The Etape

Position: 3900
Distance: 167.52km
Time: 8:22:41
Avg Speed: 20.0km/h
Max Speed: 66.3km/h
Calories: 8236kcal
Avg HR: 148bpm
Max HR: 174bpm
Ascent: 3806m

It took two days to drive to Lourdes. Almost all of the way was straight, flat and boring, brightened only by the occasional sign to a place I half recognise as a cheese or wine. South of Toulouse I finally see the Pyrenees stretch out before me an start to bite my nails. The next hour is spent contemplating failure.

After registration at Pau racecourse, I ride back to Lourdes with the group from Bikestyle on a recce of the first part of the course. The weather is pretty damp, but it proves a great chance to chew the fat with the guys in the group. The hills, though twice the size of the South Downs were familiar to ride. I'm feeling pretty confident.

4AM alarm call and down for breakfast of bread, honey, cheese and ham. It's still dark outside but the conversation is of the rain & cold outside. I haven't got a jacket with me and factor in the fact that the party is mostly from Australia, so it's all relative. An hour later our bus passes a sign displaying the temparature. 13 degrees. That's not too bad but it will be colder at 2100 meters.

I regret not having being able to go to the loo. When the bus stops, I find an oily rag in the back of the van to use a paper and make do behind a hedge. I'm ready to start.

There are pens at the racecourse numbered to each hold a thousand cyclists. I line up with the 6000-7000 riders, which means most people start in front of me. Still there's still the poor souls in the 9000's. They're quite literally in front of the broom wagon. It starts to rain and I get cold almost straight away. The lady on the tannoy excitedly announces the start. 25 minutes pass before I roll forward.



From the start, it's about 100km to St. Marie de Campan and the start of the Col du Tourmalet. There's a climb about every 25km between now and then and to beat the elimination time I have to get to each at about half-past the hour. I'm pretty disappointed by the late start, but the organisers send us on our way on some wide, fast roads. So good is the early going that I make up 10 minutes every hour. By the time I get to St. Marie de Campan I have enough time to stop at a water fountain to refresh my bottles and find a place to take a pee. The last hour has been 22km at a steady 2 or 3%, just a softener before the mountain proper. I feel pretty good.



It's about 16km from the village to the summit at 7%. The weather quickly deteriorates as we climb. The gradient is unchanging, the visibility poor. It is long and boring. All there is to do is count down the km. Further up, concrete tunnels punctuate the fog. People start to walk already. It's over for them. What were they thinking?



A concrete monstrosity, the sometime Ski Resort of La Mongie is beaten into the mountain about 4km from the top. The going has been pretty stiff and very boring. Denied the relief of beautiful mountain vistas the food scrum of the refreshment stop provides some relief. Any mutual respect these people have as riders is gone over priority for the next cheese and ham sandwich. There's some wrestling over there by the banana stall. Where did that guy get cake from?



It's too cold up here to hang around so I ride on for the summit remembering the calm, friendly queues for food at the Tour of Flanders. It was probably the same bunch of riders, so I put it down to the stress of elimination wagons, which were absent at the Ronde.

The last 4km is on a narrow, wet road covered in cow dung. My eyes would be sore for a day. I finally recognise someone at the summit - Mark from GPM10. I give him a wave, the training weekend gave me a heap of confidence in the mountains.



Hey! I'm on top of the Col du Tourmalet! I'm given a newspaper to stuff down my shirt and protect me from the wind on the descent - just like on TV.



The descent is pretty epic. After about a couple of miles we drop under the cloud and we get to look around. Almost every 100meters it seems like someone has a puncture. I pull over and feel my rims. The front is red hot. I let some air out the tyre and to reduce pressure head on down. It's way too cold to be fiddling with tubes. Apart from the cold, everything is wonderful.



After a run along a valley, the temperature moderates and I reach the foot of Hautacam. The climb is about 15km. Every km a sign gives the average gradient for the next km, typically 8%. The reality is very different, with the road flattening and rising as it switches back and forth up the mountain. Some sections are 14-15%, but it still feels easier than Tourmalet, because the flat sections let you sit-up and catch breath.

Coming down the other side of the road are the finishers and they are soaked through. It's raining up there. As we ride into the cloud, we are again cheated out of the high mountain views we hoped for. I count down the kilometers to go. It's getting cold and I'm passing a lot of walkers. I can't understand why they don't ride. Pushing the bike must surely be harder. They look cold and broken. With 2km to go I think I can make out where the finish must be.

The last couple of switchbacks are followed by a hopeless attempt to look composed for the official photograper. It's been a tough slog in the heavy weather. I can feel the cold, the heaviness of my limbs and perhaps least expected - anticlimax. I look up at the finish marker. The Road to Hautacam Ends Here.



The Etape at EveryTrailMap created by EveryTrail:GPS Geotagging