The day started with breakfast at the hotel which was the usual continental breakfast with eggs, bacon and sausages.
The bike van has had mechanical issues so a replacement one arrived today and all the gear had to be transferred. This, combined with today being a "short" ride, meant we did not leave the hotel until after 8am.
After completing seven previous stages, the perspective of what is a short and long ride has changed for most riders. Today's race distance was deemed a short, flat ride of 181km plus the neutral start zone.
We rolled out just after 9am again under clear skies with a moderate 20 degree temperature. The pace to the first feed stop was quite reasonable and the farming country not too rolling so it was a nice ride.
We rode through thousands of acres of cereal crops. Many have been harvested or are in the process of being harvested.
The ride to the 2nd feed stop was a little harder before there was again some racing in the final stanza of the day. The temperature peaked at 29 degrees before solid cloud cooled the day a little.
Riding through the towns to the finish line is always challenging with traffic lights, intersections and roundabouts etc. My Garmin recorded 188.5km of riding in 6hrs 40m with 1,411 metres of climbing at the completion of the ride.
Dinner was again at a Flunch restaurant which we went straight to from the finish line.
Accommodation for the next two nights is in an old house out in the country with no air conditioning. The riders have a small old house while the support crew are in the main mansion.
Tomorrow's stage has cobblestones so a number or riders are changing tyres and or wheels for this.
No comments:
Post a Comment