We were told to expect light rain and moderate wind for the entire 137km stage and the amount we would need to climb was 4,600m
At the start it was raining heavily and I kid you not it did not stop for the entire 8 1/2 hours I was on the bike! It was brutal!
The Madeleine is one of the most famous Cols in the Alps and a massive 24km long! Once I reached the top after over 2 hours the wind was up to 50kph and it was cold! The helpers at the top were brilliant, they gave us all rain poncho's and even had to put them on for most of us as we could not feel ours fingers! I knew the best thing to do was refuel as quick as possible and get down the mountain into some warmer air, the first 5km was horrendous with the rain stinging my eyes which made me keep my head down instead of focusing on the road ahead! Once I was down there was a small flat section then straight into the feared Col Du Glandon, 20km of suffering with the steepest part in the last 3km! I felt pretty good and made reasonable time on the first 10km but after that the gradient kicked up and the wind did too! The last 3 km was a real battle for me! All around people were giving up, I just kept my head down and slowly turned the pedals, riding against a 50kph headwind on a 9% slope is not much fun! I made it to the top and it was blowing a Hooly and we were informed that the descent would not be timed as it was too dangerous, I took my time and finally made it to the last climb; Alpe D'Huez, we would approach from a different side then join the more famous side with around 5km to go, as I hit the climb I realised I was low on food with only 1 gel and a small bar to last what would be about 1:40 to the finish, another rider gave me a gel and thankfully they had set up a feed station with 8km to go so I had some more food there, the last 3km was sheer grit and determination and I knew that even if I got off and walked I would still beat the required cut off time, the elation and feeling of achievement carried me that last few KM's and finally after the toughest day I have ever spent on a bike I rolled across the finish line! It was the best Birthday present I could have wished for!
After my massage and whilst eating a big bowl of Pasta I learned that over 60 people had thrown in the towel, I honestly didn't think any less of them for doing so, it was an awful day.
Tomorrow is a short day with just a tough Time Trial up Alpe D'Huez to contend with, I'm glad as I really need the rest!
This short video tells the story of the day better than I can
No comments:
Post a Comment