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Published On: May 15, 2007 04:23 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: May 15, 2007 04:23 PM
Short and Sweet........
The descent could have been epic, instead
it was merely ace.... I couldn't get past 80km/hr....
Distance:
110km
Time: 03:47
Ave Spd: 29km/hr
Cols: Col de Peyresourde
Short, fast ride today, there was an excess of snoring going on last night so I didn't get an awful lot of sleep so my plan was to be back early, trundle down to the supermarket to stock up on munchies and then put my feet up for the rest of the day. Worked a treat, loads of hot water and I missed the thunderstorm that soaked everyone else :o)
Started the day with a classic bit of biking.... Rolling roads through rural France, perfect surfaces, an absence of cars, light winds and an abundance of sunshine. Had good legs too which was a surprise after last night,
the first 50km or so to Arreau peeled away effortlessly. I thought I might stop for lunch in Arreau, had lunch in a nice cafe on the river there 4 years ago but the flow was so good I couldn't face stopping for any length of time and settled for a baguette from a bakery to chew on while riding up the valley towards the Col de Peyresourde. At the bakery I had a happy reminder of why cycling in France is so good, the girl behind the counter happily took my sticky bottle and refilled it with a smile. The usual reception in the UK is too often simply a look that says "piss off" you lycra-clad twat.
The Col doesn't start properly until about 10km from Arreau, but the approach is a classic bit of 'stealthy big ring' climbing that is barely felt in the legs but rather cunningly means that, when it comes, the true climb is a good few 100m of elevation less than it could be. It's a lovely climb too, not steep at about 8.5% and with terrific views of snow clad peaks to the south. Lots of old paint on the roads from the various races that have passed this way - some of it quite old, I'm sure I saw the name of that doped French prick Virenque.....
The descent could have been epic, instead it was merely ace.... With clear views of the road below it's easy to know there's no cars coming so it's very much an eyeballs out, sphincter-tightened adrenalin rush... It was just a bummer about the headwind coming up, despite best efforts I couldn't get past 80km/hr.... Maybe that was a good thing, the surface was a bit rippled and the Merlin is just a bit too light to be completely surefooted at those kind of speeds. There are a couple of electronic speed checks on the way down to make sure folk behave themselves and stick to the 30km/hr limit through the villages... as you'd expect however I didn't (behave) and tripped the first at 77km/hr and the second at 58 - but that one was on a bend... :o)
The last 30km or so along the valley from Luchon were 'blessed' with a bugger of a headwind but the adrenalin was flowing so I TT'd it and arrived back in plenty of time for a brew before the shops opened again at 3pm. I only felt the lack of sleep once as my eyelids turned to lead on the way up to the Col.... A caffeinated gel solved that little problem. I just hope I get some Z's tonight.
As I write at the kitchen table I'm surrounded by a regular bombsite of empty crisp and biscuit packets, chocolate wrappers and crumbs..... a bunch of guys just left for the airport after a feeding frenzy having come in wet and muddy from an offroad session. Shame they had to go, a nice bunch of guys and gals.
The rumour is that dinner tonight is a classic spag bol followed by fresh strawberries... And less than an hour to go to ..... Magic. Brenda's cooking really is rather good.
Time: 03:47
Ave Spd: 29km/hr
Cols: Col de Peyresourde
Short, fast ride today, there was an excess of snoring going on last night so I didn't get an awful lot of sleep so my plan was to be back early, trundle down to the supermarket to stock up on munchies and then put my feet up for the rest of the day. Worked a treat, loads of hot water and I missed the thunderstorm that soaked everyone else :o)
Started the day with a classic bit of biking.... Rolling roads through rural France, perfect surfaces, an absence of cars, light winds and an abundance of sunshine. Had good legs too which was a surprise after last night,
the first 50km or so to Arreau peeled away effortlessly. I thought I might stop for lunch in Arreau, had lunch in a nice cafe on the river there 4 years ago but the flow was so good I couldn't face stopping for any length of time and settled for a baguette from a bakery to chew on while riding up the valley towards the Col de Peyresourde. At the bakery I had a happy reminder of why cycling in France is so good, the girl behind the counter happily took my sticky bottle and refilled it with a smile. The usual reception in the UK is too often simply a look that says "piss off" you lycra-clad twat.
The Col doesn't start properly until about 10km from Arreau, but the approach is a classic bit of 'stealthy big ring' climbing that is barely felt in the legs but rather cunningly means that, when it comes, the true climb is a good few 100m of elevation less than it could be. It's a lovely climb too, not steep at about 8.5% and with terrific views of snow clad peaks to the south. Lots of old paint on the roads from the various races that have passed this way - some of it quite old, I'm sure I saw the name of that doped French prick Virenque.....
The descent could have been epic, instead it was merely ace.... With clear views of the road below it's easy to know there's no cars coming so it's very much an eyeballs out, sphincter-tightened adrenalin rush... It was just a bummer about the headwind coming up, despite best efforts I couldn't get past 80km/hr.... Maybe that was a good thing, the surface was a bit rippled and the Merlin is just a bit too light to be completely surefooted at those kind of speeds. There are a couple of electronic speed checks on the way down to make sure folk behave themselves and stick to the 30km/hr limit through the villages... as you'd expect however I didn't (behave) and tripped the first at 77km/hr and the second at 58 - but that one was on a bend... :o)
The last 30km or so along the valley from Luchon were 'blessed' with a bugger of a headwind but the adrenalin was flowing so I TT'd it and arrived back in plenty of time for a brew before the shops opened again at 3pm. I only felt the lack of sleep once as my eyelids turned to lead on the way up to the Col.... A caffeinated gel solved that little problem. I just hope I get some Z's tonight.
As I write at the kitchen table I'm surrounded by a regular bombsite of empty crisp and biscuit packets, chocolate wrappers and crumbs..... a bunch of guys just left for the airport after a feeding frenzy having come in wet and muddy from an offroad session. Shame they had to go, a nice bunch of guys and gals.
The rumour is that dinner tonight is a classic spag bol followed by fresh strawberries... And less than an hour to go to ..... Magic. Brenda's cooking really is rather good.
Posted: Mon - April 30, 2007 at 05:15 PM