good luck Iain, it looks like a beast of a stage.
I'll be in the Pyrenees next week. If you are watching the TdF look out for the CCA colours on the Port de Bales on Thursday :-)
I did Act 1 last Sunday. To say the very least, ouch!! Had a very serious sense of humour failure 3/4's up the Glandon and I lost count of the number of people in trouble up the 4th and final ascent up to La Toussuire. Medics with IV lines etc. An amazing day and I'll be cherishing my finishers medal for sometime.
Good luck to those doing act 2 - the course looks fantastic! FYI - the organisation (starting procedure, drinks & food stations etc) was very good and there were loads of out riders as well as support areas.
Arrived Thursday into sunny Toulouse - first sun in 40days! The arrivals hall of toulouse airport resembled the corridors of a maternity ward as 30 middle-aged men awaited the arrival of 7lbs of carbon through the outsized baggage pick up . All duly arrived. On to Pau. Nice little town all decked out for the tour's arrival. Failed to resist the temptation of the expo at the signing on village - overcome with urge to buy cycling socks, a Rapha rain jacket (more on that later) and some souvenir km-to-go roadside signs.
A pre-ride out to the foothills around the Aubisque on Friday to test the bike and stretch the legs - very warm but stunning scenery. Found a nice cake shop and began carbo loading...
The day of the Etape started early at 4.30am - some ominous low cloud in Pau. However, the hotel manager and the tour manager assured us the forecast was ok, cloudy but no rain. A few of the lads took this at face value and didn't pack rain jackets - big mistake.
We all arrived at the start to be shuffled into respective pens at 6am, must have been over 8000 riders. Great atmosphere and loads of Brits, including a lad from stotfold!
Off we went - usual crazy fast start as we all tried to get on some belgian lad's wheel through the flats out to the mountains. Unbelievable turnout in the small towns and villages with everyone shouting "Allez", and the odd Brit shouting "pull your finger out"
First big climb was the Col de Aubisque - punchy little number. About two thirds up we hit fine drizzle, which was quite nice as it felt pretty warm at this point. By the time we reached the top it was lashing down. Quick food stop - brilliantly organised, rain jacket on (thank god I decided to take this not just arm warmers). Terrifying decent in the wet but you couldn't go too fast as the rain stung the eyes! Lots of nervous cornering and the odd tumble around me. At one point we had marshall's slowing us down round a sweeping bend - thankfully - as we were greeted by a herd of donkey's strung out across the road. Unbelievably cold by the time we reached the bottom, fingers locked vice-like round the brakes, knees locked up and shivering like mad.
Didn't hang around long at the food stop in attempt to get some heat back in the muscles. Shivered for the next 20 mins. The Tourmalet comes up pretty quick. This is a long, 30k-ish climb which just gets steeper ... 8%, 9% and 10 % plus towards the end. More rain. The view from the top was, er, rubbish. Could just about make out the cable car pylon about 30m away. Still, even in the rain this was an amazing decent. Got more confident now and decided to get past some of the slower nervy decenders.
Shakes again at the bottom, and by now lots of people were being taken off the route wearing foil space capes having had a bout of hypothermia. Stocked up on nice French cake then off to the Col de Aspin. No rain, whoopee. Relatively easy climb through the trees. Stunning views (at last!) and a fast decent with lots of swooping bends - put a smile back on all our faces.
Quickly hit the Payeresourde - a tough climb that rarely goes below 8.5%. Started to feel the miles now (the ride was about 125miles and further than i'd gone before) started to slip backwards at this point and was passed by loads of folk. Rapha were a sponsor of this sportive, and halfway up the Peyresourde a Rapha van dished out goat cheese and sausage baguette to anyone wearing rapha kit. Not only that, they pushed you along while you ate it. Bought my loyalty for ever more!
Fast decent to Bagneres de Luchon and a sprint for the finish along a boulevard of cheering crowds - like Cav just slower... Several lads on our trip failed to finish (all only had arm warmers!) - either taken off for medical reasons or swept up by the very strict broom wagons. Hadn't appreciated the etape had this (Marmotte didnt), and it certainly curtailed quite a few rides. In the end only about 3500 people finished so probably less than half.
Despite the weather this was a classic route and, in a way, good to experience the mountains in difficult conditions. Incredibly well organised and great support the whole way round. The forecast for the next five days in Luchon is blistering sunshine, oh well. I'll sit back now and watch the tour do the route in about half the time it took me (around 10 hrs).
Stats: 125miles; 17,000ft; time 9:59 hrs (of which 4.45 were climbing)
Brilliant stuff Iain! Nice writeup conveying a decent amount of suffering. My kind of ride! I know those climbs well and yes, never ride without a rain jacket in the mountains...
Good ride Iain! Spotted you out training a few times and it has paid off....good write up too...I was almost there with you but luckily had my feet up watching the Tour...Well Done!
Comments
looking forward to the Pyrenees - I'm spending this week "doping" up on beer and pasta...
Iain
I'll be in the Pyrenees next week. If you are watching the TdF look out for the CCA colours on the Port de Bales on Thursday :-)
Lee
Good luck to those doing act 2 - the course looks fantastic! FYI - the organisation (starting procedure, drinks & food stations etc) was very good and there were loads of out riders as well as support areas.
Have fun...
All after passing out whilst riding his bike the week before.
Darren
Arrived Thursday into sunny Toulouse - first sun in 40days! The arrivals hall of toulouse airport resembled the corridors of a maternity ward as 30 middle-aged men awaited the arrival of 7lbs of carbon through the outsized baggage pick up . All duly arrived. On to Pau. Nice little town all decked out for the tour's arrival. Failed to resist the temptation of the expo at the signing on village - overcome with urge to buy cycling socks, a Rapha rain jacket (more on that later) and some souvenir km-to-go roadside signs.
A pre-ride out to the foothills around the Aubisque on Friday to test the bike and stretch the legs - very warm but stunning scenery. Found a nice cake shop and began carbo loading...
The day of the Etape started early at 4.30am - some ominous low cloud in Pau. However, the hotel manager and the tour manager assured us the forecast was ok, cloudy but no rain. A few of the lads took this at face value and didn't pack rain jackets - big mistake.
We all arrived at the start to be shuffled into respective pens at 6am, must have been over 8000 riders. Great atmosphere and loads of Brits, including a lad from stotfold!
Off we went - usual crazy fast start as we all tried to get on some belgian lad's wheel through the flats out to the mountains. Unbelievable turnout in the small towns and villages with everyone shouting "Allez", and the odd Brit shouting "pull your finger out"
First big climb was the Col de Aubisque - punchy little number. About two thirds up we hit fine drizzle, which was quite nice as it felt pretty warm at this point. By the time we reached the top it was lashing down. Quick food stop - brilliantly organised, rain jacket on (thank god I decided to take this not just arm warmers). Terrifying decent in the wet but you couldn't go too fast as the rain stung the eyes! Lots of nervous cornering and the odd tumble around me. At one point we had marshall's slowing us down round a sweeping bend - thankfully - as we were greeted by a herd of donkey's strung out across the road. Unbelievably cold by the time we reached the bottom, fingers locked vice-like round the brakes, knees locked up and shivering like mad.
Didn't hang around long at the food stop in attempt to get some heat back in the muscles. Shivered for the next 20 mins. The Tourmalet comes up pretty quick. This is a long, 30k-ish climb which just gets steeper ... 8%, 9% and 10 % plus towards the end. More rain. The view from the top was, er, rubbish. Could just about make out the cable car pylon about 30m away. Still, even in the rain this was an amazing decent. Got more confident now and decided to get past some of the slower nervy decenders.
Shakes again at the bottom, and by now lots of people were being taken off the route wearing foil space capes having had a bout of hypothermia. Stocked up on nice French cake then off to the Col de Aspin. No rain, whoopee. Relatively easy climb through the trees. Stunning views (at last!) and a fast decent with lots of swooping bends - put a smile back on all our faces.
Quickly hit the Payeresourde - a tough climb that rarely goes below 8.5%. Started to feel the miles now (the ride was about 125miles and further than i'd gone before) started to slip backwards at this point and was passed by loads of folk. Rapha were a sponsor of this sportive, and halfway up the Peyresourde a Rapha van dished out goat cheese and sausage baguette to anyone wearing rapha kit. Not only that, they pushed you along while you ate it. Bought my loyalty for ever more!
Fast decent to Bagneres de Luchon and a sprint for the finish along a boulevard of cheering crowds - like Cav just slower... Several lads on our trip failed to finish (all only had arm warmers!) - either taken off for medical reasons or swept up by the very strict broom wagons. Hadn't appreciated the etape had this (Marmotte didnt), and it certainly curtailed quite a few rides. In the end only about 3500 people finished so probably less than half.
Despite the weather this was a classic route and, in a way, good to experience the mountains in difficult conditions. Incredibly well organised and great support the whole way round. The forecast for the next five days in Luchon is blistering sunshine, oh well. I'll sit back now and watch the tour do the route in about half the time it took me (around 10 hrs).
Stats: 125miles; 17,000ft; time 9:59 hrs (of which 4.45 were climbing)
Iain
As shaun say's a great write up, anyone that has done the mountains will know what it takes to finish a ride like that.
The stats sound about the same at the marmotte 10 hrs in the saddle for me too.
Congrats.
strappy.