Okay so we wimped out of doing the Fitzs Challenge in pouring rain and wind, so here's a chance to redeem ourselves - The Bega Valley Ftizs - 165kms of BV hills
View Bega Valley Fitzs in a larger map
Bega Valley cycling group "Tools on Tour" will travel to France for the 2010 "Tour De France" after 2 years of planning. Join as a follower and follow our adventure.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
re visit Brown Mountain
Being back from France for over a week now, I was missing the daily pain and suffering that we were getting used to during our big trip so I decided to pack the bike in the car for a saturday arvo climb up Brown Mountain.
It was going to be interesting to compare riding our local mountain compared to what we were climbing in France, well no surprises Brown Mountain maybe not as long a climb but stll bloody steep and tough, especially when one is trying ones hardest to do a PB to prove that we had actually grown stonger in the European Mountains.
Well I'm pleased to report that a PB was indeed acheived but not before puttng absolutely everything into it and leaving nothing on the mountain ( the thought of being slower after France was a real motivation). Very happy with a time of 47:06 from sign to sign.
Bring on Mt Daraugh, much more my gradient.
It was going to be interesting to compare riding our local mountain compared to what we were climbing in France, well no surprises Brown Mountain maybe not as long a climb but stll bloody steep and tough, especially when one is trying ones hardest to do a PB to prove that we had actually grown stonger in the European Mountains.
Well I'm pleased to report that a PB was indeed acheived but not before puttng absolutely everything into it and leaving nothing on the mountain ( the thought of being slower after France was a real motivation). Very happy with a time of 47:06 from sign to sign.
Bring on Mt Daraugh, much more my gradient.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
A last hurrah in the UK
All the tools have now bid farewell and gone in several different directions most returning home. One tool had a day or two in the UK and couldn't resist the temptations offered for a little ride in the Peak District. So heading west from Sheffield climbed in to the Peak District across the top of the moors, passed stanedge edge.
Then dropped down to ladybower reservoir site of the famous dam busters WWII movie.
A return via Hathersage made for a beautiful ride of about 40ks.
That was it for me. Puppy minding duties were calling so back it was for my appointment with Jaffa the border terrier puppy.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Our easiest ride on tour - Paris
Bob, Rob and myself decided that the best way to see Paris was by bike so we booked in with "Fat Tire Cycle Tours" for a 4 hour tour of Paris by bike. We had a great day riding around and getting an overview of the sights and facts of Paris. Check out the photos by clicking on the photo.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Final Mountain Stage
The weather forecast for the final mountain stage up the tourmalet was extremely bleak. 8 degrees and heavy rain. But 4 of the tools decided to take it on.
We drove to the bottom of the tourmalet about 10 ks from the start of the climb and started riding in heavy rain. Cars and thousands of other cyclists withe the same thought in mind all braving the conditions. Fortunately the rain eased somewhat for most of the climb which we all were handling now with relative ease after almost two weeks of mountain climbing.
Rapide was first up the hill only to be stopped by about 50 gendarmes about 4 ks from the top, the summit in clear view, la cle, la fueille and l'symbole followed. With conditions cold and wet we decided to get back down the mountain and find a warm bar to watch the race from.
The descent was very wet and so cold that all we all struggled to keep any semblance of warmth, La cle especially. L'symbole did the chivalrous thing handing over a bit of clothing to keep the hyperthermia at bay.
We eventually made our way to a village called Augelles and that warm bar. Having a great time with many nationalities cheering there respctive riders.
At the appropriate time we went outside with what seemed like the whole town and watched the tour belt thru the narrow streets. Fantastic atmosphere and a great tour experience.
We drove to the bottom of the tourmalet about 10 ks from the start of the climb and started riding in heavy rain. Cars and thousands of other cyclists withe the same thought in mind all braving the conditions. Fortunately the rain eased somewhat for most of the climb which we all were handling now with relative ease after almost two weeks of mountain climbing.
Rapide was first up the hill only to be stopped by about 50 gendarmes about 4 ks from the top, the summit in clear view, la cle, la fueille and l'symbole followed. With conditions cold and wet we decided to get back down the mountain and find a warm bar to watch the race from.
The descent was very wet and so cold that all we all struggled to keep any semblance of warmth, La cle especially. L'symbole did the chivalrous thing handing over a bit of clothing to keep the hyperthermia at bay.
We eventually made our way to a village called Augelles and that warm bar. Having a great time with many nationalities cheering there respctive riders.
At the appropriate time we went outside with what seemed like the whole town and watched the tour belt thru the narrow streets. Fantastic atmosphere and a great tour experience.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Day 20 - the Col du Tourmalet and Col d' Aspin.
Day 20 - the Col du Tourmalet and Col d' Aspin.
Bob, myself and six of the other guests headed for the Col du Tourmalet on a cloudy day that had already seen rain fall. Apprehension for me was high as the Col du Tourmalet has been talked up as a massive climb. This was also another day in a row of riding and yesterdays climb was fresh in my mind.
It took us over an hour to drive to the other side so we could ride up the way the tour will go up tomorrow. This also meant we could ride the Aspin and then make our way back for another 108 km ride. Bigger than yesterday given the 3600m of ascent.
We headed off and were very grateful for the cool weather. Sweat still flowed freely but I didn't overheat like yesterday. It was very cloudy going up. It was a long relentless climb but in the end was not as bad as I thought it would be. The last bit was steep and you looked straight up a long way to see the road above you and could tell there was only one hairpin to get there. Seriously steep. We got to the top, and hit a wall of people. It was so crowded. Buses stuck, cars trying to push through, hundreds standing around the top of the climb on the road. Sensational. Thank goodness we had ridden through the cloud so it was nice and clear on top.
One car was pushing through and got stuck. I was right at the passenger door and looked down to see Phil Liggot, the commentator. His window was down so I got his attention and said " Hi Phil, how are you going mate" his reply, "I am good mate" I was very happy :-)
We caught up with the some of our group and then headed down. It became very cloudy and instantly very very cold on the way down. The road was also wet with terrible traffic. I had another near miss with a car stopping in front of me suddenly and me trying to stop quickly lost the back wheel for a little while. I thought I was going to hit the car but managed to get traction and stop just in time. Scary one.
The rest of the trip down was uneventful thank goodness and Bob and I stopped to get pizza at the bottom. We were shivering it was so cold. Pizza, coffee and a good chat to 2 South Africans and away we went. It didn't take long to warm up and we made our way to the Col d' Aspin
This was a much easier ride with low grades for most of the 12km and only the last 5km being around the 9% mark. The view, I discovered as we headed down was absolutely amazing. There was a village nearly straight down and a long way down with the road winding it's way down very visible. Clouds were pouring down the mountain and looked stunning. This was a great descent. It was not so cold and the road steep and reasonable straight for sections.
Once at the bottom we made very short time of the next 40kms sitting on ever 30kms/hr average. Great fun but the legs hurt a lot. Stopped at the patisserie for some gorgeous cake and then a quick spin back. Another great days riding and the knowledge I have tomorrow off to rest and take in a decisive day of the tour.
Bob, myself and six of the other guests headed for the Col du Tourmalet on a cloudy day that had already seen rain fall. Apprehension for me was high as the Col du Tourmalet has been talked up as a massive climb. This was also another day in a row of riding and yesterdays climb was fresh in my mind.
It took us over an hour to drive to the other side so we could ride up the way the tour will go up tomorrow. This also meant we could ride the Aspin and then make our way back for another 108 km ride. Bigger than yesterday given the 3600m of ascent.
We headed off and were very grateful for the cool weather. Sweat still flowed freely but I didn't overheat like yesterday. It was very cloudy going up. It was a long relentless climb but in the end was not as bad as I thought it would be. The last bit was steep and you looked straight up a long way to see the road above you and could tell there was only one hairpin to get there. Seriously steep. We got to the top, and hit a wall of people. It was so crowded. Buses stuck, cars trying to push through, hundreds standing around the top of the climb on the road. Sensational. Thank goodness we had ridden through the cloud so it was nice and clear on top.
One car was pushing through and got stuck. I was right at the passenger door and looked down to see Phil Liggot, the commentator. His window was down so I got his attention and said " Hi Phil, how are you going mate" his reply, "I am good mate" I was very happy :-)
We caught up with the some of our group and then headed down. It became very cloudy and instantly very very cold on the way down. The road was also wet with terrible traffic. I had another near miss with a car stopping in front of me suddenly and me trying to stop quickly lost the back wheel for a little while. I thought I was going to hit the car but managed to get traction and stop just in time. Scary one.
The rest of the trip down was uneventful thank goodness and Bob and I stopped to get pizza at the bottom. We were shivering it was so cold. Pizza, coffee and a good chat to 2 South Africans and away we went. It didn't take long to warm up and we made our way to the Col d' Aspin
This was a much easier ride with low grades for most of the 12km and only the last 5km being around the 9% mark. The view, I discovered as we headed down was absolutely amazing. There was a village nearly straight down and a long way down with the road winding it's way down very visible. Clouds were pouring down the mountain and looked stunning. This was a great descent. It was not so cold and the road steep and reasonable straight for sections.
Once at the bottom we made very short time of the next 40kms sitting on ever 30kms/hr average. Great fun but the legs hurt a lot. Stopped at the patisserie for some gorgeous cake and then a quick spin back. Another great days riding and the knowledge I have tomorrow off to rest and take in a decisive day of the tour.
Rob G's Day 19
Day 19 - tour start in Luchon - Col de Peyresourde
Today started like most of our other days. Up, breaky, get ready, ride. The difference with today was, we were going to see the start of the stage from Luchon.
We did a quick 25km ride into Luchon. Quick as there are no mountains in the way so we can zoom along the flats even quicker now days.
Luchon was busy to say the least. So many people, so many barricades. We wandered around for a while until we found the start stage where all the riders sign on. This is a good opportunity to see them all, if you are tall. Lucky me.
I stood next to a raised platform that was part of a food shop to take photos of the rids as they got up on stage. Every time I was on the timber the owner would come and tell me to get off. Not understanding French she would actually push me off, as she would do to everyone else. I got lots of pictures and seen the riders.
Lunch time arrived so Bob, Andy, Ross and I got a sandwich while the others went of to find food. Mine was the worst roll I have ever eaten in my life. I only ate half. Dom, Mark, Jo and Dave had found a restaurant and were having a long lunch so we headed off for the Perisourde. Not a long climb but steep. We headed off, got lost, went back and soon were on the right road. It was a nice ride to the mountain, lots of riders and people along the way as the tour went up the Perisourde before us. We hit the slopes and I was instantly soaked. It was so very hot and the sweat was really running today. The legs were hurting as again we have done many days of riding in a row. I was slow today but made it to the top to meet Bob and Andy. Pictures were taken, coffee ordered and Ross arrived.
We headed off done the mountain and found Ross had a major mechanical issue. Something was wrong with his back wheel. It was very loose and if he didn't pedal the chain cassette would drive the chain so it would become very loose and then tighten. Sounded terrible and was not pretty to see this hitting his frame each time. Needless to say he had to keep pedaling all the way. For all you bike riders, imagine sitting down and pedaling all the time. Geeeeezzzzzz. Your legs hurt but most of all, your bum gets no rest and hurts bad. Ross did well to not completely loose it. Thought he was close at one stage. Thank goodness as he was riding he found if he leaned the bike one way it would work as per normal. His sanity was saved!!
It was a great decent, very fast and soon we were riding through beautiful country side, minimal traffic and a good road service. It was mainly a slight down hill all the way which was great. We scooted home and after a small rest headed out to dinner.
Bob and I went with some of the other guests to a restaurant as it was the cooks night off. The rest stayed and cooked pasta. It was a great night with lots of interesting conversations, and some beautiful food and wine. As we were in France I decided it was time to eat French food.
First up was Escargo. Yep, snails. They were very yummy once they were extracted from their shell. Not I simple thing to do with some of them. Next came frogs legs. There were 6 pair on the plate with salad. Funny looking as the legs are still joined and the back parts is handy to hold so you can tuck into their tasty calfs and thighs. They were also very yummy but as you can imagine, not so filling.
Duck was next which was served with pasta. Again a beautiful dish. Duck has become a bit of a favourite for me. It is sooo nice. Desert was Creme Broule.
It was getting late so the car came to pick us up. When we got home most were in bed asleep so off to bed we went. A lovely evening learning about others from other countries.
Today started like most of our other days. Up, breaky, get ready, ride. The difference with today was, we were going to see the start of the stage from Luchon.
We did a quick 25km ride into Luchon. Quick as there are no mountains in the way so we can zoom along the flats even quicker now days.
Luchon was busy to say the least. So many people, so many barricades. We wandered around for a while until we found the start stage where all the riders sign on. This is a good opportunity to see them all, if you are tall. Lucky me.
I stood next to a raised platform that was part of a food shop to take photos of the rids as they got up on stage. Every time I was on the timber the owner would come and tell me to get off. Not understanding French she would actually push me off, as she would do to everyone else. I got lots of pictures and seen the riders.
Lunch time arrived so Bob, Andy, Ross and I got a sandwich while the others went of to find food. Mine was the worst roll I have ever eaten in my life. I only ate half. Dom, Mark, Jo and Dave had found a restaurant and were having a long lunch so we headed off for the Perisourde. Not a long climb but steep. We headed off, got lost, went back and soon were on the right road. It was a nice ride to the mountain, lots of riders and people along the way as the tour went up the Perisourde before us. We hit the slopes and I was instantly soaked. It was so very hot and the sweat was really running today. The legs were hurting as again we have done many days of riding in a row. I was slow today but made it to the top to meet Bob and Andy. Pictures were taken, coffee ordered and Ross arrived.
We headed off done the mountain and found Ross had a major mechanical issue. Something was wrong with his back wheel. It was very loose and if he didn't pedal the chain cassette would drive the chain so it would become very loose and then tighten. Sounded terrible and was not pretty to see this hitting his frame each time. Needless to say he had to keep pedaling all the way. For all you bike riders, imagine sitting down and pedaling all the time. Geeeeezzzzzz. Your legs hurt but most of all, your bum gets no rest and hurts bad. Ross did well to not completely loose it. Thought he was close at one stage. Thank goodness as he was riding he found if he leaned the bike one way it would work as per normal. His sanity was saved!!
It was a great decent, very fast and soon we were riding through beautiful country side, minimal traffic and a good road service. It was mainly a slight down hill all the way which was great. We scooted home and after a small rest headed out to dinner.
Bob and I went with some of the other guests to a restaurant as it was the cooks night off. The rest stayed and cooked pasta. It was a great night with lots of interesting conversations, and some beautiful food and wine. As we were in France I decided it was time to eat French food.
First up was Escargo. Yep, snails. They were very yummy once they were extracted from their shell. Not I simple thing to do with some of them. Next came frogs legs. There were 6 pair on the plate with salad. Funny looking as the legs are still joined and the back parts is handy to hold so you can tuck into their tasty calfs and thighs. They were also very yummy but as you can imagine, not so filling.
Duck was next which was served with pasta. Again a beautiful dish. Duck has become a bit of a favourite for me. It is sooo nice. Desert was Creme Broule.
It was getting late so the car came to pick us up. When we got home most were in bed asleep so off to bed we went. A lovely evening learning about others from other countries.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
A day in Spain
After the excitement of seeing the tour on the Port de Bales, we decided to head to Luchon to see the start of the next stage. So we started with a nice fast blast along the valley.
Going to the start gave us all a chance to see the riders up close as they sign in, get a good look at the team cars and the riders spare bikes. It was really crowded and a fantastic atmosphere.
After the tour set off, we sought out a nice cafe for lunch and watch the tour disappear up the road. Somewhere around here with the big crowds the tools were split with 4 following the tour and heading up the Peyresourde. The other four, (your correspondent included) enjoyed a really good lunch., intending to follow the others.
Around now the four remaining tools minds turned to Spain and the possible option of a loop thru Spain. So the Col de Portillon it was. A 10 k climb with some very steep pinches. the top of the Col was the border with Spain. A truly fantastic descent followed, with flowing curves, a nice consistent grade and a smooth surface.
Reaching the bottom we found a wide road, a flat valley and a distinct change to the architecture. Welcome to Spain !! We turned left heading down the valley and back towards france.
Before we recrossed the border we thought we had better try a spanish coffee and finding a suitable cafe we tried out our poor spanish, (probably worse than our french), fortunately our host was understanding and we got our required caffiene hit. Refreshed we headed home back into france and back to our lodgings, finding the other tools and swapping stories of our respectives days endeavours
Monday, July 19, 2010
Interview ABC
Here is a link to Interview with Ian Campbell (ABC Southeast) and Andy, a bit of an update from the Pyrenees.
Rob G's day 18
Day 18 - La Tour De France - Porte de Bale's
Another day in paradise. Slept till 8.00 am after a troubled nights sleep.
After breaky we went for a little spin around the mountain which took approximate 1 hour. It was so nice and cool and not to steep with lots of slight decent. It didn't take long to work out once we were under way that the tour would be passing this way. There were so many cars along the road and lots of bikes heading up to the mountain. So very impressive.
Got back and changed to go shopping. We drove to the Shoppi, which is a super market here. Most super markets seem to be small. Maybe that is because we are staying in small places.
Got backup and has ham and cheese rolls which was why we went shopping. Lots left over for another lunch on the mountain we are climbing today.
At 12.30 we headed of to watch the tour go past on the Porte de Bale's I was very excited and I think every one else was as well judging by the discussions taking place. It was a nice easy pace along the flat before we headed up what is normally a good incline for us now days. Evans hill grade. This was made harder by the packs being carried, especially Andy who did seem to have the heaviest in the end. Dave and I also carried packs.
The I inclined steepened for a couple of ams before we met a Gendarme who made us get of our bikes many ams before the top which was disappointing. We walked our bikes for a while and then hopped back on and continued to ride. We were told this may happen by Chris our host. E clime steepened amid became more exposed which made the climb difficult. It soo became apparent this may yet prove to be our most difficult climb, packs or not given the signs telling us how steep the next 1 km is on average. Scary when it states 10 then you go flat for a 100 metros. You have to make up for that flat in the average. So soon you amending 11% and pushing very hard and sweating hard and unable to drink due to the steepness. I stopped twice just Sonia could have a drink and I havenever had to do that before.
Up and up we went past the many thousands who had stopped lower down, the many cars parked along the road and then the many thousands who had hiked up from below. One thing I was amazed at was the nature of the people the people on the side of the road. Most were over weight and those that weren't smoked. Hence the weight control. Even at the top where there were some many riders, people were puffing away in our faces. Yuck.
Getting to the top was a major challenge. The caravan came behind me which was something totally else to be believed. I passed e same @&<€#}%{]+¥£ coffee van about z15 time which was so frustrating. People were driving up in sponsors cars and van, loud speakers blaring away and giving away stuff. The traffic became thick with these caravan trucks and the pedestrians as well as other bike riders. It was nice to have allnthese thousands of people cheering us on as we headed to the top.
The closer to the top the hotter it got and the more traffic until wen just stopped. Man thats so frustrating. All I wanted to do was reach the top, come back down, find a go place to view and we stopped and walked and then rode and then stopped. Finally I made it to the top to meet the other moo moo's who had already made it.mew had a drink then walked through the grass along the slopes looking for a good vantage point. We did stop but decided to go the Chris out guide and see how the view was fro. Where he stopped. Needless to say it was fantastic. We carried our bikes up this very steep dirt slope and plonked ourselves down to rest and ear, which we did.
Next came the caravan proper which consisted og vehicles done up for the sponsors, full of very good looking young girls throwing goodies out ton the crowd. Time to work on my body as the young guy next to us, who was gorgeous got so many goodies thrown at him it was ridicules. The young girls have good eyes it would seem.
It was very sunny but not to hot which was good. I could feel the rays doing there thing on my skin tho. I know have an amazing bike tan line. I even have a glove mark. My hands are white but my forearms are very brown.
We could here the helicopters which was a good sign the riders were getting closer. You could feel the tension grow among the crowd. It wasn't long and the first rider, which we could see from approximate 1km away was in view and the crowd surged to see. The French were going nuts as yet again they had a rider In the lead on a good breakaway. We were lucky as there were so many breakaways we got to see many of the riders well.
Now for the riders. Little skinny blokes I would say. Great legs but most would make good jockeys. One thing in their favor, they were very fast . Most looked like they were riding on a flat road. Riding no hands drinking coke. Handing out newspapers they grabbed of the crowd. Just seeming to cruise along. This is the same road that 2 hrs ago I slogged up pushing hard and thinking when will this end. Unlike them I had not just ridden 145kms non stop which made all the worse.
Many many photos were taken before and all gone past. Andy Shleck had his chain incident just down from us which seen him approximate 20 seconds behind when they came past.
It took 30 mins for the riders to go past and then came the decent. It was great. So many bikes, so many cars all heading down the mountain. Guess what, bikes go faster than cars and motor bikes down hill so it was a real hoot to pass the slow riders, scream past the cars at every opportunity and even over take up ton three motor bikes in one go. Yeee haaaa.
We got home after a fabulous ride down that seen some risk life and limb. Bob riding down leaning on a car as another came from the other direction. Not much room there Bob.
We vote back, all tired from the day in the sun, enjoyed another lovely dinner and then warted the highlights. Guess what. We were there for approximately 0.75 of a second. Yeeeeaaaaahhhhh
Now it is bed time. A dream come true. So much riding, so much more to do and today we seen the worlds best at the type of riding we do. You have to love it.
Van Velo
Another day in paradise. Slept till 8.00 am after a troubled nights sleep.
After breaky we went for a little spin around the mountain which took approximate 1 hour. It was so nice and cool and not to steep with lots of slight decent. It didn't take long to work out once we were under way that the tour would be passing this way. There were so many cars along the road and lots of bikes heading up to the mountain. So very impressive.
Got back and changed to go shopping. We drove to the Shoppi, which is a super market here. Most super markets seem to be small. Maybe that is because we are staying in small places.
Got backup and has ham and cheese rolls which was why we went shopping. Lots left over for another lunch on the mountain we are climbing today.
At 12.30 we headed of to watch the tour go past on the Porte de Bale's I was very excited and I think every one else was as well judging by the discussions taking place. It was a nice easy pace along the flat before we headed up what is normally a good incline for us now days. Evans hill grade. This was made harder by the packs being carried, especially Andy who did seem to have the heaviest in the end. Dave and I also carried packs.
The I inclined steepened for a couple of ams before we met a Gendarme who made us get of our bikes many ams before the top which was disappointing. We walked our bikes for a while and then hopped back on and continued to ride. We were told this may happen by Chris our host. E clime steepened amid became more exposed which made the climb difficult. It soo became apparent this may yet prove to be our most difficult climb, packs or not given the signs telling us how steep the next 1 km is on average. Scary when it states 10 then you go flat for a 100 metros. You have to make up for that flat in the average. So soon you amending 11% and pushing very hard and sweating hard and unable to drink due to the steepness. I stopped twice just Sonia could have a drink and I havenever had to do that before.
Up and up we went past the many thousands who had stopped lower down, the many cars parked along the road and then the many thousands who had hiked up from below. One thing I was amazed at was the nature of the people the people on the side of the road. Most were over weight and those that weren't smoked. Hence the weight control. Even at the top where there were some many riders, people were puffing away in our faces. Yuck.
Getting to the top was a major challenge. The caravan came behind me which was something totally else to be believed. I passed e same @&<€#}%{]+¥£ coffee van about z15 time which was so frustrating. People were driving up in sponsors cars and van, loud speakers blaring away and giving away stuff. The traffic became thick with these caravan trucks and the pedestrians as well as other bike riders. It was nice to have allnthese thousands of people cheering us on as we headed to the top.
The closer to the top the hotter it got and the more traffic until wen just stopped. Man thats so frustrating. All I wanted to do was reach the top, come back down, find a go place to view and we stopped and walked and then rode and then stopped. Finally I made it to the top to meet the other moo moo's who had already made it.mew had a drink then walked through the grass along the slopes looking for a good vantage point. We did stop but decided to go the Chris out guide and see how the view was fro. Where he stopped. Needless to say it was fantastic. We carried our bikes up this very steep dirt slope and plonked ourselves down to rest and ear, which we did.
Next came the caravan proper which consisted og vehicles done up for the sponsors, full of very good looking young girls throwing goodies out ton the crowd. Time to work on my body as the young guy next to us, who was gorgeous got so many goodies thrown at him it was ridicules. The young girls have good eyes it would seem.
It was very sunny but not to hot which was good. I could feel the rays doing there thing on my skin tho. I know have an amazing bike tan line. I even have a glove mark. My hands are white but my forearms are very brown.
We could here the helicopters which was a good sign the riders were getting closer. You could feel the tension grow among the crowd. It wasn't long and the first rider, which we could see from approximate 1km away was in view and the crowd surged to see. The French were going nuts as yet again they had a rider In the lead on a good breakaway. We were lucky as there were so many breakaways we got to see many of the riders well.
Now for the riders. Little skinny blokes I would say. Great legs but most would make good jockeys. One thing in their favor, they were very fast . Most looked like they were riding on a flat road. Riding no hands drinking coke. Handing out newspapers they grabbed of the crowd. Just seeming to cruise along. This is the same road that 2 hrs ago I slogged up pushing hard and thinking when will this end. Unlike them I had not just ridden 145kms non stop which made all the worse.
Many many photos were taken before and all gone past. Andy Shleck had his chain incident just down from us which seen him approximate 20 seconds behind when they came past.
It took 30 mins for the riders to go past and then came the decent. It was great. So many bikes, so many cars all heading down the mountain. Guess what, bikes go faster than cars and motor bikes down hill so it was a real hoot to pass the slow riders, scream past the cars at every opportunity and even over take up ton three motor bikes in one go. Yeee haaaa.
We got home after a fabulous ride down that seen some risk life and limb. Bob riding down leaning on a car as another came from the other direction. Not much room there Bob.
We vote back, all tired from the day in the sun, enjoyed another lovely dinner and then warted the highlights. Guess what. We were there for approximately 0.75 of a second. Yeeeeaaaaahhhhh
Now it is bed time. A dream come true. So much riding, so much more to do and today we seen the worlds best at the type of riding we do. You have to love it.
Van Velo
Rob G's day 17
Day 17 - Quiet ride
Raining today and a bit chilly. Up not so early and lazed around after breakfast until ride time of 10.00am. Headed off on a reasonably flat ride but had a slow start due to people stopping often. Got to a place called Gargas Grotto. Rode up the hill to have a look and found a place with a very large cave that you can tour through. Lots of rock painting etc. We didn't do the tour as it is cold in there and we had our cleats non. We shall see if we can get back.
Again headed off with Mark and I leading the way. We got to a main intersection and waited for the others. They didn't turn up son we thought they must of turned earlier. We headed along the main road, turned in a rode through a little village but could not find road to the left so headed back to the main rode where we seen them way out in front. We both put in a big effort and rode to catch them doing over 50kms/hr for a long way till we got them. The boys Spent a fair amount of time studying the maps to work out where we should go. We ended up heading to Valentine via some small roads that were only one car wide. No cars so i figured they must be bike tracks. We found a little steak house where the steaks were cooked over an open fire that was at bench height. They would drag coals out and place under the mesh holders that would have the meat inside. All the smoke etc would go up the chimney. Damn they looked soooo good. We only had some entrees with myself going for the duck again while others went for mussels, others ham and salad. The meal was very nice and it was very pleasant to have everyone on good behaviour. No alcohol may be the reason.
Headed back riding nice and fast along the flatter sections which I really enjoy. Sitting watching the tour now relaxing.
Cleaned the bikes and sat around talking to the other guests, Tom & Courtney, Russell & Dan, and two guys from the UK. Had a lovely dinner of a small salad with bread that had honey and goats cheese on it. So yum. Then came a Toulouse pork sausage stew that was also very nice followed by a lemon tart with Creme Fresh. All very nice. A walk around town a bit, watched the tour highlights and off to bed.
Goodnight all
Van Velo
Raining today and a bit chilly. Up not so early and lazed around after breakfast until ride time of 10.00am. Headed off on a reasonably flat ride but had a slow start due to people stopping often. Got to a place called Gargas Grotto. Rode up the hill to have a look and found a place with a very large cave that you can tour through. Lots of rock painting etc. We didn't do the tour as it is cold in there and we had our cleats non. We shall see if we can get back.
Again headed off with Mark and I leading the way. We got to a main intersection and waited for the others. They didn't turn up son we thought they must of turned earlier. We headed along the main road, turned in a rode through a little village but could not find road to the left so headed back to the main rode where we seen them way out in front. We both put in a big effort and rode to catch them doing over 50kms/hr for a long way till we got them. The boys Spent a fair amount of time studying the maps to work out where we should go. We ended up heading to Valentine via some small roads that were only one car wide. No cars so i figured they must be bike tracks. We found a little steak house where the steaks were cooked over an open fire that was at bench height. They would drag coals out and place under the mesh holders that would have the meat inside. All the smoke etc would go up the chimney. Damn they looked soooo good. We only had some entrees with myself going for the duck again while others went for mussels, others ham and salad. The meal was very nice and it was very pleasant to have everyone on good behaviour. No alcohol may be the reason.
Headed back riding nice and fast along the flatter sections which I really enjoy. Sitting watching the tour now relaxing.
Cleaned the bikes and sat around talking to the other guests, Tom & Courtney, Russell & Dan, and two guys from the UK. Had a lovely dinner of a small salad with bread that had honey and goats cheese on it. So yum. Then came a Toulouse pork sausage stew that was also very nice followed by a lemon tart with Creme Fresh. All very nice. A walk around town a bit, watched the tour highlights and off to bed.
Goodnight all
Van Velo
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The first mountains of the pyrenees, Col de Mente and the Col de Portet d'Aspet
>
This was our first day of riding in the pyrenees and we chose a circular route that included a few rated cols. Whil not big they still provided challenges that were a nice introduction to the Pyrenees.
First up was the Col de Portet d'Aspet. While not a long climb it was as steep as anything we had done averaging almost 10% grade for 4.5 km. A pleasant surprise awaited us at the top with a tour car passing thru handing out a team sponsors shirt. Careful observers might notice a missing tool. With l'Symbole taking a wrong turn and missing out on this col. This climb also has some infamy being the site of a tour fatality in 1995 where Fabio Casertelli crashed and sustained fatal head injuries. A memorial marks the spot.
We followed this with the Col de Mente. Longer but not as steep and a nice place for coffee at the top.
Returning via St Beat made for a beautiful days ride
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Now the Pyrenees
We have now arrived in a little village called Bertren in the Pyrenees, we are here for 7 days. Today we had a nice easy ride for a change, a bit of a recovery ride, 65kms through some nice villages and paths/roads through some farmland countryside.
Tomorrow it will be back to the hills though, we will tackle some more of the Tour de France climbs, we are also looking forward to seeing the actual race up close and personal on Monday. Our plan is to ride up some Col's in the morning and then postion ourselves to watch the race go by in the afternoon. Our hosts at PyrActif will escort us on the ride and get us into the best spot.
Tomorrow it will be back to the hills though, we will tackle some more of the Tour de France climbs, we are also looking forward to seeing the actual race up close and personal on Monday. Our plan is to ride up some Col's in the morning and then postion ourselves to watch the race go by in the afternoon. Our hosts at PyrActif will escort us on the ride and get us into the best spot.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Rob G's day 16
Day 16 - Faucon to Bertren
Up at 7.00am to get ready for our long trip to Bertren. Simple breakfast, pack the bags, pack the vans, which turned out to be very simple and we were on our way at the correct time.
We were to drive half way and meet up with Helen from Pyractive. Andy Bob and I went with Craig and 5 bikes. Every one else piled in the tour van for the complete journey. It was a very warm trip, with some interesting conversations with Craig and a lot of dozing. The ability to doze and sleep during the day is something I am enjoying a lot.
We met up with Helen after a phone call and a small amount of searching. Into the trailer went the bikes and we had the van for the people. Again we headed of with someone new to chat to. We were also grateful we had the best looking driver out of the two vans.
The country side is very dry and has gone fro flat to undulating. The area around Faucon is a huge wine area and the amount of land covered in vim's is amazing. Each grower is given a quota of grapes to grow and once reached, all grapes are harvested and dumped. That sad and a real waste. I can only assume it is to keep the price up. There are many wine areas and passed through another one which also had massive amounts of vines. Right now were are passing by Port Lauragais which has many acres of sunflowers and it is spectacular when viewed from the direction of the sun.
Were had a brief lunch stop at a service station. An amazing difference to the food we are used to as it was mass produced, didn't come with a beautiful coffee and cost just as much, if not more. Speed was of the essence tho so all is well. We got back and had a tour of the house we are staying in. The couple are very nice and do like a very orderly house. Everything has a place and everything is in it's place. I love it.
We got our WiFi devices sorted. Most important if we are to complete our emails and the blog.
We got our rooms organised, assembled the bikes and went for a little ride. Chris gave us a map with a reasonably flat ride. We headed of and found this area to be very lush and extremely beautiful. The villages are very small, very old and very quiet. We seen a couple of people but given the houses, not many at all. There is a lot of water here even tho it is the middle of summer. We rode uphill for a few ams and came across a large Cathedral on a hill. St Bertrands is a little town within itself and is very steep to get to. Simply gorgeous. There were a lot of people there and it is very geared to tourists. Had a look around and a coffee before heading off.
We had a lovely run down along a nice stream. It was a slight decent of 1% and went for approximately 10 kms. There are houses along the stream. The stream is diverted slightly upstream from each house and some water run along a level channel right up to the house. This must be how they got there water in the past.
We got to the village below Bertren and stopped at on of the bakeries. Here is a Patisserie that has the most gorgeous delights as well as serving as a bar. Beer, bread and cake. Very nice. We had a quick snack, Bob and I had a Almond pastry at was very large and very nice. Back for a shower and a couple of beers and a chat to the other guests. One couple, Tom & Courtneyis from Colorado and will be with us for the week. The other couple is from near Manchester and will be leaving in the morning.
The tour van had not yet arrived. Seen them drive past and then didn't see them for over .5 hour. They had taken the slow route and had done some seeing and drinking on the way. All were very merry which is good.
We were booked into a restaurant as Helen does not cook on Friday nights. It was a nice little place with the waiter having spent 15 years in Sydney as a taxi driver. Lots of red wine and massive salads followed with a desert of Almond Gateaux and was ok. Not the best cake but dinner was very nice. I had steak which is something I had not for so long.
Up at 7.00am to get ready for our long trip to Bertren. Simple breakfast, pack the bags, pack the vans, which turned out to be very simple and we were on our way at the correct time.
We were to drive half way and meet up with Helen from Pyractive. Andy Bob and I went with Craig and 5 bikes. Every one else piled in the tour van for the complete journey. It was a very warm trip, with some interesting conversations with Craig and a lot of dozing. The ability to doze and sleep during the day is something I am enjoying a lot.
We met up with Helen after a phone call and a small amount of searching. Into the trailer went the bikes and we had the van for the people. Again we headed of with someone new to chat to. We were also grateful we had the best looking driver out of the two vans.
The country side is very dry and has gone fro flat to undulating. The area around Faucon is a huge wine area and the amount of land covered in vim's is amazing. Each grower is given a quota of grapes to grow and once reached, all grapes are harvested and dumped. That sad and a real waste. I can only assume it is to keep the price up. There are many wine areas and passed through another one which also had massive amounts of vines. Right now were are passing by Port Lauragais which has many acres of sunflowers and it is spectacular when viewed from the direction of the sun.
Were had a brief lunch stop at a service station. An amazing difference to the food we are used to as it was mass produced, didn't come with a beautiful coffee and cost just as much, if not more. Speed was of the essence tho so all is well. We got back and had a tour of the house we are staying in. The couple are very nice and do like a very orderly house. Everything has a place and everything is in it's place. I love it.
We got our WiFi devices sorted. Most important if we are to complete our emails and the blog.
We got our rooms organised, assembled the bikes and went for a little ride. Chris gave us a map with a reasonably flat ride. We headed of and found this area to be very lush and extremely beautiful. The villages are very small, very old and very quiet. We seen a couple of people but given the houses, not many at all. There is a lot of water here even tho it is the middle of summer. We rode uphill for a few ams and came across a large Cathedral on a hill. St Bertrands is a little town within itself and is very steep to get to. Simply gorgeous. There were a lot of people there and it is very geared to tourists. Had a look around and a coffee before heading off.
We had a lovely run down along a nice stream. It was a slight decent of 1% and went for approximately 10 kms. There are houses along the stream. The stream is diverted slightly upstream from each house and some water run along a level channel right up to the house. This must be how they got there water in the past.
We got to the village below Bertren and stopped at on of the bakeries. Here is a Patisserie that has the most gorgeous delights as well as serving as a bar. Beer, bread and cake. Very nice. We had a quick snack, Bob and I had a Almond pastry at was very large and very nice. Back for a shower and a couple of beers and a chat to the other guests. One couple, Tom & Courtneyis from Colorado and will be with us for the week. The other couple is from near Manchester and will be leaving in the morning.
The tour van had not yet arrived. Seen them drive past and then didn't see them for over .5 hour. They had taken the slow route and had done some seeing and drinking on the way. All were very merry which is good.
We were booked into a restaurant as Helen does not cook on Friday nights. It was a nice little place with the waiter having spent 15 years in Sydney as a taxi driver. Lots of red wine and massive salads followed with a desert of Almond Gateaux and was ok. Not the best cake but dinner was very nice. I had steak which is something I had not for so long.
Mont Ventoux
Today we all climbed up Mont Ventoux, a climb that we had heard so much about, famous for its extreme conditions, mainly horrific winds, we were very fortunate to have favourable conditions for our attempt at the climb.
All members of the group made it to the top with 3 of the group Dom, Dave & Ross) successfully completed a triple Ventoux, completing the 3 routes to the top.
Here is the link to the map and elevation graph.
All members of the group made it to the top with 3 of the group Dom, Dave & Ross) successfully completed a triple Ventoux, completing the 3 routes to the top.
Here is the link to the map and elevation graph.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Rob G's day 15
Day 15 - Mont Vontoux
The day started very early with everyone keen to get away before the heat set in. A quick breakfast and all were lined up at the allotted time of 6.00am as planned. Wonders will never cease!!!!!
We headed of with Ben as our guide and had a lovely ride to Bedouin. Slight grades and just a lovely ride in the early morning light over Col de Madeleine.
Some photos, a toilet stop and we were on our way. Apprehension was the order of the day for myself after all the talk and stories about this legendary climb. I can only imagine what was going the the minds of those doing the Cingle (crazy) ride.
The initial 5 kms was steady going before it became a constant 9, 10% for most of the ride. It was a very shady ride in the beginning and was pleasant. The grade tho high didn't seem as bad as first thought, probably helped out by the cooler temp. It was an amazing ride with lots of cars making their way up and stopping regularly to see their loved ones. I couldn't,t believe the number of riders, especially those riding mountain bikes. I passed a lot of people and a few passed me. After an hour or so of pushing up the vegitation thinned and became more stunted due to the altitude, the soil condition and the wind factor. Highest wind recorded on Vontoux- 290km/hr. No wonder there is no dirt for any thing to grow in.
Higher up the landscape became lunar with just a very rocky surface and the straights a bit longer. This also meant we were exposed to the sun a lot more and it did become hot. There was an endless stream of people up and down the mountain. I passed a runner and was surprised at the pace he was going and how smooth he was running. A went a couple of further ams and looked back to see him not far behind me. Unreal. We got to the top and every one was very happy.
The trip down was a real hoot. So very fast. Top speed for me was 78.25kms/hr. Not my fastest but not far off it.
We had a coffee and headed of for home after the others headed off for their second accent.
A good shower and off we went for lunch. The bakery was discussed but once on the way Jo mentioned the restaurant so it wax there we went. It was hot so we sat under the covered area. This is a restaurant where every one eats outside either under an umbrella or under a covered old building that once inspected, is not so old. Gaspatcho soup was for starters and was an interesting cold soup of celery and a salmon mousse. Main was a beautiful duck on skewers that seemed to be only just cooked on the outside over an open flame with a nice rice side. Those who had salmon with the same rice also were very happy. A walk home in the heat was followed by a nice sleep.
Bob got me up and we went to see the Cingle Trio arrive after their epic venture. We bought some champagne and chips etc at the supermarche and headed up the mountain. We seen the guys coming up about 4 kms away. They looked in good spirits. I took some pics as they arrived and congratulations all round for an amazing effort. There are not many Australians who have accomplished this. Only 3 before today.
Home and a couple of beers, pack up the bike and we will have some champagne and get ready for our departure tomorrow.
Dinner was again very nice with a quiche and salad followed by a lasagne and salad. Dessert was a coffee cake concoction that was gorgeous. So many simple ideas for lovely meals already on this trip. All I have to do is remember them. Bring on summer.
Good night again fro the Tools on Tour as our triple riders are deservedly tired and the rest of are as well.
The day started very early with everyone keen to get away before the heat set in. A quick breakfast and all were lined up at the allotted time of 6.00am as planned. Wonders will never cease!!!!!
We headed of with Ben as our guide and had a lovely ride to Bedouin. Slight grades and just a lovely ride in the early morning light over Col de Madeleine.
Some photos, a toilet stop and we were on our way. Apprehension was the order of the day for myself after all the talk and stories about this legendary climb. I can only imagine what was going the the minds of those doing the Cingle (crazy) ride.
The initial 5 kms was steady going before it became a constant 9, 10% for most of the ride. It was a very shady ride in the beginning and was pleasant. The grade tho high didn't seem as bad as first thought, probably helped out by the cooler temp. It was an amazing ride with lots of cars making their way up and stopping regularly to see their loved ones. I couldn't,t believe the number of riders, especially those riding mountain bikes. I passed a lot of people and a few passed me. After an hour or so of pushing up the vegitation thinned and became more stunted due to the altitude, the soil condition and the wind factor. Highest wind recorded on Vontoux- 290km/hr. No wonder there is no dirt for any thing to grow in.
Higher up the landscape became lunar with just a very rocky surface and the straights a bit longer. This also meant we were exposed to the sun a lot more and it did become hot. There was an endless stream of people up and down the mountain. I passed a runner and was surprised at the pace he was going and how smooth he was running. A went a couple of further ams and looked back to see him not far behind me. Unreal. We got to the top and every one was very happy.
The trip down was a real hoot. So very fast. Top speed for me was 78.25kms/hr. Not my fastest but not far off it.
We had a coffee and headed of for home after the others headed off for their second accent.
A good shower and off we went for lunch. The bakery was discussed but once on the way Jo mentioned the restaurant so it wax there we went. It was hot so we sat under the covered area. This is a restaurant where every one eats outside either under an umbrella or under a covered old building that once inspected, is not so old. Gaspatcho soup was for starters and was an interesting cold soup of celery and a salmon mousse. Main was a beautiful duck on skewers that seemed to be only just cooked on the outside over an open flame with a nice rice side. Those who had salmon with the same rice also were very happy. A walk home in the heat was followed by a nice sleep.
Bob got me up and we went to see the Cingle Trio arrive after their epic venture. We bought some champagne and chips etc at the supermarche and headed up the mountain. We seen the guys coming up about 4 kms away. They looked in good spirits. I took some pics as they arrived and congratulations all round for an amazing effort. There are not many Australians who have accomplished this. Only 3 before today.
Home and a couple of beers, pack up the bike and we will have some champagne and get ready for our departure tomorrow.
Dinner was again very nice with a quiche and salad followed by a lasagne and salad. Dessert was a coffee cake concoction that was gorgeous. So many simple ideas for lovely meals already on this trip. All I have to do is remember them. Bring on summer.
Good night again fro the Tools on Tour as our triple riders are deservedly tired and the rest of are as well.
Rob G's day 14
Day 14 - Easy ride Aurel.
We got up and had another easy morning. God I love them. Slept in some which was so good. Cleaned my bike and went for a little ride to have an Expresso with Ross, Dave and Jo. Very nice and still amazed at how small and old this place is.
We went back and headed on our way for a 40km ride to have lunch. This has been recommended by Craig who came with us as did Ben, his friend. We headed off with Ben leading the way and setting a pace that was nice, so we were in a group most of the way.
There were a couple of climbs around 3-5 % which were approximate 5km long. Nice. We stopped for lunch in another tiny town. The lunch was superb. I had a chicken salad. Man it was big and so very very nice. It is great to be back to great salads. Some on in Bega or Tathra should do salads like these. They would make a fortune. Lots of people turned up on bikes, motorbikes and in cars only to be turned away as it was full or reserved. Lucky Craig booked for us.
Lunch was slow and easy which was very pleasant.
The ride home was so great. One very long down hill at about 1-3% seen Mark and myself in our element and lead the charge down the hill. Sensational stuff. Hmmmmmmm next came a 4km up hill that was around 5% in the full heat causing the temp to rise fast. God it was hot. I sweated so much riding up watching it drip onto my top bar at a scary rate. The water which we had got only 15mins ago was also hot making drinking it not so pleasant.
Once at the top we headed down again along the river which had lots of people laying beside or in it. The river is very rocky and surrounded by trees. Cars where parked in every available space. We drove a cross an ancient bridge to view dozens of people sitting and paddling in the water. It looked extremely inviting. Off we went, up a slight rise for the lad few ams home. We reached it absolutely dripping with sweat and enjoyed a couple of glasses of coke and water.
A shower and here I am watching the Tour having a couple of beers.
We had a rest with some driving into Malucene.
Went for a with Ross to a local winery and had a Premice light red which was very nice. Very warm again and looked like they were getting ready for a big night being Bastille day. DJ was set up etc. Walked back and ran into Mark at the bakery and had a beer before walking home and having dinner. Dinner again was nice with Prawn salsa type dish for entree and roast chicken with Ratatoulle and vege. Desert was an Apricot cream Broule. Very yummy. The Apricots were under the Broule.
After dinner discussion revolved around the triple Vontoux with 3 riders accepting the challenge. Dom, Dave and Ross. Most others seen it as to much of an insurance event for the middle of a holiday. Time will tell if the the heat distance and actual rise in elevation will win or if the boys will overcome what seem difficult odds.
We got up and had another easy morning. God I love them. Slept in some which was so good. Cleaned my bike and went for a little ride to have an Expresso with Ross, Dave and Jo. Very nice and still amazed at how small and old this place is.
We went back and headed on our way for a 40km ride to have lunch. This has been recommended by Craig who came with us as did Ben, his friend. We headed off with Ben leading the way and setting a pace that was nice, so we were in a group most of the way.
There were a couple of climbs around 3-5 % which were approximate 5km long. Nice. We stopped for lunch in another tiny town. The lunch was superb. I had a chicken salad. Man it was big and so very very nice. It is great to be back to great salads. Some on in Bega or Tathra should do salads like these. They would make a fortune. Lots of people turned up on bikes, motorbikes and in cars only to be turned away as it was full or reserved. Lucky Craig booked for us.
Lunch was slow and easy which was very pleasant.
The ride home was so great. One very long down hill at about 1-3% seen Mark and myself in our element and lead the charge down the hill. Sensational stuff. Hmmmmmmm next came a 4km up hill that was around 5% in the full heat causing the temp to rise fast. God it was hot. I sweated so much riding up watching it drip onto my top bar at a scary rate. The water which we had got only 15mins ago was also hot making drinking it not so pleasant.
Once at the top we headed down again along the river which had lots of people laying beside or in it. The river is very rocky and surrounded by trees. Cars where parked in every available space. We drove a cross an ancient bridge to view dozens of people sitting and paddling in the water. It looked extremely inviting. Off we went, up a slight rise for the lad few ams home. We reached it absolutely dripping with sweat and enjoyed a couple of glasses of coke and water.
A shower and here I am watching the Tour having a couple of beers.
We had a rest with some driving into Malucene.
Went for a with Ross to a local winery and had a Premice light red which was very nice. Very warm again and looked like they were getting ready for a big night being Bastille day. DJ was set up etc. Walked back and ran into Mark at the bakery and had a beer before walking home and having dinner. Dinner again was nice with Prawn salsa type dish for entree and roast chicken with Ratatoulle and vege. Desert was an Apricot cream Broule. Very yummy. The Apricots were under the Broule.
After dinner discussion revolved around the triple Vontoux with 3 riders accepting the challenge. Dom, Dave and Ross. Most others seen it as to much of an insurance event for the middle of a holiday. Time will tell if the the heat distance and actual rise in elevation will win or if the boys will overcome what seem difficult odds.
Day 13 - Col du Ornon to Faucon
Another easy start ton the day made much easier knowing we would not be riding.
Packed the car last night so were are ready to head off early. Up at 7.00am and a lighter breaky was the order nod the day. Went and had a lie down before we left.
Helen got us on the road at 8.30am to Grenoble for our our train trip to Orange via Valance ville. We had a coffee while waiting for the train and then we were on our way again. They have very nice trains over here and we reckoned we were doing approximately 180kms/hr.
I had a good sleep on the train and everyone was looking exhausted and a lot leaner than when we started.
A packet of chips was had by all and again we were on our way to Orange on another fast train. This seemed faster and being in first class it was so smooth and quiet even at approximate 200km/hr. This assured some of us slept, with photos showing Andy, Bob and myself punching out some zzzzz's.
We got to Orange and met Craig for our trip to Faulcon. Stopped on the way for some yummy sandwiches. These are not your normal sandwiches as we know them.they are the most beautiful long rolls that has a very crisp yet chewy crust and has very nice fillings. We ate these in the yard at ur accommodation which is a beautiful old building that is 3 stories high and a tower as a forth. The walls are all around 2 foot thick so keeps it cool during the day. The inside walls are also very thick and even on the 3rd floor it feels very solid. It has a huge yard with and garage that has a unit above it. The trees offer much shade and being so old are gnarled and lovely. The insects are very noisy here and remind me of the middle of summer when I was small and the cicada's seem so much louder than they do these days.
The terrain here is very rocky and the area is covered in grape vines. The paddocks with the vines are covered in rocks. We were amazed at first thinking they were trying to grow grapes in rock. It is used as a mulch and we believe may add minerals to the soil.
I am sharing a room with Ross which means we can catch up a bit more. It is amazing how much more you get to know someone when you share a room and talk a lot more and a bit deeper. We both had a good sleep once we got to our room. Three for the day. That is amazing for me.
Went for a walk with Ross, Dom and Mark. This is a little town that is full of extremely old buildings. At the top is the ruins of what looks like a fort. It is being partially renovated and new places being built. We walked through very narrow lane ways past the locals houses. So tightly built with every wall being made of rock and cement. All the new places fit in perfectly with the oldest of the buildings. The little centre of town has a little fountain and a restaurant. We went down the road a bit and had a beer and cold pizza type of thing. The beer is served warm and the pizza cold. Interesting.
On the way home we past the local school where they were cooking a couple of lambs on an spit roast. Geezzzz they looked and smelt great. There were long tables set up with white table clothes ready for a feast. The people where just arriving and were nicely dressed. It would have been gorgeous given the temp, the food and the lack of mozzies over here. There are some flies, but no where near as many as Oz but no mozzies.
We got home and had a lovely meal, again 3 courses cooked by Vicky and her 2 friends. Salmon salad, a nice pasta dish and apple crumble with lovely ice cream for desert.
We played our favorite songs from our Ipods etc after dinner before heading to bed ready for a good night sleep after a few beers and probably a few to many reds.. Unfortunately there was a dog doing a lot of barking and Mark and Dom in the room next door who talk at the same volume all the time. LOUD.
12.30 seen the dog stop and the sleep begin, with no covers, the windows open and still lovely and hot. Found out today that Craig went and took the neighbours dog for a walk to shut it up.
Another lovely day spent by the Tools on Tour.
Packed the car last night so were are ready to head off early. Up at 7.00am and a lighter breaky was the order nod the day. Went and had a lie down before we left.
Helen got us on the road at 8.30am to Grenoble for our our train trip to Orange via Valance ville. We had a coffee while waiting for the train and then we were on our way again. They have very nice trains over here and we reckoned we were doing approximately 180kms/hr.
I had a good sleep on the train and everyone was looking exhausted and a lot leaner than when we started.
A packet of chips was had by all and again we were on our way to Orange on another fast train. This seemed faster and being in first class it was so smooth and quiet even at approximate 200km/hr. This assured some of us slept, with photos showing Andy, Bob and myself punching out some zzzzz's.
We got to Orange and met Craig for our trip to Faulcon. Stopped on the way for some yummy sandwiches. These are not your normal sandwiches as we know them.they are the most beautiful long rolls that has a very crisp yet chewy crust and has very nice fillings. We ate these in the yard at ur accommodation which is a beautiful old building that is 3 stories high and a tower as a forth. The walls are all around 2 foot thick so keeps it cool during the day. The inside walls are also very thick and even on the 3rd floor it feels very solid. It has a huge yard with and garage that has a unit above it. The trees offer much shade and being so old are gnarled and lovely. The insects are very noisy here and remind me of the middle of summer when I was small and the cicada's seem so much louder than they do these days.
The terrain here is very rocky and the area is covered in grape vines. The paddocks with the vines are covered in rocks. We were amazed at first thinking they were trying to grow grapes in rock. It is used as a mulch and we believe may add minerals to the soil.
I am sharing a room with Ross which means we can catch up a bit more. It is amazing how much more you get to know someone when you share a room and talk a lot more and a bit deeper. We both had a good sleep once we got to our room. Three for the day. That is amazing for me.
Went for a walk with Ross, Dom and Mark. This is a little town that is full of extremely old buildings. At the top is the ruins of what looks like a fort. It is being partially renovated and new places being built. We walked through very narrow lane ways past the locals houses. So tightly built with every wall being made of rock and cement. All the new places fit in perfectly with the oldest of the buildings. The little centre of town has a little fountain and a restaurant. We went down the road a bit and had a beer and cold pizza type of thing. The beer is served warm and the pizza cold. Interesting.
On the way home we past the local school where they were cooking a couple of lambs on an spit roast. Geezzzz they looked and smelt great. There were long tables set up with white table clothes ready for a feast. The people where just arriving and were nicely dressed. It would have been gorgeous given the temp, the food and the lack of mozzies over here. There are some flies, but no where near as many as Oz but no mozzies.
We got home and had a lovely meal, again 3 courses cooked by Vicky and her 2 friends. Salmon salad, a nice pasta dish and apple crumble with lovely ice cream for desert.
We played our favorite songs from our Ipods etc after dinner before heading to bed ready for a good night sleep after a few beers and probably a few to many reds.. Unfortunately there was a dog doing a lot of barking and Mark and Dom in the room next door who talk at the same volume all the time. LOUD.
12.30 seen the dog stop and the sleep begin, with no covers, the windows open and still lovely and hot. Found out today that Craig went and took the neighbours dog for a walk to shut it up.
Another lovely day spent by the Tools on Tour.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Day 11-Col du Galibier
Day 11 - Sunday 11th July -Col d Galibier.
Woke up feeling tired again even tho I had a much better sleep. The legs were sore and the thought of riding to an altitude of 2645m was rather daunting. We got under way at around 8.30am and had a slightly chilly ride down the drive way (the road to the main road). The cold lasted a while longer as we rode along the main road in the shadow of the massive mountains cliffs. We turned off and were into the climbing already. We had a better start to the day as it was cooler. We stopped for a bite to eat which was our big mistake yesterday. Half a sandwich with an amazing coffee. It came in a bowl and although huge was very nice.
We headed of again and climbed to Col Lautarant which was 12kms away and the Galibier another 8 again. This was an easier climb with the grade similar to Evans hill and a god surface. The traffic was heavy with lots of motor bikes heading up.
The tunnels were scary today. I stopped to take a pic and was a fair way behind every one. Guess what came up next. Yep, another tunnel. Some are ok as they are well lit but this one was horrible. Wet very dark and me with no light. Hmmmmmmm I flew through it so a car wouldn't come up behind me. It is very loud in the tunnels with them ranging from 100m to 750m. They are not very big and the motorbikes come screaming through and accelerate hard which makes the tunnel explode with noise. Some thing very different indeed.
We got to Col d Lautarant and got water and some pics which will be on the picture link in the blog. There were a lot of people there and it was a very sunny day but it was cool due to the altitude. That doesn't stop the sweating when riding up the steeper parts. A toilet stop in a totally disgusting toilet, the like of which I have only seen once before, in Switzerland. The views of the Glaciers were amazing and you can see them on the blog link.
The last leg of the ride to the top was left and it proved to be a difficult on with it getting steeper as it went up. This was made worse by the thin air making it hard to get oxygen into the blood. I was breathing as hard as I could and still struggled to get enough to keep up a reasonable pace. The last couple of hundred metres was insane with it becoming extremely steep and difficult. I hit the top, as did the other totally spent and sweating profusely. It was such a great feeling to have made it to the top of this Col. Please have a look at the pics on the blog. They are amazing with the panoramas i took turning out well again. Lots more pics and we were off down the mountain. Approximately 30kms of down hill ahead, not including our way down to the valley after we level off for awhile. That means we rode up hill for approximately 50kms today. Total distance was 115kms and took 5.5 hours of riding.
As always the ride up the drive was harder than the last time and I had a very slow ride up. Lots of pasta and bread for lunch was so needed as we left our luck to late and no food is served after 2.00pm. Crazy stuff. The ritual of the leg shunt took place and it was time to sit and watch the last 11kms of the Tour.
Every one is sitting around and all look very tired. To be expected after 3 big days and guess what. Another one tomorrow. The Col de la Croix de Fer (The Cross of Fire).
This could be the toughest ride so far given the riding we have done.
We ended up. Climbing 2370m up. Yesterday was a bit over 1900m.
Dinner again was magnificent and consisted of salad with cheese. Then we had mushroom and bacon lasagna with salad followed by a tart that was very tasty. All the riding certainly helps the appetite while still loosing weight.
Good night all from the Tools in Ornon, France.
Woke up feeling tired again even tho I had a much better sleep. The legs were sore and the thought of riding to an altitude of 2645m was rather daunting. We got under way at around 8.30am and had a slightly chilly ride down the drive way (the road to the main road). The cold lasted a while longer as we rode along the main road in the shadow of the massive mountains cliffs. We turned off and were into the climbing already. We had a better start to the day as it was cooler. We stopped for a bite to eat which was our big mistake yesterday. Half a sandwich with an amazing coffee. It came in a bowl and although huge was very nice.
We headed of again and climbed to Col Lautarant which was 12kms away and the Galibier another 8 again. This was an easier climb with the grade similar to Evans hill and a god surface. The traffic was heavy with lots of motor bikes heading up.
The tunnels were scary today. I stopped to take a pic and was a fair way behind every one. Guess what came up next. Yep, another tunnel. Some are ok as they are well lit but this one was horrible. Wet very dark and me with no light. Hmmmmmmm I flew through it so a car wouldn't come up behind me. It is very loud in the tunnels with them ranging from 100m to 750m. They are not very big and the motorbikes come screaming through and accelerate hard which makes the tunnel explode with noise. Some thing very different indeed.
We got to Col d Lautarant and got water and some pics which will be on the picture link in the blog. There were a lot of people there and it was a very sunny day but it was cool due to the altitude. That doesn't stop the sweating when riding up the steeper parts. A toilet stop in a totally disgusting toilet, the like of which I have only seen once before, in Switzerland. The views of the Glaciers were amazing and you can see them on the blog link.
The last leg of the ride to the top was left and it proved to be a difficult on with it getting steeper as it went up. This was made worse by the thin air making it hard to get oxygen into the blood. I was breathing as hard as I could and still struggled to get enough to keep up a reasonable pace. The last couple of hundred metres was insane with it becoming extremely steep and difficult. I hit the top, as did the other totally spent and sweating profusely. It was such a great feeling to have made it to the top of this Col. Please have a look at the pics on the blog. They are amazing with the panoramas i took turning out well again. Lots more pics and we were off down the mountain. Approximately 30kms of down hill ahead, not including our way down to the valley after we level off for awhile. That means we rode up hill for approximately 50kms today. Total distance was 115kms and took 5.5 hours of riding.
As always the ride up the drive was harder than the last time and I had a very slow ride up. Lots of pasta and bread for lunch was so needed as we left our luck to late and no food is served after 2.00pm. Crazy stuff. The ritual of the leg shunt took place and it was time to sit and watch the last 11kms of the Tour.
Every one is sitting around and all look very tired. To be expected after 3 big days and guess what. Another one tomorrow. The Col de la Croix de Fer (The Cross of Fire).
This could be the toughest ride so far given the riding we have done.
We ended up. Climbing 2370m up. Yesterday was a bit over 1900m.
Dinner again was magnificent and consisted of salad with cheese. Then we had mushroom and bacon lasagna with salad followed by a tart that was very tasty. All the riding certainly helps the appetite while still loosing weight.
Good night all from the Tools in Ornon, France.
Croix De Fer
Another really hilly really tought ride today, started off with more steep hills that seemed to go on forever, we climbed to another famous Col, the Croix De Fer at an elevation of 2067m.
Heres the link to the ride map and elevation graph
Heres the link to the ride map and elevation graph
Sunday, July 11, 2010
A climb to 2645m
Another big ride today the saw us climbing one of the highest climbs in France, by the time we got to the top of the Col D' Galibier we were at an elevation of 2645m, a great achievement by all.
Link to ride map and elevation graph
Link to ride map and elevation graph
Day 10 - The Balcony Ride
Day 10 - Scenic ride
Today was going to be a ride up Co du Galibier, one of the longest climbs of the tour and to the highest altitude as far as I am aware. This was changed due to the weather. At that altitude it is not good to get caught if it rains etc as it is well above the permanent snow line and would be very cold. Also the magnificent views would be hampered.
After a discussion with Guy, we headed off on I scenic ride. I thought it would be an easier ride the L'Alpe d'Huez. How wrong i was. We rode up some very long and steep climbs to get to balcony roads. These run around the mountain from village to village before going back down to the valley. This provided some amazing views of the Alps and the valley below. The ride took 7 hours with 4 hours of riding. 3 yesterday and an estimated 5 tomorrow. We will be looking for a day off to consolidate the work we have done on our legs to ensure they recover and become stronger. The day was hot and the drive from the valley to Ornon was a lot slower than yesterday.
This was a very scenic ride and in the heat a harder ride than l'Alpe d'Huez. There where 4 climbs and all of them hard. The pay off was spectacular views across the valley. The steepness of the mountains has to be seen to be believed. If some one went over the edge that would be the end of them. Great pass time riding as fast as we can along narrow roads with cars and motorbikes
We did not stop for lunch so as soon as we walked in the door at 4.00pm we ate a lot of pasta, bread and drank a lot of water.
After eating it was off to one of the town troughs to soak the legs in the very cold water a couple of times. This really does seem to help as everyone is feeling good and so far no cramps.
Sat and watched the tour finish before sitting to rest for the day. Dinner was very nice with a curry chicken with cows cous cous and roasted veggies. Desert was apricots cooked with crumble. All very nice and good to have our hosts eat with us. Dinner has been late every day since we have arrived in Europe. It is the way they Do it here due to the long days I assume. An earlier night tonight which I will need for the Galibier tomorrow.
Today was going to be a ride up Co du Galibier, one of the longest climbs of the tour and to the highest altitude as far as I am aware. This was changed due to the weather. At that altitude it is not good to get caught if it rains etc as it is well above the permanent snow line and would be very cold. Also the magnificent views would be hampered.
After a discussion with Guy, we headed off on I scenic ride. I thought it would be an easier ride the L'Alpe d'Huez. How wrong i was. We rode up some very long and steep climbs to get to balcony roads. These run around the mountain from village to village before going back down to the valley. This provided some amazing views of the Alps and the valley below. The ride took 7 hours with 4 hours of riding. 3 yesterday and an estimated 5 tomorrow. We will be looking for a day off to consolidate the work we have done on our legs to ensure they recover and become stronger. The day was hot and the drive from the valley to Ornon was a lot slower than yesterday.
This was a very scenic ride and in the heat a harder ride than l'Alpe d'Huez. There where 4 climbs and all of them hard. The pay off was spectacular views across the valley. The steepness of the mountains has to be seen to be believed. If some one went over the edge that would be the end of them. Great pass time riding as fast as we can along narrow roads with cars and motorbikes
We did not stop for lunch so as soon as we walked in the door at 4.00pm we ate a lot of pasta, bread and drank a lot of water.
After eating it was off to one of the town troughs to soak the legs in the very cold water a couple of times. This really does seem to help as everyone is feeling good and so far no cramps.
Sat and watched the tour finish before sitting to rest for the day. Dinner was very nice with a curry chicken with cows cous cous and roasted veggies. Desert was apricots cooked with crumble. All very nice and good to have our hosts eat with us. Dinner has been late every day since we have arrived in Europe. It is the way they Do it here due to the long days I assume. An earlier night tonight which I will need for the Galibier tomorrow.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The Alpes Balcony Loop
We had yet another tough ride in the Alpes that took us on big loop along the roads that are cut high into the mountains, plenty of climbing in the hot conditions, lots of nice downhills too. More amazing views from high above the valley with some scary moments riding along roads with mountain one side and vertical drop off on the other.
Heres a link to the ride map and elevation graph
Friday, July 9, 2010
Day 9 - Ornon & L Alpe d Huez
A good sleep only interrupted by Howard from Tronics at 6.30am.
A simple breakfast and we were off with Guy, our host for the next 4 days. With the van jam packed with our gear we headed up to our accommodation which is at about 1100 metres and promises to be much cooler than in the valley. It is so amazing to walk around Grenoble, Como etc where it is in the mid 30's but sit anywhere and look up to the mountains and clearly see the snow patches.
The mountains are so amazingly big and high and steep. Huge plates of the earths crust pushed extremely high into the air till they are at amazing angles and create vertical drops of hundreds of metres.
We arrived at our accommodation and were amazed at the village of Ornon and age of the place. It is such an old house that has been renovated to have 3 bath rooms and accommodate at least 8 people. The houses all around are inhabit ate by locals and the views are simply gorgeous. Out the back is a fast running stream that is extremely cold. I know this as I sat in it 6 time to do blood shunting on my legs which aids the muscle recovery process. My feet hurt very painfully within 10 seconds of being in the water. I hope it was worth the pain.
Back to the riding. We took sometime to get ready but were soon on our way. Down the drive we went. It is a very long and steep drive which seems to be something Andy likes.
It was a 10km ride down the hill which was a bit daunting for the trip home
Especially seeing it is a lot steeper than Evans hill grade. It is approximate 5-6%.
Helen gave us instructions on how to get to where we were going and warned us of the dangers. The first danger was the first two hair pin bends heading down from where we were staying. Away we went. At the first hair pin I was going a bit fast and hit the brakes. I had pumped up the tires to very hard before leaving. Big mistake. Into the corner I went and lost the back wheel out from under me. I was now heading to the Armco rail very fast. The chain came off and I unclipped my inside foot and was soon scrapping down the road sideways making a he'll of a noise. I have never been so scared riding in my life and really thought this was the end of the tour for me as it was a a drop over the rail that would cause a lot of damage to me. Dom heard amid said he seen me side ways, Mark who I was directly behind said he heard my shoe on the road and a deep " ooo ohhh". Everyone is amazed that at the last few metros I got the big under control and headed down the road. My shoe is a bit worn and my legs were shaking all the way down.
We stopped at the bike shop and purchased energy/electrolyte drink additive.
The day was extremely hot and the trip up the hill was very steep at the start with the grade being 14% for a couple of kms. That hurts a lot. By the time the grade became bearable, approximate 8%, which is quiet a lot steeper than Evans hill. it did not take long, another km before the sick feeling started and the heat really was taking it's toll. It is a funny feeling to feel that way but still push yourself to go that little bit harder. I was drinking at every hair Pin bend as the grade levelled off on them if you stayed on the outside. Not always easy given there were so many cars zooming up and so many riders coming down. Drinking became an issue for me as every time I drank I felt very sick. I passed every one but Dominic but had to stop at one of the many streams running into troughs along the way. The air pouring from the small water fall was heaven and the water so cold. I reached in to fill a water bottle from the large drops falling down and rejoiced at the feeling of the cold water on my arms and soaking my gloves. It wasn't long and Jo, Bob, Andy and Dave stopped to do the same. I headed off after Jo and that's the way the order stayed until close to the end where Bob over took me. The grade never changed much until we reached L'Alp D Huez where we went through the town and it leveled off for a while. Most riders stop there but we went till the Tour de France route. I came in second after Dom due to Jo taking a wrong turn in town and Bob stopping as he seen her do it. All in all great ride to have accomplished. Dave seemed to have got lost as he was missing for a very long time. He ended up coming from the wrong way as he also took a wrong turn.
I got a person from the car park to take a pic of all of us and then got one of most on the podium.
We stopped at a local cafe which was dedicated to American Indians and had coffee and brownies served by a woman who had the abs from he'll. She was not young at all either.
We rode down the mountain, taking some magical pics along the way of the Vistas. Funnily enough the first few hairpins made me very wary and I was a lot slower than normal. It wasn't long tho before I got my mojo back and was soon living on the edge flying down, barely staying in the lines coming out of the corners and just avoiding cars. I love the speed down the mountains. A bit dangerous I have proven but to much fun not to do.
Again we stopped at the bike shop, ran into some Aussies from Sydney and talking for quiet awhile before heading off for home.
The trip to the mountain was steady. The climb started ok but soon became tough. I pushed myself harde and rode up with Ross ahead of all but Dom and Andy. We had a good chat on the way. My average heart rate was Very high up the last part of the ride being around 140 beats per min. For the whole ride it was 136. This is high given the down hill bits. Max was 169 which is the hardest it will go.
We got back, had a sit in the stream as previously described.
A shower and beer followed before dinner was served at 8.00pm. This was a great meal with Helen having cooked all afternoon. Entree was a salmon salad which was divine. Next came a chicken breast cooked with tomato, and served with tomatoes, carrots baked with garlic and coriander, cabbage with creme which was very nice and rice cooked well as well as having wild rice in it. Heylen served an amazing desert of creme boule which was sooo nice.
Some tv with the downloading of photos ensued. Hopefully they will be posted on the blog soon.
A good sleep only interrupted by Howard from Tronics at 6.30am.
A simple breakfast and we were off with Guy, our host for the next 4 days. With the van jam packed with our gear we headed up to our accommodation which is at about 1100 metres and promises to be much cooler than in the valley. It is so amazing to walk around Grenoble, Como etc where it is in the mid 30's but sit anywhere and look up to the mountains and clearly see the snow patches.
The mountains are so amazingly big and high and steep. Huge plates of the earths crust pushed extremely high into the air till they are at amazing angles and create vertical drops of hundreds of metres.
We arrived at our accommodation and were amazed at the village of Ornon and age of the place. It is such an old house that has been renovated to have 3 bath rooms and accommodate at least 8 people. The houses all around are inhabit ate by locals and the views are simply gorgeous. Out the back is a fast running stream that is extremely cold. I know this as I sat in it 6 time to do blood shunting on my legs which aids the muscle recovery process. My feet hurt very painfully within 10 seconds of being in the water. I hope it was worth the pain.
Back to the riding. We took sometime to get ready but were soon on our way. Down the drive we went. It is a very long and steep drive which seems to be something Andy likes.
It was a 10km ride down the hill which was a bit daunting for the trip home
Especially seeing it is a lot steeper than Evans hill grade. It is approximate 5-6%.
Helen gave us instructions on how to get to where we were going and warned us of the dangers. The first danger was the first two hair pin bends heading down from where we were staying. Away we went. At the first hair pin I was going a bit fast and hit the brakes. I had pumped up the tires to very hard before leaving. Big mistake. Into the corner I went and lost the back wheel out from under me. I was now heading to the Armco rail very fast. The chain came off and I unclipped my inside foot and was soon scrapping down the road sideways making a he'll of a noise. I have never been so scared riding in my life and really thought this was the end of the tour for me as it was a a drop over the rail that would cause a lot of damage to me. Dom heard amid said he seen me side ways, Mark who I was directly behind said he heard my shoe on the road and a deep " ooo ohhh". Everyone is amazed that at the last few metros I got the big under control and headed down the road. My shoe is a bit worn and my legs were shaking all the way down.
We stopped at the bike shop and purchased energy/electrolyte drink additive.
The day was extremely hot and the trip up the hill was very steep at the start with the grade being 14% for a couple of kms. That hurts a lot. By the time the grade became bearable, approximate 8%, which is quiet a lot steeper than Evans hill. it did not take long, another km before the sick feeling started and the heat really was taking it's toll. It is a funny feeling to feel that way but still push yourself to go that little bit harder. I was drinking at every hair Pin bend as the grade levelled off on them if you stayed on the outside. Not always easy given there were so many cars zooming up and so many riders coming down. Drinking became an issue for me as every time I drank I felt very sick. I passed every one but Dominic but had to stop at one of the many streams running into troughs along the way. The air pouring from the small water fall was heaven and the water so cold. I reached in to fill a water bottle from the large drops falling down and rejoiced at the feeling of the cold water on my arms and soaking my gloves. It wasn't long and Jo, Bob, Andy and Dave stopped to do the same. I headed off after Jo and that's the way the order stayed until close to the end where Bob over took me. The grade never changed much until we reached L'Alp D Huez where we went through the town and it leveled off for a while. Most riders stop there but we went till the Tour de France route. I came in second after Dom due to Jo taking a wrong turn in town and Bob stopping as he seen her do it. All in all great ride to have accomplished. Dave seemed to have got lost as he was missing for a very long time. He ended up coming from the wrong way as he also took a wrong turn.
I got a person from the car park to take a pic of all of us and then got one of most on the podium.
We stopped at a local cafe which was dedicated to American Indians and had coffee and brownies served by a woman who had the abs from he'll. She was not young at all either.
We rode down the mountain, taking some magical pics along the way of the Vistas. Funnily enough the first few hairpins made me very wary and I was a lot slower than normal. It wasn't long tho before I got my mojo back and was soon living on the edge flying down, barely staying in the lines coming out of the corners and just avoiding cars. I love the speed down the mountains. A bit dangerous I have proven but to much fun not to do.
Again we stopped at the bike shop, ran into some Aussies from Sydney and talking for quiet awhile before heading off for home.
The trip to the mountain was steady. The climb started ok but soon became tough. I pushed myself harde and rode up with Ross ahead of all but Dom and Andy. We had a good chat on the way. My average heart rate was Very high up the last part of the ride being around 140 beats per min. For the whole ride it was 136. This is high given the down hill bits. Max was 169 which is the hardest it will go.
We got back, had a sit in the stream as previously described.
A shower and beer followed before dinner was served at 8.00pm. This was a great meal with Helen having cooked all afternoon. Entree was a salmon salad which was divine. Next came a chicken breast cooked with tomato, and served with tomatoes, carrots baked with garlic and coriander, cabbage with creme which was very nice and rice cooked well as well as having wild rice in it. Heylen served an amazing desert of creme boule which was sooo nice.
Some tv with the downloading of photos ensued. Hopefully they will be posted on the blog soon.
Link to Alpe d' Huez photos
What a challenging but magic ride, click here for a link to Alpe d' Huez photos
Link to the ride map and elevation graph
Link to the ride map and elevation graph
Day 8 - Como to Grenoble
Day 8 - Como to Grenoble
I had a great sleep and really didn't want to get up, but today is the day we go to France for the start of the Tools on Tour.
Ross & Judy left early for their train trip to Grenoble, Dom, Mark, Jo & Sue were going for a hydrofoil trip on the lake and are not expected to arrive in Grenoble till late. We prefer to leave early, have a walk around and see what the place is like.
Another good breaky, packed the car, made some phone calls and we were off. No trouble for Bob to drive out of Como and soon we were driving along at 150km/hr. Yee Haa.
Morning tea was at bronolgo which was a quaint village. Great coffee and pastry for the three of us for only 5.4 Euro. It cost us about 20 Euro to get there as there were so many toll stations. They know how to make money and keep people employed.
Andy took the pilots seat and we headed off for the last half of our journey.
We were straight into the mountains where we drove from tunnel to amazing bridge and back to tunnel. We arrived in Grenoble and booked in with the missus not being happy at all and leading us astray a couple of times. Getting to the train station to drop the car off and meet Dave and Jo was also provided a scenic tour of the city as we drove around with the miss us constantly recalculating on how to lead us astray.
With the car dropped off we went for lunch. We soon found out that all cares etc close at 2.00pm and reopened at 7.00pm. Hmmmmmmmm. Off we went back to the train station to have a roll from the cafeteria. Dave and Jo arrived looking well. While packing them into a taxi Ross and Judy arrived also looking well but having had an interesting journey.
Bob Andy and I walked from the train station to the centre of town as the trams were not coming to the train station. This was a great thing as we entered an amazing city centre with parks and lots of shopping. Today is the day Rob has entered anew phase of his life by purchasing a man bag. Yes I have done it and what a great idea. I can now walk around with my camera, Ipod, wallet and all things I could need while out and not have my pants fall down due to the weight in my pockets. Sensational.
We trammed back to the apartment had a shower and headed out for dinner. With a group of 11 we rearranged the tables at a cafe in a square in town. Beer, pizza and hamburgers were the order of the night with a delicious meal being served, with 8l of beer all for 17 euro each. Great value.
Dinner was followed by an ice-cream and a walk around the many streets of Grenoble. What we found left us all amazed. There are many plazas in the centre of Grenoble. We thought ours was the main eating one. How wrong we were. We walked through at least 6 squares, all filled with hundreds of people eating out and one with thousands as they had a huge outdoor screen showing movies while everyone ate and drank. There were parks with hundreds of people eating from the rear of cares. Streets lined with people eating. The night was very hot, minimum of 18 predicted, and at 10.00pm was when it seemed the most peoplenwere out, which seems the norm. Lots of children playing in very large fenced off playgrounds. A beautiful atmosphere which was a pleasure ton walk around in and soak it up.
Again the people seem to stay up late and get up late.
A great day with amazing scenery on the way to France, beautiful meal and an atmosphere that was a pleasure to be emersed in.
I had a great sleep and really didn't want to get up, but today is the day we go to France for the start of the Tools on Tour.
Ross & Judy left early for their train trip to Grenoble, Dom, Mark, Jo & Sue were going for a hydrofoil trip on the lake and are not expected to arrive in Grenoble till late. We prefer to leave early, have a walk around and see what the place is like.
Another good breaky, packed the car, made some phone calls and we were off. No trouble for Bob to drive out of Como and soon we were driving along at 150km/hr. Yee Haa.
Morning tea was at bronolgo which was a quaint village. Great coffee and pastry for the three of us for only 5.4 Euro. It cost us about 20 Euro to get there as there were so many toll stations. They know how to make money and keep people employed.
Andy took the pilots seat and we headed off for the last half of our journey.
We were straight into the mountains where we drove from tunnel to amazing bridge and back to tunnel. We arrived in Grenoble and booked in with the missus not being happy at all and leading us astray a couple of times. Getting to the train station to drop the car off and meet Dave and Jo was also provided a scenic tour of the city as we drove around with the miss us constantly recalculating on how to lead us astray.
With the car dropped off we went for lunch. We soon found out that all cares etc close at 2.00pm and reopened at 7.00pm. Hmmmmmmmm. Off we went back to the train station to have a roll from the cafeteria. Dave and Jo arrived looking well. While packing them into a taxi Ross and Judy arrived also looking well but having had an interesting journey.
Bob Andy and I walked from the train station to the centre of town as the trams were not coming to the train station. This was a great thing as we entered an amazing city centre with parks and lots of shopping. Today is the day Rob has entered anew phase of his life by purchasing a man bag. Yes I have done it and what a great idea. I can now walk around with my camera, Ipod, wallet and all things I could need while out and not have my pants fall down due to the weight in my pockets. Sensational.
We trammed back to the apartment had a shower and headed out for dinner. With a group of 11 we rearranged the tables at a cafe in a square in town. Beer, pizza and hamburgers were the order of the night with a delicious meal being served, with 8l of beer all for 17 euro each. Great value.
Dinner was followed by an ice-cream and a walk around the many streets of Grenoble. What we found left us all amazed. There are many plazas in the centre of Grenoble. We thought ours was the main eating one. How wrong we were. We walked through at least 6 squares, all filled with hundreds of people eating out and one with thousands as they had a huge outdoor screen showing movies while everyone ate and drank. There were parks with hundreds of people eating from the rear of cares. Streets lined with people eating. The night was very hot, minimum of 18 predicted, and at 10.00pm was when it seemed the most peoplenwere out, which seems the norm. Lots of children playing in very large fenced off playgrounds. A beautiful atmosphere which was a pleasure ton walk around in and soak it up.
Again the people seem to stay up late and get up late.
A great day with amazing scenery on the way to France, beautiful meal and an atmosphere that was a pleasure to be emersed in.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
A lone tool gets lost in Surrey
While five tools rode in Italy a lone tool did a warm up ride thru the surrey hills, being guided totally by a satnav. It worked fine and maybe I didn't but ending up seeing just a bit more of the surrey hills than planned, 120 ks of rolling hills (and just a bit of dodging London traffic)pine forests, woods and farmland plus a few hills. A nice little warmup for the real mountains to come.
Wednesday 7th July - Classic Lake Como Ride Loop
The group now includes Mark and Dominique so there were 5 to take on a classic Lake Como ride which included a legendary local climb and a visit to the Madonna Del Ghisallo.
Here is a link to the ride map and elevation graph, photos, blog and movie to follow.
Link to Lake Como/ Bellagio loop.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Day 7 Zurich to Como
Day 7 - Zurich to Como
We packed the car, I got in the drivers seat, fired up "the missus" and headed off to Como. Once we got to the point where the missus wanted us to start from we were off and running with very little trouble getting out of town and onto the highway.
The drive to Como involved going back towards where we started our ride from yesterday, we passed the Altdorf turnoff then continued on going through very long tunnels. One of them was many kilometres long and looking in the rear view mirror we came from under a massive mountain that was covered in snow. We had gone straight under the alps. The tunnel was a constant rise and the other side was much drier and hotter.
We stopped at Riveira for a coffee stop, had a bit of trouble finding somewhere to park but got there eventually. We went get some money out of the ATM but were a bit confused when it only offered Swiss Francs, every thing was sold in Francs but people looked very Italian and spoke Italian so we thought we were in Italy.
We didn't bother getting any money out, we went to the nearest coffee shop and ordered from a very nice waitress who thankfully spoke excellent English.We asked her if we were in switzerland or Italy and she informed us that we were in fact in Switzerland still. There are three sections to Switzerland, the German, French and Italian which all speak their respective languages.
So we ordered our coffees and of course some pastries to go with them, we got the traditional type of coffee in very small cups, strong but very nice. We had used all our Swiss francs so we had to pay with a 50 euro and get the change in francs.
So now we had a heap of francs that we wouldn't need, we soon fixed that though by going to the local post office and changing it into euros, we are so clever. Now back on the road again, only about 50kms to go until we reach our destination. The views are very impressive but very different to Switzerland. Much drier with different vegetation.
Driving in Italy is an experience thAt has to be experienced to be believed. Luckily I am told my driving style suits Italy, as it is mad. I had a good time driving like they did just charged into where ever I needed to be. Had to do two laps of one block to get a car space. The car only just fits into the space provided. I didn't quiet have it parked right and was told by the hotel staff to get between the lines. Hmmmmmmm
We went for a walk down town and along the lake. This is a very large tourist place and the main square area is very large. So many small alleys to walk through and check out the shops. We had lunch at a cafe and were amused when the menus came out advertising XXXX. We had Aussie beer with our lunch lunch of salad and cold cuts. No where near as good as our two previous lunches which seen the plates wiped clean with bread. These had a lot of salad left in them.
Another walk through town with the temp around 32 degree's and a stop to get more Euro and we got back to the hotel for a rest and to watch the Tour.
I went for a walk with Bob to a bike shop to get chain lube. We walked a long way and were amazed again at the traffic. The young guys on motor bikes are mad as hatters and go so fast it is ridicules. Boys are the same the world over.
A shower and off we went to have dinner. We again walked to he city centre but ventured further and checked out many restaurants. Most were very we priced. We had a beer at a cafe and got potato chips and a terrible Bruchetta with it. Cheap for 9 Euro tho after wandering through some very interesting and extremely old neighbour hoods we cam across a little restaurant and had dinner. The waiters could not speak English some had a good time with them and they had a good time with us judging by the talking and then laughing. We laughed as well.dinner was very nice with myself having gnocchi Bolognese followed by chicken salad. Schnitzel with tomatoes and rocket. So simple. So yummy. Another beer followed by Vino del cassa (house red) was very good. Off for our now standard after dinner ice cream and we walked along the lake taking in the beautiful look of the water with the yachts and the house up the steep hills directly Round the lake. We got home in time to see Holland get 3-2 up over Ururaghy. Dom, Jo, Mark and Sue have arrived and are out dinner so i am going to make a phone call or two (you have to love Skype). Had a couple of drink with Doom And Mark as they arrived while I was making calls. Another great day and looking forward to tomorrows ride.
We packed the car, I got in the drivers seat, fired up "the missus" and headed off to Como. Once we got to the point where the missus wanted us to start from we were off and running with very little trouble getting out of town and onto the highway.
The drive to Como involved going back towards where we started our ride from yesterday, we passed the Altdorf turnoff then continued on going through very long tunnels. One of them was many kilometres long and looking in the rear view mirror we came from under a massive mountain that was covered in snow. We had gone straight under the alps. The tunnel was a constant rise and the other side was much drier and hotter.
We stopped at Riveira for a coffee stop, had a bit of trouble finding somewhere to park but got there eventually. We went get some money out of the ATM but were a bit confused when it only offered Swiss Francs, every thing was sold in Francs but people looked very Italian and spoke Italian so we thought we were in Italy.
We didn't bother getting any money out, we went to the nearest coffee shop and ordered from a very nice waitress who thankfully spoke excellent English.We asked her if we were in switzerland or Italy and she informed us that we were in fact in Switzerland still. There are three sections to Switzerland, the German, French and Italian which all speak their respective languages.
So we ordered our coffees and of course some pastries to go with them, we got the traditional type of coffee in very small cups, strong but very nice. We had used all our Swiss francs so we had to pay with a 50 euro and get the change in francs.
So now we had a heap of francs that we wouldn't need, we soon fixed that though by going to the local post office and changing it into euros, we are so clever. Now back on the road again, only about 50kms to go until we reach our destination. The views are very impressive but very different to Switzerland. Much drier with different vegetation.
Driving in Italy is an experience thAt has to be experienced to be believed. Luckily I am told my driving style suits Italy, as it is mad. I had a good time driving like they did just charged into where ever I needed to be. Had to do two laps of one block to get a car space. The car only just fits into the space provided. I didn't quiet have it parked right and was told by the hotel staff to get between the lines. Hmmmmmmm
We went for a walk down town and along the lake. This is a very large tourist place and the main square area is very large. So many small alleys to walk through and check out the shops. We had lunch at a cafe and were amused when the menus came out advertising XXXX. We had Aussie beer with our lunch lunch of salad and cold cuts. No where near as good as our two previous lunches which seen the plates wiped clean with bread. These had a lot of salad left in them.
Another walk through town with the temp around 32 degree's and a stop to get more Euro and we got back to the hotel for a rest and to watch the Tour.
I went for a walk with Bob to a bike shop to get chain lube. We walked a long way and were amazed again at the traffic. The young guys on motor bikes are mad as hatters and go so fast it is ridicules. Boys are the same the world over.
A shower and off we went to have dinner. We again walked to he city centre but ventured further and checked out many restaurants. Most were very we priced. We had a beer at a cafe and got potato chips and a terrible Bruchetta with it. Cheap for 9 Euro tho after wandering through some very interesting and extremely old neighbour hoods we cam across a little restaurant and had dinner. The waiters could not speak English some had a good time with them and they had a good time with us judging by the talking and then laughing. We laughed as well.dinner was very nice with myself having gnocchi Bolognese followed by chicken salad. Schnitzel with tomatoes and rocket. So simple. So yummy. Another beer followed by Vino del cassa (house red) was very good. Off for our now standard after dinner ice cream and we walked along the lake taking in the beautiful look of the water with the yachts and the house up the steep hills directly Round the lake. We got home in time to see Holland get 3-2 up over Ururaghy. Dom, Jo, Mark and Sue have arrived and are out dinner so i am going to make a phone call or two (you have to love Skype). Had a couple of drink with Doom And Mark as they arrived while I was making calls. Another great day and looking forward to tomorrows ride.
Monday, July 5, 2010
A Day in the Swiss Alps
Composed by Van Velo
It was going to be hard to top yesterday but we thought web would try with a ride up the Swiss Alps from Altdorf to Klausenpass.
We started with another nice breakfast and stocked up on energy for our ride by making it a big one. Sorting and packing our gear to a short time and soon we were of to Altdorf with Bob piloting the pre tour tool van. We arrived in Altdorf and went shopping in Aldi. I kept the Garmin in my pocket and got some interesting looks when the lady in our lives again started issuing advice frequently telling us we were not heading in the right direction or that satellite reception had been lost. The Garmin is now officially known as "The Missus". Some food and sunblock in the kitty and we went to find a map as a had neglected to get the name of our destination. Again the young local ladies excelled themselves and happily gave us excellent advice, showing us on the maps they sell and didn't expect us to pay for it as it was 24 Franks. About 24 Aussie dollars.wow.
Some time was spent putting our bikes together and sorting Andy's rear derailaur.
We headed off not really knowing how far or how steep the road would be. We soon found out that it would be around 7-8% for the full 25kms with one short down hill in the middle. It was overcast when we left with the tops of the mountains obscured. It was a pleasant 20 degrees which turned to a much lower number the higher we went. Be the time we got to the top we were among the snow in the rain.
Now I need to try to describe this ride from a scenery perspective. Fucking amazing keeps come to mind. The mountains are amazingly high and so so steep with many waterfalls streaming down the rocky slip areas. Huge monoliths of rock tower vertically into the clouds (damn the clouds). I kept riding along totally absorbed by the changing views that seen small villages miles down the valley with 5 water falls heading straight for it only to merging at the bottom to form ever widen streams. Simply sensational. There were many many small farms on the way up that ilk a living from the very steep slopes. I struggle to comprehend that they farm on the amazingly steep slopes. The smell of cow manure is strong lower down as the farmers use little tractors and spray all the manure from the dairies out on the paddocks. People along the roads were cutting their grass using long scythes. Nice and quiet. Many sawmills are along the side of the road with a couple among the houses.
Back to the ride. This was a long ride and Andy and Bob soon scootered away from me. A few picture stops to gather evidence to back up my claims were had. The overcast but warm day soon disappeared as we entered the clouds and soon it was raining. It became very cold with no more farm land to be seen. The end seemed like it would never be reached with my legs hurting a lot. Many walkers were up toward the top, hiking along trails and motor bike numbers were very high also.
The landscape became less steep, but not the road, and low and behold, farm land appeared again. I don't understand how they make a go of it up there. I assume it is by having the stock in sheds and bring the grass to them. At last the end was reached and we were very happy with our efforts and believe this to be one of the most amazing ride we have done to date. Ahead was the decent which left me in two minds. Almost 25kms of beautiful down hills was going to be sensational but the cold would be not so nice. As expected it was extremely cold for the first part but there was a distinct line on the road that had rain on one side and sunshine on the other. A dry run down to Altdorf. Heaven. Andy set his helmet cam up and away we went. A coup,e more photo stops and it was bikes in the car and off for lunch. What a beautiful town and again we were not disappointed with the quality of the meal. They do amazingly good salads in Europe.
A reasonably uneventful drive home was good and allowed me time to do this. For all our photos, videos and other interesting bits, head to the Tools on Tour web site and look for the links.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Baden Baden to Zurich
Baden Baden - Zurich Day 5
Another early start to the day. A nice cool night with some rain. Slept with the door to the balcony open all night and still slept with no covers. Andy did some early morning blogging while sat around. Decided to go for a ride. Sleepy head Bob, who had his own room wouldn't get up so it was Andy and myself who headed off to towns unknown. Rode out the way we drove in. The first 1.8km was interesting. Started at 6%, didn't take long to get to 11% and peaked at 14%. the majority was around the 11%. Got to the bottom and rode through Selbach, another nice town and then onto Gernsbach. A nice 10km ride there and 10km back. The ride back down the hill was sensational. Top speed of 79.79km/hr on a wet and winding road. A nice shower was followed by a beautiful breakfast. The cereal was great. It tasted just like Specula's the Dutch spiced biscuits. So yuuuummmmmmm. Muesli , fruit and yogurt was nice as was the rolls with scrambled eggs, Swiss and Edam cheese with ham and 2 different types of sausage. Some nice bread and cake with coffee ended a very large breakfast. 9.30am and we are on our way zurIch with Andy in the pilots seat. An interesting trip with Andy's driving skills shown to be deficient when the trip was well underway. Andy has been happy to deride driving skills due to stalling etc by Bob and myself ( mainly myself) but Bob and I are happy to not have stalled while driving down a hill and running up the gutter. A stop at the Swiss border seen the purchase of a travel pass which allows us to use all main roads. We stopped at a quaint Swiss village and had morning tea. Coffee and walnut pastry was very nice as was the highly pierced and tattooed young woman who served us.
Memory from last night: a guy walking up to eat looking like a Mafia boss. Super slick, short and sooooo up himself. By his side was a very trashy looking blonde with tattoos. They were a very odd
Looking couple.
We arrived in Zurich and found the hotel after a few detours which tested our female navigator to the max. To her credit she remained calm at all times.
After checking in we exchanged euros for franks and purchasing a 24hr tram ticket. Franks are about the same value as aussie dollars. We headed into the city and i don't believe I will be able fully describe the afternoon that we had, it was so amazing.
We arrived at central and walked into a crowd of people that numbered in the hundreds of thousands. There were hundreds of stalls and many rides. There were at least three claw rides, a very large ferris wheel and lots of side show stalls. We had the pleasure of being at the top of the ferris wheel when there was a very loud clap of thunder. Yiiikes.
There were approximate 15 stages with people singing, with one of them being very large and a large area for the crowd to gather and bars all around. Many of them were behind large bars with the purpose of getting the people in to drink. The music and singing was very diverse and very good. The food was amazing with so many stalls it is hard to believe. They were selling every type of food you could think of.The crowds filled the streets on both sides of the river with each side being at least 2 streets wide. Kilometres of crowded streets with such a diverse range of people it was a real treat to stand and watch them. We walked a very long way an enjoyed every step of it. This was one extremely sensational day that include a stunt plane show which was something i have never seen before. The plane was very fast and would scream towards the water of the lake, fly in a loop and then straight up till it stalled. It would just sit there going flat out but not moving until it would fall down and start spinning in all directions for a long time till it would straighten out and once again head to the water only to do it again. The guys skiing down a long ramp with a jump at the end was another new thing to see. They would do their acrobatics and then land with the skis in their normal position. Must be hard on the knees! Lunch was a very yummy schnitzel burger (I can't remember the correct name. Mine had Sweet Chilli sauce with Bob and Andy having mustard. Andy bight himself a man bag. Very nice and now makes a good pair with Bob.
The whole city is very beautiful with so many large old buildings that have been restored to their former glory. Many pictures were taken from the ferris wheel so check out the blog for a view once we get them uploaded. I estimate there was at least 150,000 people there and that is probable un major under estimate.
with a beer in a cafe and a slow walk back to the tram listening to singers as we went. This is one expensive city as the prices were much higher than in Germany.
As a bins to the end of our afternoon we got to our room with 20kms to go in the tour and witnessed the amazing finish with so many crashing out in the final moments. Well down Renshaw for getting second. Aussie aussie aussie oui oui oui.
Now it is time to get cleaned up and head back for dinner.
We went back to the festival for dinner and had Italian with a bottle of good Italian red. Nice meal of pasta for all. We walked around again and realised it was all a lot bigger than we first thought.
The music is so loud and some of the stages around the corner from each other so you walk through a wall of sound only to have it mingle with different sounds and then become a new sound. Fantastic.
The end of the day. My legs are sore from walking. Looking forward to driving to Altdorf and riding up the Alps in the morning. Altdorf to Linthal or when ever we stop on the way.
Another early start to the day. A nice cool night with some rain. Slept with the door to the balcony open all night and still slept with no covers. Andy did some early morning blogging while sat around. Decided to go for a ride. Sleepy head Bob, who had his own room wouldn't get up so it was Andy and myself who headed off to towns unknown. Rode out the way we drove in. The first 1.8km was interesting. Started at 6%, didn't take long to get to 11% and peaked at 14%. the majority was around the 11%. Got to the bottom and rode through Selbach, another nice town and then onto Gernsbach. A nice 10km ride there and 10km back. The ride back down the hill was sensational. Top speed of 79.79km/hr on a wet and winding road. A nice shower was followed by a beautiful breakfast. The cereal was great. It tasted just like Specula's the Dutch spiced biscuits. So yuuuummmmmmm. Muesli , fruit and yogurt was nice as was the rolls with scrambled eggs, Swiss and Edam cheese with ham and 2 different types of sausage. Some nice bread and cake with coffee ended a very large breakfast. 9.30am and we are on our way zurIch with Andy in the pilots seat. An interesting trip with Andy's driving skills shown to be deficient when the trip was well underway. Andy has been happy to deride driving skills due to stalling etc by Bob and myself ( mainly myself) but Bob and I are happy to not have stalled while driving down a hill and running up the gutter. A stop at the Swiss border seen the purchase of a travel pass which allows us to use all main roads. We stopped at a quaint Swiss village and had morning tea. Coffee and walnut pastry was very nice as was the highly pierced and tattooed young woman who served us.
Memory from last night: a guy walking up to eat looking like a Mafia boss. Super slick, short and sooooo up himself. By his side was a very trashy looking blonde with tattoos. They were a very odd
Looking couple.
We arrived in Zurich and found the hotel after a few detours which tested our female navigator to the max. To her credit she remained calm at all times.
After checking in we exchanged euros for franks and purchasing a 24hr tram ticket. Franks are about the same value as aussie dollars. We headed into the city and i don't believe I will be able fully describe the afternoon that we had, it was so amazing.
We arrived at central and walked into a crowd of people that numbered in the hundreds of thousands. There were hundreds of stalls and many rides. There were at least three claw rides, a very large ferris wheel and lots of side show stalls. We had the pleasure of being at the top of the ferris wheel when there was a very loud clap of thunder. Yiiikes.
There were approximate 15 stages with people singing, with one of them being very large and a large area for the crowd to gather and bars all around. Many of them were behind large bars with the purpose of getting the people in to drink. The music and singing was very diverse and very good. The food was amazing with so many stalls it is hard to believe. They were selling every type of food you could think of.The crowds filled the streets on both sides of the river with each side being at least 2 streets wide. Kilometres of crowded streets with such a diverse range of people it was a real treat to stand and watch them. We walked a very long way an enjoyed every step of it. This was one extremely sensational day that include a stunt plane show which was something i have never seen before. The plane was very fast and would scream towards the water of the lake, fly in a loop and then straight up till it stalled. It would just sit there going flat out but not moving until it would fall down and start spinning in all directions for a long time till it would straighten out and once again head to the water only to do it again. The guys skiing down a long ramp with a jump at the end was another new thing to see. They would do their acrobatics and then land with the skis in their normal position. Must be hard on the knees! Lunch was a very yummy schnitzel burger (I can't remember the correct name. Mine had Sweet Chilli sauce with Bob and Andy having mustard. Andy bight himself a man bag. Very nice and now makes a good pair with Bob.
The whole city is very beautiful with so many large old buildings that have been restored to their former glory. Many pictures were taken from the ferris wheel so check out the blog for a view once we get them uploaded. I estimate there was at least 150,000 people there and that is probable un major under estimate.
with a beer in a cafe and a slow walk back to the tram listening to singers as we went. This is one expensive city as the prices were much higher than in Germany.
As a bins to the end of our afternoon we got to our room with 20kms to go in the tour and witnessed the amazing finish with so many crashing out in the final moments. Well down Renshaw for getting second. Aussie aussie aussie oui oui oui.
Now it is time to get cleaned up and head back for dinner.
We went back to the festival for dinner and had Italian with a bottle of good Italian red. Nice meal of pasta for all. We walked around again and realised it was all a lot bigger than we first thought.
The music is so loud and some of the stages around the corner from each other so you walk through a wall of sound only to have it mingle with different sounds and then become a new sound. Fantastic.
The end of the day. My legs are sore from walking. Looking forward to driving to Altdorf and riding up the Alps in the morning. Altdorf to Linthal or when ever we stop on the way.
Photo from the Zurich Festival
We were very fortunate to be in Zurich for a massive Festival, heres a couple of photos from on the big Ferris Wheel.
A nice easy morning ride - NOT
Rob & I thought we would have an easy morning ride, Bob decided that his bed was a much better option. So much for the easy ride it started with a 1.8km climb with grade of mostly 11% and up as high as 14%, then it was a nice downhill through some equally nice villages before turing around at the 10km mark and returining the same way.
The ride home had a fairly decent hill too and then we got to enjoy the 1.8km downhill at the end with Rob clocking a speed 79.79km/hr.
Then it was a shower and a fantastic buffet breakfast at the hotel which really hit the spot.
Link to this mornings ride
The ride home had a fairly decent hill too and then we got to enjoy the 1.8km downhill at the end with Rob clocking a speed 79.79km/hr.
Then it was a shower and a fantastic buffet breakfast at the hotel which really hit the spot.
Link to this mornings ride
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Day 2. Baden Baden
The day started early as the sun is up as early as it goes down late. Not a lot on night time here. Walked back to old Frankfurt and it didn't take long to work out the Germans stay up late and sleep in late. Even at 7.30am it was still very quiet in the city. Breakfast was a simple affair of coffee and bread with tomato as a filling. Food nice, coffee not so good. Spoke to a couple of Aussies over for the iron man event. Interesting to note one of them said it took him 2 hours to get up Vontoux and stated it was a very difficult ride. This from a guy about to do a 3.8km swim, 180km ride and 42km run. Hmmmmmm we want t o do. It three times I believe. Packed the car and headed off for Baden Baden. I drove at I have to say, it was amazing to be driving at 130km/hr and have cars going a lot faster than us. Top speed was a bit over 150. Cool. Arrived to our accommodation and we are very happy as both the area and the accommodation is very beautiful. Unpacked and took off on our bikes for the city. The traffic was busy and the roads are very narrow as are the actual lanes. They can fit 4 lanes where we would have two, maybe three. Found the mall area and were amazed at the beauty of it and the number of people. Had a great lunch. Salad with chicken for myself and Andy and salad and tuna for Bob. Lots of bread was a treat as it is given as part of the meal. The iced tea was to die for. I have never had one so nice.Rode out of town thinking we knew where we were going. It was a pleasant surprise that we got to were we wanted to go but took a different route. Rode through some amazing villages with extremely neat gardens, flower boxes every where, small creeks running beside the foot ins of the houses. Simply gorgeous. We headed of for Buhl but decided to turn off and see where we ended up. We got to a town we went through and though we would ride to the top of the hill. Another pleasant surprise as it ended up being the way we were supposed to get there originally. Lots of climbing and some great down hills. The roads are very nice and smooth. Got a bit lost but again we kept going in what we (Bob) thought was the general direction. Came to an intersection and our hotel was about 1 km down the road. It was a very hot and humid day so the going was not so easy, but it was enjoyable to have had a good ride. All in all a fantastic day. To top it off we got back managed to pack the car without pulling the bike apart. Watched Germany beat Argentina 4-0. Now we are sitting here listening to the town go off. Lots of horns and yelling. Looking forward to a great night as the atmosphere in town will be high.
Legally doing 140km/hr
Live blog from a highway in Germany, here we are doing 140km/hr along the highway legally. Rob's driving and loving it.
Spent last night in Frankfurt and are now heading to Baden Baden somewhere near the Black Forest. We'll be putting the bikes together when we get there and heading out for a ride somewhere.
Spent last night in Frankfurt and are now heading to Baden Baden somewhere near the Black Forest. We'll be putting the bikes together when we get there and heading out for a ride somewhere.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The Journey Begins
And so the journey begins, for me anyway.
Checked my bike in at Merimbula airport for my first flight for the day, needed to cough up $13.20 for 4 kgs excess but that's fine. Flight from here departs at 6.30am, then I meet up with Rob in Sydney, Bob would have already departed for Europe via Japan, Rob flys out at 2pm with Malaysian and I leave at 3.30pm with BA - 3 people all going to the same destination (Frankfurt), all on different flights, hopefully we'll all find each other at the other end.
My biggest fear is picking up our van in Frankfurt and having to find my way to our hotel driving on the other side of the road, should make for an exciting start for the holiday.
Europe here we come!!!!
Checked my bike in at Merimbula airport for my first flight for the day, needed to cough up $13.20 for 4 kgs excess but that's fine. Flight from here departs at 6.30am, then I meet up with Rob in Sydney, Bob would have already departed for Europe via Japan, Rob flys out at 2pm with Malaysian and I leave at 3.30pm with BA - 3 people all going to the same destination (Frankfurt), all on different flights, hopefully we'll all find each other at the other end.
My biggest fear is picking up our van in Frankfurt and having to find my way to our hotel driving on the other side of the road, should make for an exciting start for the holiday.
Europe here we come!!!!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The last thursday night training ride
After all donning our spic new gear for the attached photo, 7 tools took to the streets of bega in team formation all looking particularly sharp. Only the bandit was unable to enjoy the final thursday night under lights. After a few turns in town it was out across the bridge, past the roundabout and left at Coopers Gully Rd for what must be the steepest hill around here, made even trickier by the loose surface. the descent was even hairier but all the tools negotiated it safely.
Then out along the river towards springvale where the pace was kept very high all the way.
The bridge sprint followed and took a different complexion this final week with metre vos sac making a bold bid for victory with a mid bridge acceleration. Unfortunately this attempt was thwarted with the line close, by a fast finishing La feuille and Rapide, with the former getting a rare victory over Rapide.
Next week, well most of the tools will be somewhere in europe, with only maybe two to fly the flag on thursday nights for one more week.
Then out along the river towards springvale where the pace was kept very high all the way.
The bridge sprint followed and took a different complexion this final week with metre vos sac making a bold bid for victory with a mid bridge acceleration. Unfortunately this attempt was thwarted with the line close, by a fast finishing La feuille and Rapide, with the former getting a rare victory over Rapide.
Next week, well most of the tools will be somewhere in europe, with only maybe two to fly the flag on thursday nights for one more week.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Triple Darragh
.jpg)
.jpg)
Sunday saw the tools preparation step up a notch with the much anticipated triple Darragh. Four Tools congregated in Wyndham on A cool Sunday morning, but where was La cle? The Mystery was revealed as we started the first ascent and discovered a lone rider making her way down the mountain. Having made an early start due to having to work later in the day. So now we were five
.jpg)
A passing motorist told us to beware there was a tree across the road and it was quite impressive really. Onwards and upwards and another tree awaited us this time on the downhill section. The top of the climb was rather cold and it was a necessity to rug up for the downhill run. Rapide had a stated goal of doing each leg quicker than the last. So the first leg just over an hour and the descent just over 30 minutes. Le cle had to reluctantly depart so a double Darragh there and showing strong form on what was her second ascent.
.jpg)
We left some food at the bottom of the mountain hidden away. L'Symbole liked his baked beans providing plenty of energy for the days exertions, And I'm not really sure what Rapide is indicating in the photo, maybe it was the size of his cluster he should have brought along??.jpg)
So up again a couple more times. Rapide immproving his time each ascent by just a little, Van velo being very consistent, La Feuille and Symbole well wouldn't have a clue really. L'Symbole did claim three firsts though on the day, reaching the pair of pink undies lying on the road first each time we went up the hill. (not sure if that was something the rest of us wanted to claim.)So not only did we go fairly hard up the hill each time, rapide set the challenge to go faster each time down as well. So after the first leisurely descent of around 32 minutes the goal was set at under 30 for the second. So Rapide conned the rest of us to help him (well la feuille anyway) and we managed a brisk 27 minutes 19 seconds.
.jpg)
Third time up and we decided to wait for everyone to reach the top this time to help with the goal of breaking the previous descending time so having every one was going to help here. Rapide kept a good look out for L'Symbole so he didn't get too cold. It was going to be a challenge as the second descent was done flat out. So with a full peloton of 4 we charged down the hill, pushed hard up the rises, and flat out down the hill, We lost a few on the way down with only two at the finish but a neat 27 minutes and the goal achieved. Back to Wyndham and the triple Darragh ticked off.But the day didn't end there. The tools then retired to the singing whippet (L'Symbole's summer house)for a gourmet omelette, some vin rouge, and cafe au lait. An excellent way to end a good days ride for all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)