Unfortunately, I ended up in the medical tent afterwards, suffering from dehydration and low sugar levels. However, on the upside, I was told that my pulse and blood were fine and my blood pressure excellent, all said in a wonderful French accent!
Went with French Cycling Holidays with Andy and a friend from work, Pete, who manged to complete the course in an excellent 7 hours and 20 minutes. We decided to drive down and spend the week in Lourdes to do more climbs and watch the Tour stages in the following week.
On Saturday, riding from Lourdes to Pau to register, Andy pulled across me and took my front wheel out, leaving me with a swollen and bruised wrist, grazes on my thigh and shin and a road rash cut to the knee. Thought I may not be able to ride, but got the cuts cleaned up, Ibuprofen reduced the swelling and pain in the wrist and the Mavic mechanics straightened my bent gear hanger, so I was good to go at 4:00 am on Sunday!
Got up at around 3:30 on Sunday, to the bizarre sound of somebody shouting outside the hotel "I can't find Huw Williams anywhere". Not sure that he was searching for our Huw, but if he was, then it is possible that Huw may have been in La Grande Motte on the Languedoc coast, as according to Cycling Weekly the stage the pros were riding on Thursday to the Tourmalet was starting there and not In Pau, as the rest of the world believed. This would have been a testing stage of 433kms, and certainly far too far for an Etape du Tour!
Sunday was a blisteringly hot day, quite unlike the shocker the pros had to ride in on Thursday. Started well, but possibly a bit too fast out of Pau and the early minor climbs, but its really hard not to be swept along by the crowd. No problems until the Marie Blanque.
All was well there until the last 2 to 3 kms, where the whole thing came to a halt as the gradient kicks up to a peak of 13% in the last 4 kms, with averages of around 10%. Lots of people got off and walked and the road is so narrow that it just bought the whole climb to a standstill. I was a bit pissed off, as I was pretty confident that I was going to make it to the top ok. However, I wasn't quite as cross as some loony Northener and his mate Howard, who tried to shout at the entire field to walk on the right, while they tried to cycle up a grass verge a few inches wide on the left hand side of the road, at risk of either falling down the bank or on to people walking.
Glorious descent off the Marie Blanque and pretty ok all the way to the base of the Soulor with just one climb of note between the 2 Cols. Soulor is classed as a 12km climb, but actually you are climbing for about 22kms. Food stop was at Ferrieres at the base of the climb proper. Still feeling good there and at least an hour ahead of the broom wagon. Set off and this is where my troubles really started.
There were so many people climbing the Soulor and weaving about the road that I paid too much attention to them and not enough to keeping my fluid intake up. In the last km of the climb, I got slight cramp in my left thigh. Standing up seemed to ease it and I tried to fill up on water and gels at the top, but I think the damage was done. At that time I was about 1 hour 10 mins inside elimination time.
Great descent again, but along the valley floor I was finding it harder and got more cramp twinges on some quite minor rises. Got down to the next feed stop at the end of the descent at Argeles-Gazost, took on more fluid and gels and ate fruit and energy bars and set off on the final section up the river valley to Luz St Sauveur and the Tourmalet. No worries on elimination at the time. Worked it out that I had around 4 hours to complete the 35kms uphill to the top of the Tourmalet, so about 7 hours 30 mins at Argeles and quite hopeful of making it under 10 hours.
Took it easy up the 17km river valley, no signs of cramp, but slower and the heat was really becoming a factor, more so than I realised at the time. Reached Luz and on to the Tourmalet proper. Kept an even pace for the first 6kms until I reached Bareges, where I really started to suffer. Stopped and went into a bar and drank a Coke and re-filled my bottles. Probably waited at least 20 minutes there and maybe a little more.
Set off again to Super Bareges, where there was a water station, about 8 kms from the summit. Topped up and off again until 6kms from the top, I decided I had to rest. All the way along the Tourmalet, people had got off their bikes and were lying in any shade they could find, many waiting for the broom wagon to save them.
I decided to walk for a km and rest my legs, then that became 2 kms and then 3kms! Got back on the bike but within 100m, I had cramp in both legs on a section that was only about 5%. I ended up having to walk the last 6kms to the finish line. All in all, it took me 3 hours and 2 minutes to climb the Tourmalet and my hoped for sub 10 hours became 11 hours and 45 minutes,
I rolled down to La Mongie to the finish village, got my medal and went to the food hall for my meal. I felt sick, couldn't really eat anything and then started shivering as I lay on the floor. Also, I got cramp when I tried to stand up.
Decided I couldn't ride down the Tourmalet, so went to the medical tent, where I ended up in a foil blanket, and was given a glucose tablet, water to drink and told that I was not to ride down the mountain, so French Cycling Holidays had to drive up and collect me and my bike from La Mongie. By the time I got back to the hotel in Lourdes it was nearly midnight.
The problem really started on the Soulor. I just didn't drink enough, and once I was in trouble, I never got out of it. To be honest, I don't think I drank enough either on the descent or on the Tourmalet.
I'm glad I finished it, or at least that I didn't give up, but annoyed at making such a stupid mistake and throwing away what would have been a respectable time for a very tough ride.
Did the Soulor again 2 days later to watch the Tour stage to Pau and drank a whole bottle on the ascent. The difference was quite noticeable!
I want to go back to the Tourmalet! I've done the ascent from Luz twice, both times at the end of long days and suffered both times. I want to do it as the first climb and lay the demon!!
Spent Monday recovering, and the rest of the week climbing various Cols, or watching Tour stages. Tuesday on the Soulor was excellent. There really is nothing quite like being surrounded by fantastic mountain scenery which is suddenly interrupted by the Tour publicity caravan. A giant motorised cyclist, followed by a huge fluffy lion on wheels, a truck load of madeleine cakes, bottles of Vittel water and the local fire brigade is a truly surreal sight! This was only topped off by a guy who parked his van up and started to try and sell the crowds wide brimmed straw hats as sun protection for 3 Euros, as he sang "Le chapeau pour trois euros" over his loudspeaker.
All in all a great week. Our friend Pete has ridden the Marmotte and thought this year's Etape, with the weather conditions, was as hard. If I can learn to hydrate myself properly, I'm going to have go back and do it again I suppose, ride the Marmotte instead, or maybe take up selling straw hats on mountain tops?
. Nice write up, shame about the cramp but hey it gives you an excuse to go back.
