If any readers were racing in the Etape on Monday, wasn't the Ventoux as hot as Hell? I've never seen as many strong, fit looking people staggering along pushing their bikes, sitting by the side of the road head in hands, or just lying semi conscious in the trees.
Lance Armstrong always used to say "It's not about the bike" when journalists inevitably started asking him about his bicycle, rather than his training and preparation. The meaning of this was hammered home to me, struggling up that damned mountain under a baking sun. Still at least I didn't die there like Tom Simpson in 1967 or collapse at the top like Eddy Merckx in 1970. (Although I felt like emulating both of them)
The Pros tackle the same route in the Tour de France on Saturday (hopefully Bradley Wiggins will grit his teeth, climb like a madman and end up on the podium in Paris) and you can watch it on ITV4, unless like me you are a digital dinosaur and didn't even realise such a station existed. An enthusiastic sweepstake is currently taking place on how many minutes Armstrong beats my time by. If you want to enter, here's a tip- don't go for a low number.
Sorry to keep adding to this post, but does anyone know whether the man with the artificial leg made it, or the couple riding a tandem? The water station at Chalet Reynard on Ventoux that had run out of water was a bit dispiriting, as was the huge traffic jam later down to Malaucene. I descended by bike, throwing caution to the wind with all the excitement; flying past the stationary cars and completely forgetting that the road was now open. This foolishness resulted in me very nearly being wiped out by an ambulance making its way up the Mountain (Which would have been an extremely amusing irony and definitely one of the top ways I would like to croak, if given the choice)
9 comments:
Were you riding or watching?
I think he was riding by the sounds of it. Brave man!
Unfortunately I know little about professional cycling and wouldn't have a clue what to bet in a sweepstake. Let's see...four hours, eight minutes and 32 seconds? Plucked out of nowhere, obviously, but I will expect a bottle of wine if correct.
hmm, Im thinking between 9hours 40 an 10 hours.
Well according to the website
http://www.letapedutour.com/2009/ETDT/presentation/us/index.htm the winning time was 5 hours 11 minutes by the French National Champion. If we assume that the best Tour riders do 5 hours and also assume that Chalk came about halfway down the results (a complete statistical guess) then that would give him a time of around 8 to 8.5 hours so I'm betting on a time difference of 3 hours 15. (btw What does netto and brutto mean?)
As a fellow surviver well done!I to was ok till the climb, and no water at the last feed AH! Did you see the guy 1 1/2 k from the top layed out under the motorhome wrapped in blankets it was that bad.
Armstrong rode 4 hours 40 yesterday, with a peloton to shelter in against the wind. The same course was won on Monday's Etape race in 5 hours 11 so I reckon 7 and a half hours for Chalk. (On the logical deduction that if he's immodest enough to write a book about himself then he wouldn't post about something he wasn't good at) so put me down for 2 hours 50.
Well done to all. I saw that poor guy collapsed on the road about a km and 1/2 from the top, he looked very bad. Some couple from a camper van came to his rescue, fair play to them. Never have I seen such a mass collection of people suffering together, it kept everyone going I think. I overtook the tandem about half way through but that was my last sighting.
Anybody else notice that the average speeds and award levels (gold/silver/bronze) on the official site are wrong. Think they've confused the brutto (gross) and net times.
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