” the 3,100 of today. I have put my name down for doing the whole lot on the bike. Of course. It will be a 6am alarm for 7am breakfast (in a well-negotiated break from Spanish tradition!) and 7:45 start. Just like old times!

What a difference a day makes! Today was wonderful from start to finish. But first, to finish up from yesterday, here’s a photo of Graham arriving at the top of the Covadonga cling. Frankly it could be anyone, anywhere.

Each day we have the option of “classic” or “challenge” route. Today the challenge route involved an extra climb at the start of the day, not the end, so there was no wimping out this time – not that I regret yesterday’s decision.

The morning was truly stunning, riding through limestone gorges again to the accompaniment of the rushing rivers. Some of the rock formations were great to behold if you like that kind of thing.

There was a good coffee stop just before one of the climbs reached its steepest section. All bought coffee (served in Estrella beer glasses!) and some bought food so the owner didn’t mind that it looked like I was setting shop outside with the grub from the van. Naranjo slice anyone?

After that climb there was a nice descent down to lunch, though there were a number of places where we had to avoid rock fall. The netting that is put up catches some of it, but not all. Good job nothing came down while I was riding past!

Just before the lunch stop was this cascade. Spot also the rope bridge and steep steps up the right hand side!

The view at the lunch stop itself was arguably better. Certainly the fact that I managed to have lunch today made it all better! Asturias bean soup – haricot beans, and very tasty. Another option was soup with pieces of liver. No!

After lunch there was another 20km+ climb to add to those from the day before. Gentle at first, but challenging all the way. Being able to see the scenery made it all the better. We rode towards and then essentially through this one, and on coming out the other side the route took us even higher so that we were overlooking it. Quite a view!

After the climb we were essentially on a plateau where the landscape was a lot more open. We passed a village that was rebuilt some time back because the original was flooded to build a reservoir. We are staying in a nice hotel in Riaño overlooking the reservoir tonight, and will be back in two days’ time.

Loads of wildlife to see today, including the ubiquitous donkeys, cattle, sheep, chickens, goats and birds of prey (not sure which). Thought I’d get a close up of some of the flora too today.

Overall this was 106km (65 mile) ride, but with 2,750 metres of climbing it made for a very long 106km. The distances and climbing increases from here on in. Eek!

Never mind, apparently they do the best gin and tonic in Riaño and it’s time to go and find out!