Nick has downloaded his and done some geeky stuff with it. You might be interested? Distances are recorded in miles, not km.
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Nick's Garmin stats
The Garmin is a great training aid and Nick and Matt both used one to record their Tour data.
Nick has downloaded his and done some geeky stuff with it. You might be interested? Distances are recorded in miles, not km.
Nick has downloaded his and done some geeky stuff with it. You might be interested? Distances are recorded in miles, not km.
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
Where are they now? New information.
Now the riders have returned some of the older posts will be updated with new information that has been withheld and the last few days of the trip will be added. New materials will be listed below.
Correction
Day 16 Stage 15
"flies were attracted by the scent of the seat of the riders" this should read "flies were attracted by the scent of the sweat of the riders".
Day 4 Additional information and pictures of Matt's knee withheld from Michelle has been inserted.
Day 16 Additional witheld material has been also inserted about the crash on descent from Mt Ventoux.
Day 1 22 June 2012 Porto-Vechio to Bastia 212 km with1x 4th cat mountain climb
Day 2 23 June 2013 Bastia to Ajaccio 154 km 4 mountain climbs 3x3 cat and 1x2 cat
Day 3 24 June 2013 Ajaccio to Calvi 145 km 6 mountain climbs 1x2 1x3 and 4x4 cat
Day 4 25 June 2013 Nice to Nice 25km time-trial no mountain climbs
Day 5 26 June 2013 Cagnes-sur-Mer to Marseille219 km 4 mountains, 1xcat3, 3xcat4.Day 6 27 June 2013 Aix en Prevence to Montpellier 176 km one cat 4 mountain
Day 7 28 June 2013 Montpellier to Albi 205 km 4 mountains 1xcat4,2xcat3,1xcat2.
Day 8 29 June 2013 Castres to Ax3 Domaines 194 km 3 mountain passes 1x4,1x1,1xHC
Day 9 30 June 2013 St-Girons to B’de Bigorre 165 km 5 mountains 1xcat2, 4xcat1
Day 10 1st July 2013 Rest day
Day 11 2 July 2013 St Gildas des Bois to St Malo 193 km 1 mountain pass
Day 12 3 July 2013 Avranches to Mont St Michel 33km time trial no mountain passes
Day 13 4 July 2013 Fougeres to Tours 218 km no mountain passes
Day 14 5 July 2013 Tours to St Amand-Montrod173 km 1 mountain climb category 4
Day 15 6 July 2013 St Pourcain sur Sioule to Lyon 191 km 7 climbs 5xcat4 and 2xcat3
Day 16 7 July 2013 Givors Mt Ventoux 242km with 3 x 4th cat 1x 3 and 1HC climb.
Day 17 8 July 2013 Rest day
Day 18 9 July 2013 Vaison la Romaine to Gap 168 km 3 climbs 1x cat3, 2xcat2
Day 19 10 July 2013 Embrun to Chorges 32 km time trial. 2 climbs, both cat 2.
Day 20 11 July 2013 Gap to Alpe d’Huez 168 kilometers 6 mountains, 1xcat3, 3xcat2, 2xHC
Day 21 12 July Bourg d’Oisans to Le Grande Bornand 204 km 5 climbs 1xcat2, 2xcat1, 2xHC
Day 22 13 July Annecy to Semnoz 125 km 6 mountains 3x cat3, 1xcat2,1xcat1, 1xHC
Day 23 14th July Versailles to Paris.
Correction
Day 16 Stage 15
"flies were attracted by the scent of the seat of the riders" this should read "flies were attracted by the scent of the sweat of the riders".
Day 4 Additional information and pictures of Matt's knee withheld from Michelle has been inserted.
Day 16 Additional witheld material has been also inserted about the crash on descent from Mt Ventoux.
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
Back to Normal
I did four loads of washing yesterday and got it all dry in the baking heat now that summer has arrived with a vengeance. The only trouble is I now have a Mont Ventoux of ironing to do, again in the baking heat, and then it all has to be processed (socks paired, T shirts folded and aired etc) until it magically ends up back in the drawers and cupboards. I'm the house elf here and I suppose I'm lucky I am allowed to wear more than an old pillow case! (ref Dobby, Harry Potter)
When Sarah and I were whiling away time on Sunday morning waiting for the riders, we found a lovely French market selling everything really including fruit and vegetables, cheeses, patisserie etc so we decide to buy some food and find a park to sit and eat it. We didn't find a proper park but instead we sat on a bench on a pretty little island with trees between two roads, with tall buildings on either side. As we were eating our cherries and drinking the apple juice in the sun we noticed this little bit of graffiti on the back of the bench which just about sums up the ride and is a fitting finale even with the obvious spelling mistake (but maybe that adds to it).
When Sarah and I were whiling away time on Sunday morning waiting for the riders, we found a lovely French market selling everything really including fruit and vegetables, cheeses, patisserie etc so we decide to buy some food and find a park to sit and eat it. We didn't find a proper park but instead we sat on a bench on a pretty little island with trees between two roads, with tall buildings on either side. As we were eating our cherries and drinking the apple juice in the sun we noticed this little bit of graffiti on the back of the bench which just about sums up the ride and is a fitting finale even with the obvious spelling mistake (but maybe that adds to it).
I hope my comments have been an interesting aside to the ride itself. All the pain and those fantastic views might have got a bit tedious on their own!
Bye, bye, until the next time.
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Home at Last!
Sorry I couldn't put any detail of the last few days in because we were all away from home in Paris to meet them on the final day which was Sunday.
It was so exciting leaving here on Saturday morning with our best clothes packed to go down to London and get the Eurostar over. We were booked into the fantastic 4 star Pullman Montparnasse Hotel in the centre of Paris which was really beautiful, very shiny and modern with deep luxury mattresses on the beds and tasteful subdued decoration. Our room was on the 6th floor but despite the extremely comfortable beds with the crisp cotton sheets and air conditioning Sarah and I didn't sleep a wink on Saturday night. Maybe we were just too excited at the thought of the boys cycling into town the next day and it was all so strange (alarmingly a very small Toblerone chocolate bar in the refrigerated minibar in our room cost 10 euros!)
They were due to arrive at Place Joffre between the Military school and the Peace Wall in the grounds of the Eiffel Tower at 4pm having cycled in via the Palace of Versailles. We decided that we wouldn't risk meeting them at the first stop in case we couldn't get back to the Eiffel Tower in time so we were actually at Place Joffre by 3pm where we had been told that there would be a table and banner set up to meet the riders. It was very hot and sunny but by 3-30 there was still no meeting point set up on the big sandy square. We were checking and rechecking that we were in the right place. Yes, definitely right and by now we had a feeling that there were other people hovering around trying to find shade at the edges of the square. Eventually concern brought us all out in the open and we discovered that the riders were delayed and not expected for another 90minutes. We went off for a cold coke in a nearby bar while we waited with some of the others. At 4-15 we had a choice of another cold drink or go and wait in the hot sun and fortunately we decided to go back because as we got near we could see that there were cyclists there. Oh dearie me, (not my exact words) all that waiting and then we nearly missed them! I started running and yes, Matt had just arrived all hot and sweaty but looking tanned and fit and Nick arrived a few minutes later. It was actually quite difficult to recognise them in their helmets and riding glasses so we all had to peer closely at everyone arriving.
It was really great to see them both after 3 weeks and they were certainly in great shape despite all the exertion of a 2,200mile bike ride. We all had a swig of the warm champagne Nick had in his back pocket and then took lots of photos with the Eiffel Tower in the background before heading off back to the hotel to get ready for the evening celebrations.
I think the first thing I said to Nick when he came into the hotel room was 'Don't touch anything in the minibar'!!!
The evening celebration was on the 56th floor at the top of the Montparnasse Tower which is possibly the tallest office building in Paris and as it was Bastille Day we expected a fantastic view of the fireworks going off over Paris.
It was so nice to meet the other riders Nick and Matt have spent the last 3 weeks with and also the lovely Wates family whose sad loss has been the inspiration for this whole thing. It is amazing that they can organise an event like this that will enable fairly ordinary people to accomplish such a cycle ride - though make no mistake the cyclists had put in a huge amount of preparation (apart from Matt that is!) I would have liked to spend more time talking to them all and get to know them. They said how nice Matt was and how he hadn't moaned at all despite the terrible problems with his legs, I felt so proud.
Unfortunately, Nick and I missed the fireworks after all that, we were just too shattered to wait for 11pm but some of the others went on partying until 2 in the morning. Then it was back home the next day, all done and dusted. What next?
It was so exciting leaving here on Saturday morning with our best clothes packed to go down to London and get the Eurostar over. We were booked into the fantastic 4 star Pullman Montparnasse Hotel in the centre of Paris which was really beautiful, very shiny and modern with deep luxury mattresses on the beds and tasteful subdued decoration. Our room was on the 6th floor but despite the extremely comfortable beds with the crisp cotton sheets and air conditioning Sarah and I didn't sleep a wink on Saturday night. Maybe we were just too excited at the thought of the boys cycling into town the next day and it was all so strange (alarmingly a very small Toblerone chocolate bar in the refrigerated minibar in our room cost 10 euros!)
They were due to arrive at Place Joffre between the Military school and the Peace Wall in the grounds of the Eiffel Tower at 4pm having cycled in via the Palace of Versailles. We decided that we wouldn't risk meeting them at the first stop in case we couldn't get back to the Eiffel Tower in time so we were actually at Place Joffre by 3pm where we had been told that there would be a table and banner set up to meet the riders. It was very hot and sunny but by 3-30 there was still no meeting point set up on the big sandy square. We were checking and rechecking that we were in the right place. Yes, definitely right and by now we had a feeling that there were other people hovering around trying to find shade at the edges of the square. Eventually concern brought us all out in the open and we discovered that the riders were delayed and not expected for another 90minutes. We went off for a cold coke in a nearby bar while we waited with some of the others. At 4-15 we had a choice of another cold drink or go and wait in the hot sun and fortunately we decided to go back because as we got near we could see that there were cyclists there. Oh dearie me, (not my exact words) all that waiting and then we nearly missed them! I started running and yes, Matt had just arrived all hot and sweaty but looking tanned and fit and Nick arrived a few minutes later. It was actually quite difficult to recognise them in their helmets and riding glasses so we all had to peer closely at everyone arriving.
It was really great to see them both after 3 weeks and they were certainly in great shape despite all the exertion of a 2,200mile bike ride. We all had a swig of the warm champagne Nick had in his back pocket and then took lots of photos with the Eiffel Tower in the background before heading off back to the hotel to get ready for the evening celebrations.
I think the first thing I said to Nick when he came into the hotel room was 'Don't touch anything in the minibar'!!!
The evening celebration was on the 56th floor at the top of the Montparnasse Tower which is possibly the tallest office building in Paris and as it was Bastille Day we expected a fantastic view of the fireworks going off over Paris.
Unfortunately, Nick and I missed the fireworks after all that, we were just too shattered to wait for 11pm but some of the others went on partying until 2 in the morning. Then it was back home the next day, all done and dusted. What next?
Sunday, 14 July 2013
Day 23 July 14th. Versailles to Paris. A bitter, sweet moment.
Versailles to Paris.
 |
| Goodbye Autobus! |
The riding was
virtually over but it gave Nick and Matt one last opportunity to ride with the
Autobus Eccosse. This smooth cycling machine eased its way through the open
roads to Versailles but once nearer the capital, the traffic and a few minor
category climbs disrupted the smooth organisation of the “bus” and riders
finished the route in smaller groups. In front of the Eifel tower riders
dismounted to pop corks from fizzy wine.
 |
| Artistic shot (courtesy of Mr B Irving) |
Saturday, 13 July 2013
Day 22 Stage 20. Sudocrem and good quality cycle shorts offer some protection.
Day 22. Stage 20, 13 July Annecy to Semnoz,125 km, 6 mountains 3x cat3, 1xcat2,1xcat1, 1xHC
 |
| Pretty churches are all over the place |
Most readers will be bored with superlatives by now, perhaps the English language has too few. Today’s ride showcased the beautiful city of Annecy next to its lake which is the cleanest in Europe.
 |
| More OK views |
The ride took a circular route over Mount Revard then on to a mountain top finish on Mount Semnoz. After the last 2 days our riders have taken this stage quite lightly - it includes only 125 km plus a supplementary hair raising descent to the lake and hotel.
 |
| They cycled from down there to up here. |
Most riders had focused on the single 1st category and one HC climbs but the route also included 4 other category 2 or 3 climbs. By the end of today all the riders would have climbed more than 13000 metres in 3 days, almost the equivalent of cycling from sea level to the top of Mont Blanc three times.
 |
| "Just step back a yard Dad, it will make it a better picture." |
The ride took a lot longer than most expected but the official stage finishes at the top, so the Tour de Force made full use of the available bar facilities. Here they chatted about various aspects of the ride and compared “insect events”. It is quite disconcerting when gasping for air or moving very fast to find a large insect in your helmet, behind your sunglasses or worse in your mouth! Matt commented that a he had felt a large insect disappear into the back of his throat but all he could do was swallow then hope and pray it was not a bee.
 |
| Matt telling his "I swallowed a bee" story. |
Nick was unusually quiet and restrained, after one small beer he set off as he needed his wits about him for the white knuckle ride to the bottom.
 |
| Nice bike, shame about the rider |
As the Tour has gone on the injury toll has risen, Shen fractured his collar bone, Peigi had concussion, Janice had heat exhaustion. Steve (x2), Nick (x2), Andy Donald (x2), Trevor, and Matt all had crashes and there were many more. Andy fractured his left radius in a crash and rode for 10 days without knowing that it was broken. Road rash was common and by the end about quarter of the riders were sporting the characteristic three point: knee, hip and elbow rash. Riders' hands were usually OK because of almost universal use of cycling gloves. The weeping wounds must have made a terrible mess of the hotels’ sheets and a recent Cycling Weekly review attributed the poor performance of rising star Tejay Van Garderen in this year’s Tour to the lack of sleep caused by his road rash. So our riders were in good company.
Saddles sores were a problem too, Nick was OK, Matt has a small one but some of the other riders were in severe pain and seemed to be gritting their teeth after yesterday’s prolonged spell on the saddle. Surprisingly the lifers were not the worst affected, the prospect of carrying a saddle sore for 3 weeks had made most lifers meticulously careful. The Late arrivals to the Tour for the very long and difficult Alpine days were most severely affected. The intense heart, sweat and prolonged contact with the saddle for hours on end caused havoc for some riders. The liberal use of sudocrem and good quality cycle shorts seem to offer reasonable protection.
Day 22
Almost at the end now and it has been a real roller coaster but short of an accident they are going to make it now. Today's ride was surprisingly tough taking 8 hours in all and although the boys will be relieved when it is all over I'm sure they will be sad as well.
What will they do with themselves when they no longer have to spend hours every night on the turbo trainer? What will Nick's next crackpot idea be?!! (this one was actually Matt's though)
It is surprising to remember that their long distance cycling only started in 2010 when Chris came home from Uni for Christmas and said he would quite like to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats. We all laughed when he went back and said he'll never do it but then Nick started thinking..........
Here we are 3 years later having done Land's End to John O'Groats followed by John O'Groats to Land's End in 2011, followed by the Etap (a single stage of the Tour de France route) in 2012, followed by the whole thing in 2013! What kind of a family of over achievers are we?!!! (quote from Chris after reading someone's Christmas round robin letter one year)
There will be lots of catching up over the next few days so please keep looking in.
What will they do with themselves when they no longer have to spend hours every night on the turbo trainer? What will Nick's next crackpot idea be?!! (this one was actually Matt's though)
It is surprising to remember that their long distance cycling only started in 2010 when Chris came home from Uni for Christmas and said he would quite like to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats. We all laughed when he went back and said he'll never do it but then Nick started thinking..........
Here we are 3 years later having done Land's End to John O'Groats followed by John O'Groats to Land's End in 2011, followed by the Etap (a single stage of the Tour de France route) in 2012, followed by the whole thing in 2013! What kind of a family of over achievers are we?!!! (quote from Chris after reading someone's Christmas round robin letter one year)
There will be lots of catching up over the next few days so please keep looking in.
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