Ern at Tourmalet

Our one and only disappointment on reaching the summit of Col du Tourmalet was that the iconic statue of the cyclist was missing. We discovered later that it is taken down before each winter and it had been removed the previous week.

This is the statue




Tourmalet was Ern's 'highlight' climb and he had long held an ambition to climb the Col and have his photo taken in front of the statue so he was particularly disappointed.

However, always the innovator, he risked life and limb (well limb at least) and made his own statue and subsequently produced one of the iconic photos of our tour




Seriously, climbing up for this photo was a challenge, wearing cleats and on a damp and slippery surface carrying his bike. And getting down again was even more difficult.

Paris on a Saturday

Despite last night’s festivities, we all made an early and enthusiastic start to our Saturday in Paris.

Your Blog editor took his computer and went and found a cafe to write something at least approaching sensible about the day and night before. The locals are not used to someone taping away on the computer in a cafe at 7.30 on a Saturday morning.

The remainder found a cafe and had the usual breads and jams and coffees before gathering again as one to sort out our various days.

Peter and Ern had their own walking tour of Paris planned while the rest ventured by train to see the amazing Chateau de Versailles.

After just a little trouble working out the ticketing system at the station, progress was made after some 20 minutes and trains changed they arrived safely at the destination.

There is a security alert in place for Paris evidenced by the presence at stations and major attractions of army personnel brandishing automatic fire arms. Coming from Australia, the less experienced travellers among us found this to be a little unnerving however Damian assured us it was not a problem.

What was a problem however was that the security alert meant higher security and longer and slower lines to get into the Chateau.

The Chateau was magnificent and disturbing all at the same time. The sheer audacity of the interior and the gardens is almost obscene and our visiting party all imagined the despair the French people would have felt at the time of the revolution as the masses starved and the royalty splurged on self indulgent, self fulfilling extravagance. The water feature is huge and the story goes that the river was drained dry to fill it leaving Parisians without water during the summer.

This place is however amazing and is a must see for anyone visiting Paris. We all have some knowledge of the Revolution and this is effectively where it happened – and our visiting party understood why. It is magnificent and obscene all at the same time.

With the exception of Ern, our visiting party have all grown up and lived in city environments; and Ern has lived his adult life in the city including some years in London. We are used to crowds.

The Chateau was crowded and as Colin, Damian and Phil S moved through the interior they were surrounded by very many people. After the last 3 weeks of being free in the country, they all found this experience to be most disturbing and restricting. It was an interesting feeling and group dynamic.

In the meantime, Ern and Peter were breaking the record for the most kilometres travelled by foot around Paris.

Their highlights included a visit to see the Toyota concept cars and the Nestle coffee house where individual beans were available for smelling and tasting. This was spectacular and Peter managed some great photos before being reprimanded by security. It is a strictly ‘no photo’ zone. Be sure to speak to Ern and Peter about this and catch Peter illicit photos. It is a fascinating story.

In the afternoon, Phil had a sleep and Colin went shopping for family gifts and watches but to no avail. He did manage some shirts and ties plus a pair of shoes to replace some destroyed in the big wet of a few days ago.

The Catholics in the group plus the almost converted Ern made their way to Notre Dame where they caught up with Phil H for the 5.30 service. Colin met them at 6.30 after a navigation miracle and it was then off to the final and formal tour dinner.

In honour of the 2006 tour and because it is damn good, the venue of the dinner was La Taverne du Sergent Recruiter. (look it up at http://www.lesergentrecruteur.com/).
Over an extraordinary feast, good beers and fine wine, we all re-capped our tour and what it meant to us.

Phil H – just being here after missing 2006 was fantastic and experiencing the hurt and exhilaration of the big climbs was amazing. Phil also commented about the inspiration that was Mick, getting to know Ern and the fabulous role Phil S has played in looking after us. Phil wants to return again fitter, lighter and to experience riding in Europe again. Phil also commented on the unexpected highlight that was Switzerland. Ever the optimist, Phil had lost his passport, phone, money and computer coming into Bordeau causing him extreme inconvenience however he made the point that if not for this, he would not have been able to attend the final dinner.

Colin – A first time tourist to Europe, he just enjoyed the atmosphere and all that was France. He was thankful (for the 10,000 th time) to Peter for the March phone call to see if he was interested in coming. Colin referred to the hell that was Madelaine in the snow and Damian’s reference at the time of how we all looked after each other. In doing so, he acknowledged the group looking after him after the accident by way of just the right amount of ribbing and support plus the allowances made by his struggle with the handling of the new bike downhill and in the extreme winds. Colin also thanked Ern for the cycling tips and Phil S (Director Sportiff) who he described as being 50% annoying, 50% helpful and supportive in every way and 50% caring when it was needed and conditions were tough (even extreme) And yes, that is 150% of a great Greek.

Ern – Commented that this trip has been a dream of his since he commenced cycling a few years ago. Ern added that he loves cycling and loves his bike and appreciated the experience he has had with a group of people he did not really know all that well previously. Ern commented on his puncture rate (easily the highest) and his tyre attrition (again easily the highest) but added his pride at being the one of us who rode every single kilometre of the trip. (Editors Note: Ern is also the oldest)

Phil S (Director Sportiff) – Phil said he did not really understand cycling at all and was blown away by the mental and physical effort of the climbs and particularly the potentially life threatening performances into the snow at Col de la Madelaine. Phil said that before the trip he only knew Damian and was thrilled by the way he had been accepted as part of the team by all members of the tour. He said that while he desperately missed his Maggie, he was buoyed by the experience and felt he had a group of great new friends who he looked forward to teaching some fishing too.

Damian – Reference was made to this trip being a life changing experience and it sure has been just that. He commented that it was the longest time he had ever been away from his family and that this has had a profound effect on him. As a key instigator of the tour, he mentioned that it has been two years in the making and that all the early starts to get fit for it and to experience the change his body has undergone has been an experience in itself.

Craig – Has acknowledged that he does not really follow the tour or the sport of cycling and is very much a social cyclist. He said that as a result he did not really understand the big climbs, the challenge of riding repeat 100 k days or the culture. It has therefore all been a huge cycling culture shock to him and one that he has relished, enjoyed and at times suffered. He now has a different perspective of what it is all about and this has changed his outlook to the sport forever. He commented on the challenge of Madelaine and the extreme weather we faced and in retrospect just how threatening the situation was and how it bonded us all together.

Peter – This has been completely different to the 2006 experience. It hasn’t been easier and it hasn't been harder but it has been different. 2006 covered more kilometres but the extreme weather conditions of 2010 were unique. He said that the two years of planning and preparation had been challenging and many times he woke early to train only to hope there was rain and a chance to sleep in. Peter acknowledged the inspiration that was Mick and Phil in that they came here with limited preparation and simply did it all through sheer guts and perseverance. Peter also mentioned his pleasure at seeing the enthusiasm of Colin and Ern each day and how this made his trip even more satisfying. He mentioned the incredible job of Phil S in the van and his ability to deal with constantly changing situations. Peter also was thrilled by the images captured by Craig by camera and video. Peter took great care to also acknowledge the work of others in putting this trip together and particularly the work performed by Greg M in structuring a fabulous route which we largely followed to the letter. A toast to Greg M was proposed and resoundly responded to. Thank you Greg. Peter said his highlight was climbing Ventoux side by side with Damian and crossing the finish together. Finally, Peter mentioned the importance of family support for all of us being able to do such a trip and that his experience from the 2006 trip is such that the family becomes even more important to each individual due to the time away, the experience we have had and everyone missing each other.

What started 3 weeks ago in Paris has come to an end and we begin our departures on Sunday afternoon with Phil S and Colin being the first to fly out.

We all agree that the last 3 and a bit weeks has been a most wonderful experience. I wont call it the trip of a lifetime - there are many years to come for the trip of a lifetime. It has however been the trip of a life time to date and one that those participating will live and re-live forever more.

Now for a catch up. A very happy birthday to Andrea C for the 7th. It should have been mentioned previously however I can assure you Andrea, we were all thinking of you and drank a toast to your honour on the day.

Photos for the last couple of days are up to date including today and this evening.

Thanks for reading and we will all see you again soon – some of us have the Thursday friendship ride in our diaries. But please, take it easy on us.

Thank you for also making allowances for the spelling and grammatical challenges faced by only being able to access the French version (German in Switzerland) of the Blogger site. Thanks to Mick’s perseverance, hopefully this has improved in recent days.

There will be a final updates in the next few days.

In the meantime, from Paris, France, Bon qui

In Paris

Your correspondent is sitting at an outdoor table in a cafe on the corner of Place de la Bastille and Boulevard Henry IV drafting this update. It is 7.30 am and Paris is waking up, be it somewhat slowly.

This update is substantially less about the bike and more about the place.

Our transfer to Paris yesterday was uneventful. Phil S and his trusty Garmin had few if any problems finding their way back to our Paris hotel and the rest of us had a pleasant train trip.

In Paris, Craig made his way to the Australian Embassy to finalise his temporary passport while the rest of us walked to our hotel, checked in, lunched and cleaned and packed bikes.

Peter and Phil dropped off the car and Colin and Ern delivered Mick’s bike.

It was time for beers.

It was a perfect Paris day – warm and with bright sunshine. We all wore shorts and after a time it dawned on us that despite the genuinely warm conditions, we were the only males wearing shorts – the only males. What is it about warm weather and Paris males?

We had our usual walk around looking for somewhere to eat and stumbled upon a little place with room for six to eat outdoors.

It seemed to be that Paris was alive and happy. Couples of all combinations were out and about, chatting, laughing, eating and drinking in the many bars and eateries.

Traffic was plentiful and cycles, always cycles, were the preferred means of transport for many people including superbly attired business people. But there are always people commuting by bike.

After dinner, it was decided to go back to our hotel and clear up the last of a wine collection.

However Colin decided that sitting in a hotel room drinking wine on a perfect Friday night in Paris was a waste so he headed out to see if he could get lost and to continue to provide the French with a unique approach to their language.

Colin’s strategy was simple. Stop for a glass of wine in every bar that had a vacant front row seat looking out to the street. Over the next couple of hours, eight or so bars and many (often short) conversations later, a few things became obvious.

People in Paris present themselves superbly. They are happy to talk to strangers and will try very hard to do so in English. It appears that the most common group numbers two and this can be any combination of the sexes. There were few larger groups and this is interesting.

Colin observed that people in Paris do not easily laugh out loud but are always smiling and appear to be happy and relaxed. There is no rush to drink a glass of wine, a beer or a coffee. It is savoured over time.

And there was always movement. At 2 am or so there was traffic in the street and naturally, cycles, always cycles. There is also little if any sign of drunkenness. Not sure this would be the case in a Friday night Brisbane crowd at 2 am?

More to come..........

Paris

Good morning or good afternoon, which ever the case may be. The next update is a few hours away as the author has been out doing substantial research into Friday nights in Paris.

There are some (hopefully) interesting observations to come - and the photo gallery will be updated too

From Evelyn to 'Basil Fawlty'

Basil Fawlty is alive and well, and living and operating the Relais des Templiers Hotel in the lovely town of Beaugency some 150 kilometres south west of Paris.

Having called and booked accommodation in advance, we arrived to find the place wide open but no one to be found. Calling, banging and yelling for an hour elicited little response and we were on the verge of leaving when a very tired looking gentlemen wondered into reception.

We said who we were and yes we had a booking and our rooms were ready. However, instead of dealing with our booking and getting us keys etc, he went outside to have a cigarette. He explained that his lateness was due to him having a nap and over sleeping. We have reason to suspect he may have had a beverage or two over lunch.

Today marked our final ride day and we wanted a quick beer. Our host was unable to help (he could do beers but not quickly) so we found a bar around the corner and Ern ordered the worst tasting beer ever brewed. It was from Belgium and was disgusting. Peter and Colin then took over the beer order and managed Heineken.

The bar was also a little interesting and comment was made that it was perhaps the last watering hole in the region for those travelling to Lourdes!

The preceding paragraphs have dealt with the immediate end to the ride today but there is much more.

Our day started with an amazing breakfast hosted by the delightful Evelyn at the Maison Carre in Montrichard.

As mentioned last night, the 2006 tour group had been well remembered and we were privileged to be allowed to stay in the wonderful accommodation and to enjoy the sensational breakfast of Orange Bread, Pain, Yogurt, Croissants, Fruit nut loaf, coffee, tea, juice, 12 varieties of home made jams and spreads and the local speciality of Cherry Pie. We took our time over breakfast and engaged in conversation with a Canadian couple who we met again later in the day and who rushed to have a photo taken with us (well at the least the wife did).

Craig and Phil later ensured our tour group would also be remembered for an indiscretion when they turned up an Indian music CD in the van and proceeded to sing and dance while other guests were sleeping. Who is still sleeping at 9.30 am on a Thursday morning - I guess Evelyn's guests are.

In fairness to those of 06, Evelyn did record a video clip specifically to you all. It will be in our tour DVD (perhaps)

We departed Montrichard as a most satisfied and well fed group with the destination of Chateau Royal in mind. Good roads, a slight downhill gradient and a neutral wind (a true cyclist will never admit a tail wind - neutral being as good as it gets) we travelled the 35 or so kilometres in less than an hour. As Peter said, give us a largely downhill gradient, great road surfaces and a neutral wind, and you are playing to our specialist strengths.

Chateau Royal has a fascinating contrast to what we witnessed yesterday and we toured the grounds and structures at our leisure. The photos will follow - Craig is still working on them.

From Chateau Royal we encountered a return of the head wind as we set course for Chateau Chambard. We again made good time but it was much harder work. Chateau Chambard is an incredible structure and on first sight looks like it comes from a scene from the Jetsons TV show. This is one bizarre and magnificent castle and it is amazing to think that it was built by King Louis (one of them) however he only ever stayed there twice. Again, photos will follow.

We had the mandatory coffee (and tea) and headed for our overnight destination of Beaugency. Damian felt that rolling into the town to complete our ride at the standard 30 or so KPH was not a suitable way to finish our epic journey. He thought a final 4 or 5 k's at 45 to 50 kph to be more appropriate. The 2010 tour sprint finish was therefore on. Damian managed to build an early lead over Colin. The author would like to be able to say that the end result was close however Damian ended up winning the 5 k dash by some 500 metres and that included waiting for Colin at one point to check the correct road to take. Colin is blaming the difference is his 50 tooth chain ring versus Damien’s 53 tooth ring but this excuse has little credibility.

We dined at a local restaurant tonight and it was just about the only one open.

Tomorrow we head for Paris and a few days of exploration before gradually heading home. We are all looking forward to seeing family and friends but perhaps wish they could all come to Europe so we can see them.

Chateau Glory

The morning in Tours again greeted us with a wet sky and after cleaning and lubing bikes we farewelled Mick and Craig.

Peter, Colin, Ern and Damian took to the road wearing the wet weather gear and wishing for clear skies. And while the skies never really cleared, we were not actually rained upon.

Our exit from Tours was quite easy and we had a lovely ride largely along the river into the pretty town of Ambiose where we re-connected with Phil S and had a quality coffee (tea) and pastries in a delightful little street.

On leaving Ambiose, we continued another 20 or kilometres to Chateau Chenonceaux, a well known castle dating back to the 15th century. We took the tour of the Chateau which lasted an hour or more and it was enthralling, fascinating and educational. We were blown away by the history and the explanation of the back ground of all the different rooms.

From there we rode the 12 or so k's Montrichard where we are staying at the same Chambers as the 2006 tour - and Evelyn recalls the in-discretion's of the 2006 tour so we consider ourselves lucky to be allowed back - lets call it a chance for redemption.

It was a day of only a little over 50 k's but again, it was a wonderful day of discovery.

As previously reported, Craig lost his passport and was bailing to Paris today to go to the Embassy. We heard from him this afternoon and he has caught the train back to re-join our tour. He has spent much time in the train today.

Tomorrow is 'fluid' at the moment. We are thinking of riding to within 20 or so kilometres of Paris and then completing the tour on Friday morning. Alternatively we will stay longer in this area and complete the trip in to Paris by a combination of bike, train and van.

The Tour just keeps on giving.

We only have a 20 minutes on-line window today so photos will follow tomorrow - hopefully.

Lost Passport and stunning Church

Craig announced this morning that his passport had gone missing and he will need to break camp and head to Paris to arrange a replacement.

Our group is being decimated as we always knew that Mick was finishing in Tours so it is down to the core group of Damian, Peter, Ern and Colin along with Director Sportiff Phil to complete the adventure into Paris on Friday.

Phil H and Julie have joined us in Tours and planned to travel to Paris with Mick and Craig will now join them on Wednesday morning.

Ern played co-pilot to Phil S in the van while the rest of us caught the train from Cahors to Chateaurayx followed by a connecting bus to Tours.

After checking in to our accommodation, Ern organised as walking tour of the city the high light of which was the St Maurice Cathedral.

On our travels, we have visited many Churches and Cathedrals. The St Maurice Cathedral however was perhaps the most spectacular with absolutely stunning stain glass windows and opulent interior. It was a sight to behold and an hour or more spent marvelling at the extraordinary interior.

Following further exploration of the city, a friendly bar was located and a few or 'several few' beers were enjoyed while interacting with the locals.

From there it was on to dinner where Mick continued the tradition established by Phil H on his last night by providing excellent local white wine, rose and rouge. The rose was actually worth drinking and Peter continued his campaign of conversion. However, only Damian took up the challenge and he is not really a 'new' convert having largely enjoyed (if that is the correct word) rose throughout the tour.

The weather is still doubtful however we are hopeful of some fine weather for some comfortable. flat, light winds and dry conditions tomorrow as we explore this fascinating region of France.

The remaining four cyclists, Ern, Colin, Damian and Peter are looking forward to Paris on Friday however are more focused on the adventures that lay ahead over the next 2 days. However, some more comfortable weather would be most welcomed.

However, before this can happen, We have a major bike clean to undertake in the morning.

Finally, we have voted Francis' comment re Ratz and Horse from yesterday as our number one blog comment. Very clever and very entertaining.

Wind, Rain, Cold and Caves

Our departure from Frigeac comprised of a 100 meter ride to a wonderful bakery to purchase breakfast to consume in the bar across the road where coffee (and tea) was enjoyed by all. All the time, storm clouds were gathering and when lightning and thunder struck to accompanying torrential rain, we simply ordered more coffee (and tea) and waited for conditions to improve.

And improve they did to allow us to roll out of Frigeac in a light shower and some 18 degrees, all wearing our very best wet weather jackets.

We exited the city and linked up with some very quiet meandering (and sometimes undulating) roads and largely tracked the river on our way to our lunch destination of Cirq la Popie as the weather was closing in.

We had a look around the village and had coffee (and tea) at a delightful little place. We again attracted much attention including from an American group who were desperate to know the results from the Men's World Road Racing Championships.

Unfortunately, the member of our group who they first approached not only did not know who won, but did not even know the Championships had just been conducted in Australia - guess who it was. They finally asked Peter who was able to provide all the details.

From there, we commandeered a vacant area of a restaurant and enjoyed a lunch provided by Phil S catering services. It was a sight to behold.

Craig also ran into a guy he regularly plays golf with in Brisbane - small world indeed.

From there, we made our way to Grotte du Pech-Merle where we enjoyed an educational tour of the ancient caves dating back 30,000 years. Incredible, even if the tour was narrated in French.

Our target then was our overnight destination of Cahors. As the rain and wind increased and the chill factor climbed, Peter was keen to ensure we had accommodation near the train station.

Taking Colin for assistance, they took to the van and headed for Cahors to ensure the rooms were booked and bags were in rooms when the drenched and cold cyclist arrived. Colin was quick to volunteer for the job. He thinks his body fat percentage has dropped so low that any rain and wind chills him to the bone and he was not looking forward to the final 20 k's. But his discomfort was nothing compared to Craig, Mick, Ern and Damian who fought
extraordinarily wet, windy and cold conditions over the final 25 kilometres into Cahors. A brave and courageous effort indeed and one that could hardly be described as pleasant.

Yet again, the roads and sights of France have thrown us another completely different experience today.

On arrival in Cahors, a laundromat was found and our lunch left overs were consumed along with a dozen or so beers. Some locals using the laundromat were a little amused at the party taking place by these strange Aussies. The beer we were enjoying was the local brew called Ratz and Mick added musical accompaniment of Frank Zappa'a Hot Ratz album to complete the laundering occasion - surreal.

From there we moved to the local pub (and just about the only place open on a Monday evening) for the most standard meal we have had so far - except for Ern who decided tonight was the night to try Cheval (horse). Others had burgers while one of us had salmon. Fine wine was also enjoyed in what was yet another Rose and anchovy free evening (Peter is coming good - unlike in 2006 when he apparently converted many to the "joys" of Rose).

A question was asked following last nights post about the number of people Craig has said hello too. Craig has been at his sociable and communicative best and as also mentioned previously, his means of supplementing verbal communication with non verbal communication techniques is a sight to see and cannot be described here. But it basically works. Unfortunately, perhaps the number of responses he receives is far less than the approaches he makes.

We have a train transfer tomorrow and a hope for less challenging weather.

There is an update to the Food 0n Tour and Gallery pages.

Thanks again for reading and your feedback and comments are much valued.

We will be in Paris on Friday however have much to experience in the meantime.

Medieval Villages and hell by wind - so tough today

If it is not hurting, it is riding, not cycling.

We were cycling today.

We left Beynac at 9 am with a revised target of Figeac some 112 kilometres away.

We rolled through Domme in 22 degrees and light winds and proceeded to make our way through gently undulating roads through amazing Medieval villages before hooking up with the same bike path used by the 2006 tour to continue a roll along a beautiful river for some 10 kilometres before again joining up with some quiet roads for the run into Soulillac for a quick coffee break.

From there we picked up the roads leading to Rocamadour and completing a 10 k climb into a stiffening head wind into the "new" or hospitality section of Rocamadour where we stopped for lunch and were joined by Phil and Julie Hatcher to catch up on their dealings with the French authorities in tracking down Phil's lost property. The positive side of the 'lost property' situation is to give Julie ample opportunity to test her French speaking skills - which is going very well.

From there we descended through the amazing 'Old Cite' of Rocamadour. (although Colin bailed on the decent due to the extraordinarily strong winds and linked with the group at the bottom of the hill.

It was then uphill for a few more kilometres and we were lost.

A group of 5 in a late model BMW 7 series pulled to a stop in the middle of a very quiet road asking if we were training for the Tour de France. (Craig said we were).

After some communication challenges, they directed us down a road that does not exist on any of our 9 maps or two GPS systems to Gramat (which we were aiming for).

This non existent road was fabulous - boarded by ancient rock walls and travelling through grazing lands. Again, it was a very different experience and one we were fortunate to have.

At Gramat, we re-checked maps and set sail for Figeac, some 34 k's away on great roads.

What was not great is that in every 4 kilometres we ascended and descended terrain that was greater than Mt Coot-tha and we did so into a head wind that meant we had to pedal hard on the down hill just to keep moving forward. The up hills were hell. We did this for 30 kilometres before a long decent into our overnight destination.

We were hurting today - we were cycling. This was seriously hard however our group worked well together and shared the load to see us arriving a little after 5.30 pm.

Dinner was something else again. Steak, chicken, turkey, omelet, salad, desert plus rose and red, beers and coffee for 7 - all for 88 Euros.

The weather forecast tomorrow is for rain. Seriously, it can be as wet as it likes - as long as it is not with wind. We have done wind - we don't need any more.

The gallery has been updated. You will notice there are no post lunch photos which is a testimony to it being too hard to shoot on the bike.

Also scroll down to the d'Aubisque section to see the 2 new photos of the hang glider.

Finally, the first shot you will see is of Ern at Brisbane airport prior to his departure - thanks to Andrea.

Pau and other wonders

1 October 2010 marks our last day challenging ourselves in the high mountains of France. And what a day to finish on!

Throughout our updates over the previous 12 days, words including "incredible, amazing, spectacular, wonderful, sensational and breathtaking" have been used repeatedly to attempt to describe the experiences we are having and the scenes we are seeing.

All these words again apply to our day.

After an amazing dinner the night before, we were in exceptionally good spirits as we cleaned and lubed the bikes.

Our host Pierre bid us farewell and we have all vowed to return to his wonderful hotel in the beautiful little town of Luz St Saveur.

We had an initial downhill run along good roads in clear and sunny weather.

We stopped at Argeles-Gazost to prepare for the 30 kilometre haul up 2 Cols to the summit of Col d'Aubisque.

Our first obstacle was a gradual ascending road through to the start of the climb proper of the Col du Soulor.

This was a good warm up for what lay ahead and we were all feeling the effort of the previous day in our legs.

Col du Soulor was a climb of some 8 kilometres up to 1474 metres. It was tough with repeated gradients of 8% and within that, some short very sharp pinches just to keep the lactic levels high.

It was a beautiful climb in perfect conditions with virtually no traffic.

On reaching the summit, it was a quick refill of water bottles, a replenishment of gels and limited warmer clothing was
required.

This first downhill section was tackled with mixed emotions as we all had the coming accent of Col d"Aubisque in the back
of our minds.

The accent of d'Aubisque was yet again a unique experience with many of us suggesting this to be the most spectacular climb of all those we have tackled. The scenery was simply out of this world. All the words previously used apply.

What makes our experiences in France all the more fulfilling is that every day is different and freshly exciting. Be it rolling through the French country side or climbing a Col, it is simply beautiful but at the same time different. And d'Aubisque typified yet another difference for us.

The photos are coming and hopefully they do it justice. There were birds of prey 'playing' in the thermals and hang gliders taking advantage of the conditions.

Peter mentioned that the 2006 tour tackled our day in the opposite direction (and harder direction) in terrible weather which would have tested the nerves of the cyclists. We were granted the exact opposite conditions.

Damian finished first to wrap up the King of the Mountains prize, followed by Peter. Colin was a long way back followed by Phil H, Ern and Craig and then Mick. Ern stayed with Craig to provide assistance and encouragement - was a gutsy effort by Craig in what was his first time riding back to back high mountains.

Phil H was the cyclist of the day and is riding into top climbing form just as the Cols come to an end.

The Col d'Aubisque rises to 1709 spectacular metres. There are several tunnels to pass through including one that is pitch black.

At the summit, you literally feel as if you are on top of the world.

Many photos were taken as we celebrated our final Col. We stayed for lunch and chatted to a couple from England, a cyclist from USA and a tri-athlete from Rotterdam who we had met earlier at our hotel. All had ridden the Col's we had with the American doing so on a steel bike with pannier bags and down tube shifters - and he was damn near as old as Ern.

Peter has commented just how many more cyclists there are in France compared to the 2006 tour and suggests it reflects a sport that is seriously growing throughout the world.

Our jerseys are the catalyst for the start of many conversations and we are continually approached by people of all nationalities interested in what we are doing. Craig has mastered the art of communicating in mime when his French and anothers English runs out. It is indeed a sight to see - but it works.

After lunch on 'Top of the World" we had a fabulously long sweeping decent virtually all the way through to our overnight destination of Pau.

About 10 k from the centre of Pau, we were looking for a directional sign when a lone local cyclist stopped to see if he could help. He then proceeded to lead us all the way in to Pau including for part of the trip, along a largely wonderful
bike path.

There was one section that was very loose stones such as those you find on rail way tracks. This was hairy and made even more so when we had to dis-mount, carry our bikes up an embankment, cross a single rail track and then do the reverse on
the other side to pick up a road. Not an easy thing to do in cleats.

It was 105 hard tough and wonderful kilometres in the most amazing weather you could hope for to finish in the delightful City of Pau.

Colin did a beer run and it took him ages. He was still wearing his jersey and was stopped in the street on 4 occasions within 500 or so metres by people wanting to talk about Australia. There was an Italian couple, an English lady, a local Gentleman and a local lady who spoke perfect English. He was surprised when she said she was from Pau and it turned out she used to be an English teacher and takes every chance to keep her hand in by talking English. Her daughter is working in Sydney (Manly) for a year and has been to Cairns and she wanted to know what these places were like. She also thought our tour slogan "Le Velo, Le Vin La Vie" to be just wonderful The Italian couple have friends living in Melbourne and wanted to know if Colin knew them. (He didn't)

For dinner, Ern selected a wonderful restaurant to continue the Food, Rouge and Rose tour and given Phil is leaving us, he shouted some excellent Rouge and top shelf Rose to accompany some superb cuisine which we enjoyed while the jazz duo
performed for our pleasure.

The cleansing ale on the way home was perhaps not needed but was never the less enjoyed. It could be said we had had enough.

Today has been an early start. Damian played co -pilot with Phil S and the van while the rest of us ventured to the station to catch the train to Salat. We had a change of train and a wait of a couple of hours in Bordeaux.

Sadly, we lose Phil today in Bordeaux where he is meeting Julie to continue his holiday in France. Even more sadly, we left him in the Station Office chasing some property lost on the train.

Our final destination for the evening was changed to the most delightful little town of Beynac on Dordogne River. We are staying in a very old hotel situated immediately below a magnificent castle.

After checking into the hotel, Ern, Peter and Colin rode the 9 kilometres to Domm and enjoyed the incredible outlook from the town, Ern and Peter enjoyed a beer while Colin had tea. They were served by a lady in a private hotel who only agreed to serve them because they had ridden up the hill.

The rest of the tour group walked up and explored the old castle and also enjoyed some amazing views and history.

Dinner was superb with several having the Salad with Local Duck Specialities - and the nature of the specialities is best left for you to conclude.Foie Gras was also highly featured along with Duck dishes of all kinds. (and one fish). Photos to be added to the Food on Tour Page. Be sure to also check the cheese board presented for Peter and Mick to share (They didn't quite get through it all). Amazingly, it was also a Rose free evening and maybe, just maybe, Peter is converted.

Tomorrow we are back on the bike with 130 kilometres of what Greg describes as "Daydreaming through the Dordogne" as we make our way to Rocamadour. It is the same as a ride day of the 2006 tour described as follows.

"A very full day but the beauty will cancel out any tiredness or pain" (A. Condon, 9/2006)

Sadly, the tour that keeps getting better and better has less than a week to go.

PS - Gallery and food on tour photos now updated too

Farewell to the Alps

Good morning all in Australia.

We have had yet another amazing day on the road including the accent of the famous Col d'Abisque.

Our day on the road was perhaps one of our most demanding but also one of our most spectacular.

There will be a far more comprehensive account of our day tomorrow, except to say that the departure of Phil H from our tour has been acknowledged over dinner with the consumption of much Rose and Rouge - as it most correctly should be.

Your correspondent also apologises for the greater than normal spelling and grammatical errors from yesterdays update. Yesterday was also finalised by a significant and long celebration involving much of the local foods and wine.

We will catch up in the next 24 hours to re-count what has been perhaps the most spectacular day of our tour.

Good night from Pau in France

Iconic Tourmalet and getting it right

We have had a lesson in correct pronunciation this evening.

Our overnight stay tonight is at the Hotel de Londres in the beautiful Pyrenees town of Luz St Saveur.

This is the same hotel visited by the pioneering 2006 tour and the popular and generous host, Pierre, has made this year's experience just as special as it was in 2006.

Dinner of vegetable soup, trout (caught this afternoon), pork and pastas was something special. There was also a fabulous birthday cake complete with candles and other illumination decoration fro one of our tour party. Add some local Rouge and Rose and a memorable evening was had to top off an equally memorable day. We would all like to stay longer.

We shared some of our video with Pierre including our bike cam footage of descending Ventoux and Tourmalet.

In discussion with Pierre, we also discovered that his pronunciation of Tourmalet was quite different to ours in that he used the "t" in the word. We asked him about this and he explained the correct way to say the name of the Col was with a hard "t" and that this was the right and proper way in the South of France. A little bit like the use of the "t" in the Moet from Moet and Chandon. From now on, we are committed to getting it right.

Our day began in Lourdes in wet and overcast conditions as we donned rain jackets and headed for Bagmeres de Bigorre.

The wet conditions resulted in us deciding not to first ascend the Col de Aspin as we did not want to risk missing the Col du Tormalet.

We stopped for morning tea at Campon before proceeding on to St Marie de Campon where we stripped our bikes and ourselves to the bear essentials for the assault on Tourmalet.

It was an interesting and varied choice of clothing for the start of the climb. Peter, Colin and Damian opted for jersey, bear arms and legs and caps, Ern and Craig went with full arm and leg warmers and gillets with Ern also wearing water proof booties while Craig discarded his helmet after a few k's. Phil and Mick opted for a mix of all the others. The diversity in attire clearly reflected the un-certainty of the weather conditions. It could be snow, and it could be hot and fine.

As it was, no one made the correct or the wrong choice.

Different sections of the 16 k accent were bathed in warm sun and covered in thick and cold cloud. See new photos in the gallery.

Damian broke away early leaving Peter and Ern to fight it out for second place. Peter defied his own advice of "always ride big mountains within yourself" when he found Ern on his wheel with a few k's to go and promptly ignored his heart rate monitor and went into the red zone to take second place - be it narrowly.

Colin was fourth followed by a rejuvenated and inspired Phil H ahead of Craig and Mick.

Damian and Peter both agree this was the toughest of our climbs to date. Peter even says this way up the Col is harder than the direction taken by the 2006 tourists. From the downhill run, the rest of us found this surprising and are glad we ascended the way we did.

Hopefully the photos in the gallery illustrate the beauty and wonder of this Col. It seems we say this every day, but the outlook was breath taking.

There were two stand out cycling performances for the day.

Phil has been suffering from flu and a poorly adjusted rear derailleur. Both were fixed for this climb and he came home in approximately 90 minutes.

Ern had a sensational climb too and revealed later that Tourmalet has been an objective of his since taking up cycling 2 or so years ago - his first bike being a LeMond Tourmalet.

Colin also had long harboured ambitions to visit Tourmalet having been motivated by Trent D's 2005 account of his visit to the Col.

Mick was also sensational today (as always) and Craig has learned to enjoy long climbs and the experience and beauty they offer. He did it very comfortably indeed.

On arrival, we toured the town including the 13th century fortressed church (although the fortress was only built in the 15th century.

Another great day and another great evening.

I must again mention the great work by Craig and "Pants off Phil" for their sensational photography. Craig is also now running a bike mounted camera as is Mick and the downhill footage is particularly striking.

Photos of Tourmalet are now in the gallery and the new page of Food on Tour is also now up to date including today's crepes at the Col.

Ern is adding great anologue input to route planning and has also become the jersey junkie on tour.

Thanks also to everyone for the blog comments. e-mails and sms messages. They are all much appreciated by us all.

Col d'Aubisque then Pau tomorrow - fingers crossed for some fine weather.

It's not about the bike - at least not today

Our day has been one of contradiction and I guess confrontation. It has also been about new friends and some unique experiences.

In saying this, I am not referring to the train transfer by 6 of us from Nimes to Lourdes while Damian co-piloted the bikes, bags and "Pants Off" Phil by road.

I am also not talking about what is simply the worlds best double shot espresso at a non descript coffee place in Lourdes. The coffee shop in question does coffee, tea (which one of us had) and small bite size chocolate bars. It does absolutely nothing else. No food, no anything else, just coffee and our caffeine experts agreed with the claim that this is the worlds number one venue for coffee.

In addition, I am not talking about the dinner and wine we enjoyed at a highly recommended restaurant. Three of us had pizza while the rest carbo loaded with pasta - tomorrow is a big day with two major Cols to overcome including the famed Col de Tourmelet on our way to an overnight stay in Ageles-Gazost.

And finally, I am also not referring to the birthday of one of our collective favourite people in Julie L'Estange. Happy birthday Julie; hope you have a great day and the Thursday friendship ride proved a great start to your day.

What I am referring to when saying in the title that "it's not about the bike" is that today was highlighted by much, much more than cycling.

Lourdes is a place of deep religious significance to the Catholic faith. The reasons for this are referred to in the Route Map page of this site so I wont repeat them.

We arrived at Lourdes, checked in to our hotel, unpacked and went to explore.

In general, what we initially witnessed at best, disappointed us all. This appeared to be one tacky, cheap almost dirty little place with streets lined by what appeared to be down market souvenir vendors pedalling religious statues and holy water along with t shirts and other cheap memorabilia.

We ventured on down through the town until we heard the most magnificent Italian singing.

Opening up before us was an open space in front of a magnificent church and the beginning of a parade with flag bearers carrying what we now know to be flags of their Order of the Church and primarily from Italy. Our subsequent investigations revealed that it was Italian day in Lourdes.

This was quite a show.

The parade wound around the town and as the flag bearers ceased, a cross bearer appeared and then following the cross bearer was a parade of the sick. The first in the parade were those being wheeled in beds and were obviously the most seriously ill. Then followed hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of wheel chair bound people and their attendants. This went on and on and on and on . It was truly confronting and moving.

The purpose was that the sick and disabled would be blessed.

The public mass went on for hours as the sick and disabled assembled at the end of the parade in the huge square area in front of the church.

We are all quite certain that one of the bed ridden participants was Chopper Reid - who we know to be terminally ill. I kid you not - we believe it was Chopper Reid.

"Pants Off Phil" identified a group of 3 men who appeared to have an official role in proceedings and approached them asking if they spoke English. We were all keen to understand more about what was going on and Phil thought he had better find out for us. The 3 gentlemen he approached were not only involved, but were Irish and spoke perfect English.

Not only did they fill us is on what was happening, they asked if we wanted to visit the Grotto and see where the miracle of Bernadette Soubirous occurred and to do so without having to endure the crowds and line ups.

Yes was the answer and off we went on a 5 minute walk to the Grotto. From there, Peter, Damian, Ern and Phil (Pants Off) went onto the Lourdes Baths and had the experience of bathing in the Holy Water. A unique and wonderful thing to do indeed.

It was then a short line up to touch the flowing water of the Grotto. All but Craig and Colin (both non Catholics) participated in this ritual.

Lourdes is a contrast of the extremes. It is a contrast of the tacky commercialism of what would be Religious Tourism and the Deep Spiritual ceremony of the Catholic Church. It is extreme and we were extremely lucky to experience the latter on what was a formal day in the local calender.
We were also fortunate to link up with our new Irish friends and have the introduction to the Grotto and the Baths.

Our Irish friends also introduced us to the World's Best Coffee where they bought us not one but two rounds. Which at 6 pm may well mean some sleepless nights for some in the team.

Over coffee we learned some interesting things about our Irish hosts:

• two of the three are cousins and work in the family business. The business is gaming - poker machines and horse racing and the business operates in the "un regulated" sector of the gaming industry.
• the third runs Northern Ireland's best fish and chip shop.
• all are very successful business people and give a week of their time each year to help with a trip of people from Ireland to Lourdes. This always takes place in the last week of September and they have been doing this for the last 6 years.
• this year, they are part of a team of 45 volunteers from Ireland escorting a group of sick and elderly that numbers 980 - yes 980.
• the biggest group they have helped with was for the 150 year celebration in 2005 - that group from Ireland was over 2000 people.

It was a remarkable couple of hours topped off by a coffee with three very interesting people. I think also when we left them to follow their dinner recommendation, we all had a little feeling of guilt in that we all wondered just what it was they were after. They were after nothing at all other than to help and assist a group of Australian tourists who were showing genuine interest in what was happening on a special day in Lourdes. They even bought the coffee, despite our protests.

Tomorrow it is back to the business and cycling and a fascinating and challenging day.

There is also a new page on the website dedicated to the food and drinks we have been enjoying in France and Switzerland. Please check the photos.

The gallery has also been updated with an additional Ventoux picture or two and the bikes and equipment page has also been updated to include all bike, including Colin's new frame. (how does it look Robbo?)

Phil H's quote of the day - "Everyday of this tour we turn over a rock and find something new and amazing. What other rocks can we possibly turn over next".

Last and by no means least, there is another birthday on the 30th to celebrate - that of Tracy Sheehan. Happy birthday Tracy.

Rolling Country and Ventoux Reflections

An apology to begin with.

Our hotel for the evening turns it Wi Fi off overnight. Apparently guests do not require internet access out of hours. As a result, this update is some hours late.

Secondly, yesterdays account of Ventoux was a little light on. Our group was on a high following the accent of the giant and the subsequent research into the merits of red wine and rose as sports re hydration drinks went late into the night.

Back to Ventoux. We were very lucky to actually have a weather window where we could make the climb.

When describing other climbs we have completed, the word relentless have been used frequently. Ventoux introduces a new meaning to the word relentless. There is no opportunity to recover - at all. Kilometre after kilometre of 9%, 9%, 10%, 9% up and up and up.

The radio tower at the summit is the objective and the mountain plays with your mind. You first sight the tower as you commence kilometre 11 (11 to go) and it looks close - very close.

You then spend the next 5 kilometres or so seemingly getting no closer to the objective.

Then, just when you are contemplating the free fall properties of a carbon fibre bike being hauled off a cliff, you are confronted by the additional challenge of a head breeze. This starts with 8 kilometres to go and then builds until the end. But the forecast was for only a 57 km wind at the summit on our day of accent.

Chateau Reynard sits 6 kilometres from the summit and also represents the last remains of vegetation. The cyclist is now at one with his bike, the strengthening wind, the moonscape terrain and that bastard of a radio mast you are aiming for.

Our group of 7 cyclists had all rounded bend that is Chateau Reynard and were battling the last 6 kilometres to the end. There was a roaring noise from behind and one wondered just what the Ventoux was giving us next. The noise was a fighter jet from the French air force doing a pass of the mountain. We decided it was in celebration of our pending collective achievement.

A little more about the wind on the final 6 kilometres. On the mountain, you are completely exposed. There is no vegetation to protect you from its force. It just 'slams' you and has you at its mercy. You turn a corner and and bang - it whips you from the side of from the front and there is nothing you can do but grit your teeth, hold the bars and keep pedaling. The 9% gradient becomes tougher and tougher. And it is a cold wind too - and the perspiration from the climb has wet you through magnifying the impact of the cold in the wind.

But arriving at the summit is exhilarating and satisfying to the extreme.

We did the photos at the summit, put every piece of warm clothing we had on and descended the 6 kilometres to the Chateau for lunch and shopping.

Back at the hotel, post ride beers were enjoyed in wonderful spirits. Dinner involved many pizzas (plus one salad) and multiple bottles of Ventoux Rouge and Rose.

Moving to our latest day, it was a quite tired group who set out from Orange bound for Nimes. Phil took the day off to try and get over his cold symptoms while the rest of us were keen to turn our legs over and enjoy some wonderful riding conditions.

We pushed through some sensational French country side and crossed a wonderful bridge at Caderousse where we saw a power station.

It was then onto Laudun-L'Ardoise where we had morning tea.

A few bumps and more magnificent riding later at it was lunch in the beautiful town of Pont St Nicolas.

A long down hill run, an 8 k uphill and then a long downhill found us in the centre of Nimes and almost at our hotel.

It was a wonderful days cycling through some beautiful country side in perfect French weather.

The Giant of Provence

The "Giant of Provence" is something else.

Col de la Madelaine was quite something but you could not really see it in its supreme magnitude because it was part of other mountain passes.

Mt Ventoux is the Giant of Provence and it is made even more daunting because you can see from far away just what lays before you,

But let not me be the one to describe the Ventoux.

I will instead quote notable British cycling writer on his first view of the Giant when he wrote:

"And suddenly, there, in what seems like another world, miles away, rises a preposterously large mountain into a torn blue sky. Incalculably vast and aloof, a naked summit, white as monumental alabaster, the bloodless white of death, topped by a radio mast, like a steeple. so remote that I imagine any roads going up there must belong to different scales of tick tock and map measurements , with time locks between them and the road I am riding. A real ogre with winter in its hair, a gale screaming out of its throat and an extremely uncomfortable way of staring at a body. I didn't want to believe this was Ventoux, I couldn't believe this wasn't Ventoux. It was Ventoux alright"

The above pretty much sums up Mt Ventoux, the Giant of Provence.

Unlike the mountains of the Alps, this bastard stands aloof. We could not really see the summit of Madelaine because it was a part of many other Cols. There is nothing about Ventoux to disguise its height and gradient. It stands alone in all its frightening awesomeness.

This is not only an iconic mountain of Le Tour, but an iconic mountain of the world of cycling.

It is said that until you conquer the fear of Ventoux, you cannot call yourself a real cyclist.

Our band of 7 cyclists are now 'real'.

Phil H said " this is the ultimate cycling challenge - nothing comes close

Mick W said on completion of the climb - " Ventoux is relentless but at the same time rewarding"
Damian's comments were " the achievement of the group as a whole is a testament to the group but I was not prepared for the incredible vista as we emerged from the forest with 6 k's to go

Peter has been here before however on the 2006 tour the accent was via the far easier route. He was pleased to have ascended by way of the much harder route out of Bedoin and said he "took much satisfaction from seeing the pleasure of the group passing the much harder roads from Bedoin".

After the extreme challenge of Madelaine a few days ago, it was inevitable that comparisons would be drawn between the two climbs.

Craig considered Ventoux to be easier while Phil thought it far, far tougher. Colin wants to do Madelaine again in fine weather before deciding whereas Damian believes they are both bastards.

Mt Ventoux is a famous climb for cyclists. We want to test ourselves on her slopes. Today, the winds had dropped to an horrific level of only 58 kph. Yesterday it was 100 kph. Since when has 58kph been easy? But Ventoux is different

We were fortunate that there was a fine weather opportunity to allow us reasonable access. In planning the 2010 route, Peter and Greg M were keen to ascend the mountain from the more exposed and difficult starting point of Bedoin and pleasingly, this proved to be possible.

Peter and Damian crossed the summit literally a spoke distance apart followed by Colin, Ern, Craig, Phil and Mick. There were two heroes today with Mick and Phil dragging their 100 kg bodies up and over what is one of the most demanding climbs in the world of cycling.

A Mirage fighter from the French air force performed a fly by the mountain to celebrate our achievement. Spectacular.

There are photos in the gallery however be sure to catch the video of the day when it it released as we had two bike mounted cameras and one car camera catching all the action.

Tomorrow we head for Nimes however we are fully aware that it will take another significant mountain challenge to match the ecstasy that we all feel today. We cannot wait until the Pyrenees.

In summary, Mt Ventoux was the greatest day any of us have had on the bike and we have celebrated tonight as only Australian's can . (Rose and all)

If you have not yet done Ventoux, start planning now - because you must - from Bedoin

We swap cycling for food

The Provence region is known for it winds and its food.

Consequently, we avoided its winds and sought out its food, and some of its history in a very interesting day.

But first some background.

Very, very strong winds greeted our tour group this morning and Craig, Peter, Ern and Colin set out on an exploratory ride around the city of Orange to determine if the art of cycling was a safe art to pursue today. After some 7 kilometres and many severe 'wind bullets' a coffee stop was had and the general decision was that it certainly was not safe.

We are talking winds that make the bike impossible to control and launch it sideways either into the gutter or into traffic. Following a two coffee (and tea) stop it was decided that continuing with our ride plans was not wise.

However, there was much to see and do in the region.

We arranged alternative transport and targeted Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the Pont du Gard.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a small village boasting a fascinating history of being the home of the Pope when Pope Clement V relocated his residency in 1308. This resulted in the development of the wine industry which continues today.

After a walking tour of the town, we settled down to a glorious lunch with most of us selecting whole Calamari to go with our local wine ( see gallery),

After lunch, we proceeded to the Pont du Gard and simply marvelled at the structure of some 2000 years before. One cannot help but wonder if the foresight and leadership that allowed the Roman's to develop significant infrastructure could be applied in Western Society today. If only.

Again - see gallery for photos.

Dinner was a special treat in that we were joined by Peter, John and Guy who are Business Associates of Phil H and have travelled from London to ride the famous Mt Ventoux with us.

It was a day of disappointment in that we were unable to ride to Chateaubeuf-du-Pont and Pont du Gard. However our alternative arrangements were great in that we managed to visit these icons and the food we enjoyed (and wine) was sensational.

Tomorrow we have determined we will take on the might of Ventoux, irrespective of what the weather throws at us. The subsequent update should be epic as this is one heck of a mountain with terrain quite unlike any other.

Ventoux day is looming.

Sense won out in day of disappointment

Today completes week one of the cycling content of the 2010 tour.

Our evening dinner included each of us outlining how we became involved in cycling which is after all, the commencement of the path which we came along to be here. Each participants' story was interesting and there was largely a common thread involved. Certainly, no one ever had any perception of doing what we are doing in France and Switzerland.

Dinner included local produce and local cooking styles including rabbit, beef, fish, ice creams and sorbets, goats cheese and local salads. A local red wine was also sampled and many readers will know about Peter's obsession with Rose. His rate of converting his colleagues to Rose is not nearly as high at it was during the 2006 edition of the tour. (but it is early days).

We awoke this morning feeling ok but certainly not as fresh as previous mornings due almost certainly to the extreme efforts of yesterday.

We were greeted by a cold, wet morning and after some investigation it was revealed that the forecast for Alp d'Huez was for freezing rain and snow.

We discussed the merits of attempting such a climb in these conditions. It was thought that climbing the famous Alp was certainly a possibility however descending in such conditions was insane - or at least an un-necessary risk.

With much collective disappointment, we cancelled our day on the saddle. With the weather closing in and forecast to stay the way it is for another 3 days, we decided to head straight for Orange where the forecast was much more encouraging and where the Monster of Provence awaited us - Mt Ventoux. (scheduled for Monday).

Six of us made the train connections to Orange while Craig travelled in the van with "Pants off Phil". We all arrived at the same time.

An exploration of the town of Orange followed including a late lunch and several coffees.

There is a big concert tonight in the old Roman Amphitheatre by 'French Pink Floyd'. Different.

We checked out the old Chapel and the local version of the Arc de Triomphe constructed over a period of 50 years and now stands proud after some 2000 years.

Alp d'Huez is perhaps the number one iconic ride for cyclists the world over so it was extremely disappointing to have to make the decision to by pass it. Howevcr, this simply means we are each determined to return to the Alps another time and to tame the beast.

It is however great to know that we have multiple nights in the same hotel and a chance to catch up on some washing etc and plan the details of the next week or so.

One week in, we are a happy, contented satisfied tour group looking forward with excitement to the next week. We are getting fitter, stronger, gaining in confidence and experience and even improving our collective abilities to communicate in the local language.

We really appreciate your feedback about our blog be it by way of comments on the site, e-mails or text messages. Thank you. We are also thrilled to learn we are sometimes a point of discussion at Brisbane post ride coffee.

Today is disappointing in many ways but such is life. It also continues the trend so far where each and every day is totally different from the ones before it.

Wind and Rain and Fire (and yes - snow)

Phil H - "The toughest day ever, anywhere, anytime"

Mick W - Toughest day on a bike since Around the Bay in a Day 2004 when paramedics were called to deal with cyclist hypothermia at Queenscliffe

Peter S - I've got nothing to say

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But lets start at the beginning.

A latish breakfast by our standards was followed by a reasonably easy negotiation of some Annecy traffic to the bike path along the Western side of the Lake.

It was raining but not heavily and this gave us a different perspective of the beautiful lake to that we witnessed the previous afternoon.

We rolled along the path at a leisurely 20 kph and eventually leaving lake behind and following a series of bike paths almost all the way through to Albertville.

During this time, we each recorded our thoughts about what lay ahead - that is the 26 km accent of the Hors Category Col De La Madelaine. The comments recorded pre climb are:

Phil - Nervous to the extreme about what lays ahead. What am I doing here?

Ern - Confident I will do a good climb, just need to set my own pace and keep within my limits and all will be fine

Peter - I am sh--ing myself

Colin - This is the climb I have been fearing the most. It is very long and my first big climb

Mick - I see it as a scientific experiment. (Mick added some physics formulas that referred to gravity, mass and velocity)

Craig - I gained a lot of confidence from yesterday and am confident I will make it.

Damian - It is pretty scary but I am excited by the challenge and really looking forward to it.

At Albertville, we consumed the obligatory baguette lunch and rolled out of town just as the rain again started to fall.

From there, we had another 30 or so minutes to the start of the climb. At one stage, Peter dropped back to the writer to comment that virtually all conversational banter had ceased suggesting there was a degree of nervous expectation within our group.

It was also notable that we stopped for a greater than usual number of natural breaks during the day.

With little notice, we came to the foot of the climb and stopped to unload any weight we could from our bikes - pumps, saddle bags, lights etc. We also filled water bottles, most discarded helmets and in now clearing weather and 17 degrees, did away with rain jackets, arm and leg warmers and all but Ern and Mick discarded gillets. A number of us also took to the bushes with the appropriate tissue.

A photo stop at the climbs commencement followed and we were off.

The first 15 k's were generally accepted as being quite comfortable. The gradients for each kilometre are sign posted and with the exception of a 9% and an 8%, were between 2% and 6%. Most were even using the big chain ring from time to time.

At around kilometre 13 we became engulfed in quite thick fog but it was still comfortable and the temperature had not really fallen.

Between kilometres 15 and 16, we broke through the fog and were hit by a strong and cold head wind and increasingly heavy rain which subsequently almost became sleet.

In addition, from the 15 k to 24 k mark, the minimum gradient was 8% (and only one at 8%). However this does not tell the full story. When you reach a marker that says the next kilometre has an average gradient of 10% and you then travel the first 500 metres at around 2%, you are aware that the balance of the k is going to be a lot more than 10% and it repeatedly was like this.
The temperature dropped, the wind increased and the rain became heavier.

Damian was first up the Col shivering into the the bar at the summit desperate to warm up. He was followed by Peter who reported the difficulty of holding his handle bar due to the cold.

Ern followed soon after, then Colin and Craig.

Phil and Mick completed the climb in developing sleet and not long after, it began to snow - yes snow.

The temperature had dropped by 14 degrees before the Col was climbed.

It became impossible to squeeze water from a bottle or even take a gel out of a pocket such was the coldness of our hands.

We were shaking and distressed as we completed the climb and the bar did a roaring trade in coffee and tea.

Peter had 6 coffees in 35 minutes, Colin 8 teas as the surroundings turned to snow white.

With the weather worsening, we discussed what we would do. Our destination for the day was St Jean du Maurienne.

Damian was concerned that he was suffering the start of a virus so along with Phil H and Mick W, decided to take their bikes and join "Pants Off" in the van and seek accommodation in the nearer town of Le Chambre. Those remaining would wait out the weather and then proceed down the Col and join them (the weather seemed to be clearing). Between the making of this decision and the packing of the van, the snow fall increased and it was decided that descending the Col by bike any time soon was not going to be sensible. The 'Van Team' took all but two bikes and set off in search of accommodation while Ern, Colin, Peter and Craig ordered more coffee and tea to await the return of the van.

Peter used some unique negotiating methods to get us into the unused restaurant area and the warmth of a fire place and we rewarded the owner with the purchase of a local bottle of red.

Settled beside a warm fire, sipping a fine local red while the outside was turning to a classic scene of white was not a bad way of recalling an incredible day when 6 of us ascended our first ever French Alp and all of us succeeded on Madelaine for the first time (PB's as Damian had put it).

Another bottle of red passed and those left at the Col were almost disappointed when "Pants Off" returned to collect us.

As Peter said "This puts a whole new perspective on the notion of Friday afternoon drinks"

We all reunited at the Etap in Le Chambre and managed to find the only restaurant open for the night.

Today was monumental. The climb, the weather, the snow - everything about it is memorable.

We are almost a week into our cycling adventure and every day has been so totally different.

Just what tomorrow and the iconic Alp d'Huez will present us is any ones guess.

We just want it to come quickly.

Check the new photos in the gallery. Also the normal apology applies along with the news that Mick may have come up with an idea so this site will think it is being accessed from Australia. This means it can be written and corrected in English and not via French.

Annecy Tonight

Thrills and Spills (but more thrills) Continued

We will start by expanding on what was a sensational day yesterday and again, apologies for the lack of a reasonable update yesterday. We even had a complaint that the blog was not updated by 8.00 am Brisbane time.

Yesterday was an incredible day.

We left St Grindolph headed for Gruyers however we actually stayed a little beyond Gruyers in the outskirts of Evian.

The first section of our journey was fabulous at the time as we had little knowledge of what was was to come. We rode through sensational undulating roads dropping in and out of small villages. It was as if we were at one with the road and the surrounds.

We maintained a steady but sensible pace and were hardly aware that we were actually gaining altitude with every kilometre.

And then it happened.

We came around a corner and over our left shoulder was Lake Geneva and the township of Vevey.

We then proceeded down largely traffic free roads for kilometre after kilometre with the most amazing scenes opening up in front of us. On one side we had the mountains in our sight while on the other was the expanding panama of the Lake.

It was switchback after switchback for 30 or more minutes as we progressed down the hill in a ride that none of us wanted to end. On and on we went as expanses of vineyard, grazing and pasture opened up below us. It was truly amazing and again, beyond the word smith abilities of the writer to describe in the confines of this article.

Phil H withdrew his Sunday comment and described the day as including his best ever decent. (one shot of the decent is in the gallery - taken while on the bike, on the move by Craig.

Craig has taken some amazing video footage and we look forward to sharing it all with you. His still shots are also amazing and it will only be through these that an understanding of the decent will be had.

We all were experiencing a combination of awe and excitement and then disappointment as we became aware the town was near.

Colin was in the lead position going into the decent and had the honour of leading us on this incredible ride. Less than 500 metres from the bottom, a call was made to slow it up and bunch up before the round about and unable to hear, Colin called back to seek clarification. In doing so, he caught a ridge then the curb and hit the ground - bad shoulder first. Shaken but not stirred, it was determined the only thing broken was his pride and rear derailleur plus some grazes and a torn jersey. (the torn precious tour jersey being the most painful of all - so far anyway).

Mick located a bike shop, "Pants off" collected the rider and bike and to the bike shop we all went.

The shop owner said it can be fixed but would take an hour or 3 so off we went to lunch.

Lunch was pizza (for 7) and a few beers in a little place on the shore of the lake. It was an amazing venue in an amazing place and the beers were justified by us only having 15 k's to go.

(see photo of pizza in the gallery)

Leaving Colin behind, the plan was for the rest to ride to our accommodation and then Ern was returning at 3pm in the van to ride back with Colin.

The main group rolled out of Vevey along a scenic bike path on the lake heading for Montreaux where they stopped at the venue of the famous jazz festival for photos with the statues of the musicians, checked out the re-built gambling house (refer Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water) and generally soaked up the atmosphere of the place.

Meanwhile, the part needed for Colin's bike was proving to be made out of 'unobtainiam' and a problem was emerging - the part could be here in 3 weeks, maybe. The full story is an entire separate article of its own and may well be recorded at another time. The bottom line is, taking old American bikes (his is circa 2003) with 9 speed Japanese gears is not a good idea if you have any expectation that a bike shop within 300 kilometers will have spare parts.

To cut a long story short, Colin is now riding a Jordan frame (http://www.jordan.ch/).

There is a lot more to this story and perhaps expanding on it at a post river ride coffee is in order.

Dinner was preceded by many beers (while waiting for Colin, Ern and "Pants Off" and a fabulous meal was enjoyed hosted by the husband and wife hotel owners.

This was a brilliant day. Switzerland must be included in Euro cycling trips. Perhaps the next trip should start on the Italy/Swiss border, cross Switzerland and end in France.

The only downside to the day is the uncertainty surrounding train transport. We are due for a short Thursday ride, a train trip and a loop of Lake Annecy however there is a strike planned for France and we may have to ride.

Thursday 23 September

The most glorious day greeted us in Evian this morning and a local breakfast of breads and home made jams was provided by our hosts.

Bags packed, van loaded and we set off with the first target being Thonon les-Bains where it was intended we would stop at the train station to determine of trains were in fact running.

If there were to be no trains, 2 of us would go in the van to Annecy with "Pants Off" and locate accommodation while the rest of us would keep riding. When accommodation was located and the bags un-packed, the van would come back and pick up another 2 cyclists and this would continue until we were all in Annecy for the loop around the lake (TdF time trial course in 2008 and 2006 tour group's last ride).

We travelled good, scenic, but at times busy roads often along the lake as we made our way through to Thonon les-Bains. We passed through Evian proper and Phil H vowed and declared he will be back in Evian. Now this might sound impressive to you however Phil H makes this comment several times every day and we can only assume he is re-locating to Switzerland and France.

We found the train station and discovered that limited services were running in the afternoon.

Without time to blink, Phil H and Mick W were 'cleats off, bikes in the van, and ready to go' hunt accommodation in Annecy. We were held up by a protest march in Thonon les-Bains in support of the strike and to get properly into the local spirit, "Pants Off' Joined the procession for 100 or so metres.

The van left with Phil H and Mick W while the rest mounted and set out.

Immediately, the road turned skywards. And immediately - not after a kilometers, or 200 metres but immediately.

And up we went for 'ever'. We did not actually realise it at the time but we were climbing the 1027 metre Col Jambaz. We left Thonon les Bains at about 10 am and stopped about half way up for lunch at around midday. This thing just went forever. We were probably doing 15 - 18 kph deliberately not trying to blow up so it was not super steep but it was truly relentless.

The decent that followed was seriously fun. Those who follow Le Tour may recall the chase by Cancellara in 2008 to catch the peleton after a flat when the cameras could not keep up with him. We don't know if this was the road but it was certainly very similar.

The only problem (in hindsight) was that we damn near dropped to sea level again.

It was then a case of setting up our working groups, putting our heads down and riding the flat roads for the next 25 k's largely into a stiffening head wind; we were fighting to push 20 kph.

And then.................. some 40 k's from Annecy, the road turned skywards again and were set about the accent of Col d'Eviers and its 810 metres. Our computers at this time were showing 31 degrees, water was running short and we were all very much aware of the huge day ahead tomorrow.

In the meantime, "Pants off" and his accommodation location team of Phil and Mick were desperately seeking out places to stay. There is a convention on in Annecy and virtually 2 rooms only left which they managed to secure at the Hotel De Alps. It is a cosy night indeed.

Back to the road. We crossed the Col in increasingly heavy traffic and all but completed the decent when the van arrived to pick us up. It was 5 bikes, Craig, Ern and Damian in the back and we were off.

We were hot, tired and relieved. It had been an incredibly hard but satisfying day and as we rolled to stop at the van, Peter announced his computer had just clicked over to 100 kph. (it was another 24 to the hotel)

The notable effort on the bike today was Craig. He suffered greatly on the first climb and then turned himself inside out to hold a wheel on the second climb. A fabulous effort on a day unlike any other he has had on the bike.

As we approached our accommodation, we were again delayed by another protest march.

We showered, changed and headed out to see the amazing old section of Annecy and to have a look at the lake. We then managed a quick beer or two followed by a much needed dinner at "le Beau Soleil" which is also the restaurant visited by the 2006 Tour Group after their final ride.

Tomorrow we take on our first Col of the Swiss Alps - the very long Col de la Madelaine. We are looking forward to this with varying degrees of trepidation - but we all have some trepidation.

Again, please forgive the spelling etc. When using the blogger site in France, you deal with French, so it is not straight forward. There are also some new photos in the gallery.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and we are pleased to know we are a topic of Brisbane post ride conversation.

Apologies

We are struggling with Internet connections tonight and cannot post a significant update. A proper update will be done tomorrow.

This again was the best day of all.

Switzerland is incredible and thanks to Greg and Peter for including it on this years itinerary.

Today is now the "new" best decent Phil H has ever done.

The downside (apart from Internet) is that Colin came off at approximately 45 kph. The bike is damaged more than he is but some time at the local bike shop followed by a new frame and he is right to go.

We have a local train strike here tomorrow so a longer day than originally planned is now on the agenda.

Apologies for cutting this short but the internet here is a problem and thanks for everyone for the feed back about this blog (apart from Sheryl complaining about the spelling - you try dealing with a blog that only gives you German and French to deal with).

More - much more tomorrow.

In case you have not yet understood the message, Switzerland is a must for European cycling tours.