The Finale

The trip is almost complete as I sit in the Washington D.C. airport waiting for the final leg of our trip home. We spent yesterday in Lyon, wandering around and checking out some sites. Here are a few representative pictures of the city. Not much to do there. We actually walked alot which felt good after all the riding. Lyon is on the Rhone river so I had some nice wine from the region. It is a pretty large city, probably over million people. There was lots of shopping, cafes and art museums. Yesterday the Thomson bike company dropped us off at the airport where we said our goodbyes to our new friends from the week. We had to find our own way to the hotel in Lyon. We found a taxi large enough for the bike box and all the luggage. Driver was kind of twitchy and terrorist-like, but he seemed to bond a little with Richard as they struggled to communicate through the language barrier. So Richard arranged for him to pick us up the next morning at 4am for trip back to the airport. We were somewhat doubtful he would show, me more than Richard. But show, he did, right on time. At the airport this morning was the first time we encountered any major French attitude. This was from the check-in counter lady who did the "talk to all my friends around while pretending I don't see you standing there" move. Then we had to take the bike box to the "extra large baggage" check-in area in order to go through the giant xray machine. The attendant guy mumbled a couple things in french, took the box and kind of left us standing there wondering if that was it.
I did some calulations on the garmin last night. Results show that I rode about 34000 feet of the planned 42000 feet of climbing; and 270 miles out of the planned 350 miles of riding. So obviously room for improvement but I'm OK with it. I think I actually rode better as the week went on, but I am not sure why. Since I have never rode that much or that hard in one week. I wanted to write a little bit about some of the people we met in order to help remember them. There was David Ho, engineer from San Diego, who liked to quote Yoda from Star Wars. Each day he would ask me if I was going to do the whole ride that day. If I said, I was going to try. He would reply, "No try, either you do it or you don't". I found this very entertaining. He was also convinvced Richard and I were high rollers from Las Vegas. There was Kevin and Graham from Australia who were always brightening the mood of hurting riders with their Aussie stories and quips. Also very inspirational, making us realize age is only a number. They outrode many of us who were 10-20 years younger than them. There was Paul from Maryland who I admire for trying the B group a few times. Gave me something to strive for even though I never made it to the B group. He was also staying on in France to watch the finish of the tour in Paris with his wife. I hope they have a great time. There was Ed and Joy from Cleveland. Joy was very brave to take on this trip having only been riding regularly for three months. Ed acted as my "carrot" several times, that is just far enough ahead of me to keep me going thinking I might actually catch him.

He was also the unfortunate guy who fell and broke the bike frame on the first day. He was physically unhurt but financially it's going to cost him. There was Mike Callahan, who descibed himself as a venture capitalist from SF, who would always seem to drop me when I felt strong making me realize my limits. He would also remind me, when I complained about any of the food on the trip, about his mountain bike trip in Tibet where they often had only rice and cauliflower to eat. There was Miguel, Radiologist from St. Louis, who rode every climb of every day, the real strong man. He was the only one of us who got his picture with the devil guy and also ran next to a tour rider to cheer him on and take a picture. There was Rachael, whose husband Todd always rode the A group. She wondered why she was tired even though she just did a full iron man triathalon three weeks ago. There was Jerry, with the beautiful Trek Madone Livestrong bike, who was one of the Mexican team who would fire up a fat Cuban cigar every morning before the riding would start. I even heard he rode up the Alpe D'Huez with his lit cigar.
Overall the trip was different than I expected as in much harder. I thought I had trained hard for it. But I trained mainly for distance and being able to sit on the bike for several hours. Those things were not an issue. The issue was the climbing. These mountains were so long and relentless that I was not ready for them. There is not really anything around here similar enough to ready oneself. The other difficulty was the monster decents. I had never experienced anything that made my hands that tired (no need for a wisecrack Mark). And as I mentioned earlier they can be very dangerous. But the experience was great and I met some really good people. I also learned how to blog. Something I never thought I would do, but was really fun. I enjoyed hearing people were reading it and looking forward to my blabbering. Thanks to Richard for suggesting the trip in the first place and pushing me to sign up. Sorry for the couple nights of snoring. But the best part was getting home to see Karri and the kids.

the seats of the van never saw our butts.

The city of St. Jean was very quaint. There are old buildings lining the small streets. Not many restaurants but quite a few small bars with outside seating where you can enjoy a cocktail. We did that tonight after dinner to celebrate out last day of riding, which was one of the best. At the beginning of the week each group contained about 10 people. But now as fatigue has built up. Group C has grown now containing about 20. We left from the hotel and headed across the Rhone valley about 11miles to the ride leaders' favorite bakery. They were bragging about the almond croissants. Never ate something like that before a ride, but it was the last day so why not, besides it smelled so good in that place. The bakery (patissier) is pictured below. I planned on having a bite or two and saving the rest for later but it was so good I ate the whole thing. I just wished I had a cup of coffee and time to enjoy another.




















Then time to set off for the first climb, Col du Telegraphe, which was 11.8km long and about 2800ft of climbing. We felt good and made it up without much trouble. To the left is my picture of me feeling good after the Telegraphe. This was followed by a short 3mile downhill before beginning the monstrous Col du Galibier. The stats are that it is 18.1 miles long and climbs to about 7500 feet. As the climb started I began having tightness in my right hamstring muscles. This was least uncomfortable when I stood to pedal. But I got tired from standing for long periods. So the battle began. We were warned that the temp at the top could be in the 40s, so carrying a jacket was also necessary.
This is my Garmin about 1km from the top, showing a section with 11% grade near the end of the 50km (30 mile) up hill ride. There was still snow up near the t0p. Also kinda scary with narrow roads close to huge dropoffs, as you can see below. Richard and I both made it to the top
where the temp was chilly but nice with the jacket. We had a break and then began to slowly work our way down. The ride home was almost all downhill. The ride totaled 60 miles with 8200 feet of climbing. We never sat in the van the whole day. I think we actually got stronger as the week went on.
Slow on the downhill has become my style during this trip. I have learned to respect the power of these mountains and how dangerous they can be.












There is some information that was not included in the blog, because I wasn't sure how the situation would turn out. A very unfortunate accident occurred to a member of the group on the decent of Joux Plane on Monday. I referred to it when we saw Lance on his training ride but the details were left out. What happened was one of the riders with the A group crashed. Although he had a helmet on he struck his face and forehead of the road at a very high speed. The crash rendered him unconscious in a face down position. As riders stopped to come to his aid one of the physicians in the group noted his pulse was weak and he wasn't breathing. He was repositioned with care taken to protect his neck and CPR was begun. This was a bad situation considering we didn't have any appropriate life support equipment and were on the side of a mountain although there were 6 physicians in the group. Cell phone reception was poor although finally emergency services were contacted as CPR continued as his pulse was intermittently lost and breathing was never on his own. After approximately 40 minutes an ambulance arrived and shortly after a helicopter . We eventually continued the ride although with several people were somewhat shook up and not in the mood for riding a bike. I was one of those because I had participated in the CPR until the paramedics arrived. As of the writing of this, we are not sure of the outcome for the rider, Roger. But we send him our blessings.

My last blog for the trip will be tomorrow after our day in Lyon and the return flight home. Stay tuned.

Alpe D'Huez

The Alpe D'Huez is the most famous and most ridden bicycling climb in Europe. It is used in the tour frequently but not this year. It is moderately steep and long by Alps standards. It is very steep and long by my standards. But it is the one I really came here to do. Our hotel was located near the top of the Alpe D'Huez so as we drove up last night I got to preview. Mike, one of the riders sitting next to me in the van, said he didn't want to look but could tell how steep it was by how the van motor was straining to go up it. Part of the excitement of it is the 21 switchbacks on each of which there is a sign stating the number of the turn as well as the name of a previous winner of the climb in the tour. The pictures show only a few of the switchbacks. I was on a switchback about 4 from the top to take them. To start the day we had to get to the bottom before we could turn around and start the climb. The ride to the bottom 8.4miles (14km) down took almost a half hour. I took my time as it was fast and cold. At the bottom, I rode around the traffic circle and began the climb. I rode initially with Ed (ENT doc) and David (san diego engineer) but we soon became separated as the initial 2km is about 11-12%. As each of us trudged up the mountain, the gaps between stayed the same with Ed in front of me and David behind as I assume we reached a rhythm. There is lots of info on-line about the climb including you tube videos of people doing it and their times. I had seen times around 2 hours on there. So I hoped i could do it in less. But actually just finishing would be plenty. But as the male ego works, I did time myself and I did make it to the top without stopping. I checked my watch, 1:29:45. Wow I thought, not bad. So as I stood there I saw a podium where you could take a picture as if you really won it. I asked a young (20ish y.o.) Dutch guy standing if he would use my camera and take a picture. After he took the picture, he asked how long it took me since he remembered passing me on the way up. Then came the ego flattening comment. He said, "Great, anything around 1:30 is considered really good for OLD guys". I laughed and thought, wait a minute, old? That's okay with me, just glad to have finished in my goal.

The early afternoon allowed us to shop and eat as the vans would not leave until 2PM. We then drove to the new hotel about 2 hours away. Very twisty drive thru the mountain pass with huge drop-offs. Picture shows the tight squeeze of the vans in one of these old European towns. Even though nothing was damaged, we were glad our bikes were not on that van.
Today is Bastille Day so most things are closed and right now fireworks and bands in the town square of St. Jean. Had a nice carb and protein dinner of chicken and pasta, in preparation for the Telegraph and Galibier on our last day of riding. It is a big day but since it's the last day I'm gonna give it a big effort. The mountain is 30miles long with 7200 feet of climbing. Survival is the only goal.

9000 feet of climbing and the tour

Another toilet problem. This time as we are getting ready to ride. Richard announces "Hope you don't need to use the toilet because it won't flush". Possibly a sign for how the ride would go today. The plan today was for three climbs ending with the mountain in the background called the Col de Madeleine. Needless to say I was apprehensive. The first two climbs the guides like to refer to as "wee bumps". But each was over a thousand vertical feet. So off we went, the wee bump portion went well it didn't seem that steep compared to yesterday or what was to come. The other part of the plan was to watch the Tour de France from the top since they were also climbing the Madeleine today. So as we got to the base of the Madeleine crowds were starting to gather. The sag vans were not allowed on the mountain since it was after noon. The French have this thing down. They now when to close roads so there is no way anything can get in the way of the tour. No vans allowed meant two things. First, no water or food along the way (temp about 88degress with moderate humidity) and second once you started it you had to finish. No big deal, right? Well this climb was 26km (15.6miles) long and went up about 5200 feet. So this is why we came here, so here we go. Richard and I started the climb at a reasonable pace (pretty slow) and in the shade of trees at the bottom. The mountain goes above the tree line so no shade at the top. After 2k got really steep averaging 8%. Because the tour was coming they mark each kilometer with a sign saying how far to the top and the percent grade. Nice idea right. Wrong. It just makes each km feel like it takes forever plus the high percents just predict the pain to come. Our average speed was in the range of 7-8km an hour, so it was going to take about 3-4 hours to do this. I was freaking a bit. but to late now. Again people had camped for days for the prime spots. This gave me a distraction from the pain and those signs. Ran out of water about 10km mark in a little village and was able to refill at a little cottage. Lucky. We got low on water again later as we passed a concession stand. Stopped to by water from the hygenic chap in the picture below. And yes that cigarette was lit.
The girls below were just riding horses down the street right at the base of the climb. I'm not sure where they were going.














So as the suffering continued time passed. So much time that the started closing the road to the top to all traffic including us. The police were located about every 1km on the course and more frequent neat the top. So as we would approach them. They would make us stop and get off the bikes. We would walk a little ways, then make sure he wasn't looking and get back on the bikes and ride. We had to get to the top. This went on for about 4km until a bigger problem began. The caravan of advertisers started coming through. This would be proceeded by a motorcycle cop who made us get off our bikes, followed by several caravan vehicles. After they would pass there was about 2 minutes before the next group would come by. So we would get on and ride. Between the police and the caravan we were constantly on and off the bikes . During this process Richard and I got separated. Anyone who has rode a bike uphill knows its tough to get started from a stop especially trying to click-in to the pedals. In several areas, fans on the side felt my pain and would push me to get me started. The picture above is what I saw as I went up the road. It gets very exciting and many people even shouting encouragement. I can only imagine how the real riders feel with all these people cheering in a frenzy as they pass. So after a lady poured a nice cold bottle of water on my head I was almost at the top. I saw the tents for the bike tour and sighed relief. After a recovery period it was time for the tour to roar through. The Madeleine was also hard on the riders and the main peloton was split into multiple small groups that took almost 45 minutes to pass. The pain on the riders faces made my pain a little more satisfying. The guy in the yellow was the leader of the tour at the time. But the mountain made him lose several minutes and the yellow jersey. After the all passed we regrouped and began to make our way down the other side. Using the brakes so much on that long decent actually cause them to start melting creating a nasty burned rubber smell. I stopped at one point to rest my hands from squeezing the brakes. My wheel was actually too hot to touch. Tomorrow will be The Alpe D'huez with it's famous 21 switchbacks. Stay tuned for the pain.

Day 3 limited by storm.

Today we got to ride some bigger climbs including Colbier which we also did yesterday, except today we had a different leader who I think has a problem leading the slower group. So since I did this climb yesterday I knew what to expect and knew I could do it without killing myself. But the pace he set was way faster, so while yesterday when I reached the top I knew I did a 2000 foot hill but I felt good. Today I was hurting. So when we reached to second climb of Col de Joux Plane I wasn't feeling great. But I set my pace and got up without stopping and even passed a few of the faster guys. Richard started his day with this climb and got up without much trouble as well. This picture shows the top.
I like how it looks like the road
falls off the end of the mountain. Then I got my token picture at the top.
































The last picture was a strange occurance that happened on the downhill portion of the Col de Joux Plane. We were all stopped on the road due to some mishap ahead. While we were standing there two riders approached followed by a car. Now these riders were coming up the hill that we just climbed from the opposite direction which is significantly harder. So as the riders got closer someone says, "Hey that's Lance". So I grabbed for my camera as fast as I could, but by the time I snapped it you see what I got. Lance is in the red shirt on the left, which I know you wouldn't know unless I told you. But I think the disbelief on Richard's face confirms it. What makes this so odd is that today was the rest day for the tour. So of all the mountains around hear for Lance to take a training ride on what are the odds it would be on that mountain at that time. Would give any Lance fan chills. I know a little dramatic but it's a great story to tell Maxwell and Annabel someday. The last climb was cut short as I felt poorly after lunch and good thing because vicious storm hit before I would have reached the top. The drive down in the rain and hail on these narrow roads with no guard rails for the 1000 foot drops is quite scary in a van packed with people inside and bikes on the roof. Tomorrow is another day to watch the tour so I am looking forward to riding up with all the fans around the road again. It makes the suffering of the climb pass by quicker.

the ride to morzine/avoriaz & watching the tour

Slept much better last night. Woke up at 2am, wrote the last blog and fell back asleep until morning. Today the ride included 2 climbs and 60 miles. The second one ended at a ski resort called Avoriaz and went thru a town called Morzine. As I said earlier I was nervous about the climb as was Richard since while we have climbs this steep in Las Vegas we don't have ones that are also this long, just over 12 miles. So as we began the climb we decided to take it easy and just try to finish it. It was the type of climb that is very steep at the beginning gets a little easier and then gets steeper near the top. I am not sure how it happened, but I found a comfortable rhythm which was not fast but allowed me to reach the top without stopping. I was really excited. Richard also made it up in similar fashion. The ride up was like nothing I had ever done for two reasons. First was the characterisitics of the mountain. Second was it was lined with people getting ready for the tour de france to pass by. It was pretty crazy. Most of them had been there for days camping and partying. There were some cooking, getting drunk, painting the names of their favorite riders on the road, and even yelling encouraging comments to us in many languages. At least I think that's what they were yelling. The Norwegians got a chuckle out of me telling them to make sure to spell my name right as I rode by their road graffiti. After the summit of Avoriaz, it was time to watch the tour. Thomson tours had sent up 2 people two days earlier to camp at the top and save us a spot, on which they had now set up five tents containing food, drink, and TVs for us to watch the tour as we were waiting for it to pass by. It took four hours of waiting before the riders passed. In the meantime, we experienced the part of the tour you don't see on TV. The people watching is like nowhere else. Then there is The Caravan which consists of different advertisers driving by in parade float-like vehicles throwing various Chotchke items including shirts, hats, dish detergent, bottle water, newspaper, cookies, blow-up hands, noise makers, and even sausages. The people go after this stuff like it is gold. A lady yanked my pack of small sausages right out of my hand. Surprisingly I wasn't very upset. Then came the tour. Wow, the energy during that moment was incredible. From people screaming to the helicoptor right over our heads to the riders being inches away from the spectators. At times the riders were simply too close to photograph. I took about one hundred pics in the span of the 20 minutes it took entire field of riders to pass. On a big mountain the group gets quite spread out so it takes a while from the leaders to the last guy. But everyone has to pass including a whole slew of support vehicles before we can make our way back down the mountain. You can imagine several hundred thousand people, some walking and some riding, coming down a mountain is a bit chaotic. I am just glad I didn't fall or run into somebody. At one point I had to pull over and stop since my hands were so tired from squeezing the brakes. Also because the riders know how long it takes to get down the mountain several of them actually come down on their bikes with their racing numbers still on. It was pretty cool to ride next to riders I had seen on TV, even though they were going so fast i barely had time to recognize them. So because we had spent three hours getting up the mountain and nearly five hours waiting for and watching the tour I decided to only ride part of the 30 miles back. I wouldn't have reached the hotel until after 9pm riding the whole way so, I wimped out, I mean made the wise choice to drive back so I could be ready for the even harder day tomorrow. So my unreasonable goal of riding the whole week without getting in the van was broken, but I'm ok with it. Just going to do what I can, so I will still enjoy my trip.

Richard and I before the ride.

yes, i thought it was cotton candy too.

part of the caravan hosing down spectators

feeling good after finishing climb to Avoriaz.

my best picture of Lance going by. i was excited, so of course i snapped it too early.