Psychlo Ramblings: L'Etape Du Tour 2012

Pau to Laruns

I was awakened as dawn broke by the sound of the car pulling away up the track. Two of our party were heading into Pau to the start of the ride. The rest of us slowly got ourselves together and made our preparations for the day ahead.

At 7.15 we made our way down the hill to wait at the junction where the riders would come past. Our two early risers had taken our timing chips with them to the start and were planning on handing them over at the place we were now standing at.

With the rendezvous complete we joined the next fast moving peloton to come around the bend and set off towards Laruns.

A lot of riders got carried away with the adrenalin of the start and set a frantic pace on the smooth and mainly flat run in to Laruns. Some of our group decided to join the race while the rest of us settled into a comfortable spin, the omniscient climbs ahead acting as a brake on our ambitions.

Col D'Aubisque

On hitting the first big climb of the day everyone went their own way at the pace they were comfortable with. Having the experience of this climb from earlier in the week to draw upon I deliberately held back and stayed at a very comfortable clip.

I reached the summit 16 kilometres later feeling very comfortable and ready for more climbing.

The weather deteriorated the higher we went and rain was falling heavily at the summit. After donning my jacket I plummeted down the other side. The weather on the descent was atrocious, with a bone chilling wind and lashing rain. My only concern was to get below the cloud as fast as possible. As I descended at as near to break neck speed as I could manage I ate up dozens of more cautious riders.

The long run continued up over the Col Du Soulor and down into the town of Argeles Gazost to the food station there. I was met by the sight of wet and bedraggled riders many of whom were shivering uncontrollably. Some of the worst cases, who presumably had not carried jackets with them, had been given foil blankets.

I filled my face with biscuits, sweets and sponge cakes and headed off again anxious to get warmed up by the long slow climb up to Luz-Saint-Sauveur and the base of the Tourmalet.

Col Du Tourmalet

This was the big one and, back when I was contemplating the ride back in England, the one I was most apprehensive about getting up. The rides earlier in the week had given me plenty of confidence that I could handle this one.

I set off at a similar cadence to the previous climb and started counting off the kilometres. There were plenty of other riders to chat to on the way up to relieve the monotony of the relentless slow movement uphill.

I was still feeling comfortable when I reached the food station 9 kilometres from the top. I could have bypassed it, but I decided to remain cautious and stopped to stretch and eat a little.

As with the previous climb, once above the clouds the weather closed in. The gradient increased and I could start to feel the effects of the accumulated climbing. The very last section became very steep and it was a relief to finally go over the top.

This descent turned out to be even colder than going down the Aubisque.
As with that descent, it just made me more anxious to get down as quickly as possible. There were some slick sections that required heavy application of the brakes.

At the bottom in Sainte-Marie-de-Campan there was another food station. I had decided by this point to stop at every food and drink station along the way. This would give me the opportunity to stretch out cramping muscles in my shoulders and neck and to ensure I had adequate nutrition.

From here the road climbed upwards immediately towards the Col D'Aspin.

Col d'Aspin

I was thankful to be climbing again as it meant that I would soon stop shivering and warm up. The Aspin is a relatively easy climb. It was only 13 kilometres from the bottom of the Tourmalet to the summit of Aspin. Most of the gradient was less than 6 percent and I could mix in some fast spinning in between the steeper grades.

The weather, though still closed in at the top, was starting to improve and the descent was much more enjoyable than the previous two.

Col d'Peyresourde

Although I was starting to feel tired I knew I would have plenty of reserves to get up the final climb of the day.

By this point in the ride there were lots of riders pulled off to the side of the road, either cramping up or just in need of a breather.

I set off up the Peyresourde with the same pace that I had used for all the climbs. I put my head down and just focused on moving my legs at an even rate. The kilometres melted away and even the final steep 4 kilometres were vanquished without pushing myself to the limit.

The final descent was the best of the day with a fabulous 5 kilometre run in to the town of Bagneres-de-Luchon.

The last kilometre ran through the centre of town and the streets were packed on either side with cheering crowds. Everyone, no matter how tired by this stage, put on a big sprint finish for the enthusiastic supporters.

It was a relief to go over the finish line and then go seek out my friends to see how they had got on.

I finished in 10 and a half hours which was well under the cut off of 12 hours. I rode conservatively as I wanted to ensure that I finished but I left plenty in the tank. I would love to ride it again and have the attitude of going for a time like some of the guys in my group. The training I did proved to be good enough despite my apprehensions.

Arriving earlier in the week and getting adjusted by riding some big climbs helped a lot. We were also used to, and prepared for, the conditions.

Now back to the short but steep hills of the Severn escarpment. Maybe next year the Marmotte.