Saturday 28th July 2018 - Stage 21 - Houilles - Champs-Élysées

After the midnight arrival, breakfast was scheduled for 7am with a 7:30am departure to continue the drive to Paris. A solid breakfast of eggs, sausages, cereals, croissants, bread, milk, yoghurt and meats etc was available but obviously they did not want too much food eaten as the plates were ludicrously tiny so several were required at one time.

We left at around 7:45am and arrived at the hotel in Paris at 10:15am after driving through a long tunnel that was only 2m high. The hotel was nice but had no free wi-fi in the rooms.

One of the support staff also finally received his bike which the airline had "lost" in transit when he arrived at the start of the tour. It appeared to be undamaged and complete.

By 11:15am we were all outside the hotel on our bikes and ready to ride to the start of the final stage. This had been arranged to ride with the French women's team so as to minimise traffic issues in central Paris. A few spits of rain fell at the hotel but this quickly cleared to a fine and sunny day.

A large bunch of perhaps 300-400 riders met in a car park to start the ride. The NZ ambassador and children came to visit with cowbells and NZ flags.

After a briefing in French, partially translated by some helpful cyclists, we started the stage around 12:15pm. In the opening kilometre, one of our riders punctured and some of us stopped to help him fix it. It was then a chase through Paris to catch the bunch. This varied in size with riders joining and leaving along the way. Motorbike escorts blocked intersections as required which made safer riding.

The pace was generally sedate with a few surges and a modest amount of climbing. The route started in the city and looped out through the local countryside before returning to the centre of Paris.

There were two official stops before entering the final loop in Paris. As the Champs-Élysées came into view, as expected, this was chaotic with vehicle and pedestrian traffic. There was a large amount of glass among the cobbles and while none of our riders punctured, a few in the bunch did take some minor tumbles.

Riding in a large bunch after three weeks of riding as a team was somewhat constrictive and the stage overall felt as an anti-climax to the tour.

With a large cheering crowd on the Champs-Élysées, we completed just one lap due to traffic and safety issues and then the tour was complete. The Eiffel Tower was just visible in the distance from one angle.

 Riding for the day was 76.9km in a relaxed 3hrs 48m with 580m of climbing.

 

The traditional champagne was supplied and supped in celebration with photos and congratulations all around.

We rode back to the hotel with a special "Johnny's Tiki Tour" (being the tour organiser) who navigated us via walkways and ramps literally up, through and around various skyscrapers before getting back on the road and to the hotel.

Once at the hotel, we had some celebratory drinks and nibbles in the hotel bar before going to dinner at a local restaurant which was a 10 minute walk from the hotel. A few speeches summed up the tour and we were well fed with dishes ranging from beef tartare (raw beef) to pizza and burgers. I was back at the hotel by 11pm with others not too far behind.

A video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KVz7tBUJcI

Friday 27th July 2018 - Stage 20 - Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle - Espelette ITT (Individual Time Trial)

Breakfast was scheduled for 8am with a 9am riding start. Croissants, yoghurt, orange juice, meat and bread were available. It was apparent that one rider was quite ill and would struggle to ride. A couple of the support staff had also succumbed and were not 100%.

The start was delayed and the sick rider cajoled from his bed to complete the short ride.

It was overcast but dry and warm as we prepared for the stage. There had been some talk earlier in the tour of racing this stage as an Individual Time Trial (ITT) but given the circumstances, the issue was not even raised on the day.

Starting from the hotel, the official start line was a few kilometres downhill away. The course itself was narrow, hilly with an official maximum gradient of 21% but some riders reporting 26% on their computers and with some technical descents. As such, it was a short, hard ride even though we stopped a number of times. All riders completed the course.

Total riding for the day was 33.5km in 1hr 33m with 591m of climbing (over 1.5 Te Mata Peak climbs.)

It was then back to the hotel for a shower before going to the train station to travel to Paris for the final stage. It was then that the dramas started for the day.

We were dropped off at the train station and support staff started the long drive to Paris in the vans. We had lunch at a vegetarian cafe at the railway station while waiting for the train.

After arriving on the platform for the scheduled departure, the TGV (high speed train) did not arrive. It transpired a fire in Paris had destroyed some of the train control systems so the rail network was in chaos. The initial advice was it would be at least a six hour delay but probably much longer. While waiting, we went to a bar across the road from the station for nibbles and drinks. The options of vans, cars or flying to Paris were assessed but all were not viable. After some time, it was decided we should take a regional train to Bordeaux where the support vans had stopped. Tickets for this were arranged by a friend of one of the support staff. This train was also delayed and after a number of stops, we made it to Bordeaux.

The next plan was then to get a TGV from there to Paris as the next one was scheduled to leave shortly. As such, again the support staff left to continue their drive to Paris. We had a light dinner from a railway station patisserie only to see the TGV cancelled with no more scheduled. The support crew were then recalled to Bordeaux and the decision made to drive to Tours that night and continue on to Paris in the morning. Luckily, accommodation was found in Tours for us all and we arrived there around midnight.

Thursday 26th July 2018 - Stage 19 - Lourdes - Laruns

As expected, it was a long day with us not getting to bed until just before midnight. To use the tour vernacular of one rider, it was an epic day.

Breakfast was set for 6am in the apartment rooms served by the support staff and was the usual affair of cereal, scrambled eggs with salmon, bread, pastries and orange juice. It was easily restaurant quality and very well done.

Departure on the bikes was set for 7am from the hotel but with one rider having a hotel flat tyre and other delays, including a random tourist wanting a photo with us, we did not set off until just after 7:30am.

The sun was still just peeking through the hills as we left Lourdes via some quite steep and narrow roads. With the steep terrain and some riders not 100%, a sensible pace was set which was quite slow. It started off a pleasant 18 degrees under a clear blue sky. As it was early, we had to use a riders GPS to navigate and still missed one turn before the course markers passed us.

Early scenery was more crops before we rode back into the mountains for the last time. Up the first major climb to the first feed stop was a steady but relatively gentle incline on a narrow road. It was busy with cyclist and motor traffic and I had to stop twice for traffic jams. At the top, a random journalist and photographer took notes of our activities and a team photo.

 

Down the other side of the col was also busy before I reached the Col du Tourmalet. This was again very busy and very warm with temperatures reaching over 30 degrees. On the way up, I passed the course marking trucks. At the top was absolute chaos with people, vehicles and bikes. I waited until the course markers had gone down before starting the descent of about 38km. Despite this, I still passed them through a village so stopped until they marked some more corners. This process was repeated a number of times until I reached a straight stretch of road and carried on to the next feed stop.

Meeting the van driver at the feed stop in some nice shade, we again waited and waited. Not a good sign. Finally another rider arrived and said there were two others in front of him who we had not seen. Consulting the official Tour de France course map the van driver had, it appeared we had a missed a turn and a 8.6km climb. With the other rider declaring he was running on fumes, we backtracked about 9km to find the course signs pointed down a narrow side alley that was barely a road. We headed off down it and came to the climb which was quite gentle but very hot - over 35 degrees in fact. I had to keep stopping for the other rider to catch up so it was a slow climb.

From the top, it was a short downhill back to where the 2nd feed stop was and then the final 16km climb of the day. The first part of this was again relatively constant and gentle and I caught up to the last riders of our group before stopping to wait for the last rider doing the bonus miles with me. Once at the top of one col, the road dipped and rolled towards the top of the final col. Every time the road steepened, I had to slow and or stop to wait for the rider behind. Cloud formed all around us but luckily the wind kept it largely off the road. We eventually made it to the top and more water supplies.

 

With the clear instruction to follow the directional arrows, I started off downhill to the finish line. The cloud was all over the road for much of the descent which made visibility from zero to poor. At one time I could hear a camper van about but could not see it or the road. The support van caught up with me near the bottom of the hill on the outskirts of town and lead me into town. The road was then closed to vehicles but not bikes so again was told to follow the directional arrows to the finish line. Great advice but after two arrows, I could see no more and ended up in the town square among a street festival and thousands of people. I retraced my steps and confirmed there were only two signs and then had to guess which of the six or so exits might be correct. Luckily, I chose the right one and found the team all waiting about 1km from the finish line. After riding to and back from the finish line, riding was finished for the day.

Due to the long riding day, my Garmin battery went flat but the approximate riding for the day was 223km in 10hrs 27m with about 5,000m (though Strava is suggesting 6,447m??) of climbing (5,000m is about 14 Te Mata Peak climbs.)

As it was then about 8:30pm, dinner was to be pizzas in the van from the nearest town before the 170km drive to the next hotel. The order was placed on line but not processed for some "technical" reason so it was a wait once we arrived at the pizza place. Once the pizzas were to hand, it was a long drive to the hotel where we arrived about 11:15pm. With no air conditioning, my room was very hot but I did get a single room. A quick shower and it was time for bed.

Another stage done and the tour effectively completed with only a 31km ITT stage 20 and the processional stage 21 into Paris left to complete.

A video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p58JkxhpePU

Wednesday 25th July 2018 - Stage 18 - Trie-sur-Baïse - Pau

The question of the day was where is Mr Doo-glass? (Douglas, the tour organiser).

With breakfast at 6:30am at the hotel, which was the standard French fare of cereal, yoghurt, breads, croissants, orange juice, fruits, meats, cheese and coffee etc, departure was set for 7:30am in the vans. On leaving the hotel and handing in the room key, the receptionist asked me who was paying. I said Mr Doo-glass. She then asked everyone who handed in their keys if they were Mr Doo-glass. The answer was no as he had slept in and was still in bed. One of the other support staff roused him and we were soon on our way.

We started riding just after 8:30am under the ubiquitous fine and sunny skies with little wind. Some riders were feeling less than 100% and the "flat" course started with some gentle rollers which made for a slow start. Some downhill increased the average speed to just under 30km/h. With a couple of small climbs (in relative terms), the average speed stayed around that all day.

Scenery was again cropping country with mostly sunflowers but also cereals, maize, a few grapes and other crops. Only a few villages were ridden through and the stage was so uneventful no photos were taken.

Making good time, we rode the 173.3km in 5hrs 56m with 1,411m of climbing (about four Te Mata Peaks.) The temperature started at a pleasant 18 degrees and peaked at 32 degrees.

As no photos were taken during the ride, I took one of the finish area for good measure. 

Dinner was scheduled at another Flunch restaurant but we were far too early so the decision was made to find a bar with a TV so we could watch the Tour de France stage live. This was harder than it sounded and we ended up at a hotel which had quite a few of the pro cycling team trucks parked up.

From there, we went to dinner but were 6 minutes early as they opened at 6pm so had to wait. Dinner was finished by 6:45pm and we drove to Lourdes and our hotel which is actually apartments in the middle of town. The town is full of tourists.

Breakfast has been set for 6am tomorrow in our room as it is a long and hilly stage which will probably take 9 to 12 hours of riding.

Tuesday 24th July 2018 - Stage 17 - Bagnères-de-Luchon - Saint-Lary-Soulan

Another day, another stage.

Breakfast was randomly changed without notice to 7:37am with an 8:32am departure. Breakfast was served in the hotel restaurant with a plate with an omelette, bread & meats along with orange juice, croissants, coffee and assorted other biscuit type foods including some chocolate coated pastries. After last night's food overload, this was plenty.

With roads closed due to the tour proper, we had to drive around the mountain to the start line. While it was a short stage, it contained plenty of climbing. We were on the road at 9:39am and literally straight into the first climb. 

After just under an hour, I reached the top of the first climb. My Garmin bike computer went blank soon after the start and all the way up as it went into battery save mode yesterday due to the long ride and I didn't want to fiddle with it while riding. It showed the first climb was 13.5km long.

From there, a short downhill lead to a short climb on brand new, perfectly smooth bitumen which was great to ride on. The course then descended through various villages with narrow, and in places, rough roads. Arrow markings were a little sparse but I managed to stay on course. 

Another climb followed which lead to the feed stop. Once fed and watered, I carried on so as not to get cold. Thunder storms were also predicted and were brewing.

The next descent had plenty of vehicle and cycle traffic in places which slowed progress. From there, the final climb of the day started. The course is advertised as to Saint-Lary-Soulan and this is where I followed the direction arrows to and met the bike van and driver. After a long wait and no one else arriving, it was apparent they had gone somewhere else.

 

After a few phone calls and messages, it turns out we needed to take a turn that was unmarked when I passed it a few kilometres back down the hill. Jumping in the van, we located the others. I then jumped back on my bike to complete the climb, passing through a short tunnel, to the finish at the top of the Col du Portet at just under 7,500ft above sea level and then rode back down to the waiting riders and vans.

All was not lost though as the other riders were pummelled by hail from a thunder storm while I barely got a drop of rain on me.

My total riding for the day was 4hrs 27m for 77.5km with 3,150m of climbing (about 9 Te Mata Peaks.)

 

 

Once in the vans, it was a reasonable drive to the hotel in Tarbes where we arrived about 6pm and all have single rooms with wi-fi and air conditioning.

Dinner was at a pizza place down the road from the hotel but the message was lost in translation so we ended up with a set menu of salad, salmon and pasta and ice cream.

Breakfast has been set for 6:30am in the morning.

A video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6kexXUWE5A

Monday 23rd July 2018 - Stage 16 - Carcassonne - Bagnères-de-Luchon

With a long day expected, breakfast was scheduled for 6am which consisted of cereal, bread, cheese, meat, croissants, eggs and coffee.

We were in the vans travelling to the start by 7:05am and riding by 7:45am under another clear blue sky. It was fine and sunny with a cooler start (around 18 degrees) which warmed up during the day.

One rider and one support staff member were not 100% with one blaming the salad from the previous day.

It was a gentle start over lightly rolling country with sunflowers, cereal crops and grapes the first crops seen.

Along the way, my back wheel came to a grinding halt. Stopping to diagnose the problem, nothing was evident until I shook the bike and a stone fell out of somewhere. All then seemed o.k. so I carried on.

We passed the women's bunch before our first stop who then passed us back while we were stopped.

There was a church on a hill side surrounded by graves which I took a photo of.

We rode through a rock tunnel formed by a river running alongside it. This was quite dark which made riding interesting.

Before our 2nd stop we caught the women's bunch again and as they were doing a steady pace, we sat on the back for a free ride.

After our 2nd stop, one of our riders suffered a couple of punctures before we reached some more cols to climb. Just before the last one of the day, we crossed into Spain.

The road to the top of the last col was closed for car traffic due to tomorrow's stage. Luckily, we had decided we would ride up it and then down back to our hotel rather than over and down and then drive back over to the hotel.

Riding for the day was 9hrs 13m over 225.5km with 3,432m (about 10 Te Mata Peak climbs) of climbing.

 

We reached the hotel about 7pm which does not have air conditioning but the wi-fi works.

Dinner was at the hotel at 8pm. They promptly brought out huge dishes of chicken paella. We struggled to eat all that when they promptly brought out chicken and chips for the riders. The tour organiser had told them we were hungry. Much of the chicken was saved for the support crew to eat the next day. To finish off, most then had the local variation of cream brulee for dessert. We were not left hungry.

Breakfast tomorrow is set for 8am. It is a short 65km stage but 36km of that is uphill.

Sunday 22nd July 2018 - Rest day

The second and final rest day allowed us to stay in bed to 8am. Breakfast was basic with cereals, bread, croissants, cheese, meats, orange juice and coffee. Some riders were then keen to return to bed while some were planning a short easy ride followed by a massage.

I changed the batteries in my power pedals and asked the mechanic to change the chain on my bike which is showing some signs of wear.

The rest of the day was spent updating the blog, having lunch at the backpackers of sandwiches etc followed by a lazy afternoon of reading a book on hand. With no TV, watching the tour was not possible.

Dinner was scheduled for the same restaurant as last night but they are not open on Sunday's so a last minute change was made to Buffalo Grill.

Saturday 21st July 2018 - Stage 15 - Millau - Carcassonne

Another day, another stage. Breakfast was at 7am in the hotel. It included cereal, pastries, breads, croissants, yoghurt and a rice type pudding. The plates were tiny so we had to make a mockery of them. Heavy rain was falling outside as we ate.

The rain had virtually stopped as loaded the vans to drive to the start. During the drive we went through rain, drizzle, mist, cloud and sunshine before reaching the start where it was dry.

We were on the road cycling just before 9:30am and passed under the Millau viaduct, reportedly the tallest bridge in the world. We passed a sign we think was a warning for cyclists to watch their heads on the bridge which was 270m above us but as we were slowly climbing, I did not stop for a photo of the sign.

The day was rolling country with hills and a few cols thrown in for good measure. The first feed stop was at the top of the first major col. On the climb we passed the women's team.

The weather varied from cloudy to sunny and cool to warm (about 12 to 24 degrees) with a varying wind. It was mostly pleasant though cold in the wind at the top of the last col.

From the top of the last col, it was a largely mostly downhill 40km ride to the finish line. In a little village on the way down, one direction sign pointed left but then no more signs followed. Retracing my steps, I went back to the last sign and met another rider. He decided the sign had been turned around. After re-aligning it, we carried on to the finish line as rain threatened but did not arrive.

After 7hrs 16m of riding over 186.6km with 2,927m of climbing we reached the finish line and waited for the other riders to arrive.

 

Once the vans were loaded, we drove to the overnight accommodation which was a backpackers in an old winery. The riders have little very rustic cabins with communal shared facilities in the French way. The power repeatedly blew as showers were attempted. There are at least three cats and one dog which the English owners' keep.

Dinner was from 7:30pm at a restaurant in the village about 500m up the road. The waitress was all confused on the ordering so we ended up with an extra meal which was not wasted. The food was good but service typically French so we did not get to bed until around 10pm.

Tomorrow is a day of rest which many riders are looking forward to.