Stage 14. Orange to Sisteron. The famous Mt Ventoux stage !

 

 

Monday 30th May:  Bonjour. This stage was one I was really looking forward to...and dreading at the same time. After yesterdays 196 km's in the sun and heat I was wondering how would I pull up this morning when we had 150 kms to do including the famous Mont Ventoux climb up to some 1912 metres at an average of some 7.5%.  Mont Ventoux is a classic climb - seen in the Tour de France a lot and the scene of many superb battles as such. In addition the nature of Ventoux in terms of its shape and roads means it is a revered climb for cyclists from around the world. It also was the scene so tragically back in 1967 where British Pro cyclist, Tom Simpson collapsed and died near the summit during LeTour. That's me sitting just near the memorial site to Tom that is a must stop, must see and must get one's photo taken at it for any keen cyclist climbing and conquering Ventoux. We started at 8.45am in Orange and had some 30 kms' of mainly flat riding at a steady tempo before getting to the foot of the climb. The weather again today was superb (gee we have been so lucky...) as you can see in the pics above. The climb of Ventoux is 21 km's long and as I said above is at 7.5% average- some parts steeper and some a little easier. It is by no means an easy climb for any cyclist in any fitness level. So with still some 90 km's to do after getting to the summit - it was a day to be careful on Ventoux. It is a brut and can bite you big time if you go about the climb to quickly or the wrong way. I can report that I had a good day going up it and after some nearly 2 hours of climbing - I reached the summit. Yay! Nailed it! It was not too windy but quite cold at that altitude and due to the exposed nature of the climb and summit. I quickly put on my arm warmers, jacket and like everyone else jumped into the summit cafe for a coke and coffee. We climbed one side and descended the other side and so stopped at the Tom Simpson memorial then dropped down to the town of Sault for a light lunch. We then had a couple of small climbs but mostly downhill on the balance of the distance down to our overnight stop here in Sisteron. A very old town nestled amongst some steep cliffs/hills with a pretty town centre. Its 10pm now and I am yawning...so its time to turn off the laptop. Remember you can double click on the above images to see them bigger on your screen. Bonsoir everyone !   

Stage 13, 186 kms. Cap D' Agde to Orange....recalculating...recalculating...

Studying the GPS's....





Sunday 29th May:  ...recalculating...recalculating... This became the kind of theme at times today on our scheduled 185km ride but in reality it turned into a 197 km ride on stage 13 to here in Orange. We got off course courtesy of our guide and the GPS system about seven times and did an extra 12 km's and one small climb more than anyone else in the process. The day was again beautifully fine and the wind gods were being kind to us yet again. A tail or cross tail wind for this long flat stage. The temperature also got up again and the average high was 29 deg C for the day. The stage started off for me with my fourth puncture of the ride - today after just 1 km! I changed the front tyre yesterday and I think I may have pinched the tube as it blew out so quickly. Anyway a quick change and away we went. However it was short lived action as we managed to get lost in a suburb of Cap D'Agre and ended up in a cul de sac! Eventually we got back on track and enjoyed an interesting first 50 kms right on the coast then it became a little boring as we headed inland...town after town, roundabout after roundabout and the french motorists on a Sunday having their driving day being interrupted by a bunch of cyclists. We also passed by plenty of vineyards that I am told are renown for making very expensive wines and we just bypassed the famous Rugby towns, Beziers and Montpellier. We had lunch at the 120 km mark in a food hall of what in essence was Mega bulk retail place that fortunately was open. Most retail stores in France are closed on Sunday - even the big barns similar  Bunnings are closed too. We arrived in Orange a bit late at about 5.30pm after nearly 7 riding hours in the saddle but it was mostly flat terrain and it was fine. A Ok but slightly frustrating day but you get them on these sort of things. The town of Sete we passed through was particularly nice on the coast early in the day- see pic above . At about 25km's to go to Orange we caught our first sight of tomorrows big climb. The mighty and famous Mt Ventoux. More on that tomorrow though. So into the last week now, legs holding up OK and health good. Into the Alps now - move hard riding and plenty of it uphill! Bonsoir!       

Rest day: Cap d' Agde, France.

 

Saturday 28th May: Bonjour! Rest day # 2 in Cap d'Agde. A pretty coastal holiday town with three main areas on the Med coast .The old town a few kilometres away from the Cape as such where we are which reminds me to a degree of Gulf Harbour in NZ or maybe Sanctuary Cove in Queensland - but older than both. Today I had a bit of a sleep in, a late breakfast and enjoyed the excitement of picking up the cycling and casual clothing from the laundrette place across the road all washed folded and ready to pack back into the suitcase. Sad somewhat when that is a highlight of the day right? Everyone cleaned their bikes in the hotel carpark and I changed my front tyre after changing the rear tyre a few days ago. Then Chris and I wandered over to the Marina area for a pizza lunch. Also today we have studied the Tour 'book of words' to preview what lays ahead for us in riding this third and final week of this SuperEuroride adventure.

Looking back..here are some stats so far:...In the first 12 stages, I have ridden for 63 hours and 41 mins on the bike. Covered 1670 kilometres at a average of 26.49 kmph. Total elevation gains has been 21,493 metres and I have punctured just twice.Touch wood. 

We have ridden up through central Spain to the Atlantic coast in the south western pocket corner of France and then across southern France via the Pyrenees to Andorra and breifly Spain to get here to Cap d' Agde on the central Med coast. 

We have a tough third week awaiting us as well. Less kilometres in total but still some bruts of climbs to conquer. To get to Aarberg in Switzerland by next Saturday 4th, we will ride another 945 km's over 7 stages and climb another 14,105 metres in total elevation gains. Awaiting us are some more famous Cols...Mont Ventoux on Monday, Col de Lautaret-Col de Galibier and Col de Telegraph on Wednesday, Col de la Madeleine and Col de Saisies on Thursday. Tuesday, Friday and Saturday are no walks in the park either. Our fingers are crossed on the weather front now as well. We hear its getting a bit colder and damp with some lower snow levels than usual ahead of us in the Alps and southern Switzerland.
Bonsoir !

Stage 12: 156 km's. Couiza to Cap D'Agde.

Friday 27th May:  An easy day...in theory. And it was not too bad. 156 kms from Couiza to here in Cap D'Agde on the Med coast. Last night while we slept in the Castle in Couiza, it poured down with rain. Fortunately in the morning it was just a light drizzle but it was decidedly cooler and the forecast was we might get a bit damp in the early part of the days riding. We set off at 9am and as per usual - we were into a climb fairly quickly in the days riding- yes a pattern developing here. It was a moderate climb up to some 640m  but our group took it quietly and crossed the summit togther and after that it was largely downhill or flat for most of the rest of the day. We had  a mixture of road qualities today due to the nature of the ride route that had been determined for us. Some motorways, some narrower roads and some back roads that had plenty of potholes. A day to keep alert also. We were now heading into the flatter lands of south eastern corner France and with it comes as we expected, more winds - both tail and cross winds today that had the result of keeping the pace reasonably quick as well. Some 28 kmph average for the day. After 85kms we stopped for lunch in a delightful village near the coast where the local cafe owner was expecting us. The sun and warmth had returned  and the cafe put on a great lunch of pasta, sauce, cheese, bread coke and or coffee for just 7 Euro's per head with fast service. Great value once again. Some of the lads headed up the road to the local Boulangerie shop (for pastries, cakes and other yummy stuff!) but not me. See the pics above. After lunch we had a largely coastal route flat ride on these mixed roads for some 70 km's before we rode into Cap d'Adge to our hotel, the very nice Palmyra Golf Hotel that backs on to a nice looking golf course. A bit of drama about 7 kms out from the hotel when two guys in our group crashed into a rather big pothole on a backroad. They were ok though- just a few small cuts, bruises and hurt pride maybe more than anything. One of them was my roomie, Glen but he is a tough Canberra lad so he bounced back up again pretty quickly.  Just across the road from the hotel is a supermarche' and a very accomodating laundry shop owner where we prompty dumped a few days washing to be ready at 9am the next  morning. Tomorrow Saturday is our second rest day of the Tour. A sleep in, late breakfast, clean the bike, pick up the laundry and find a nice cafe is the early order of the day. The weather is still great here but quite a bit windier as is usual in this region. Till next time - caio !    



Stage 11: 107 kms. Puigcerda Spain to Couiza France.

 

Thursday May 26th:  Bonjour ! Today was just what many of us needed and wanted - a much easier day in the saddle of 107 km that was mostly downhill apart from the first 30 kms that was made up of a gentle climb and some undulations. In fact the last 45 km's or so were all down hill where we averaged more than 40 kmph and descended some 1200m down here to this lovely little french village/town called Couiza. So no more ramblings today from me about grinding and suffering as there was none of it today. Apart from to say today was a good day to 'ride yesterday out of the legs' as such. I recovered quite well overnight - as I expected too. And the Pyrenees are behind us now. So 3 hours & 36 mins riding time today at an ave of 29.2 kmph all up. We arrived at the hotel early this afternoon to discover that tonight we are staying in 16th century castle that is a listed historical monument here in the Cathaze country. In short a 500 year old castle that is now very tastfully refurbished into a charming private hotel & restaurant. Pretty nice! Its called the 'Chateau Des Ducs De Joyeuse' in Allee du Chateau in Couiza. Google it on the web and have a look at it. Dinner is on at 7pm tonight so that is a good 90 mins earlier than in Spain- much appreciated by us all. By the way we are being very well fed up here each day. Typical European buffet breakfasts of yoghurt, cereals, various pastries, bread, ham, cheeses, coffee, juice and cooked (eggs, bacon, breaky sausages etc) is avail if wanted at the hot buffet. Dinners at night are along the lines of a starter of green garden salad, french stick breads with dipping oils followed by a bowl of pasta - spaghetti mainly with sauce and cheese and then a main of grilled chicken or veal or thin steak etc with roasted tomatoes, maybe some veges, lightly fried 'frites' (chips) or boiled potatoes and then desserts of say fruit salad, small cakes, fruit and all this with at times complimentary wine (cab sav red). One cannot complain! Our morning tea stops are usually Coca Cola and coffee (yes a caffeine hit) - coffee is either with milk, espresso style, americian style or in Spain - a ripper little coffee called  Cafe Bon Bom ! A double shot of espresso sitting on top of a good base of thick condensed milk in a small glass. Stir it up and drink! Very nice! Our 30 min lunch on the ride is either a roadside picnic with french bread rolls filled with ham and cheese, sliced oranges, fruits and more coke prepared by the organisation support team. Or we sit at a local roadside cafe and have a small bowl of pasta with sauce and cheese and french bread for just 6 Euro's. Value! Again more coffee and coke if desired!. Our only free time each day is a couple of hours or so after the days ride finish in the late afternoon and before dinner to do things like emails and blogs and we also at this time do any laundry by hand (as us men normally do...) and maybe a short walk to the local village and supermarket to stock up with any small needs such as snacks, toiletries, ride food or after ride snack food for before dinner each afternoon. We also get a small amount of TV time to maybe watch the Tennis at Roland Garros in Paris or the Giro di Italia (Tour of Italy) pro bike race on at present. Yes its kind of sleep, eat, ride, eat, sleep and then do it all again the next day. This Saturday is the second rest day and its being held in Cap d' Adge on the Med Sea coast so we are all looking forward to that. The above pics are the route map from today and the valley we rode up and along towards the big descent today, the main street of Couiza and the view outside our hotel room looking down into the atrium of the Castle I guess you would call it. The weather has been remarkably good apart day one from Calpe in Spain on May 15th and the first day of climbing in the Pyrenees earlier this week. Fingers crossed it stays that good way. Bless the creators of SPF 50 sunblock! The roads are fantastic largely - smooth, well sealed and well constructed. A joy to ride on. Hotels have been excellent also and we share rooms with another rider. In my case with Glen Freebody who is from Canberra. A not so difficult 155 km tomorrow from here to Cap d' Agde. I am sure I have lost some more kg's but just no sure how many. Anyway enough dribble today - talk again soon !    

Stage 10: 140 kms. Sort Spain to Puigcerda Spain (via Andorra and briefly France!) One day, two climbs and three countries....



Wed 25th May: 140 kms today and the fourth day on the trot on the Pyrenees. And another sunny and hot day too. Today was in many ways a key day on this whole ride as the next few days (Thurs & Fri) are not so tough at all and we have rest day # 2 on Saturday and the next big climbing day is on Monday next week. So get through today in one piece was the requirement. I had this little concern this morning that something might just give today...and something did. It unfortunately was me...We started at 9am on Sort, Spain (a smallish ski/tourism town) and within literally 200m we were on the first climb of the day. The 18.5 km long Col d' El Canto up to just over 1728m from our 635m starting altitude. That was not so bad as the group that Chris and  I adopted for the day took it quietly at a steady tempo so we crested the summit with the group. Albiet sweating a lot in the process and wondering if the summit was ever going to come! An awesome long winding descent down to yet another valley floor saw us riding up towards Andorra. As we rode up the valley the temperature rose considerably and as we rode through Andorra, the temp hit 30 deg C with no breeze at all. The sun was baking our backs and we were climbing up again in altitude all the time. We had a breif picnic roadside lunch stop in Andorra before heading off on the rest of the second big climb of the day and I think the highest altitude of the ride. The Port d Envalira pass at 2408m that takes one from Andorra into France. A real brut. At 10kms to go - I hit the wall so to speak. Or cracked as we say in cycling terms. The legs had just about had enough today and after the last few days as well and so I struggled in another slowish grind session of climbing and trying to just get over the climb without stopping and looking for a bus to jump on. Looking back we really baked ourselves in the Andorra valley with little respite from the gradient and the heat. That did not help me with 10k's to go. Eventually I got to the summit, recovered somewhat and reconnected with the group and we descended down into France breifly before taking a right hand turn and after another small 3km moderate climb, we rode down towards Spain again. Although here in Puigcerda, we are just a kilometre or two inside the Spanish border. A damn tough day on the bike again. A quiet 100km's tomorrow with the last 70 of it downhill. I am happy about that. By the way the image above is me at the summit of the the Port d Envalira pass at 2408m - looking half alive I hope although I was feeling smashed at the time. I have my wind vest on ready for the descent. At 2400m it was still some 17 deg c! The map and elevation graph above come directly from my Garmin bike computer data after finishing the stage today. Bed time up here in Spain. Talk more tomorrow...   

Stage 9: 106 kms. Luchon, France to Sort in Spain. Here we go again?...

 



Tues 24th May : I have to find the smarty pants who decided it would be fun to put a 1200m climb just 2 kms after todays stage start! Arrgh... Talk about opening up the lungs and legs quickly! Bought three new tubes this morning from the local bike shop. Hope I do not need them. So stage 9 - just 106kms - just he says.. and two climbs. Not at all an easy day on the bike - and this after yesterday?. (Can someone out there reading this please remind me again why I signed up to this three week torture session?) Climb # 1 was the Col de Portillon out of Luchon and at the summit we actually left France and were back on Spanish soil. Then after a awesome winding descent and I think about some 25kms in another beautiful Pyrenean valley we started climbing the Col de Port d La Bonaigua that took us up to over 2100m again! It was a long steady gradual climb but still tough. The pic above shows the valley we went up doing the second Col today. Pretty is'nt it? The climbs were not so difficult but again like so many of the Pyrennean climbs - they are just grinds for cyclists. Its like this- get a small gear, get a rythym or tempo going, focus on the breathing and get the heart rate steady and not too high. Yes and most importantly drink and eat at regular intervals wether thirtsy or hungry or not. Above is a pic of me just getting to the top of the Col de Port d La Bonaigua at 2100m. So in total 4 hours & 29 mins riding time today. The gut was a bit better today though I still felt just a little washed out as such but the climbing legs were somewhat better again - thankfully. No punctures today. Weather was again stunning as you can see in the pics. And hot everywhere except the top of the climbs. In the valley heading down to Sort - it was 35 deg C. Tomorrow Chris and I are going back to ride in group # 3 for the stage- they average around 25 kmph (so far we have been in group # 1 which averages some 28 kmph)  Group three is just a little slower on the flat and the climbs and tomorrow is a tough day - 140 kms and some nearly 3000m of climbing throughout the day. We just want to take care of ourselves on this long-hard day and not blow ourselves to pieces trying to stay with the slightly faster lads. A couple of kmph less on the flat and mountains will make a lot of difference to getting through the day in reasonable shape.Tomorrow we ride from Sort through Andorra back into France again and say 'adios' to Spain for the last time. Time almost for our 8.30pm dinner. Not possible earlier say the Spaniards - siesta time and dinner with the family come before feeding a hungry bunch of cyclists apparently...    



Stage 8: 126 km's. Lourdes to Luchon. A very tough day at the office...

 

Monday 23 May:  The good weather returned to us - for this very tough day on the bike in the Pyrenees. Woke up with a slightly dodgy gut again - couple of imodiums and fingers crossed for later. We pedalled out of Lourdes at 9.00am and headed up the valley towards the first of three big climbs today. The stage is only...only 126kms in total but it was more than 6 hours on the bike as we climbed three very tough and famous Tour de France climbs. First the Col de Tourmalet (2100m) then the Col de Aspin (1400m) and  finally the Col de Perysourde at around 1400m before we descended down into our overnight stop town of Bagneres Luchon. Not only was it sunny but damn hot everywhere except the summit's of the Cols. The Col de Tourmalet was a long slow grind - pure and simple. Some 18kms long and tough gradient %'s all the way up. Just a matter of grinding away at it section after section, corner after corner, km after km until I finally reached the summit. Great...but two more climbs to do. Quick drink, jacket on for the cold descent and we descended down the other side to head on to climb two of the day, the Col de Aspin. Not as tough but still another grind. Broken only by a quick lunch break part way up. Chris & I left the lunch stop early and rode up by ourselves to the summit before our group arrived. An exciting descent on lovely winding roads..and then bang! I punctured in the rear wheel near the bottom. Quick tube change and pump up and I was off again. Guess what - 500 metres later - bang! I punctured again! Twice in 500m. Same wheel... another quick tube change & pump up and off we went up another valley towards the start of the last climb. By this time the heat and my dodgy gut got the better of me and I was not in the best of conditions. My energy levels were low, I was hot, thirsty, legs burning and the last climb was still to come. The Col de Perysourde was a long grovel to hell and back - well I thought so. Wishing every corner was the last and counting down every kilometre. They have signs on all these Cols counting down the kilometers to the summits and telling you how far to go and what gradient in % terms is the steepness of that section you are about to ride. When you are hurting and grovelling at 8% and the next sign says the next KM is at 11% - not good thoughts go through ones head! My cycling friends will know exactly what I am talking about. It was a very tough day at the office as we say. The summit, descent down into Luchon and arrival at out hotel could not come quick enough. Cool shower, some food and plenty of hydration.  A quick cocktail party for two riders who have birthdays today then dinner and after a quick walk down the street to walk off dinner. Luchon is a beautiful tourist/ski town nestled under the Cols. Would love to come back here one day - without the bike! Another somewhat mountainous day again tomorrow- but a bit easier so they say.....

Stage 7: 105km's - Oloron to Lourdes. First day in the Pyrenees with three Col's climbed...

 

Sun 22 May: Well I guess the good run of weather we have had up here in Spain and France had to change at some time...and this morning it sure did! Great for our first serious day of climbing in the Pyrenees! Woke at 6.30am to find low misty rain and cooler temps. A quick look up at the Pyrenees and out came the cold/wet weather cycling gear. It was drizzling most of the day and not much more than 10-11 deg C. Not an overly long stage at 105 kms again but grab a look above at the elevation download from the Garmin bike computer. Three legendary Tour de France climbs to be conquered today! First after just 25kms, the 1035m Col de Marie Blanque, then at 47kms the amazing 1709m Col de Aubisque and then before the descent down into Lourdes, the 1474m Col du Soulor alhough we did not have that much of it to climb as we passed on to the last of it from the Aubisque side. So just over 5 wet and cold hours in the saddle at an 21.1 kmph average. A hard days riding but also a buzz to be climbing these amazing roads as used in so many Tours de France. And I nailed them all OK as you can see by the pics above. The last pic on the Soulor gives you a good idea of the weather conditions at the time. And as you can see I am largely wrapped up in the arm warmers, spray jacket, leg warmers, winter boottees and on the Aubisque and Soulor in my beloved flouro yellow rain jacket. The climbs were really hard going but I know how to look after myself- small gear, steady tempo and focus on keeping the breathing steady and the heart rate not too high. Also keep well hydrated with powerade electrolyte drinks and a steady consumption of good power riding food. Bananas, fruit biscuits, fruity muesli bars and my now favourite french fig biscuits! Strategy worked well today. Still damn well froze though but expected at these altitudes I guess. So we rolled into a very busy Lourdes at around 2.30pm. Frozen but happy to have done the days ride all OK and ready for a piping hot shower and find a laundrette. Done jobs both and also cleaned the bike again. Lourdes is incredibly busy today - not sure why - maybe it always is but there is a lot of military people here too. Tomorrow is another big day in the saddle. 125 kms with three big famous Cols again! Col de Tourmalet at 2130m - the highest we ride I think, followed by Col de Aspin and the Col de Peresourde. Google them to learn more. Bye for now :-)     

Stage 6: 105 km's Biarritz to Oloron.

Sat 21 May:  Back on the road again for stage 6 today. In rides like this and tour racing, a rest day is a good day to have naturally...but in some ways it may not be as well. The routine of the daily riding and legs turning over and used to the effort keeps things physically and mentally moving well and sometimes 'getting going again' after a day off the bike can take some riding to do. Fortunately we had a pleasent 105 km's to ride today from Biarritz heading slightly north east through rolling green french countryside and small towns to a lovely town called Oloron that is within view of what awaits us for this coming week - a week of quite different riding terrain in the famous Pyrenees mountains. Starting tomorrow Sunday! We passed this (pic above) small french residence under refurb today and I managed to get this other pic of our group passing through yet another village en route to Oloron. We had a leisurely start today at 10.15am to avoid the Biarritz traffic and got to the hotel around 3pm in Oloron and had time for a walk downtown to get some late lunch at a local cafe and check out a couple of stores. A local bakery included. 

Tomorrows stage is also 105km's from here in Oloron  to Lourdes. But it includes us climbing the famous Col d' Aubisque (1710m) and Col du Soulor mountain climbs - well known to the Tour de France. In Lourdes I might be ready to drink some famous water and take some help from above I think ! Hope you are all enjoying my mutterings on this blog on this little adventure and if you'd like to drop me a line, you can email me at my work email address as my email is pushed down to my phone as well.         

Rest Day: Biarritz (near St Jean de Luz), France.

Friday 20th May:  Zero km's! Rest day here in Biarritz. Had a sleep in and late breakfast before our scheduled bike clean for our group at 10am. A day to also get some laundry done. Then a quiet walk downtown for a coffee and lunch and checked out the waterfront area and some cafes etc. We then went to a local bike shop to get a few items. Generally a nice relaxing day and fun watching how the Biarritz folk go about their day around town. Another day of good weather.

Today is a short break from the daily 'stage riding routine' we have got into nicely this week. We get up about 6.45am. Breakfast at 7.15am. Then back to the room to get on the riding gear, sunblocks, finalise our ride food and sports drinks bottles, stretching exercises, pack the bags again and make sure our day backpacks have any items we may need/want during the couple of stops along the days ride. 8.30am is time to have our baggage down and in the luggage truck out the front of the hotel that goes on to the next town/hotel. We then roll out on the days ride at around 9.00am. On the road time again. Coffee/drink break (for 15 mins) at somewhere around the 65-75 km mark and the lunch break (30 mins) at the approx 110 km point either at a roadside cafe or a picnic stop place. The stage finish in the next town can be anywhere between 3.30pm and 5.00pm some longer days. Grab the room key and shower, do quick laundry, get a snack down and a drink, emails/blogs maybe etc, upload the bike computer data from the days ride, more stretching exercises and then set or buffet dinner at 7pm in France or 8pm in Spain. Maybe a quiet short walk around the town to walk off/down dinner etc. Bed by 9pm or 10pm. No rocking needed to get to sleep each night. 

Back into it again tomorrow. A quiet 100 km's east now towards the Pyrennees. Some big climbing days to come this week - shorter ride distances than this week but serious elevation gains daily!      

Stage 5: 160 kms Sos del Rey to Biarritz. Adios Spain and Bonjour France !

Thurday 19th May: We woke to a coolish and overcast day in Sos del Rey as we departed the beautifiul Paradore hotel and town and rode down into the valley below (see above pic) to head on our 160 km ride today to Biarritz in France. Even though we climbed up to a 1000m today it was largely a gradual climb and in some nice tree covered valley roads. The countryside is looking much greener and more trees and forests etc. Roads somewhat smoother again to which is appreciated by us all. We stopped for coffee at the 75km mark, then a quick PP stop at 77km and then just as we got going again, around the next corner we discovered it was the lunch stop! 1km after lunch, we topped the 1000m summit and then rode an awesome fast and winding descent for some 15kms dropping down 800 m as we entered France. We then had a reasonably fast last 60 kms or so down into Biarritz. We could easily tell we were in France now and no longer in Spain - how you might ask? Well in Spain, the motorists are most courteous to cyclists - passing us carefully, not tooting their car horns and allowing us to pass through intersections and around roundabouts as a group. In France...well its somewhat the opposite! We have the first non riding 'rest day' here tomorrow in Biarritz (yippee!) Will clean the bike, do some more laundry, a couple of small maintenence jobs on the bike, a massage and generally have a relaxing quiet day exploring the nearby downtown, beach and market areas of the town. We are staying in the Radisson hotel which is superb.

       

Stage 4: 185 km's - Catalayud to Sos del Rey.

Wed 18th May: Today was a bigger day and I started it just a little pensive about the prospect of a long 185km day in the saddle in fine and possibly hot weather and that finished with a 900m climb up to the beautiful mountainside town of Sos del Rey here in central Spain. The 185 kms and a total of 1800m climbing for the day took us more than 6hrs and 30 mins to complete with an average ride speed of 28.1 kmph. The body and more so legs handled it OK except for the final climb where I slipped off the back of our group a bit near the summit due to not quite eating enough earlier in the afternoon. My fault. Anyway I got back on to the group just afterwards so it was not problem. The weather was quite sunny and hot in the afternoon as expected and we hit some unexpected road works at about the 40kms to go mark. Not normally an issue but the road works went on for some 12 km ! Out of our group of 17 riders - 10 of us all punctured quite quickly - me included. Anyway I am pleased to have this day out of the way and to have come through it OK. Tonight we are staying in another Paradore hotel. Quite impressive they are with excellent rooms, facilties and food etc. Tomorrow's stage sees us leave Spain and head into France with a another moderate 160 km ride. 

Stage 3, 151 kms Teruel to Catalayud

Tuesday 17th May: Stage 3 today and fortunately a somewhat easier day in the saddle after yesterday. 151 kms today that was largely flat and on quiet roads - albeit on some country roads where if there was an Olympic medal for potholes and spot tar sealing - they would have won gold. So some stage stats - 151 kms, 31.2 kmph average, 4 hrs 58 mins in the saddle, 902 metres climbing all day over the 151 kms so not much. One of the lads in our group took this pic of me 'on the fly' at roughly the half way point in today's stage. The countryside was lovely and the weather was again great. This stage was largely up on the Valencian hinterland at about 1000m above sea level. The overnight stop is in a deligfhtful city called Catalayud where we were once again put up in a nice hotel with good food. Tomorrow's stage is a toughie - and the longest of the ride I think. 185 kms with 1800 metres of climbing from here in Catalayud to Sos del Rey. Couple more days and we hit France!          



Stage 2: 167 kms - Chiva to Teruel. Inland and up on to the Valencian hinterland...

Monday May 16th: Day 2 now done and dusted. And a bit different to day 1. A tougher 170 kms today including two climbs. Some stats for the boys - 170 kms,  27.9 kmph, burned off 2716 calories. Just over 6 hours in the saddle and a fine and quite warm weather day for most of the ride where we climbed in total today - some 2550 metres. My climbing legs were OK thankfully and sunblock helped me get through - and also 5 bottles of water/powerade etc. Staying tonight here in Teruel in a Paradore Hotel. Looks like an old castle that has been done up into quite a nice hotel. So far- good hotels, good food and good organisation. Great roads to ride on also. Very smooth well sealed. Our group guide, John Dean is doing a magnificent job - whilst riding with all the way as well. Gotta fly now- battery on the laptop about to run out too.

Stage 1: 152 km's - Calpe to Chiva, la Eliana - On the road at last...

Sunday 15th May. My bike computer data:  Distance 152 km's. Elevation gain: 971m. Ave speed 28.8 kmph. Max speed during the ride 54.2kmph. Ave pace: 2.05 mins per kilometre. Total ride time: 5hrs 17mins. Ave heart rate for the ride: 116 bpm. Ave temp during the ride: 19.4 deg C. 

We woke this morning to not only the 1st stage of the ride but also to a weather change - not so great. Cool to cold cloudy day and 15 deg C and it started raining just after we departed Calpe. And I had a slightly dodgy gut for some reason. Bless those fine folk who invented Imodium tablets. We kicked off the ride at 9.30am and Chris and I joined the lead group of 17 riders - which was made up almost only of Kiwi's and Aussies plus a couple of Swiss and German riders. And one lady - Sabrina from Germany. I took this pic 'on the fly' about half way down the bunch with about an hour to go. We are in our special blue & white 'SuperEuroride' cycling jerseys. The rain did stop after the first two hours or so (60kms of riding) and eventually the sun came back and the temp rose up. Today was a relatively easy day - mainly flat - some tail/cross winds and quieter roads. A few hills in the last 20 kms but nothing of any worry. We both finished comfortably with the group after just over 5 hours riding. Side note - Would you believe despite us staying in hotels in the beautiful Valencia region of Spain - we cannot get freshly squeezed or even regular orange juice for breakfast. What gives Spain? Anyway things are going well here - nice hotels, good food and good organisation. And a fun bunch of people to ride (and suffer) with ! Tomorrow's stage 2 is 170 km's with two climbs in the morning. Now where is that pillow to rest my head on?... :-)     

Last day before we start...

Saturday 14th May. Another stunning spring day here in Calpe, Spain. High 20's in the temps and bright sunshine. So pleased I purchased the SPF50 sunblock. We went for a quieter ride today - just 60 kms that included a coffee stop - as you do. We rode 30kms north of Calpe to a beautiful coastal tourist area full of great cafes and restaurants. My roomie - Glen Freebody from Canberra, took this pic of me on the balcony of our hotel room with the rock of Calpe in the background. I think it was so we had before and after pics! This sign at the cafe took my fancy also. How about this for a spanish breakfast - A glass of Sangria (= Chianti red wine, orange juice, fruit etc) together with a delish feed of bread and black pudding! All for just Euro: 1.25 (=A$1.70) Yummy! Tonight we have a breifing from the ride organisation and meet all the other 52 riders starting this little jaunt!  Some interesting observations here - would you believe Spain today has one million new empty houses not selling. GFC result. We are told 20% unemployment and some 80% of the buildings affected in the earthquakes last Wed are beyond repair...

Recovery day,some light pedaling and Spanish earthquakes.

Got to our Calpe hotel - the 'Roco Esmeralda' at 11pm local time and promptly engaged in a long overdue meeting with a pillow! Got a reasonable nights sleep and after breakfast - went to the local supermarket for a few essentials - snacks, water, fruit and some toiletries etc. I got a bottle of what I think (all spanish text on it) is shower gel. Many things here seem quite cheap in the supermarket and some of the other stores. About 12 of us went for a very enjoyable ride to get the legs moving again and to work off the jet lag. Just a quiet 100 km's ride north and inland of Calpe in a loop with an obligatory stop for coffee (I am told the Spanish make lousy coffee and my first impressions are that), some more water and to take some pics (coming later). Getting used again to riding on the far right hand side of the road and taking it carefully around the roundabouts kept the concentration level high and us 'on our toes'. Tomorrow we will do about 130 km's as the riding group swells a bit with some 50 riders to start SuperEuroride on Sunday. Weather nice so far and forecast to stay that way for a while- fingers crossed. By the way - we never felt the southeastern Spanish earthquakes last night. It looks like we were in the air from Madrid to Alicante when the second one hit and do not recall feeling the first one while in transit at Madrid airport. I just hope there are no more!

Travel days. Melbourne to Spain.

Three flights - twenty three hours flying and a lack of sleep can do funny things to people. In my case on the Dubai- Madrid leg - I got seriously into (and enjoyed) a movie I never thought I'd would watch- ever....'Justin Bieber - Never say never'. Sad I know. After meeting up at Melb airport with Chris, John, Andy, Ian and Nigel who came over on the Emirates flight from Auckland, we duly headed north up the globe to Alicante via Dubai and Madrid. We were impressed with Dubai airport and how big an airline Emirates is. Planes lined up at gates and ready to take off...all almost as far as the eye can see. Nothing eventful happened on the flights apart from (I would guess five year old) Indian girl sitting next to me from Melb to Dubai who found my arm a very comfortable place to lean against while sleeping for about four hours. And we flew north of Libyan mainland for some reason... Anyway we are here finally safe and sound...with all our bags and bikes.