Day 5 Sunday 7-17-2011 Carcassonne to TDF VIP starting and staging area in Limoux
Day / date / Location:
Miles on bike: NO bike ride today hr 0 mim Elevation gain: 0
Total miles today: 0.00 Total miles for trip: 323.98
$ toward Pledges at 0.026 per foot gained: 14,975 x 0.026 = $389.35
Highlights:
Breakfast at 7:30; packed, checked out and gone by 9AM. Arrived in Limoux at 10.
We had VIP access into the staging area, team buses, sponsor tents, and starting area. Let’s call this a mingle morning.
We went to all team buses, pictures of riders, coaches, free food (good too) coffee (yes!) and millimeters away from all the famous bikes. Contador’s; Cavandish, Evans, Hincape, Andy and Frank Shleck’s, and the yellow bike of Voekller;
All the others of course.
Displays were up in the sponsor area; old photos, past winners; just a variety of stuff. Did I say free food and coffee? The sweet and meats and coffee were excellent.
Poor Tim, he had his photo taken with Miss France. And he was inches from Contador as they got ready to ride. One rider had many stitches on his face and road rash from a crash; lots of bandages on the riders.
Then on to Poulzilhac near the Pont du Gard/Avignon a good 120 miles away on crowded roads. A long 6+ hour bus ride because of all the TDF traffic. That was hard and boy did I have muscles tighten up.
One night at Hotel La Closeraie.
We all thought this was a very good day, so cool to be with teams and riders. Tomorrow is early again….. Why?
It is a killer day. Mt. Ventoux. Difficulty index of 164; 7.1 average gradient; 14.1 miles UP; 5322+ feet of elevation gain, the 2nd most difficult ride in the French Alps.
We ate at 8:30PM and got to sleep at 11:30.
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