johnstourdeforce

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 05:45. Transfer: 0h30. Start time: 07:24. Distance: 206km. Terrain: hilly (2,275 metres climbing). Climbs: one Cat 3, one Cat 4. Finish: 16:54. Time in saddle: 8h01. Temp: 36C. Drinks: 6 litres.

Suffer scores: John 2/10. Wim 6/10.

Local lowdown

The Pont du Gard is just a stunning place to be – Babs and I were here last year during a week’s holiday to Avignon. The aqueduct is 2,000 years old and was built to supply water to nearby Nîmes. We will spend the day skirting Mont Ventoux – a shame in its way but we do have a lot of climbing to do over the next three days once we get to Gap, a gateway to the Alps, and meanwhile we can enjoy the best of Provence, including the towns of Orange and Vaison-la-Romaine.

Tale from the Tour

We started near Pont du Gard, but without crossing it again. Then, as ever, it was a case of rolling through to the first feedstop to regroup before setting off at our own pace. The stop was in Orange, but this time round I did not see the all the Roman remains that are to be seen there – the route did not pass by it.

Today, rather than being dropped by the group I typically ride with, I decided to play “hare” to their “greyhound” and set off as quickly as I could from the feedstops. This meant that they would catch me part way between feedstops, which was fine as it allowed me to take photos without disrupting the group and then when they caught me I could join in the rotation to get us to the next stop.

Another lovely ride today, as we crossed from Provence to the Haute Alpes region. The scenery varied from lavender fields to craggy rocks to orchards. The orchards are mostly covered with nets, so that it seemed to me like they formed a sea, or at least a series of lakes.

Mont Ventoux brooded over us for most of the morning as we skirted round it. The mountain seemed to be taunting us. “Why aren’t you coming up here today?” The answer’s simple – it’s not on the Tour route.

All sorts of other beautiful scenes too:

To end the day we had a Cat 3 climb, which I probably rode harder than I needed to given what is coming up, but I was feeling good so why not. The descent featured a couple of inclines and then, once at the finish in Gap, we had a short but unwelcome climb to our hotel (the “Mur de Hotel” as I have just heard it be called)! No harm done though, I was kind of expecting it when I saw Gap unfold in front of me, and there was a bad smell of blocked drains or something in town, so I’m glad to be up the hill a bit!

Pretty much a 1/10 ride, but I’ve scored it 2 because of the effort required for the final bit of climbing – and I was hoping for another Magnum, but could see nowhere to get one on the final run in. Oh well! the mental side of things made this a tough day for Wim.

Now for three days in the Alps, with tomorrow the “Queen Stage”.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:30. Transfer: none. Start time: 08:02. Distance: 177km. Terrain: flat (highest point 250 metres, but still 1,702 metres climbing). Climbs: one Cat 4. Finish: 16:57. Time in saddle: 7h37. Temp: 36C. Drinks: 4.5 litres.

Amphitheatres: 1

Aqueducts: 1

Suffer scores: John 1/10. Wim 1/10.

Local lowdown

Fabulous Roman amphitheatre in Nîmes, France’s “little Rome”, which has also hosted the start of the Vuelta a España, the Spanish three-week grand tour. Although this is the closest we will get to the sea, today’s stage is all inland in the Gard region. One of the “unwritten rules” is that the Tour visits the seaside at least once so I had thought we might go south instead, but this is a very pretty area so I’m not complaining! And it shows the value of unwritten rules.

Tale from the Tour

Superb day today, and what a great place to celebrate my 50th Tour de France stage!

With 90 or so riders it was busy getting out of Nîmes, but we soon got to the Pont du Gard which was spectacular in glorious weather – 36C is the new normal, though it was a bit cooler first thing.

At feedstop 1 I usually eat a “toasted” ham and cheese sandwich that I made at breakfast and carry in my back pocket – well it is hot all the time. I tend to prefer that to cake, though today I made an exception as the pastry looked so good!

After that, I pretty much rode on my own, but it was an easy stage though with some head and cross winds. Thankfully not as strong as the wind yesterday, which was probably the tail end of one of many mistral winds that blow through these parts.

I really enjoyed the scenery and in particular the sound track to today, which was cicadas chirping along practically the whole time until we got back into Nîmes.

Along the way there were many typical Provençal scenes, especially the appearance of the red tiled roofs and pastel coloured shutters.

The Tour stage will start at the amphitheatre, but logistics meant that we finished with it.

Home in time for a quick swim and a massage before dinner. We’ll be up early tomorrow to take a short transfer to the start and we’ll then have another long, hot day through Provence to get to Gap for the start of the Alpine section.

Being well acclimatised, I wasn’t really troubled by the heat today, especially as there was no serious climbing to do. Just a beautiful day out.

Thought I’d use rest day to catch up on a few things that have not so far made it to the blog.

Firstly, and most importantly, thank you so much to all who have sponsored thus far. It is very much appreciated by me, the William Wates Memorial Trust and the charities it supports. Indeed this week we have enjoyed a visit from Regenerate, one of the charities supported and which gives young people opportunities they may not otherwise have. For one of the teenagers visiting us, not only has the project given her employment opportunities but her visit to see us in action was her first trip outside the UK and her first air travel experience. Things we tend to take for granted. We are expecting a visit from another charity next week.

Although I have now reached my minimum fundraising target, it would be great to raise even more and if you have enjoyed the blog and would like to do so, then please visit http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/johngriffiths5. Thanks again, and also to all those who have contacted me one way or another and offered encouragement.

A big feature of this trip has been the involvement of BellaVelo, a London-based women’s cycling club. Two of their members are riding the whole Tour and various others come out to join them throughout the trip. This is indicative of Le Loop’s desire to increase the levels of female participation in what is traditionally a male-dominated sport. Certainly the efforts being made show how accessible Le Loop can be. Of the 47 people riding the whole Tour, seven are women. Last time I did this in 2017 there was one. So there has been a step in the right direction. I don’t know the stats regarding those coming out to ride a few stages only. I say “only”, but that should not be seen as diminishing the achievement. After all, I happily say that in 2016 I “only” rode the first half of the Tour!

A common concern – shared by any gender – is whether riding multiple stages of the Tour de France is beyond them. That is certainly a valid concern, though what I have seen is that steps are taken to give people options to shorten the route where possible on the toughest days. This is either by jumping people forward to feedstop 1 or 2 or by suggesting a shortcut to avoid a certain climb. Whether shortcuts are taken or not, they are still tough days. Yesterday for example we could have avoided the final climb and gone straight to dinner in Foix. Some did that, which was absolutely fine. You may be unsurprised to hear that this was not an option I really wanted to take! Yesterday was just about on the limit of what I could achieve, given the lateness of the start and everything else I wrote about. While I may wish that I was a stronger cyclist, I am thankful to God that I am strong enough.

So on to Nîmes, a very Roman city. I will see more of this at the start and finish tomorrow. As for today, after arriving just before noon I went straight for a good lunch at a restaurant 200 metres away. Poached egg and ratatouille to start, followed by steak and chips and then a cafe gourmand to finish. After that, back to the hotel to clean the bike and to have a massage and a swim. I was then peckish again, so a croque monsieur was just perfect for filling that little hole. Then it was time to watch the end of today’s stage on TV and have a little nap. Woke up just in time to go to another “all you can eat” buffet. Chinese this time rather than the Moroccan we had the other day (nice) and French the day after (OK, but not truly satisfying). I think I’ve made up for my missed dinner of yesterday now! As you can see, food and rest was more important than sightseeing today.

Otherwise, nothing noteworthy other than perhaps Dr Julian’s Superman pose at the rest stop during the coach journey to Nîmes. Or he might have been demonstrating a stretching routine.

Well, I needed a photo and have nothing else today.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 05:45.Transfer: before 4h00, after 1h15. Start time: 10:45. Distance: 185km (plus final 11km descent in the dark). Terrain: mountain (3,822 metres climbing, though Tour stats claim 4,700). Climbs: three Cat 1, one Cat 2. Finish: 22:39. Time in saddle: 10h36. Temp: 20C. Drinks: 4 litres.

Suffer scores: John 10/10. Wim – also very high!

Local lowdown

Limoux is another place we know from 2017 though bizarrely having been travelling west to east over the last few days, today we will be travelling westwards before looping around Foix, another town with a magnificent castle on a hill, before continuing on our eastward journey.

Tale from the Tour

Well it had to happen sooner or later. Today was one of the toughest days on a bike that I can remember, only this time for reasons other than cold, wet weather and a horrible route. In fact the route is a good one and the temperature was around 20C most of the day.

To begin with, last night’s dinner did not really satisfy the cravings of this hungry cyclist. Then I slept really poorly because my bed was so uncomfortable that I ended up sleeping on top of my duvet on the floor. Breakfast was more a case of grab what you can get in the 25 minutes we had before boarding the coach for a long transfer to the start in Limoux – 4 hours in total. When we did start cycling it was into a headwind (we were now travelling west again – ASO the race organisers went somewhat against the norm here, especially as after the stage we now have to travel east again to Nîmes).

I was totally lacking in energy as we went up the first little climb, the Col de Montségur, but was then able to join a small group and together we battled through to feedstop 2 (thanks Steve for getting the group organised). I was not the only one struggling a bit as it turned out. Coffee at the feedstop really helped though, and I felt much better following that. I was not so concerned about the Cat 1 coming up (Port de Lers) but was remembering how awful the climb after that was (Mur de Péguère). Also, given that we had started so late and I was going a bit slower than I had wanted too, I was concerned that I would not have time to complete the final climb (Le Prat d’Albis) which overlooks Foix but would instead need to go straight to dinner in the town centre and then transfer by coach to Carcasonne, where will be staying overnight.

Thankfully, while that climb is still awful, I had a reasonably OK time on the Mur de Péguère and then I felt as if a switch had been flipped and I was back to enjoying myself again. It was probably the relief of getting that obstacle out of the way and now having a shot at the final climb.

I enjoyed the decent and the subsequent climb to the final summit, but of course we still had to get down again, and now it was dark. I was with a group of six so there was safety in numbers, though such traffic as there was was very kind to us, sitting behind the group and giving us the benefit of their headlamps to further illuminate the way down.

Safely down, but with no time for dinner I shall just have to have double breakfast before a two hour transfer to Nîmes for our rest day tomorrow. And I’m going to rest!

I’m not complaining about how the day went because the logistics meant that this was always going to be a challenging day and I knew that months ago. Cliche alert, but the Tour is the Tour and it’s what we signed up for. I’m so grateful to Sarah who is an absolute star in seeing a way through the logistical challenges and making this all possible.

PS (Monday morning 7am after a decent night’s sleep): The above was written on the coach on the way to the hotel, where we arrived at about 00:15. Some cheese, bread and fruit salad was available, so at least I got something to tide me over until breakfast, where I shall be heading shortly.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:30. Transfer: none. Start time: 08:05. Distance: 117km. Terrain: mountain (3,261 metres climbing). Climbs: one HC (Col du Tourmalet), one Cat 1, one Cat 4. Finish: 16:19. Time in saddle: 6h48. Temp: 30C. Drinks: 4.5 litres.

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

Local lowdown

Often on the route, but rarely being the site of the finish line, today’s stage ends on the top of the Tourmalet. I’ve been here twice before and have climbed it from both sides, but never really seen it on account of the weather! Will today be any different? It’s the first time this Tour that we will rise above 2,000 metres. Only another six to go then……

Tale from the Tour

Another memorable day, made all the better by great weather. I reckon I’m properly acclimatised now and so with a max temperature of 30C on the Tourmalet and 25C on the Soulor before that in the morning, this was not far from perfect. In fact it was a perfect day’s cycling. Quite short at 117km, which meant I was home and hosed shortly after 4pm.

Still a bit misty by the time we got to the first feedstop, but it soon burned off.

On the statistics front, I have now ridden 100,000 miles since I started cycling in 1995. I reached that point at the top of the Soulor (give or take a few miles maybe as I’m not claiming scientific rigour here, but who cares!). I’ve probably done about one third of those miles in my Bigfoot club jersey, so that’s what I chose to ride in today.

Lots of other stuff going on at the top of the Soulor too, as demonstrated by the photos below.

Later, on the way to the Tourmalet:

Then at the summit, the obligatory glory shot.

I am grateful to Steve back at Bigfoot for analysing such data as I provide for giving the sort of feedback that I really appreciate. Specifically, he has found that I get a better performance benefit from Tarte aux Myrtilles than I do from white Magnums. Sadly, while the latter are available everywhere, the former tends to be ubiquitous in the Vosges only. I’ll have to see if I fare better with almond Magnums!

By the way, if you saw the Tour de France ride into Chalon-sur-Saône yesterday, you may have noticed that in the kilometre or so before the end they were travelling at 68kph. That’s more than I can manage going downhill – top speed today for me was 65kph!

The relatively short course and decent climbing conditions meant that this stage was not as much of a sufferfest as it could have been. Tomorrow might be a different story.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 07:30. Transfer: before 0h45, after 0h45. Start time: 10:25. Distance: 27km. Terrain: gentle hills, then flat (412 metres climbing). Climbs: none. Finish: 11:53. Time in saddle: 1h22. Temp: 25C. Drinks: 0.75 litres (a one bottle ride).

Suffer scores: John 0.5/10. Wim 0.5/10.

Local lowdown

The Tour comes to Pau so often! Indeed, this is the 71st time since 1930. However, we are staying in nearby Tarbes, so today we are doing a hit job on Pau for this short time-trial so that we can have two nights in the same hotel. Both of my two previous Tour de Force/Le Loop experiences have included an overnight stay in Pau and although the hotel itself was fine, as I recall the breakfast wasn’t up to much. This is a key concern for a hungry cyclist! Thank goodness for well-stocked feedstops!

Tale from the Tour

A perfectly pleasant recovery ride today, which the pros will ride at least twice as fast as me because it’s a time trial. I took 1h24 to ride the course (including the bit back from the finish to where our coaches were picking us up). What will the winning time be next week? 30 minutes?

A quick word on temperature. Every day starts off around 18-20C and hits the mid-30s somewhere each afternoon. I tend to record the highest temperature we typically have to ride in, rather than all the highest points necessarily because times of ridiculous heat (e.g. riding into Rodez) tend to be fleeting. The exception was yesterday where I spent a good bit of time cooking at 41C, so that’s the temperature I recorded. Today’s ride was completed in the morning, before it got too hot.

To begin with, we left the park where there are yellow monuments erected to celebrate each of the past winners of the yellow jersey. Quite a sight against an imposing backdrop. The course then snaked gently upwards and on the road were painted the names of all the winners of the previous Pau stages. I of course had my photo taken alongside Geraint Thomas’s monument.

A lovely wooded course followed, which had a number of ups and downs including at least a couple of sharp right turns where the pros will have to take care not to overcook the corners. Then there was a long straight road into Pau to finish.

Got lots of positive comments about the Bath Rugby cycling jersey that I wore today. My brother Gareth who got it for me warmed me that the jersey might not be popular in Pau because that’s one of the few European teams that Bath have defeated. I looked it up and that win was a few years ago now, so I felt pretty safe.

That’s it for the riding today, so it’s almost like a rest day. Just as well, because we now have two big stages to come. No suffering of any description today.

After a quick lunch back at the hotel, I decided to take a taxi into town and get my washing done. Only three days’ worth, but a master stroke (so I believe) because it means I can get to the end of the Tour without having to go to a launderette in Nîmes on our next rest day! Given that we will have to spend a few hours getting to Nîmes on the rest day (otherwise known as Monday in the world outside the cycling bubble – we inside it lose track!), it is likely that cyclists with sweaty kit will be putting high demand on available launderettes. With eight days left and six sets of kit, I can now get by with a minimal amount of hand washing. Actually, my action this afternoon could perhaps be said to benefit the others too, as I will be out of their way!

After getting that job done, I had a quick look around the town centre, a beer with a few fellow riders and a taxi back to the hotel.

We have a Moroccan “all you can eat buffet” tonight and I’m starving already with two hours to go!

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:30. Transfer: 0h40 (post ride and dinner). Start time: 08:01. Distance: 202km. Terrain: mountain (2,987 metres climbing). Climbs: two Cat 1, one Cat 4. Finish: 19:15. Time in saddle: 9h47. Temp 41C (max). Drinks: 5 litres.

Crepes (Sucre):0

Magnums (white): 1

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

Local lowdown

We could easily get swamped in Toulouse, being the fourth largest city in France. Can you guess the others? Probably, but which one is fifth largest? Would be nice to know the answer to that one! From Toulouse we head to the spa town of Bagnères-de-Bigorre for the start of our adventures in the Pyrenees. Although we are not climbing it, I love the idea that for a concert hosted on the nearby Pic du Midi (altitude 2,800 metres), someone once flew in a piano by helicopter! I imagine that students who now attend the academy there transport their instruments by more traditional means.

Tale from the Tour

What a super day today turned out to be again. First we had the drag of getting out of the Pink City, contending with busy traffic and roadworks. Toulouse’s nickname arises due to so many buildings made out of that colour of brick, which we saw not just in Toulouse but in the surrounding towns and villages.

The ride was pretty uneventful until about halfway, when we started to climb the Peyresourde. The climb was made tougher than it needed to be because the temperature hit 41C, with the heat radiating off the walls and us being in plain sun. We passed a number of water fountains but I kept going until I saw one where I could be sure the water was drinkable. Time to cool my head down, chug some cold water and make sure I had two full bottles for the rest of the climb. There was not much shade – when there was then the temperature dipped a little, but not much.

Quick descent after that, which was followed by a much more pleasurable climb – shorter, but about the same average gradient. The Hourquette d’Ancizan climb was mostly in the shade, the maximum temperature being 30C and most of it being at a perfectly acceptable 25C. My secret weapon, though, was the white Magnum I had before the climb and the can of Orangina that I slipped into my pocket to drink further up the climb.

I nearly didn’t get a drink in that village, though, because the shopkeeper at the first place I tried seemed to have no change! He showed me an empty wallet and a handful of coins such that he could not change a €10 note. Apart from that, entering that shop seemed to set me back 50 years, not the 5 minutes I was expecting to lose!

I enjoyed seeing the rivers that ran along side the roads we descended. And coming off the Ancizan it was fun to see the donkeys, cows and horses that I had been expecting in the national park that I have ridden through before, but from the other side.

In fact “fun” is the operative word for today. Not so much at the beginning but the fun factor definitely increased as the day went on, culminating in seeing the preparations for the Fete des Mariolles (life-size figures) in Campan. They were everywhere, seemingly cheering us on!

Because of messing around taking photos I missed the first sitting for dinner and the bus to Tarbes by a few minutes. Never mind, I was happy to have taken my photos and it also meant that I had a massage while waiting for the second sitting. This is more likely to be tricky to get now that our numbers have swollen from 55 or so to 90 with an influx of people looking to do the four Pyrenees stages or the second half of the Tour.

While the heat did make the Peyresourde harder than it would have been, I am really happy with my hydration such that I again rode within my abilities. Indeed, the Hourquette d’Ancizan climb went so well that after a short while I found that I was powering up at a strong, consistent tempo which has given me a lot of encouragement.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:30. Transfer: none. Start time: 08:03. Distance: 167km. Terrain: flat (2,050 metres climbing). Climbs: one Cat 3, one Cat 4. Finish: 16:22. Time in saddle: 7h29. Temp: 30C. Drinks: 4 litres.

Suffer scores: John 1/10. Wim 1/10.

Local lowdown

Toulouse is the home of the cassoulet and the Toulouse sausage, which some may have enjoyed. We are also now firmly in rugby country. But especially today, there has been an abundance of sunflowers.

Tale from the Tour

Post script to yesterday’s rest day – Albi is also home to a museum dedicated to Toulouse-Lautrec which I would also like to visit one day. One of his quotes is on the wall of the hotel where we were staying.

As mentioned, today was really all about sunflowers all the way. It was an easy ride, flat by Tour standards and not as tough as some training rides I have done, so all in all a good day. Temperature was fine, especially with a breeze, though Toulouse was hot at the end.

I was really pleased with a video I was able to make of the peloton whizzing past a field of sunflowers – a classic Tour shot. In doing so, this left me towards the back of the pack but I knew I would catch people up by the first feedstop. I was wrong! I had offered to ride with a backmarker but she was happy to wait for others so I continued. Unfortunately, I failed to spot an arrow straight after speaking to her so ended up doing an extra 6km before retracing my steps and getting going on the right course again. Oh well, nice day for it.

One of the fields of sunflowers I passed while catching up to the group was wonderful, though sadly I could not take a photo to do it justice. A large semi-circle of sunflowers all looking towards a green “stage” in the middle. Glastonbury for sunflowers! It will just have to live on in my memory.

On other occasions I deliberately stopped to take the opportunity to take certain photos. It’s so easy to let opportunity pass and maybe that’s a general truism, not just related to photography. Where there is opportunity, it can be so fleeting that I think we either need to take it there and then or be prepared to accept that the moment has passed, but without regretting it. It’s a choice we make. This ride supports the William Wates Memorial Trust which gives opportunities to young people. Hopefully they will make the most of them and reap the benefits.

Several times I chose to stop when I could have sailed on, and I’m glad I did. Some shots without sunflowers:

Below looks like a green sprinter’s jersey from the Tour de France. It’s actually another field of sunflowers shaped like a jersey. Next week I am sure there will be a helicopter shot showing this as more of a yellow jersey – it is the 100th year of the yellow jersey after all, so something that is being celebrated.

That’s the end of today’s “sunflower special”. I am sure we will see more next week, but for now we have four stages in the Pyrenees to look forward to.

A really easy ride today, as reflected in the suffer scores.

I’ve been trying not to focus too much on the rest day while cycling as I find it best to remain in the groove rather than having the mind starting to wander and potentially tricking the legs into thinking that they can start to wind down! However, we are in Albi now and I slept deeply last night knowing that there was no riding to do.

I still got up quite early as there is a lot to do on rest day morning. Got up at 7am, got the laundry done, had a massage, then breakfast followed by bike cleaning. All done by 10:25, so time to rest up again before heading off for a most enjoyable lunch – goats cheese salad followed by a tournedos (accompanied by a glass of Bordeaux because the local red was not deemed suitable by the chef for the meal I had ordered!)

An opportunity to reflect on the first half of the Tour. For a start, it’s been the toughest route of the three “first halves” that I have done. That’s because it has been 10 days rather than 9 and there has been a lot more climbing (or it feels like it anyway). To counter that, we have had the best weather even though it has been extremely hot at times. Better that than very cold – in 2017 I had needed my winter jacket for a bit but it is so far untouched.

I don’t seem to have suffered so much (yet!) this time, which has allowed me to have more fun on the bike rather than feel it’s a total slog. Although previous trips have been fun too, the key differences are: better weather: a better bike setup (a 50-34 compact with 11-34 on the back for those who know/care); and the knowledge that I have already completed the route of the Tour de France once before. The knowledge that this trip is within my capabilities is of greater value than simply a belief that it was, which was my starting point in 2017.

Thought I would share some quirky photos:

This afternoon I played the tourist a bit to take my mind off bikes and visited the Cathedral. What an absolutely stunning place that is, both outside and inside. Will have to come back and pay it a proper visit one day.

That’s it, time for a nap now, to be followed by early dinner and an early night. Must make sure my head is back in the cycling groove tomorrow, but the respite has been welcome.

Cycling summary

Breakfast: 06:30. Transfer: none. Start time: 07:57. Distance: 218km. Terrain: flat (3,094 metres climbing). Climbs: three Cat 3, one Cat 4. Finish: 18:51. Time in saddle: 9h29. Temp: 28C. Drinks: 5 litres.

Suffer scores: John 4/10. Ceri 7/10.

Local lowdown

Saint-Flour was the finish town of my first ever Étape du Tour back in 2011. Nowadays just doing one stage of the Tour seems so tame! That had been a cold, wet and miserable day and I was glad to get on the bus at the end of it. As I recall, 7,000 signed up, 4,000 started and only 2,000 finished, so it was a great achievement to complete it. Today, though, we finish in the beautiful town of Albi, another UNESCO World Heritage site by virtue of its Cathedral, apparently the largest brick building in the world.

Tale from the Tour

The last stage of the first “week” – 10 days of back-to-back cycling. OK, so Stage 2 was a time trial but we still rode nearly 60km that day and it all counts.

In terms of distance we must be over halfway, but most of the climbing is still to come with the Pyrenees and then the Alps looming.

With that in mind, I determined that I would not ride on such a way that my “suffer score” would exceed 4. Some use power meters to gauge their effort but I’m not that sophisticated!

The rolling nature of the terrain meant that I was likely to drop behind my group constantly and I did not want to spend the day chasing back on each time I got dropped. However, I still ended up catching them and we rode together on the flatter sections this afternoon. The stage is laughingly termed a flag stage – with over 3,000 metres climbing! Not one for the pure sprinters next week perhaps.

I enjoyed the solitude of this morning and maybe it even helped to recharge my mental batteries. Riding well together also means the concentration levels are high, particularly when on busy roads. This all takes its toll and a morning by myself seems to have started the rejuvenation process that is required both physically and mentally.

I also enjoyed stopping and taking more photos than usual, shown below.

At one point we descended 500 metres very quickly and I just love the graphic that was used in the warming sign!

The temperature was mostly a very bearable 28C, though when we arrived at Rodez it was like someone opened an oven door! The wave of heat that hit me registered 38.5C, though thankfully not for very long.

A number of people have commented on how mentally fatigued they are, and that was true of Ceri also, my roommate for two nights.