tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816991328680070567.post7545344515938567261..comments2023-03-18T05:11:45.855-07:00Comments on I'm somehow riding the Etape du Tour... again: Wet, cold and hard - Riding the 2014 Etape du TourUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816991328680070567.post-24660058699923676692014-07-31T11:24:10.538-07:002014-07-31T11:24:10.538-07:00I had disks on my road bike. Loved, loved, loved t...I had disks on my road bike. Loved, loved, loved them on the Tourmalet descent. Usually I'm one of the slower descenders, but this time I was able to sail past people as I was confident I'd be able to stop.<br /><br />Agree about the gants long. We headed off to Decathlon near our hotel in Tarbes, to buy a pair. Anybody selling waterproof, rather than aero, shoe covers would have made a mint too.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816991328680070567.post-1744386097844785782014-07-31T07:02:32.534-07:002014-07-31T07:02:32.534-07:00Really enjoyed this write up James and your blog i...Really enjoyed this write up James and your blog in general - I rode the etape this year as well and I always love hearing how others are training and how they found race day. This year was also my second time etapping and I just couldn't believe how different the conditions were to all that heat in annecy. Still, an unforgettable day and hopefully it will be third time lucky in 2015 and conditions will be perfect!<br /><br />RuthAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816991328680070567.post-67834952176919611442014-07-30T18:25:50.835-07:002014-07-30T18:25:50.835-07:00Smart move; I managed to kill my phone for three d...Smart move; I managed to kill my phone for three days texting my Dad from the top of Hautacam.<br /><br />The second time I pulled in on the Tourmalet descent to squeeze some feeling back into my hands, the guy stopped just ahead heard me swearing, and twigged that I spoke English. "How you doing, mate?" he asked. "I can't feel my hands, and I can't see anything out of one eye," I replied. "Other than that, I'm F*CKING FANTASTIC!"<br /><br />He looked at me like I was insane. I looked a bit more closely at him, and he didn't seem to be particularly f*cking fantastic. His face was green.<br /><br />I mumbled something apologetically, and rode on.<br /><br />The Hautacam descent wasn't remotely as uncomfortable. Still, when I came to the bit that had been downhill going up (you know what I mean...) I found I couldn't physically shift gears. I was able to brake okay; but pushing from the elbow, pushing from the shoulder even, I could not get the lever to budge.<br /><br />Crazy stuff. The hardest thing I've ever done, and - even though I wanted to die at several points - the most fun I've ever had.Toro toronoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816991328680070567.post-59579178988211272532014-07-30T05:23:49.386-07:002014-07-30T05:23:49.386-07:00Thanks Gerry! Really different from the thumping h...Thanks Gerry! Really different from the thumping heat last... Just read your write up - great overall position! (and you reminded me to add in a few stories that I might forget otherwise at the end)<br /><br />I remember the hall as if from a dream. TBH, by that point I was scared of getting my phone out to take pics in case I dropped it from shivering/ruined it with water. <br /><br />Now what shall I do next year...<br /><br />JamesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816991328680070567.post-66695648437888886062014-07-30T03:51:33.842-07:002014-07-30T03:51:33.842-07:00Nice one, James. I'd love to see a photo of th...Nice one, James. I'd love to see a photo of that hall full of bikes. Its sounds like a disaster zone. I think you guys got it a bit worse, in terms of weather, than we did. Still it was pretty frigid and wet. Gerryhttp://viciouscycleblog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816991328680070567.post-59391861015148637002014-07-30T01:42:44.934-07:002014-07-30T01:42:44.934-07:00A good route might tempt me onto the Etape next ye...A good route might tempt me onto the Etape next year. Also looking at the Maratona dles Dolomites - spoke to a few people who said it's their favourite of the big sportives.Leehttp://poweredbyidris.blogspot.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816991328680070567.post-82380583042640653792014-07-30T01:27:03.816-07:002014-07-30T01:27:03.816-07:00They're soft, aren't they ;)
(I actually ...They're soft, aren't they ;)<br /><br />(I actually went to the bottom of the Hautacam to watch it - a lot of them had dialed out by then, with nothing to ride for just spinning along)<br /><br />Planning many things for 2015, Etape is on the list, but I'll wait to see where it is before deciding whether to sign up.<br /><br />Cheers!<br /><br />JamesAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01325287456027791612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816991328680070567.post-35589341411416854072014-07-30T01:24:27.746-07:002014-07-30T01:24:27.746-07:00Great write-up James - Heavy dose of rule #5. Can&...Great write-up James - Heavy dose of rule #5. Can't believe how much easier those soft pros had it conditions-wise when they went through!<br /><br />Maybe see you on the start-line in 2015?Leehttp://poweredbyidris.blogspot.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816991328680070567.post-39645559709380311572014-07-30T00:51:04.107-07:002014-07-30T00:51:04.107-07:00You're not hijacking - the blog was in part de...You're not hijacking - the blog was in part designed so people could share/chat about their own experiences...<br /><br />In terms of sorting things out (and tea or coffee would have been ace) - not a single vendor at the start village had "gants long", despite the ASO warning. I would have spent many euros on them if they had. I left my waterproof jacket in my room as well, and went with the Gabba/No Rain gear. Stupid. Really stupid in retrospect. I'm also buying some neoprene gloves, I reckon they're about the only thing that would have done the job.<br /><br />Sounds like you had a pretty awful time of it on that descent - I wonder just how much further I would have finished if I'd managed to Rule #5 my way to the end without stopping half way to enter the magic hut... Then again, by that point I'd stopped caring about my time and was simply trying to make it to the end. Impressive work sir.<br /><br />Someone afterwards reckoned that on a clear warm day we'd all have about an hour knocked off our times when you combined stopping to warm up time with faster descending - seems about right, although some would have saved a lot more.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01325287456027791612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816991328680070567.post-61701701745927204532014-07-29T15:44:53.876-07:002014-07-29T15:44:53.876-07:00Very good write up and congratulations, of course....Very good write up and congratulations, of course. We all had a hell of a ride, you even stopping for an extra drink, and on the go bike maintenance almost Go, Go, Gadget style :)<br />Don't want to hijack your blog but a few thoughts from me:<br /><br />My bikecomp was dying straight after start, and I took it quite easy till Tourmalet, even had a chat with a few english guys on the way. I liked the steady-ish gradient, but it was way too boring to climb up. A man in front of me stalled and fell, so I stopped and forced to stop the guy behind me too. Same happened up Hautacam but there I went on around him.<br /><br />Knowing the weather conditions the almost non-existent warm tea or coffee was a big disappointment for me both at La Mongie and at the top of Hautacam. The organizers could have sorted it out, I would rather have one of my bottles filled with hot tea then water at the time. <br />Spent some 27mins at La Mongie trying to warm myself up drinking one of the last cups of coffee and when I realized that the shivering won't stop I waited just a minute more for the rain to cease to an acceptable level and jumped back on the bike pushing hard to warm myself up. First few minutes were wet and shivering and freezing. Possibly the worst moment I ever had on a bike.<br />I have never been so under-dressed for a ride, even left my full waterproof over-trousers in the room I stayed at. That was my own stupidity.<br /><br />Do you remember at the 1st hairpin descent, a biker whistling all-out in the middle of the rain/mist? As soon as I heard it, slowed down. I too chose the quickest possible way down Tourmalet, the shivering of my hands became so severe that I had to slow down from 40-50Kmh, because I wasn't able to hold the handlebar straight. Didn't count how many people overtook me but half way down I overtook an ambulance. Did 10Km in 32Kmh and 20 in 35Kmh. On the way down my left thigh and right hamstring were getting cramps. Had to pedal just to keep them moving and stretching. At one point I thought of getting off the bike for a few mins but took the risk as the roads opened up and the gradient eased a bit and was able to pedal more and once I got warmed up a bit, the cramps stopped too. Was holding the brakes with 2fingers and the handlebar with 2fingers too, but without gloves I lost the feeling in them, that didn't bother me, but the rear brake became so wet that the front one became my main braking, about 2/3 to 1/3. (disks on road bikes anyone???)<br />I got to the waterstop at the bottom of Tourmalet just before a medical helicopter was landing. Made up some 800 places on the descent till Hautacam.<br /><br />Hautacam was brutal. One of the 11% gradients started with a brief downhill. I was thinking to myself how brutal this has to be to average 11%<br />Those roads were more interesting but mentally more challenging too, still, saved my 'race' there passing people left and right making up another 700places. Passing people en-masse uphill is a great motivator :) also was telling myself that I am going home now.<br /><br />Didn't stick in the finishing village for too long, wanted to get out and was lucky/unlucky at the same time with STI and got back to my room in Pau just after 10pm, still a bit wet, smelly, hungry not really believing that I have done it.<br /><br />KristianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com