The best laid plans.........

During the recce, there were a few surprises in store, not least of which was the hill out of Rebenacq. Now, quite rightly, this is not a King of the Mountains climb owing to the fact that it climbs 'only' about 130 metres (may not even be that far) , and does it over a few kilometres, so the gradient is lessened. Nonetheless, it's bigger than anything round here, and I felt a little conned that this hadn't appeared on any of the dire warnings I'd been reading before the Etape.

Imagine my surprise when the following profiles were pointed out to me today:

1. From the Etape Website

2. From the Tour de France website












Spot the difference yet? It seems that professionals need more warning of 'little' climbs than amateurs.....surely not?!

My greatest worry was not reaching the Elimination point at La Mongie in time or, to be more exact, losing loads of time on the broom wagon by the time we got to the first feed at Lourdes. To maintain any lead over the broom wagon on this section 70km have to be completed in 2 hours 35 minutes, that being 27.1kmh. I have never averaged 27kmh before, certainly not for 70km over unknown roads, including a TdF category 3 KOTM climb.

With the broom wagon slowing down to 17kmh from Baudean at 95km in, and then to 7.5kmh up the Tourmalet from 100km in, I calculated that I could make up a little time on the shallower gradients at the bottom before the steeper stuff kicked in. If I got that far and was still in front of the broom wagon by then.

Effectively, I had to split my ride in two. A sportive-like blast over the section to the Tourmalet (with its two category 3 climbs) and then a grind to the finish over two mountains separated by a screaming descent. I needed to go hard from the start, but not too hard, and that meant taking advantage of the peloton effect, something I had never experienced before.

What I needed was a plan. The plan went something like this:

1. Find a group
2. Hide in it
3. When reaching a climb, go up at own pace until reaching the top.
4. Repeat stages 1-3 as often as necessary.

With the mind set on what I had to do, and feeling unable to plan or worry about anything else, I retreated to bed, and actually went to sleep fairly quickly...........

Until about 2 a.m., when lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and the heavens opened. This continued for about 2 and a half hours, until the storm rolled off into the distance, still flashing occasionally, and leaving everything drenched in its wake. Total sleep, about 3 1/2 hours, perfect preparation.

Getting up at 4:45, I cannot remember what I ate for breakfast, just that on exiting the gite at 5:35, we discovered it was still dark, and I was the only one with a light. A strange procession ensued into Pau with the other 3 following my flashing rear light the 5km into Pau to the start.

As we reached the outskirts, there were cars drawn onto verges everywhere disgorging their cargo of lycra clad lunatics. The 'biggest day yet on a bike' was well and truly begun.