Here we go then

The waiting is nearly over. We head off early'ish tomorrow morning for the long drive to the Pyrenees. Planning to do around 8 hours driving tomorrow, stop the night, and then turn up in Pau to register on Saturday before settling into the cottage for a bowl of pasta and an early night.

Good luck to all who are taking on the challenge.

Joe Friel calls the end

Lance has nothing to prove but yesterday's events on stage 8 made for tough viewing. I never believed he could win the Tour but I thought he might make podium. That seems impossible now. I'm glad that he will stay on and finish the Tour. I'm happy if it is just a lap of honour and I am very excited about catching a glimpse of him after the Etape.

Nice piece by Joe which also shows what an ass**** Lance was in his younger days...

http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2010/07/end-of-an-era.html

CAMPEONES!

Mark's climbed it

Check out Mark's blog http://marksetape2010.blogspot.com/2010/07/tourmalet-and-col-de-solour.html

He's climbed it and he's got me worried...

Etape du Tour for Dummies

I'm delighted to say I have an unexpected free day which gives me an opportunity to update my blog, check the bike over and watch the Tour. Oh, something funny - when I said I had my bib number a while back? It wasn't mine. It was someone else with the same name and in the same category. Good luck Andrew!! If you get a really good time I hope that people confuse us!

Taper

I didn't really taper for the Fred or Etape du Dales and I didn't have a tapering plan for the Etape. I actually feel worse when I don't train. I get a kind of lethargy and I feel flabby. All purely psychological I know but that's the way I am. Last Sunday I had a great training ride which I blogged about, Monday I rested, Tuesday I rode to work, went to the gym at lunch and did a hilly ride home. Wednesday I did the same but riding home my right knee was very painful to the point where I was cycling left legged most of the way.

Of course on Thursday I rested the knee? Nahhhh of course not - I rode to work (carefully), skipped the gym and then rode home like a lunatic. Thursday night I was absolutely drained. Zero energy, aching all over. So Friday and Saturday I rested. I let my body tell me when to stop. Well it didn't actually tell me as much as have a real paddy so I stopped. Today I feel alright and had a quick spin out this morning. I wish the Etape was today because apart from sore knees I'm really up for it.

Travel plans

As I write I don't know if I am flying or driving. If driving then I need to sort out a bike rack for the car or buy a different car. We have accommodation booked and that's it so far.

The bike

I haven't had time to get it serviced. It seems to be alright though so I will give it my own service (i.e spray some oil at it, pump up the tyres and bang the wheels to make sure nothing is loose). I've only just ordered a gilet and arms warmers just in case it is a bit chilly.

Etape tactics

Now everything I have said so far (since this blog started) probably makes you think, "this bloke doesn't have a clue". Well I will tell you something else that will change that view. Well it will change it from "hasn't a clue" to "is Andrew really Gazza?".

I'm saving nothing for the Tourmalet. Yep you heard it. Everything I have watched or read says, take it easy, don't go too hard or you will blow up on the Tourmalet. If I get to the top of the Tourmalet and I can still speak then I've not worked hard enough. I reckon I rarely push myself to the limit. The Fred was close but I still drove home for 6 hours immediately afterwards so I couldn't have been that bad. The EdD shattered me but I think that was more to do with letting the weather get to me and too much faffing. I don't want to make the same mistake with the Etape.

So from the gun I'm going to ride hard. If I get to the foot of the Tourmalet and I am cooked then I will stop and have a rest. The thing is I suspect that I will still have something in reserve because my body will have put some auto controls in place. If I need to I will stop and have a drink at Super-Bareges. I was talking to a guy who has ridden extensively in the Alps and Pyrenees. He advised me to wear an HR monitor for the Etape. Now I usually use HR to make sure I am working hard enough. But on a long climb like the Tourmalet he said to use it to make sure you are not working too hard. So I will use it to ensure that I don't creep too far above 80% of max HR which for me is going to be about 145. I feel quite comfortable at that level. The only question is can I get up the Tourmalet and never get above 80%? Seems unlikely but I will try it.

Inspiration

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Tour move into the Alps today. It's going to be fascinating to see how the GC contenders play it. Has there though been a better sporting moment this year than Cav's win in stage 5? Aw bless. The HTC lead out train is a thing of beauty and the picture of him hunched low over the bars with that grimace has to be one of cycling's (sports?) great iconic images. When he broke down I just wanted to say, "come here you soppy twat" and give him a big cuddle.

Good luck everybody

I hope you have a great ride. Many thanks for all the advice and kind words over the months.

Be safe and have fun. Looking forward to reading all the Etape reports. Cheers for now....

Velostream telemetry data

This is genius. Get real time data on the HTC Columbia riders: heart rate, speed, power output.

Fantastic technology. I'm going to watch this when they are on the climbs and Cav and Renshaw in a sprint finish.

http://www.highroadsports.com/velostream

$15,000 helmet

I need a new hat. When I crashed a while back the helmet seemed OK but I broke the inside and it's now held together with superglue. I'm in a stingy mood though and reluctant to pay out 100 quid or so for a new one. If Lance has finished with this one, I wonder if I could have it?

Leading the Tour

Just saw a link to this over on the Bike Radar forum. A cycling coach riding each stage of the Tour a few days ahead of the race. What a fantastic trip, would love to do something like this.

http://pedalbiker.blogspot.com/

Sunday club ride (or was it?)

I picked up my new club kit yesterday at Herne Hill Velodrome. It was the first time I had been there and it was great to sit there in the sunshine watching the racing. This place is a little gem and now I've got another item on my to-do list because I wouldn't mind doing the induction session and then doing a few laps.

Kevin Knox the Dulwich member who had organised the club kit, which is a special edition for the club's 75th anniversary, mentioned that he was doing the Sunday club ride which is rare because he is usually racing.

I thought this was a great opportunity to test the legs so at 9 this morning I left home to climb the Col de Crystal Palace and meet up with the club. I thought I had sorted the headset problem but on the way up I could still feel some

movement and vibration. I mentioned this to another rider (Andrew thanks!) as we waited for the off and he immediately diagnosed what the problem was and with allen keys of various sizes collected from other riders fixed it for me on the spot. Phew!

Off we went in a group of I guess around 15 but that number started to dwindle quite quickly and I'm not sure why. The pace was quick but I managed to tuck into the group and it was OK. Faster than I would go out on my own but I wanted to test myself. Knowing that Kevin was up front was quite inspirational - I mean 2 weeks ago he is racing against Mighty Malc et al in the Smithfield Nocturne and now he's putting the miles in with us. I'm quite certain another rider Dan is cat 1 too so this all added spice to the day.

Once the ride leaders heard that 5 of us were doing the Etape then it seemed the game of the day was to ride hills. We hit some of Kent's toughest climbs, Toys, Ide Hill, through Ashdown Forest, 'The Wall', Crowborough, Sundridge...you name it we climbed it. Some of the other Etappers were very good indeed on the climbs (I wasn't one of them unfortunately). Anyway, I did my best and all credit to the group because they waited where necessary so we could stay together. By 3pm we were still out though and I was feeling very very tired. So at the nearest sniff of home I waved goodbye. Tired but satisfied.

I missed part of the route due to poor Garmin control but by the time I got home it had all added up to just over 153km and somewhere in the region of 2200m climbing (although it seemed more than this I tell you so this might be wrong). The thing that was different today was the average speed. I have never ridden as fast and it just shows what you can do when pushed hard.

I am enormously grateful to the guys today for their patience and particularly Dan and Kevin who took time to ride alongside me and offer advice. Cyclists are often such nice people aren't they? Problem is now I am Etape du Dales / Fred knackered!

Congratulations Datameister!!

He did it! http://twitter.com/clivejhandy/statuses/17594726109

4 days, 13 hours, 47 minutes. Job done

Post Etape drink?

Just wondering if anyone is sticking around after the Etape and wants to get together for a celebratory drink? We will be out there until after stage 17 and staying near a place called Montaut (roughly in the middle of the embedded map below and between Pau and Lourdes).

Drop me an email/PM (I think you can do that via the profile) or a comment and we'll sort something out. It would be great to meet you.

View Larger Map

*Prologue spoiler warning* Bring on the Tour!

Zugz said it in the comments and yes, at last, as I type the intro music on the ITV4 coverage has just played. The Match of the Day theme used to get me like that when I was a kid.

Bring it on! I absolutely love the Tour and want to absorb every second of this year's. Can't believe they didn't show Wiggins run live though although I suppose he did catch them out with the early start time.

*Stop reading if you've recorded the prologue and don't want it ruined by my enthusiasm. Just a fantastic moment to see Cancellara, Armstrong and Contador out on the course at the same time. OK, when Armstrong went through the half-way checkpoint I cheered so loudly that my son said, "calm down, you'll be getting pom poms next". It's early, I'm under no illusions that Alberto is still THE man but Lance laid down a great marker today. Top ride by another favourite of mine David Millar. Wiggins - please stop saying "it doesn't matter". Of course it does. But all hail Spartacus! What a powerhouse. I'm sick to death of people's eagerness to slag off these athletes. Motor doping my arse.

Is IT really just 2 weeks away?

Can't be. I've got loads of time haven't I?

January - Buy first bike with gears and ride it for the first time on the 23rd. Fall off. Doh!

February - Join a cycling club and get shocked by how quick proper cyclists are.

March - Buy my Etape bike and start to call myself 'a cyclist'.

April - Realise I am really very shite at climbing. No really.

May - Do the Fred Whitton and the Etape du Dales. Confirm (April's) sentiment however realise that I can actually ride 112 miles in a day. Go me.

June - Training suffers due to work. Mind in another place. Try to lose weight.

July - No point worrying now!

Eeeeek it's nearly here and I'm not 82kg, I need to get the bike serviced pdq, I haven't worked out how to get me, family + bike to the villa/cottage/gite thing we booked last year, I don't feel I have put in enough mileage and I haven't bought anything nice to wear ummmummmm you tell em girl.

But I've got enough in the tank to finish. Fall flat on face moment coming up but I know I will finish (mechanicals or serious injury to one side). Can I do a 'decent time', whatever that is? Haven't got a clue but I'm going to give it a bloody good go.

Lance's final Tour

Not entirely unexpected but he's announced that this will be his final Tour de France. For me this makes doing the Etape this year even more poignant and of course I will have the chance for a bit of hero worship as I will be staying on after the Etape to see a couple of stages.

I have no idea how easy it will be to get a viewing point up one of the mountains during a stage but I will give it a damn good try.

He can't win unless Contador gets injured but another podium finish will be an amazing result I think.

Bye

Toys Hill ride

Anyone in a Sarf East London or North Kent club or who has ridden a Kent sportive will probably be familiar with Toys Hill. I had heard about it but never ridden it so I went out to put that right this morning. What a cracking ride.

4:41 in the sunshine with two ascents of Toys Hill and another corker round the corner called Yorkshill (yep, one word) which I also did twice. I haven't got the individual stats for the two main climbs but the total elevation gain for the ride was 1,733m. I felt quite good riding back to home and I even braved the fast and busy A21 where I got into time-trial mode and really went for it. .

I do have a problem with the bike. Last weekend I noticed too much vibration coming through the handlebars and a slight clonking. I tightened the headset but while out today it was the same making me nervous on the downhills. When I got home I shook the front of the bike and there is clearly something loose with a clear clonk coming from the forks /headset. I will get it serviced before the Etape so better to find out now.

Etape countdown...3 weeks to go

All too real now. Haven't quite worked out the Etape travel arrangements but that will come together next week.

On Thursday and Friday serious training was all but killed off due to work. Wednesday was good, nearly 4 hours riding. Tuesday I did the commute cycle nice and hard and spent an hour in the gym rowing and doing bodyweight exercises. Monday the same except the gym session was an hour on the spin bike.

I'm well aware I should be getting some long rides in but to be honest I feel pretty good. The 'injury' hasn't really bothered me - something's not right but I doubt this will be too much of a handicap.

I'm a believer

http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong

Etape du Tour survival

Worth reading Alex's excellent series Etape du Tour Survival. Superbly opinionated on jerseys as I've mentioned before!

I saw a while back in a magazine a pro rider who rides 23mm tyres on the front and 25mm on the back. I must try and dig that out. Alex recommends 25mm for the Etape. Worth thinking about.