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.