Seemuth TDF 2011 Trip

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Day 7 Tuesday 7-19-2011 Day in GAP (no riding today)

Day 7 Tuesday 7-19-2011 Day in GAP (no riding today)

Day / date / Location:

Miles on bike: No bike ride today 0 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:

The weather deteriorated quickly to a downpour so no riding today. We still got soaked walking around GAP. Our main goal was to find a Laundromat and/or an internet café. Eventually I purchased an umbrella and a poncho, both far too late. There was no Laundromat in town. Although Tim and I had a good time alone just talking for a change over lunch.

And we did not find a functioning internet café (the only one in town too)( a town of 40k population) until 4 hours of searching went by.

Pure heaven once we logged in. Fast, private connection, sure, place not crowded, and nice people. That allowed 3 hours of speed internet work. It made the day. I tipped them 15 Euros just for being there. Tim loved getting on also, plus we watched the TDF on TV. Then an hour bus ride back to the hotel.

Of course a very nice dinner from 7 PM till 9:15 PM; Nice meaning food was great; but we were ready to leave after 1 hr 30 min. We are tired.

A tough ride is tomorrow after another morning with VIP passes for the start of the TDF. Maybe we will get some autographs.

We still are thankful for the events of the day.

Our group includes Rick, Zach, Kevin and Vicky, Sherri, Shelly, Mark and Amanda, Ton, Jim, and Bob / Tim with 3 guides and a bus driver. Thomas, Nicho, Whim, and Christian

Day 6 Monday 7-18-2011 Mont Ventoux

Day 6 Monday 7-18-2011 Mont Ventoux

Day / date / Location:

Miles on bike: Up Mont Ventoux! 4 hr 30 mim Elevation gain: 6235

Total miles today: 40.00 Total miles for trip: 323.98

$ toward Pledges at 0.026 per foot gained: 14,975 x 0.026 = $389.35

Highlights:

Mt. Ventoux. Difficulty index of 164; 7.1 average gradient; 14.1 miles UP; 6000+ feet of elevation gain, the 2^nd most difficult ride in the French Alps.

We checked out of the hotel at 8. Drove to the ride start and had to ride 20k just to get to Mont Ventoux. Why we did that we did not know. We did know that this was a perfect climb day. Not hot, no wind really (by Ventoux standards) (Ventoux means windy) and good company. We estimated between 4000 and 5000 riders will go up to the summit today alone.

Oh Brother. Now we know what the difficulty index means. 14.1 miles of uphill, half at over 9% gradients. With 1k at 10.5% and a short burst right at the top to finish at 14%. Ufff….

I only stopped once in the uphill portion. That was 2hrs 45min of climbing. So, other age 60+ riders passed me and we all determined that dementia has set in, that is why we do this stuff.

Tim had a personal best by making it to the tree line and Chalet. That means he handled 8 kilometers of the 9.5% and 10.5% slopes. Way to go Tim! It was a personal best for me to; so I rewarded all of us with a mega-purchase of chocolate from the very smart person who had long tables of sweets for sale at the top.

It was really cold at the top, so we all layered up for the 20k downhill; WOW – the view and ride was breathtaking and totally spectacular; indescribable.

We piled back into the van (now 8 of us) for a drive around mountains on tiny roads with a crazy driver who was determined for us to arrive in record time. It was whiplash time. But we arrived safe at 7. Checked in, had dinner in record time (1 ½ hrs), and determined that there was no internet as usual. Why expect anything else?

Sleep at 11:30 for an early start tomorrow. That sounds familiar.

Day 5 Sunday 7-17-2011 Carcassonne to TDF VIP starting and staging area in Limoux

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 2^nd most difficult ride in the French Alps.

We ate at 8:30PM and got to sleep at 11:30.

Day 4: Saturday 7-16-2011 Pyrenees Mnts: Col de Latrape

Day 4: Saturday 7-16-2011 Pyrenees Mnts: Col de Latrape

Day / date / Location:

Miles on bike: Up the Col de Latrape; Difficulty index 67; Cat 2; 7.2% gradient; 2hr 22 min Elevation gain: 3794

Total miles today: 25.63 Total miles for trip: 323.98

$ toward Pledges at 0.026 per foot gained: 14,975 x 0.026 = $389.35

Highlights: Depart quant Beaudean at 8 AM; ride at 9:30

We need to be at the viewing point by 1:30 before caravan closes the road. The whole group (13) followed the tour route along a picturesque mnt river in a valley for about 10 miles. Then up the Col de Latrape; Difficulty index 67; Cat 2; 7.2% gradient; 5.6 kilometers, Today is sunny and hot. Tim made it up the whole way to the summit! Good for him!

Again riding on closed roads is SO nice. And the downhill from Latrape was excellent, meaning fast.

Our picnic & view point wss 1.5k up Col d’Agnes (8.2%) from 1:45 - 3:15PM; So Tim had his second flat (rear this time) at the bottom of d’Agnes so he got out of riding up. He wasn’t sad. Great picnic location; satellite TV, food, good uphill viewing location for the race…

The TDF caravan threw us lots of goodies, and the racers were inches away from us going uphill. They do work hard. Of course the photos are great. Our group got a discarded Thor Husvald water bottle and a Thomas Voekler’s ear piece. He is the TDF race leader. We then got on the bikes for the short downhill to the bus and the LONG ride to Carcassonne.

We arrived at the hotel 8:00; dinner was 9 – 11:30 in the Carcassonne Castle (built in 1032) at a high class restaurant. Amazing! It was another satisfying day.

Back at the hotel at midnight; one quick email and to bed!

Tomorrow is early again…..

Day 3: Friday 7-15-2011 Pyrenees Mnts: (Col d'Aubisque) - Col de Soulor

Day 3: Friday 7-15-2011 Pyrenees Mnts: (Col d'Aubisque) - Col de Soulor

Day / date / Location:

Miles on bike: From the top of Col d’Aubisque to Lourdes; 1 hr 41 mim Elevation gain: 1801

Total miles: 85.35

$ toward Pledges at 0.026 per foot gained: 11,181 x 0.026 = $290.71

Highlights: Leave hotel on bus at 8, Riders started at 10 at the bottom of the d’Aubisque.

I and Tim rode the bus to the top of d’Aubisque; my legs were not ready for a Cat 1 or HC; its difficulty index is 120. The Tourmalet I did yesterday was 133; and the reason I bonked on Luz-Aridien was it is a 111 right after the Tourmalet. Oh well.

Great pictures and views at the summit. So Tim and I started down on our bikes from the top of the Col d’Aubisque.

The heart rate elevator today was when one guy a bit ahead of me stopped to be with his friend and pulled his bike horizontal on the road right in front of me. I and a girl behind were yelling NO! N O! NO! and when I veered to the right of him my left foot blasted into his rear tire. Fortunately I stayed upright and continued down with no other issues.

After the short ascent of Col de Soulor (difficulty index of 28), a totally incredible downhill. Let me repeat that.

What a fantastic downhill ride; the road was closed to cars and just an occasional walker going up to a viewpoint.

Here Tim had a flat on his front wheel heading down at a good clip. No wipeouts when slowing and the sag wagon was 1 min away; a quick fix and he was off. Only 25 k to go and we have to beat the Caravan. Time to go fast! Tim set a personal speed best for 10k and even did time in the pace line. I stayed tucked in on the back.

Then for the last 15 kilometers, our group were the only riders out there meaning the whole road was ours!. Sweet!

Is this cool? Going thru old town Lourdes filled with spectators yelling and clapping for us was 10 times better than any IRONMAN finishers ending crowd. And Tim and I riding together thru the town was a real highlight moment.

Then on to the VIP viewing area, free food, T V, upper deck viewing from 150 meters from the finish line, not crowded and porta-potties. Proof that this was a VIP area..

We are enjoying every min of this.

Back to Beaudean at 7; dinner at 8:30; work on pics and posts; sleep at 1AM

Tomorrow is early again…..

Friday, July 15, 2011

Day 2: Thursday 7-14-2011 Pyrenees Mnts: Col du Tourmalet AND Luz Ardiden

Day 2: Thursday 7-14-2011 Pyrenees Mnts: Col du Tourmalet AND Luz Ardiden

Day / date / Location:

Miles on bike: 15.35 to top of Tourmalet; 2 hr 40 min up Elevation gain: 5008

11.44 to 8 k from the top of Luz Ardiden Elevation gain: 1255

I bonked and rode the van up

Biked down thru the crowd and cars to bus 11 miles

Total miles: 57.79

$ toward Pledges at 0.026 per foot gained: 3117 x 0.026 = $243.88

Highlights:

Start the ride at 7:15 AM; cloudy, cool, mountain in the clouds; lots of crowds; one bus of Gendarmes crowded me off the road for a slow fall into mud, pride hurt, but I smiled at them, Unending 9+ gradient, very hard, I loved it.

Tim road the van to the top of Tourmalet and started down with me from there. Incredible downhill; seemed like 20 miles and brutally fast if one let it. We didn’t. I had a front wheel flat while going very fast down but no problem stopping; changed it and then remembered to start the Garmin again. Tim and I stopped frequently to take pictures. WOW

Tim went on ahead of me and missed the turn to Luz Ardiden and has a very interesting tale of how he figured out a way to reconnect with us at 11 PM back at the hotel. He watched the tour on TV at a distant town while we had our pictures taken on the Podium and viewing the finish right at the finish line in the stands. Self-rescue in a foreign land.

Tim loved every min of it.

Luz Ardiden is a BRUTAL climb. We had an official escort over the finish line, podium pictures, VIP seating was too cool;

We also had to ride the bikes going down thru the crowd, cars, vans, other bikes and motorcycles with hairpin turns and no shoulder; 13+ kilometers! oh my! That was intense, arm and hand cramping, insane, never want to do that again, but I loved it…

Ferdando, one in our group, lost it on a turn down Tourmalet and ended up in a boulder strewn embankment; we saw him surrounded by medics but didn’t know who it was. They medi-helicoptered him out; bruised vertebrae, mild concussion, he came back tonight in a brace and in good spirits. He flies home tomorrow.

We ate at 11 PM and got to sleep at 12:30

Tomorrow is early again…..

Pics from today: