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.

Friday 20th July 2018 - Stage 14 - Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux - Mende

Breakfast at 7am is not really worth mentioning as it consisted only of a croissant, pastry, glass of orange juice and coffee. Luckily we supplemented this with team supplied rolled oats.

By 8:30am we were on the road under cloudy skies. There were some odd drops of early rain but this cleared.

Scenery was gorges, rocks and rolling country which lead to the first climb to 81km and the first feed station.

Climbing the next col for the day, I steamed straight through the 2nd feed stop after one rider had pushed the pace on the lower slopes. Rolling down the other side, I passed a donkey at a cafe. As it was downhill, I did not stop for a photo.

I waited at the top of the last col for the support staff to catch up as I needed food and water. A rain storm was brewing and I was keen to stay ahead of it and set off as soon as fed and watered. Heavy rain drops fell as I set off but I managed to out ride the storm. Other riders were not so lucky and got soaked and hailed on.

Riding on solo, it was largely downhill to Mende and the usual town traffic. A short ride through town then turned up a very steep 3km hill to the Mende airport and finish line. I rode the runway as it was closed and set up for the Tour de France finish.

Another day in the saddle saw 189.2km ridden in 7hrs 33m with 3,021m of climbing.

 

Once all riders had arrived, we packed up for the drive to the hotel which we reached at 7:15pm for a 7:30pm dinner. This was a set menu in a high class restaurant (with a Michelin one star restaurant one part of the same building.) Food was again good but with small portions. They served an interesting potato mash with cheese which was very stringy but tasty.

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

Thursday 19th July 2018 - Stage 13 - Bourg d'Oisans - Valence

After last night's late arrival, we had breakfast at 8am at the hotel. This was good with bread, cereals, pastries, orange juice etc and again a nice hot chocolate.

Cycling was delayed due to choice, logistics (one van was taking a support crew member to the station to go home) and heavy traffic due to the Tour de France proper. We were finally away on the bikes at 10:30am under sunny skies with a downhill and steady pace start leading to the first hill of the day.

Arriving at the first feed station at 59km, we were told the support crew had made a local working woman very unhappy as they had gate crashed her spot.

It was another hot day with the temperature on the road reaching over 35 degrees. The road was relatively flat with some downhills and it was nice to see the kilometres tick by relatively quickly compared to the days in the mountains. The 2nd feed stop was at 120km.

It was an uneventful day and we passed the women's team when they had stopped.

 I recorded 5hrs 38m of riding, 164.7km and 1,110 metres of climbing for the day.

 

We arrived at the hotel for the night at 6:30pm to find all the rooms had double beds. These separated into tiny single beds after much effort from the hotel staff. The hotel also offered to do the laundry but since we had not had any done for a while due to a lack of facilities, they may have regretted this offer when they saw the huge pile given to them. However, it was all duly done but took some time to sort out.

Dinner was again at the hotel which was a set menu with small portions but was good quality.