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| Time trial route passed through Juillet |
The riders started with another transfer from the hotel to the start in Avranches, leaving at 07:00. Security arrangements at the Mont would have prevented the Tour de Force riders from following the official route after 09:30 so the riders needed to be beyond the security before that time. It was rather like a military operation all riders slipped under the radar and by 09:30 all were in the café having second or third breakfast by the time security clocked on. The café owner seemed remarkably grumpy when faced with a full café and 60+ customers. He gave the impression he would rather we were not there! All other cafes were empty.
The day was grim, all the riders were soaked, some stopped to snap the second most popular tourist attraction in France which looked like a massive building site.
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| Looks like a building site |
Once the 33km task was complete it was back to the hotel for washing, lunch and a bit of downtime for blogging before the massive task of riding the next 4 stages of 824 km(515 miles) in four days.
All riders are intimidated by the prospect of stage 15 – the last before the next rest day it is the most frequent topic of discussion amongst the riders. Matt was not so happy with his performance today and he is showing increasing anxiety about the next four stages. He has needed regular physio and pressure stockings to control his leg swelling, but now he has tendonitis with crepitus making his ankle movements painful.
Last night there was a very light atmosphere in the whole group and almost universally the riders seemed to be almost celebratory. Matt had a few beers and he thinks this adversely affected his stamina today so he will be on water only tonight.
Those riders who have just joined have fresh legs but they are yet to experience the feeling of riding hundreds of miles in a few days and then having to cycle over a massive mountain. Tomorrow morning everyone will doubtless take one large deep breath to calm the nerves before setting off on what will be a four day blitz of riding, eating, washing and early morning transfers, all will be accomplished with severely limited time for sleep and recovery. It is hardest for the slowest riders as they get the least amount of recovery time.
Tonight at dinner Phil Deeker informed us all of the deaths of 2 cyclists. They were in collision with a lorry whilst riding Lands End to John O’Groats as a fund raising venture. He reminded us of our responsibilities to be safe, to reduce risks to a minimum.
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| Not the Time-Trial winners |
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