It Is All About The Bike

All the parts arrived for my new bike, so I took them to the local bike shop (Subliminal in Balham) on Friday to get them put together. Received a call from them Friday afternoon to tell me the bike was ready, which started with the phrase, "It's so pretty"

And they were right:

  

 



 

A quick check on the scales showed that the new bike is 7.3kg with pedals, a massive 2.5kg lighter than the Cube.

 

A quick run around Richmond Park this morning just to continue the tapering and ensure all was well with the new ride showed that the new bike accelerates much quicker than the old bike, and climbing seemed much easier. Maybe it's just that I'm fitter...

 

May well be my last ride on the road before Annecy. One week to go. Eeeeeek.

The Start Line

The start list for the Etape has been published, and I'm in the last but one pen to get going, giving me no more than a 10min start on the broom wagon (the riders in the early pens will have nearly an hours  headstart).

The early km's could be like the tour riders trying to get into breakaways

The Final Hillclimb

Spent the weekend down in Surrey for Tom's wedding, so took the opportunity to go for a ride on the Friday with Emily, before the festivities began.

We cruised along to Leith hill and then really attacked the climb and felt good. After that we rolled along to Shere (via a cake-stop) and did the climb out of the village along Hound House Rd. Spent the majority of the 3km climb out of saddle and never changed off the big ring all the way to the top. Felt really strong all the way up, and it was a big confidence boost with the Etape just 2 weeks away.

78km and another 1,100m climbed. The climbing ability seems there, but I'm worried I haven't done enough long rides. We shall see...

It Never Gets Easier, You Just Go Faster*

My training appears to be peaking as I managed to get a couple of rides in this weekend, and set 2 good (but mildly frustrating) PB's.

First I went down to Surrey with Emily and did the familiar route of Ranmore-Crocknorth-Box. Pushed the pace on Ranmore, managed to stay out of the saddle all the way up Crocknorth, and set a new PB up Box of 7mins 1sec, knocking 30secs off my previous record.. Really happy with that performance, and even a monsoon shower on the way home couldn't dampen my spirits.

Zipped down to Richmond Park this morning for a 3-lap TT, as this is probably the best indicator of my progress. Managed to cut nearly 4 mins off my PB as I recorded a time of 60mins 15secs. Felt I could've gone under the magic hour mark, but I was hampered by a bad stitch on the 3rd lap, which was probably the result of the rich food, cocktails and wine that I'd consumed the night before. Oops.

Still, a great performance, and something to aim for post-etape.

3 weeks to go...

* a quote courtesy of Greg LeMond

The Last Temptation of an Etapper

If the Tour of Wessex and my trip to Provence has taught me anything, it's that there are much lighter and comfier bikes than mine, and you really notice the difference over long rides with lots of climbing (ie. the Etape)

Therefore I took the plunge yesterday, and ordered a Scott CR1 Pro frame and also a Dura Ace groupset and various carbon bits. As I've ordered all the parts seperately I'm going to have to build the bike myself, and this, coupled with the wait for parts to arrive, means the bike may not be ready in time for the Etape.

This doesn't bother me too much, as I wouldn't mind completing this challenge on the bike I started out with, and also that I'm already beginning to look beyond the etape, and the Marmotte (imagine an uber-etape) and the Club des Cingles (3 ascents of Mt Ventoux in a single day) are looming on the horizon.

The Surrey Scalextric Track

After two consecutive weekends out of my comfort zone on the bike, a Sunday at home meant a more familiar route down to Surrey.

I ploughed the well-worn furrow over Epsom and past Box Hill to Ranmore. After a pacy climb with plenty of out-of-the-saddle work, I descended Critten Lane then went back up to the common via the steep Crocknorth Rd. Was again pleased with my speed up the ascent, then hammered along the common back to Box Hill.

Set a good time of 7:55 up Box, then continued on the loop road back to the bottom and did it again.

After that I tried to maintain a good speed on the way home, including a mini-TT along the newly-relaid dual carriageway between Sutton and Morden.

The stats for the ride showed 1,550m climbing, and most pleasing, an average speed of 28km/h. Obviously the last two weekend's riding have had the desired effect.

Provence

Landed at Marseille on Friday morning in sunshine and high winds to be met by Craig from VeloVentoux and driven to their guesthouse in Faucon. Wanted to get on the bike and attack the Ventoux as soon as I saw it, so waiting was gonna be difficult.

Our bikes were waiting for us when we arrived so we got them set up (I secured myself a very nice De Rosa) then spent the afternoon mooching around the guesthouse and chatting to the other guests, some of whom were doing a sportif over the Ventoux the next day, then having a fantastic home cooked meal courtesy of Vicky at VeloVentoux.

Saturday

The wind was blowing a gale still, but we set out from Faucon towards Bedoin and the beginning of the climb. However, the bikes were getting blown across the road on the benign descent off the Col de la Madeleine, so with discretion being the better part of valour, we scuppered the planned ride and did the 100km circuit all the way around the mountain. There were some good climbs on the route, including the Col de la Abeilles (996m - a Cat 3 climb from the 2009 Tour de France) and the Col de Veaux (590m - a Cat 3 climb on this year's Tour), plus a grind DOWNHILL against the wind out of Sault.

100km & 1,650m climbing

Went for dinner with the other guests in Malaucene that evening, and heard tales of the majority of the sportive being turned back before the summit of Ventoux due to the wind. Good decision not to attempt the mountain!

Sunday

The wind was still blowing so we postponed our attempt on the Giant of Provence again, leaving us with a 1 day window to get it done. I struck out alone on Craig's 3 cols ride which took in the Col de Propriac, the Col d'Ey (718m - another Cat 3 climb from the 2009 Tour) and the Col de la Croix Rouge. The climb up the Col d'Ey was fantastic, and the snaking descent off the Col de la Croix Rouge was a lot of fun. Saw about 6 cars all day on perfect roads, and even finished with an out-of-the-saddle sprint up the hill into Faucon.

67km & 1,100m climbed

Finished the day off with pizza and beer on the lawn of the guesthouse as the sun set on another beautiful day.

Monday - V-Day - Mont Ventoux: 1,912m: HC Category

Awoke to perfect conditions, so ate a massive breakfast before rolling out in the direction of Bedoin with Emily. The Col de la Madeleine seemed little more than a bump, which was encouraging. After a few snaps at the bottom, we went off individually up the first part of the ascent.

Maintained a good speed to the village of St Esteve and the beginning of the forest where the road ramped up significantly. I ground through the forest section of 9km at 9.5%, trying to keep the heartrate just below maximum. Passed a few other cyclists and enjoyed some of the road graffiti - a reminder that I was on the same roads as the heroes of the Tour.

As the forest thinned, I wound my way up to Chalet Reynard, where the gradient eases a smidge. Looking back, I know I could've gone faster from this point, but I had no knowledge to pace myself properly - didn't want to blow up in sight of the summit.

Enjoyed the view of the weather station at the summit getting ever closer, and of Provence spread out below me. With just over 1km to go I rounded a corner and passed the Tom Simpson memorial. A nod of the head and a whispered "on, on, on..." (Tom's last words) were all I could muster as I pedalled past. As many have said, it's terrible to see how close he got to the summit before succumbing to his exertions (and other things). After that it was a good final km, and I unleashed my 'inner Pantani' with a quick drive out of the saddle around the last hairpin and up to the summit.

Got myself a coke, and felt very proud of my 1hr 54min time as I waited to see if Emily made it. Sure enough, I picked her out passing the Simpson memorial, and shouted a few words of encouragement as she passed under the summit and around the final bend.

No more mountain to climb

After a rest, it was the super-quick descent over the other side to Malaucene, and a roll back to Faucon for a well-earned beer as we sat in the sun.

Best day on a bike. No question.

78km & 2,098m climbed

Tuesday

An impromptu race with some of the other guests down to Malaucene to return the hire bikes, then it was back to Marseille airport and home

A great trip and a real confidence boost ahead of the etape. Although Emily's decided that it's not for her, so won't be taking her place at the start line. A shame, but perfectly understandable - we're not getting paid to do it, so why do it if you're not going to enjoy it?

One Month To Go

Provence trip report to follow.

May:

Time on bike: 31hrs 11mins
Distance cycled: 756km (619km on the road)
Total climbing: 7,277m
Weight: 75.6kg