Total mileage was a respectable 130km and over 6 hours riding (excluding food and water stops). The mountain climbs (about 3 big ones) were killers. One in particular went from 600m elevation at the base to 1,700m at the top over a distance of 13km. When I finally got to the top (2 or 3 athletes actually gave up) I thought the most experienced riders would say that worse is to come later in the week, however they were convinced this was more difficult than most if not all of the mountains on the Tour de France circuit. Hearing that news at least spurred me on to complete the ride and make it back to the camp in one piece. For the last 20km we drafted behind each other and managed to clock an average 35-40km/h.
Tomorrow is thankfully a recovery day with a short swim/run session, an easy spin or recovery ride and a trip to the local Decathlon store.Having a great time, although getting a little worried about my flight home - another ash cloud problem!
Hi David, Congratulations on completing such a tough ride, especially with the mountain climbs. The scenery looks stunning on the photos so I hope it was enjoyable. Looks like it was great training for London-Paris next month and you've been getting loads of miles in on the saddle. Good luck with the rest of the training and getting home with the ash cloud threatening to cause chaos with flights! Sarah
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