Author: johnstourdeforce

How appropriate for a rugby-loving Welshman to be contemplating his personal Grand Slam! Only in this case it’s not a case of Wales conquering the other five countries in the 6 Nations championship, but of one Welshman riding in each of the five mountain regions of France! I won’t be alone of course, as I will once again be riding with the Tour de Force with whom I had a fantastic adventure even though I “only” rode the first half of the 2016 edition, raising funds for the William Wates Memorial Trust.

Follow the links to find out more about WWMT and TdeF and if you would like to sponsor me for my 2017 adventure, then please go to my page at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnGriffiths5. Looking at the stats for the 2016 blog I appear to have had over 400 readers, so if each one gave just £10 that would come to a huge amount. That’s less than 50p per report/day on the bike!

For those who did not follow me on my previous journey, you can still read about it on this site, where I also explained more about the ride and the rider. In summary, however, the overall aim is to raise funds to support charities working with disadvantaged people to fulfil their potential. This is all being done in the memory of William Wates, who lost his life to street crime tragically early.

The route is somewhat irregular for 2017, zigzagging around rather than assuming a regular clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. Starting in Dusseldorf in Germany, the route travels down the eastern side of France (taking in some of Belgium and Luxembourg too, for good measure) through the Vosges region and then onto the Jura. From there we switch to the west (looks like a 6 hour coach journey on our rest day – boo) and then travel down to the Pyrenees. From there we travel across to the Alps via the Massif Central. The last time the Tour covered all five mountain ranges was in 1992 and I am salivating at the prospect!

In 2016 it was great riding with some of William’s brothers and also to meet his parents who came out for the first few days. Here’s a photo of me (in my Bigfoot club kit) with Andrew, Rick and Sarah Wates, taken by a local journalist who was wondering who we were and what we were up to!

That’s probably enough to kick off the 2017 blog for now. It’s time to start on the training! In the meantime, there now follows a copy of an article I wrote which was published on the Tour de Force website to publicise the work of one of the charities supported and to provide an insight into the work that goes on.

Visit to Westminster House Youth Club

Three Tour de Forcers went along to the presentation given by three members of WHYT who completed their Duke of Edinburgh Gold expedition this summer. They were presenting to other members of the club, some of whom may well be working towards their own Bronze, Silver or maybe even Gold awards one day. From left to right they are Florian (5 time veteran of TDF), Ethan, Ore, David (2013 lifer), Josh and yours truly.

During the presentation we saw photos of stunning scenery and heard tales of early starts, long distances taking between 8-11 hours each day to complete, getting wet and not drying out, consuming large amounts of food, the odd navigational error, determination to succeed in the mission and being encouraged and inspired by your friends. So far, this all sounds very familiar to anyone who has taken part in the Tour de Force, but this was a 100km walk over 4 days in the Brecon Beacons. Key differences were that we have wheels and they had 20kg rucksacks to carry. We can stop every 40km for well-laid out and plentiful refreshments, whilst they could only eat what they could carry. Restocking at any local shops would have invalidated the expedition. On balance I’ll stick to the bike, but full credit to the guys who completed this expedition and to those who helped them prepare for it.

Ethan and Ore are giving their time to WHYT and were direct entrants to the Gold award i.e. they’ve never done anything like this before, whereas Josh has been at the club for some 8 years and already has Bronze and Silver to his name. They should all complete the remaining tasks within the coming months and then a visit to Buckingham Palace beckons. The work done to support and encourage them by Katie, Louisa and Mark, who we also met this evening, is outstanding.

Being able to undertake the award scheme is not cheap – at least £1,000 for each person who goes on the Gold expedition – and it’s good to see how some of the money we raise goes towards supporting people who otherwise do not have the chance. I heard that others on the expedition came from private schools and were dropped off and collected in posh cars. Having finished the expedition, our guys had to run for the train carrying the pizzas that they had time to order, but not eat, with them – and what a sorry state those pizzas were as they boarded the train!

It was great to be able to go along and support the evening and to have a good chat with them all afterwards. I’d really recommend visiting one of the charities we are supporting to really learn what WWMT is all about.

 

Homeward bound, but I wish I wasn’t. I guess you knew that line was coming. Well I am glad that I’m coming home, but I do feel that I could have carried on, which is one of the reasons why I did this “tour taster” to find out whether I could.

So I’m sat in Toulouse airport waiting for a flight home. I’m with Kirsty and Shim the physios who are also going back today, to be replaced by another team. As well as getting the ball rolling on sorting out the tight muscles I had after all the prep for this trip, Kirsty has been in the signing van and the baggage van too. I have learned a lot more today about what goes on in the background and I am sure there are many stories that could be told there.

As cyclists we can easily take the route marker signs for granted and expect to just pick up our bags at the end of the ride and get cleaned up and ready for the next day. But signing the route is not without its own stress. They want to be two hours ahead of the riders, but as soon as we start rolling then the pressure is on and the clock can tick down. Yesterday in Andorra for example was so tricky with the border, the busy roads and the lack of obvious places to stop that the lunch stop was only set up minutes before the riders started coming through. Then in other places the police ask a lot of questions though it is generally fine (unless we are in Spain as we saw yesterday). I heard another story of being told that we could not use a particular route through town as there was going to be a parade at the time the riders would be coming through. Rather than be awkward, the police indicated an alternative route, which was brilliant. I think mention the Tour de France and you can get a long way.

So there are a lot of unsung heros involved in this trip, people we may never get to see or interact with because their schedule is so different to ours. Without them we would not have half the fun we did so all I can do is express my great gratitude to those involved and who may also be giving up their own vacation time or taking unpaid leave to support us.

Finally, as my flight is about to be called and I leave France before the Welsh football team does (who saw that coming?), if you have enjoyed following my travels then may I gently remind you that as well as being a challenge for me, this trip is also about helping those who face a whole different set of challenges in their daily lives and face far more daunting mountains than we did on this trip.

A link to my fundraising page is in the third article I posted before coming out. If I remember it correctly it is http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/johngriffiths5

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 05:50. Transfer: 45 minutes. Start time: 07:55. Distance: 180 km. Terrain: high mountains (3,700 metres). Climbs: one HC, three category 1, one category 2. Finish: 20:15. Time in the saddle: 10 hours or so.

The eagle eyed may spot a discrepancy. You are correct, I did not do the final climb in the end which would have added say 1,500 metres climbing on a 15 km climb. With the subsequent descent, I would not have got back to the hotel until at least 10 pm.

Local lowdown

Brown trout is a favourite dish in Arcalis, Andorra, but that sounds quite ordinary compared to the fact that we are near the Madrin-Perafita-Claror glacial valley here, which is a UNESCO World Heritgae site. It’s not the Eiffel Tower, but nevertheless an impressive place to finish my own personal tour of France.

Tale from the Tour

We started today on the border between France and Spain, starting in the Spanish town of Vielha val d’Aran.

What a total turnaround with the weather conditions! Clear skies, glorious sunshine and temperatures that soared into the mid thirties, even nudging 40 degrees at one point. You can expect extremes of weather in the mountains, but nevertheless it seemed odd that the temperature did not seem to drop as we climbed, though there was the occasional cool breeze and some shade.

I felt really good on the first climb, which commenced the moment we got off the bus. Though I must be feeling cumulative fatigue, it wasn’t evident. The first climb was punctuated by the Spanish police stopping us and making a fuss, presumably because of the 80 or so riders on the road, but by the time they stopped us we were already split up into small groups anyway. I guess they could see a long line coming up the mountain and reacted to that. After some discussion, they let us continue provided we were in groups of no more than 20.  Ridiculous – we were already in groups of less than that size and the mountain soon splits us up anyway. Hope that they don’t pull the same stunt next week or the pros will have something to say about that!

During that whole climb we were rewarded with spectacular views. Everyone seemed to be going well, the mood was great, celebratory almost even though we still had a long way to go. Again, this is why we ride.

I am not the greatest descender but was pleased that the descent off the climb (which peaked at 2,075 metres, so not far short of yesterday’s Tourmalet) was not technical. In other words it was not too twisty and I was able to go down at speeds of up to 60 kph. Others can go much faster than me, but that’s about all I seem to be comfortable with. It’s a great feeling swooping down at such speed while also feeling in control.

There was a longish gap to the next climb, at the top of which there were again great views. On the way down I started to feel like I just wanted to shut my eyes as I was so tired – I had not had a coffee at the previous stop as Ian was away getting extra water. We were all chugging it today. I was looking out for a shop or cafe and then lo and behold I saw the primary exponents of the art of stopping for coffee – Paul and Tony – sat outside a cafe drinking ice cold cokes. A few others had followed their lead and I did likewise. Good call.

Feeling refreshed, we set off towards feedstop 3, the lunch stop (stop 3 = lunch even though it was actually 4:30 pm). By now the temperature was at its peak. By the time we got to lunch most of the riders had gone through but there were still about a dozen behind.  I had felt good at the beginning of the ride and the two cat 1 climbs had passed without difficulty. I used Gary’s trick of wearing two pairs of bibshorts for comfort, which helped, but had to discard one of them at lunch because it was far too hot to continue like that.

I was with the original founders of the fun bus that had got us through the long, wet stages on days 3&4 and we had a discussion about the rest of the ride. We were now in Andorra with a cat 2, a cat 1 and an HC still to go. At the briefing this morning were were told that at the point where the HC climb began, there were also arrow markers direct to the hotel. As Jenn is a lifer, she joined Nick, Ivo and others and they all ultimately got to complete the ride. Massive chapeau all round.

Annabel and I were never going to Paris and our ride was finishing in Andorra come what may. We decided that we would complete climbs 3&4 (going direct to the hotel was also an option at that point) and then skip the final HC. Had I been going to Paris then I think my mindset would have been different, but this was our Paris and I wanted time to unwind, have a glass or two of wine and generally savour the moment.

So onto the last climbs. The first (i.e.third of the day) saw us baking in hot sun and grateful for the shade when it came. The last climb of our day was an absolute pig. Only 6.6 km, but much of that was in double figures in terms of gradient including a 1 km section at an average of 12% with some 16% ramps. OK so we do this at home – think Toys Hill –  but the run into Toys is much more benign in comparison! One final smooth descent before the final run into town, dropping off the bike for return transfer to London and collecting my bags and room key.
I am so glad that I gave myself permission not to thrash myself unnecessarily on that final HC. You could argue that none of this was necessary of course, but that’s a different story. Do I feel that my achievement has been diminished as a result? Not a bit of it.

So I now have a little trophy to commemorate this, made by people learning practical skills at a project in Scotland. It can stand proudly with my Wiggo and Cav shirts.

The buffet dinner was great that evening and bears listing out. I had chicken, mixed veg and salad followed by a big plate of various fruity and chocolate desserts. Followed by entrecôte and potatoes and some more desserts!

Despite still carrying aches and pains in various places, to his great credit Gary completed the whole ride. Now you never for a moment thought he wouldn’t, did you? I think Gary and the other lifers are now really well placed to go on to Paris. They will be so strong after a rest day and in addition to a further rest day next week, there are also two time trial days to come. Even if they decide to smash round those two courses, they will still be much shorter days in the saddle and will offer some more recovery time. Bonne continuation.

Gary and I then retired to the bar for a beer with a few others. It’s a rest day for them tomorrow, so they could afford to indulge. I managed only one, but by then it was midnight and enough was enough.

Penseé du Pédaleur

And so ends my odyssey. It’s been an amazing journey through France (and a little bit of Spain and most of Andorra) and has brought back many memories as well as creating new ones that I will cherish for a long time. So until I find the time to be able to ride the whole Tour (maybe!) its “au revoir” and not “adieu”.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:15. Transfer: none. Start 07:40. Distance 186 km. Terrain: high mountains (4,000 metres) . Climbs: 1  HC, 2 cat 1, 1 cat 2. Finish 20:15. Time in saddle: 11:08.

Climbing is approximate as my Garmin was having an off day and I’ve not corrected it on Strava yet. But with four major climbs you get the picture. [Update: climbing was somewhere around 5,000 metres in the end.]

Local lowdown

So after a hard day in the saddle, there’s nothing better than arriving at Bagnères de Luchon and having a nice hot shower using the local Pyrenean soap. But the pétéram (tripe) for dinner? No thanks – I’ll stick to the pistache (cassoulet)! Actually the hotel laid on some great food but I think table manners are going a little bit out of the window as we all stuff our faces more and more as the tour progresses. Appetites are huge at the moment and we can’t wait to devour our dinner.

Tale from the Tour

Today was the turn of the Tourma-Tourma-Tourma-Tourmalet. Actually the song I heard being sung last time I was here went “Allez, allez, allez, monter le Tourmalet”, sung by a cheery bunch of people who were under cover while we were getting soaked. Today was also somewhat soggy but nowhere near as wet as it was then.

First things first – Ian, Sam and Stu on the excellent support team are all from Wales so we had a great time watching the football last night. I’ve made Gary an honorary Welshman as he was getting caught up in it too. So now it’s Bale v Ronaldo. Tidy.

Riding along with Nick W at the start he mentioned how our various aches and pains are “rotating through our bodies”. How true that is. If it’s not the back it’s the knee and if it’s not that it’s the achilles. Gary suffered from that today, but it got better as the day went on and he finished well. Of course all these ailments have the same root cause – cycling! My body is holding up and I had no real discomfort (other than what you would normally expect on a day like today).

We started by passing many more fields of maize on a route that also took us past Lourdes.

After the last long flat section that I will do, we had a climb up the Tourmalet, the first HC climb. I actually saw a 2CV coming down, and how it got up the other side first I’ll never know, especially as it was towing a trailer (see under Arrival Day, which now seems light years away). Weather was clear at times to get some shots though.

The next climb was a very pastoral Hourqette d’Ancizan, where it wasn’t just donkeys we had to avoid but cows and horses too.

On the next climb, Col de Val Louron Azet, we could see almost nothing. I rode most of the middle section of the ride with Nick and we literally had our head in the clouds for a large part of the day.

At feedstop 4 I changed into a dry jersey – my “Cycling Bishop” one, which was a blessed relief and I was then a bit warmer for the final section.

The Peyresourde was the last climb of the day and which I rode on my own. One thing which helps on the climbs is where signs are put up saying how far there is to go, how much climbing there is and what the average gradient is over the next 1 km.  This is very helpful and lower down the climb gives me the info I need to do mental maths, as I can work out whether, after the next km the gradient looks like it will get harder (boo) or easier (yea).

Others like to listen to music, chat with their friends if they have the energy or just generally let their minds wander. I’ll do those things too, except listen to music. Why would you when you can hear the sounds of nature, the rushing water in the gorges and the cicadas which seem to get louder the further south you go?

I was one of the last to finish, which is no surprise but I did finish in time for dinner which is the main thing. Although there is one day to come, I already feel very proud of my achievement and anything I can manage tomorrow will be the cherry on the top of a very large cake. The enormity of it hit me with 5 km to go on the last climb today when I realised that yes, this stage was in the bag too.

Tomorrow I am torn between completing the ride on two wheels, and getting back in time to celebrate properly. I shall aim to do both! It is, though, highly likely that I won’t write up Stage 9 until I am on the bus to Toulouse on Monday morning.

Penseé du Pédaleur

So today’s reminiscence relates to the iconic Tourmalet. I was delighted to have the opportunity to climb this from the west today, because when I was here in 2014 the road was closed for resurfacing. The road had been in pitiful condition, but when the Tour goes through, then the roads get either resurfaced or top-dressed. The pros were going to descend that at top speed, so pot holes are no good in those situations. Had we tried to ride it, then we would have found the tar sticking to the tyres and would have to stop every few metres or so anyway to clean them off else the bike is going to get wrecked. A few weeks later I returned to the Pyrenees to ride that stage, so was able to climb from the east side and descend a beautifully smooth road. However, the weather was again atrocious with the conditions so bad that I took it easy on the descent, despite the risk of going hypothermic. So today it was good to be able to do that climb at last. I wasn’t bothered that it was wet. You have to accept whatever comes your way in the mountains and to be prepared for it. If you don’t respect the mountains you can get into a lot of trouble.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:00. Transfers: 1:30 & 1:30. Start time: 08:25 Distance: 162.5 km. Terrain: rolling, then high mountains (2.400 metres). Climbs: one category 4, one category 1. Finish: 17:15. Time in the saddle: 7:22 hours.

Scrambled egg and bacon for breakfast. Result!

Local lowdown

Lac de Payolle sounds very carnivore, with its Campan lamb and garbure. The latter is not as bad as it might sound – it’s meat and cabbage stew. OK, so maybe that does not seem so very enticing. There is some local blueberry jam to taste afterwards though.

Tale from the Tour

Deep into southern France now and nothing but the sound of silence and the gentle humming of the wheels as we started climbing the Aspin. The roads had been reasonably busy until then, but nothing like yesterday.
A tour like this examines you both mentally and physically.  Looking back now I realise that yesterday I had to dig fairly deep physically, though to a lesser extent mentally. This morning started with a different type of physical self-examination, following which Gary decided to wear two pairs of bib shorts. I won’t give any further explanation, you won’t thank me for it.

It comes to something when we describe 162 km as a short ride, but that’s how we see it in comparison with the others. This allowed us to do a second transfer after the ride to get to Pau, the start point for tomorrow. This will enable us to get away early on what will be the first of two monstrous days.  We had two buses arranged to pick us up and I was fortunate enough to arrive well on time for the first one, giving me more time to sort myself out this evening. I didn’t see Gary all day and he’ll come back on the second bus. I know that this is because he is managing his effort, his knees are still not right and he is looking forward to the rest day, when I fly home. Otherwise he’s fine and riding well, as you would expect.

(Update: Gary was lead astray by others and ended up doing extra mileage before being picked up and dropped off where he should been. As Gary says, at least he will beat me on Strava now!)

The ride for me today was all about getting into good groups and gives me a good opportunity to explain the feed stop strategy too. There are four feed stops each day at approx 40 km intervals. We see one van at stops 1&3 and the other at stops 2&4. This means we can add or discard clothing depending on conditions, rather than having to be self-sufficient for the whole day. I’ve even got a winter jacket in case I need it! There is always plenty to eat, with lunch at feedstop 3 and coke, chocolate and general sugar rush stuff at feedstop 4 to fuel us home (unless we also stop for an ice cream as some of us did yesterday). We always get a cheerful greeting from Sam and Heidi at 1&3 and from Ian (fellow Welshman – what will happen tonight against Belgium?) and Shim at 2&4. The girls can help sort out injuries for those that need it, though the main work is done back at the hotel.

We need to be organised as we need one bag for each van and doubles of everything kit-wise is a good idea. It’s no point having a rain jacket in 2&4 when it is raining at 1 or 3.

The rule is that no-one leaves feedstop 1 until everyone has made it in as  I may have mentioned. Today the long flat run to feedstop 1 was such that we all arrived together. The group of 55 ended up as two even sized trains. Not a group size that works in the lanes at home but which was ok here.

Once we leave feedstop 1 we can ride as we please. Between 1 and 2 I hooked up with Monty and Piers, members of the Wates family and both very strong riders (Hugh Webb will remember them). I was doing my stretches when they left feedstop 2 which was fine, so I hooked up with Scott, Nicole and Windy who were all ready to go when I was. This saw us through to lunch and, as with Monty and Piers, featured excellent group riding and we were really flying along, including a power climb led by Nicole over the cat 4. Great work.  After another excellent lunch, I was ready to go earlier than the others so latched on to another group of 5 for the short 19 km run to feedstop 4, the last before our first cat 1 climb of the tour, the Aspin. This I rode on my own through choice – 12 km at an average gradient of 8%. Unlike the mountains of Stage 5 which had similar averages, this was a steady one with nothing  over 10%.

I loved this climb, though could hear the promised thunder in the valley below. It did not rain on me until 1 km from the summit, following which there was a 7 km descent to the finish. Pity those still climbing. It was interesting riding through the cloud and to see the cloud/mist rolling down the road towards me.

I joined the others who had already finished in a cafe at the top and had a hot chocolate while waiting for van 1&3 (and unusually today 5 also) to arrive with a change of clothing – very welcome as we had all got wet. I had cheated by going to the shop and buying a T-shirt and fleece as I did not want to wait, and am very pleased I did. If you think this blog is long today, it is because I  am warm and cosy and whiling away the coach journey to Pau. Makes a nice change from getting it done after dinner when I should really be thinking about getting some sleep!

In other news, wheat fields are giving way to maize and there were just a couple of sunflower fields. Hugh W – I wanted to take a photo for you, but it wasn’t to be. They did indeed bow their heads in awe as we whizzed past!

Will do my stretching exercises later – treatment has made a difference and is an answer to prayer. Felt really strong today.

Penseé du Pédaleur

Up we go. Only one climb today on the Aspin. I’ve climbed this before as part of my Pyrenees costs-to-coast journey in 2014. It’s a beautiful climb. Now I think it’s confession time. Just before I came out, one of my club mates Gerard questioned the gearing I had on the bike – was I really going to use a cassette that only had a lowest gear of 25 when surely a 28 would make more sense? For the uninitiated, the bigger that number, the easier it is to turn the pedals when climbing. It was not until that point that I realised that I had completely overlooked the fact that when the previous cassette had worn out, the bike shop had not replaced like with like, so I thought I was still riding a 28! How unobservant is that! It probably partly accounts for why I struggled so much when riding a stage of the Tour de France last year, though the heat then had a lot to do with that too. Thanks Gerard, you have saved me a lot of pain on the mountain stages we have had so far and in the coming two days especially. I owe you one!

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:00. Transfer: 30 minutes. Start time: 07:30. Distance: 192 km. Terrain: flat (1,100 metres). Climbs: two category 3, one category 4. Finish: 18:20. Time in the saddle: 8:29 hours.

Local lowdown

Montauban seems to go for the sweet things, especially “bonbons flingeurs”. These are chocolate-based sweets, but sounds like a recipe for a messy food-fight!

Tale from the Tour

Another fairly long and winding road as we wend our way south west.

We again started as yesterday finished, with some climbing before we then spent some time in the Lot valley, which was again beautiful. By now you probably realise that what the Tour de France calls flat is in fact undulating and the climbing adds up.

We have a film crew with us for a few days and were asked to wear our Tour de Force kit. Mine was still damp from two days ago so I treated my self to some clean, dry clothing instead. More than one person commented that with the white fleck on an episcopal purple shirt I looked like a bishop!

Gary is all taped up again today and doing his stretches. Last night we were in bunk beds. I took the top bunk on account of the fact I only have one dodgy knee so it was less difficult for me to clamber up. We both got through today OK though and are responding to treatment.

A good chunk of the middle sections were busy major roads and not particularly pleasureable. But we are following the Tour and that is what we signed up for. As the stage wore on, we returned to the countryside and some wonderful views.

Another view cyclists will like is this one below of newly laid smooth tarmac.

Smooth roads make the whole cycling experience much better and we are reaping the benefit of the work that needs to be done to prepare for the Tour.

The heavy machinery is out in force too, clearing stones from an otherwise dangerous descent.

Although I rode a good chunk of this on my own today, I ultimately latched on to Paul, Tim, Tony and Peter and bought the ice creams so that they would have the energy to drag me home! We then sat and shouted encouragement at the other Tour de Force riders going through. Allez Allez allez!

We are in a far nicer hotel tonight compared with the ski chalet of last night where apparently the Lotto-Soudal team will stay too. I can’t imagine that Andre Griepel will have to sleep where I slept, but it’s entirely possible!

Once back at the hotel at an earlier time than last night , Shim the physio worked on my dodgy knee and showed me some exercises. It’s feeling better already.

It was then time for dinner. I’ve not really mentioned this yet, but we hoover up a huge amount of food each day. Bed now for another early start tomorrow.

Penseé du Pédaleur

I have a particular affinity with the South West of France where we are now, though the town I know best is further to the west and on the coast – Arcachon. It was here that I spent 12 months as an 18 year old working as an “aid” to a former GP  (and who was from the Lot area where we were today) who was crippled with arthritis and needed assistance in getting around. It was quite a restrictive time for me in many ways, but spending so much time with a well-educated man meant that my French language skills, which I had studied to A-level, came on very quickly such that after a few months I was fluent. Some of that has faded with the passage of time, but I still feel comfortable with the language and totally at home in France, which does not seem foreign to me in the same way as when I visit other places.

Retaining the language skill has facilitated some roadside banter with the locals. “Oi, you are a week too early for the Tour”. “Yes but otherwise they’ll catch us up!”

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:45. Transfer: none. Start time: 07:30. Distance: 216 km. Terrain: medium mountains (4,200 metres). Climbs: two category 2, three category 3, one category 4. Finish: 20:30. Time in the saddle: 11:02 hours.

Local lowdown

In the region of Le Lioran they like their truffade (potato pancake with cheese). I can just imagine tucking into one of those after a day on the ski slopes when you really fancy something that sticks to the ribs. Cantal cheese also comes from this region, another favourite of mine.

In fact today I had both. Result!

Tale from the Tour

And so after four days of supposedly flat riding, today we are coming round to the mountains. But that was after a truly spectacular day that started in the Limousin in deepest France, la France profonde.

Despite being in a cycling “bubble” at the moment, I  am aware of the chaos at home (following the EU referendum result), so the above picture is a welcome contrast. I think I will need it as a screensaver when I get back.

We started where yesterday left off, with some beautiful wooded descents. This is why we ride.

Today was huge in terms of climbing, not just the cumulative effect of undulations but the final three categorised climbs. The first two I had done before but were far tougher than I remember, the gradient rarely dipping below double figures. But I could not have enjoyed this stage more if I had tried, despite the lateness of the final arrival.

Now that I am midway through my tour it is time to take stock. I thoroughly enjoyed the first three days and I did enjoy day 4 too. Although that was not a “down” day, the cumulative effort did leave me somewhat fatigued and I was not bouncing like I was on day 3. Today I got my bounce back.

The other thing is that I was carrying a bit of a injury when I arrived. Basically tight muscles in my left leg and the small of my back. The Athletes Angels on tour are awesome and I have been fixed. But at the first feed stop today I said to Heidi that I wanted to show her my left knee. Not because there was anything wrong with it, but because it was a nice knee. I am sounding like my Dad now – I think it’s genetic!

Actually my knee is sore now, but I have some stretching to do and will be fine. May get a massage again tomorrow if there is time. It should be a shorter stage.

One of the logistical difficulties is getting dirty kit washed and dried. I sometimes have to put damp kit in my overnight bag, which is not ideal. However, I have a reasonable amount of kit with me so I am close to the point where the worst case is that although I have clean dry kit to wear, the bag will be stinky when I get home! A bigger issue is shoes. They do not always dry out overnight, and even when they do then they stink too!  Life on tour. Not that I’m complaining, just telling it like it is. In fact there is a lot to do at the end of the cycling day: call home, upload Strava, charge Garmin and phone, shower, wash kit (getting it dry is a bonus), eat, sort out kit and bag for next day, update blog, sleep. So if you see the T-shirt that says “eat, sleep, ride, repeat” forget it, it’s a bare faced lie.  You would need an XXXL shirt if you wanted to convey the truth!

Penseé du Pédaleur

The Massif Central, the first of the “medium mountains”. I’ve been here twice before. The first time was a South Glamorgan Schools skiing trip to La Bourboule. Never mind just loving France, this is where my love of the mountains first started. For a number of years I enjoyed being able to ski down them in the winter, but now I prefer to ride up them in the summer.

The second time was in 2011 when I rode a stage of the Tour de France for the first time. The course was right up my street, with a series of punchy climbs in the middle of a very long stage (208km). I was told that the views from the various climbs were spectacular, though I saw nothing on account of the rain, hail and heavy mist. I got to see the scenery this time and was not disappointed.

So tonight was quiz night back at work in London and I had been asked to provide a photo of me as a child for the picture quiz. Did you spot me in the line up? I think there was a big clue there!

I’ve maybe got in too late to do my full blog tonight, but wanted to say thank you for all the messages I’ve received and to which I may not have responded properly or at all.

Suffice to say that I have a good appreciation of how tough the Tour de France is. No wonder they call it the hardest sporting event.

I was very touched by the good luck card I got from work and it is travelling with me!

Marie – if you are reading this, then I hope the op went well and that recovery is underway.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:00. Transfer: 45 minutes. Start time: 07:50. Distance: 242 km. Terrain: flat, then undulating (2,500 metres). Climbs: one category 4. Finish: 20:05. Time in the saddle:  9:56 hours.

Local lowdown

We did not have time to spend in Saumur, which is a shame because one of the local features of note is the vast labyrinth of caves which gives rise to “troglodytisme”. Yes, you too can pursue “la vie en troglo” if you were to purchase a “troglogîte” as, say, a holiday home! We spend the evening in Limoges, famous of course for its porcelain. But it is also known for clafoutis, which is one of my favourite desserts. It’s sort of like a sweet Yorkshire pudding but with fruit in it (cherries, traditionally) and I think each person’s clafoutis comes out differently, just like Yorkshire puds seem to.

Tale from the Tour

We started off being bussed to Saumur for the start of today’s ride, so we did not look back at Angers but got on with the longest stage of the whole Tour.

The ride passed without incident today, though it was the longest of the Tour. It was notable for (1) a bend in the road (it was so straight that this feature was called out from the front of the group as being worth pointing out) and (2) we passed the 500 mile point for the trip. As we are in the Fun Bus, this prompted a chorus from the Proclaimers. Obviously! The other notable thing was notable by its absence – there was a distinct lack of decorations being prepared for the Tour which will pass next week compared with the first two days in the region of La Manche. There’s still time.

Today Paul and Tony chose to join the Fun Bus. They did a sterling job and insisted that they were happy doing all the work on the front and stayed there for about 200 of the 240 km today. For this Tony was given Rider of the Day award by our ride leader Phil. Since I was otherwise struggling to determine who should get the “chapeau” for the day (it was in my gift as the current wearer), that made it easy to decide to give it to Paul for his equally heroic effort on the front.

We had rain on and off for most of the morning but it was a fine afternoon and getting warmer as we headed south. The landscape changed as the day progressed from wide open spaces, to wheat fields, to towns and villages and then finally to beautiful wooded areas and I am going to let the pictures tell the story.

Penseé du Pédaleur

The last “flat” day before we start seeing mountains looming into view, which again we saw from a distance. I’m expecting those to be a challenge after the riding we have already done, but not too daunting as I have ridden there before. But I’m not going to let complacency set in.

I’ve been getting to know people a bit more too. On Day 1 all we really know about each other is that we ride bikes. But none of us are one dimensional so it’s good to have a chat about other things. As I said in my very first blog “my name is John and I ride a bike”, but there are other sides to all of us too – at work I’m one of the bosses and in my choir I’m one of the basses! At the church where I worship the God who has made all this possible for me and more besides, I’m the guy who looks after the money too (so that’s why I always wanted to be an accountant from the age of 14 – it was part of a greater plan!). Mountains tomorrow, which will focus the mind.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 05:45. Transfer: 1 hour. Start time: 08:00. Distance: 223.5 km. Terrain: undulating, then flat (1,500 metres). Climbs: one category 4. Finish: 19:10. Time in the saddle: 8:58 hours.

Local lowdown

We started in Granville, where they like to put scallops and cream on their pancakes apparently. But today we left Normandy and are now in Angers, which lists Cointreau among its specialities. Now I quite like scallops, but on balance I think I’d prefer to take the best of each area and order a crêpe suzette, as it’s quite fun setting fire to your dinner deliberately! If you like Rillauds d’Anjou (pork belly), then Angers is the place for you.

Tale from the Tour

Today’s ride started on the beach at Granville. Well, nearby anyway and in persistent rain that lasted most of the day. So I’ve used a photo from earlier!

We were a select band today, just the 30+ lifers and 4 semi-lifers like me, as those who joined for the first two stages have now gone home and the next influx will not be until Stage 5.

Not great at first, but that all changed with the day’s most entertaining moment which ended up with the rider being awarded the “nelly” prize. His crime? He had not properly rinsed his shorts and so when they got wet, foam started appearing from his backside and was blown towards us. It was like cycling into a blizzard!  If I could have videoed it, I would have called the film “Blazing saddles, foaming bottom”!  From then on it all changed and we laughed out loud every time we thought about it during the rest of the day.

I rode in the last group with Annabel, Jenn, Gene and, until injury struck, Tim. This group is known in cycling circles as the “grupetto”, or “fun bus”. We also kept our spirits up by singing a whole load of songs, mostly to do with rain (Eurythmics, Supertramp among many others) and marked the half way point of a long stage with Bon Jovi and the 2/3 point with Meatloaf!

Another highlight was when we drafted behind a tractor for a while. It was warmer there too!  I was quite disappointed when I saw it turning off, but it was turning into the Tractor shop and so I was able to grab a photo!

Our grupetto was commended tonight for our group riding. We stayed in perfect formation for most of the ride and that really helped the miles tick by. Our group had formed early on when I spotted that the ladies had disappeared. I had assumed that this was because they needed a cafe (us blokes have hedges, nuff said), but anyway after I checked which was our exit off the roundabout (signage is excellent on this tour), I went back for them.  This was just as well because the last of our vans had just gone by and was not aware we had stopped (we should have told him), and his job was to take down the signs! Panic averted, because I could just about see Andy in the distance taking down further signs. Quick sprint, and I caught him so we were safe! Lesson learned. For this I was honoured to receive the “chapeau” award tonight, so I get to wear the flat cap until I pass it on to the next winner tomorrow. And I just thought I was doing what anyone would, looking out for my fellow cyclists.

Penseé du Pédaleur

On these long straight, flat roads you can see for miles and miles. Today I recalled the time when I was supposed to be studying for my initial accountancy exams but headed off to the Loire that week instead because I only had two to do and had covered most of the topics before, but had not managed to get an exemption. I had visited Chartres, which you can see  really well from a great distance. The above photo is not Chartres, but illustrates the point to a degree. So today we were riding in an area I had been previously and when I had absolutely no clue as to how the gears worked! A basic lack of technical competence that I probably still possess. At least on that day it did not matter very much. And I passed my exams!