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| Kit laid out ready to go |
The day started with a 3.30am alarm, breakfast and a 40 minute coach trip to the start village in Modane.
The bike in Modane ready for the off.The rider cheery and as ready as I was going to be.
note the arm warmers, it was a bit chilly at 6.30 but the weather was looking promising.
Our drop off point was actually a few kilometres from the start area just outside Modane as the town was shut to all traffic, with the exception of officials, cyclists and pedestrians.
The start is an organised chaos for want of a better description. Approximately 10,000 riders are penned in according to their start numbers. Start numbers are based on previous event experience, with the aim of placing more experienced riders to the front where they will not be held up and less experienced riders to the rear where they can be easily picked up by the broom wagon at elimination zones. For first timers like myself a seemingly random approach as novices seemed liberally scattered throughout the peleton.
The start was then divided into 12 pens and we were set off at 5 minute intervals between 7 and 8 am. Or in reality between 7.15 and 8.30 the fact that the time difference wasn't going to have an effect on the original planned pace of the broom wagon was met with a Gallic shrug of the shoulders.
The pen is a daunting place for a newbie but is a good opportunity to chat with fellow riders from all over, chatting to other like minded souls was a great way to calm the nerves as I worked my way through the gaps to the front of pen 12. As the Pens were opened and riders set off there were more people to talk to and more bike sized spaces to occupy.
Finally things got moving and I rolled over the start line at 8.08 am.
The first 14 or so kilometres were fast downhill before a sharp left turn onto the Col du Telegraphe. This was a tight corner and one is suddenly faced with a rising road as they begin the ascent, it is for this reason that the start was staggered so that there would not be a massive log jam at the 'start'. I was more aware than others of the speed we approached the ascent and had already dropped into an easier gear before the left hander and was faced with a wobbling mass of riders caught out in a gear too big to push and clunking to find something easier.
Alas my enthusiasm got the better of me and I carried my momentum up the first 5km with slight regard for my pace notes. My breathing became more erratic and my mind raced with thoughts of 'what the hell am I doing? and whose stupid idea was this?' It was in these mili seconds of panic that I reminded myself that a lot of time, effort and others' support got me here and the only aim was to cross the finish line. I wound myself back in, dropped my pace to the planned 7 kph for the section. It was at this point that I noticed the camera was out of juice, (sorry folks no Telagraphe footage.) Lungs cleared breathing back to normal and the legs spinning again I was able to maintain a 10kph average and reach the summit in just over an hour.
Atop of the Telegraph was a water station but we were told that the La Fuga ( the organisation through which I took part) feed station would be just past Valloire so I rode on. Something I didn't do again, as I came off that first descent the rise in temperature since the start took effect and I had quickly emptied my bottles. It was heaven sent to see 'LF 850m' chalked on the road. I topped up my bottles, added a few more energy gels to my pockets and changed the camera battery before heading on to tackle the Galibier.
The Galibier starts as a steady rise away from Valloire, so steady in fact that I kept telling myself to keep going as a few metres ahead they were clearly riding a flatter section..... They clearly weren't! The road then turns a bend with a refreshing breeze of wind and then the road ramps up to 8% I knuckled down until the 44th kilometre when the first cram jumped up and bit me! I walked it out for a hundred meters or so, swearing at myself for overlooking the water stop.
Back on the bike I kept moving, enjoying the scenery and picking out land marks in the near distance on a promise that I would give myself a little rest, a promise I didn't keep unless I felt cramp creeping up again.
It was good to see all the early bird fans parked up alongside the road with their happy cries of 'Courage, allez allez' After two and a quarter hours and my first close sighting of snow I summit came into view. I also passed the first batch of official photographers and put on my best this is easy face.
At the top of the Galibier there was a brief pause to put on my wind proof jacket, whilst it was a balmy 17 degrees or so the descent was going to be drafty and therefore potentially cold. I headed carefully into the descent looking around me for other riders whilst choosing the line and applying the breaks where gently and generously. In total the 30k descent took one hour less than my ascent of the Galibier, a truly enjoyable ride on fresh tarmac, just rewards for the effort of climbing.
The descent ended in Borg d'Oisans and the base of the Alpe, also the site of the last La Fuga feed station, more water and food and off I went. The Alpe was a punisher and with the opening few kilometres offering average gradients of 10% and 11% I soon succumbed to bribing myself to stay on the bike as long as possible. by the third hairpin the thermometer was registering temperatures in the mid 30's and I started walking a few parts and re mounting when the gradient lessoned on the bends.
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| Lovely scenory, a shame the cramping wasn't so lovely. |
The Alpe took me two and a half hours and when the finish came into view I gave it everything I had left and sprinted at a (for me now) leg shattering 6kph.
My grand finish time of 8hrs 4min is not the point I made it to the finish before the broom wagon and had thoroughly enjoyable time doing it.
Thanks again to everyone for the support, please copy the following link into your web browsers to see the route and the stats as I struggled through.
http://app.strava.com/rides/925438
Stage 19 will be ridden by the Tour on Friday 22nd July.
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