Watching the Big Boys Go By
So THIS is how they do it! Our Discover France crew was parked in the perfect spot to watch the Tour de France riders on what is probably the toughest day of this year’s race. The 200k stage goes from Bagneres de Luchon to Pau, over 2 category one climbs and 2 HC climbs (so steep they category!).. By the way, several of our Discover France tours are staying in La Mongie, a town about 4k from the top of the Tourmalet, so when we ride from the hotel, it’s up up up to get home.
These photos are from Col du Soulor, a big climb on the way up to the Col d’Aubisque. The riders have already conquered the Tourmalet, and both Aubisque and Tourmalet are the HC Climbs. This is what we call VIP access! In one of the photos, you can spot a familiar Discover France jersey right behind Radio Shack Rider 21… and I know you know who THAT is.
This was also a day for our VIP Pyrenees group to ride across the finish line in Pau and get photos on the podium after winning the stage. And, technically, they are on the podium before the riders finished, so they are there first. That’s a great story to take home, with pictures to prove it.
Today, Wednesday, depending on where you are when you read this, is a rest day for the riders, but that doesn’t mean they’re not on their bikes. Because we know which hotels the teams stay in, we can make up our riding routes to go close by, in hopes of seeing some of our favorite riders. Cross your fingers for us!
Hello Stage 15 podium and Good-bye Etape Crew!
What an incredible day for our VIP riders today.. Not only did they get to pedal across the stage finish line in Revel, they to stand on the podium for photos and a little bit of fame. It’s a pretty cool feeling to have the folks in the grandstand right by the podium cheering for “Discover France” as you pedal by. And check it out… we even have a new yellow jersey wearer (I mean, besides Alberto Contador)! It’s a good-looking bunch, I think you’ll agree.
La Mongie is headquarters for several of our Discover France groups for the next few days, and there’s not a better homebase. La Mongie is about 4 kilometers from the top of the Col du Tourmalet, so we get to see the riders come by twice. We can compare our climbing time with theirs, with a handicap, of course. One thing is for sure, riding the routes the Tour riders ride gives you a real appreciation for how hard this race is. And they ride long and hard for 21 days. It’s incredible.
Speaking of incredible, an incredible Etape du Tour trip is over for about 45 Discover France guests. We dropped them off at train stations, airports, and rental car locations today for them to either go on or go home. Doesn’t seem like very many of them are anxious to end their lovely trips to France. In fact, at least a couple staked out spots to watch the Tour pass by today. C’est la vie.
181 Kilometers of fun
The Etape du Tour riders could not possibly have asked for a more beautiful day to ride 181 kilometers from Pau to La Mongie. We got up before dawn to get on the bus from our hotels to get to the early morning start. The 3:30 a.m. wake-up call was brutal, I’m sure! And the reward was getting to most of the stage that the Tour de France riders will cover tomorrow. That means pedaling over the Col de Marie-Blanque, 9.5 kilometers averaging 7.5%, the Col du Soulor, 22k averaging just under 5%, and finishing up the Tourmalet, 19k averaging 7.5%. It was a long day in the saddle, but what an accomplishment! The first riders came in around in 6 hours… Lots were still coming in around 10 hours and more. Then, after crossing the finish line and getting their medals, the riders had to climb up one more hill to get their lunch!
Our self-guided Pyrenees riders got their first day on the bikes today, too. We set them off on a gorgeous, blue-sky day (a nice change from yesterday’s fog and cold!). Most pedaled away from the Etape ride, but they still got to climb the Tourmalet to get home to the hotel. All in all, a great day on the mountain.
le “eve” du l’etape
Today, we
arrived in the Pyrenees, and a lot of the action has already begun, even before the Tour de France gets here. Tomorrow (or later today, depending on what time zone you’re in), l’etape du Tour begins in Pau. It’s about 181k of riding along the Tour route, backwards, finishing up the Tourmalet. Just under 10,000 riders have registered.. There are 45 going from Discover France. It looks to be an awesome ride, although this afternoon (Friday), heavy fog was covering the top few kilometers AND it’s finally cooler. Or, I should say, it’s cold up here. Today, some of the Discover France Etape riders picked up their bib numbers and transponders for the ride. Everyone’s very excited for the challenge, although I think I detected a butterfly or two in the stomach. Maybe not.
Then, in La Mongie, just a few kilometers from the top of the Tourmalet, our self-guided Pyrenees group assembled and assembled their bikes. They have an amazing array of rides to do over the next few days. What to do first? At least from where we are situated, it’s all downhill. But what goes down…..
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The transition from Veteran VIP’ers to ones!
Onward and forward! Last night and this morning were for good-byes and exchanging email contacts for our VIP Alpes group. After a big breakfast at our hotel in Grenoble, we packed up bikes and shuttled folks to the train station in Grenoble. They are off to more adventures in Switzerland, Belgium, and Paris. One couple hasn’t had enough of the Tour de France yet, and rented a car to go catch today’s stage between Bourg-de-Peage and Mende. Why not?
It’s a quick turnaround now to launch our next Tour de France VIP trip, this one in the Pyrenees, of course. Michel and I are heading back to homebase in Lunel to pick up gear and Martin, another guide. Then, the crew is off to Toulouse, to meet the 22 cyclists who chose to ride the mountains at the end of the Tour. There’s a lot on the next agenda! Wait til you see what’s coming.
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