Market Day

Our last day. Market day in Bourg d Oisans. Spent the day just lazing around town and sniffing through all the stalls. Mostly food stalls with the nicest fruit, cheese, processed meats and bread stalls. My only purchase was a sausage and bacon stew FULL of garlic done in a red wine sauce. These French really know how to cook. Packed up all our bikes this evening for an early start.

Went out for a farewell dinner. And vowed to be back. Next time to Lourdes for some riding in the Pyrenees.

Alp d Huez Time Trial

Woke today with a bit of a bee in my bonnet. I was feeling a bit slack after not going up the Ventoux 3 times. So decided to give the Alp d Huez a full go and TT up. Hoping for a better performance with my new compact contracts. I was hoping to go under 1 hour. I’d heard somewhere that this was the time to do. Took a bit of an effort but got up in 58min. Also went up to the airport. They have a really short steep runway. Was quite a treat watching someone come in to land. Would love to give NBK a try there.

Got back to the house and saw that the other guys had left to ride up the Alp d Huez from the less well known side the Col de Serrenne. I was feeling good so I “chased” after them. WOW what a magnificent ride. The climb gets quite testy towards the end but the scenery is spectacular. One of the highlights of the week.

Met up with the rest at the top and cycled down for a second time that day.

Mont Ventoux

We were up early today for our drive to Bedoin in Provence at the foot of the Mont Ventoux. Took a lot longer than we thought with plenty of EXPENSIVE toll gates. We were hoping to be on the bikes early today especially since there was talk of riding up the Ventoux via the three recognized routes. We got underway just before 10, and I quickly realised that today was not going to be my day. I just didn’t feel like it. I’d decided before I’d done 2 k’s that I’d only be going up once. I tapped out a nice tempo and managed to get up in 1hr 45. Not tooo bad. My legs felt good, I just wasn’t in the mood to put myself through the ringer.

As far as the route is concerned it really is a tough climb. Some 26km. Not as steep as some of the stuff we’d done earlier in the week but long enough to make you suffer. I won’t forget seeing the fabled moonscape slopes for the first time. It really does knock what little breath you have left, out. The top is merely a communication station and a curio shop. Nothing else really going on. After spending a bit of time on top (1900m) and having watched a flight of French airforce fighters fly over the top I rode down to Valloire for a spot of lunch. After that I cycled round the bottom back to Bedoin to wait for Mark. Mark was really determined to ascend 3 times. I think he would have stayed behind in France if he hadn’t done it that day. But well done to him he stuck at it and eventually finished some 9 hrs later.

Col de Ornon

Well it was decided to prepare for the Mont Ventoux by doing another popular ride close to home. The ride included the Col de Ornon and a very sceninc ride through a protected nature area and then up the Col de Morte.

We had lunch there where our waitress was a French chick who had been living in the States (Florida). Got a bit sunburnt sitting in the sun. The descent off the top was quite fun with some nice sweeping corners. Brett nearly got thrown thou when he had a blow out. Did well to keep it upright. Finished with a not so nice bit along the main road into Bourg.

Col de la Madeleine

Following on the advice of another Canadian, Chris, we drove out to, to ride the Col de la Madeleine. This would be the first ride with my compact cranks and I had 21km to try them out. WHAT A PLEASURE! It felt as though I breezed up the climb. Admittedly the gradient is not that severe (avg 6%) but 21km is a long way. Met a few Dutch riders along the way and met up with them at the top again for some of the world’s most expensive cokes.

Afterwards Paul and Matt decided to do the Col de Glandon. Looking back on it I’m sorry I didn’t join them. But I was under the impression that we would do the Mont Ventoux the next day, so thought of saving myself for that. We ended up going back home via the Telegraph and the Galibier.

New Cranks

Today I was buggered. We decided to ride to a small town and take one of the ski lifts to the top of the ADH and then cycle down with the Canadians. It looked like a fairly easy ride and the ski lift sounded like fun. Brett's book had given this ride a 2 dot rating. With 1 being really easy and 4 dots being really tough.

We started quite late in the day and rode into the heat of hell. Again I really suffered going up to the ski station. Only to find that the bloody lift had been closed for the summer. Eventhough our guide book had assured us otherwise.

After this disappointment we rode back into town for a cheeseburger and a rest.

I decided then and there to bin the 53/39 and opt for the compact crank set. The bike shop in town is really well stocked and obviously does a good trade out of idiots who think they can tackle the Alps like they would there local hilly course. The cranks set me back 150 euros but with the Mont Ventoux, amongst others, still looming I had to make a plan.

The La Marmotte

Each year a race, open to amatuers, is held over some of the classic Alpine climbs. It starts in Bourg 'd Oisan and runs over the Croix de Fer, Col de Telegraph, The Col de Galibier and finishes at the top of the Alp d Huez. Its a total of over 4500m of vertical ascent over 180km. A suffer fest of note that attracts over 7000 riders.

The Canadians had arrived last night. Matt had brought a very useful guide to the rides in our area. One of the rides that was described was the La Marmotte. Alcohol induced bravado had us committing ourselves to this route. However to our credit we felt that finishing on the Alp d Huez night be asking a bit much. Especially considering the caning we'd just been given. We decided to leave it out and shorten the ride to 160km. Any doubts we had were dispelled with "we can take things slowly - it only gets dark here at 10. We've got all day".

Personally I started the day really slowly. And got to the top of the Croix de Fer in reasonably good shape. The descent off the top into St Jean de Morienne is 30km long. But by this stage it was starting to get quite hot. By the time we got to town we were confronted by this peculiar French habit of shutting up shop from 12pm till mid afternoon. We were hungry, thirsty and I think the enormity of what we were attempting was starting to sink in. The guys were quiet and there was niggle just below the surface.

The only shop we found to be open was one of these garage one-stop shops on the highway. Unfortunately we we're on the wrong side of a fence. So there we were climbing the fence and passing on the bikes.

Getting the guys moving again proved to be quite a job. Especially considering that we had most of the climbing still to do.

The Col de Telegraph started soon after our pit stop. We were climbing in the heat of the day. This hill really kicked my ass. My gearing once again had me in the red from the first km. And it stayed there all the way to the top. The heat was also causing my HR to drift out a bit. We all suffered like dogs up this climb. Fortunately there was a nice coffee shop at the top where we stopped for a coke and waited while our group reformed.

We were there for almost an hour after the last guy had summited which meant that some of us had been there for almost 90 minutes.

A short descent took us to the start of the Galibier. This climb starts quite tamely with an average grade of around 6%, but then with 8km to go it kicks up savagely. This is one nasty, bad ass, mother fkcing climb. But the views are SPECTACULAR, as they are on all the climbs. And something else that I thought was quite cool was that we got to climb up to part of the mountain where the snow had not yet melted. I stopped (I had to - I've never been in snow before)and grabbed handsful of snow to stick under the legs of my shorts. Great for sore legs!





The top of the climb is at over 2600m. Again we waited for the guys to catch up. Unfortunately it was starting to get a bit late so we made the decision that 4 of us would TT the last 35km home and fetch the car. Coming back to pick up the stragglers.

I'll be honest I slept well that night.

Alp 'd Huez

I'd Lance and co blasting up the Alp 'd Huez on many occassions. I've ridden in every single Epic over Groenland Berg and many others. Getting over hilly terrain had never been a problem for me.

But nothing could have prepared me for the hiding that the Alp 'd Huez was about to dish out.

We chatted happily as we coasted up to the foot of the climb. I noted the time on my watch as we passed the sign indicating the start of the legendary climb. The road turned gently to our left and then there she was. The road stretched out at a 12% gradient. I geared down to my 39/25 combination and immediately felt a little concerned. I'd run out of gears and I wasn't a 100m into the climb.

Standing up out of the saddle I tried to maintain my customary higher cadence. (I'm not a power rider - so to get up hills I rely on turning a light gear fairly quickly). This immediately put my HR up over 85%. I quickly sat down and tried to keep my cadence up, but the combination of gradient and gear ratio made this very difficult. I was in deep shit here.

I reached the first hairpin bend. They're all numbered and each one is named after a famous rider that was good enough to have won a bike race that finished up on the Alp 'd Huez. I glanced at the number and briefly saw Lance's name but what really shocked me was how the road kicked up from the bend. I was seriously doubting my ability to get up this hill. The next 3 bends did little to ease my feelings of self doubt. I just had to keep going. I had long since forgotten about maintaining a nice rhythm. I was just struggling to turn the pedal. Leaning into each stroke with my full weight, it couldn't have been pretty.

The climb flattens slightly in the middle but I was already in so much oxygen debt that I only vaguely noticed the easing of the tension on my thighs. At 10k's to go I passed a small church where I convinced my self to stop for divine intervention. The brief stop did me good and I was able to keep it going from there on up. The next 10k's passed in a haze of discomfort but by now we were down into single figure and I could see the small town ahead of me.

The last 2 k's had lots of cows grazing next to the road. The sound of the cowbells round there necks helped to maintain a reasonable rhythm and I could pick up the pace into town looking not too haggard. 1hr12 later.

We happily spent R120 on 4 cokes.

Bourg ' d Oisan

Arrived at our house just after lunch today. Some 24 hours after leaving Upington travelling from JHB to Lyon via Frankfurt. In Lyon we rented a car and then drove the final 150 odd km to Bourg 'd Oisan. A fairly uneventful trip except for the airline losing Nicky's suitcase. (A taxi brought the case down from Lyon and he had it before Supper !!!)

Our accommodation is fantastic. Its built over 4 levels with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a comfy lounge and kitchen and dining room. very comfy and very conveniently situated 2 min walk from town.

They guys keen on making the ride up Alp 'd Huez this evening at 5 to break the ice.I'm feeling a bit woozy from lack of sleep so am wondering how good an idea this will be. But its only 12k's So how hard can it be?

Mark's boet and his 2 mates will be arriving from Canada later this afternoon

Equipment on the Bike

A question I often get asked is what do you take along on the bike during each stage. Please remember that this is my opinion and is based around my abilities (how long I expect to take on each stage) and experiences gained over 5 years riding the epic.

I know that a popular theory is that "if you can fit a chainsaw into your camelback - take it". However considering the waterpoints and neutral service stations, I subscribe to the minimalist theory. Take as little as possible, without being "reckless".

For starters, I don't take a camelback. I have 2 bottle cages on my bike, so I take 1 bottle with water and another with powerade/energade. I then make sure I never leave a water table without full bottles. However if you know you're going to taking a really long time between water points or your bike only has one bottle cage take a camelback.

As far as spares are concerned, Mark and I decide on a list and then share the load between the 2 of us. We carry 1 x Spare tube, 1 x tyre lever set, 1 x tube of superglue, 1 x seatbolt (very NB), 1 x small square of sandpaper (lekka rough), 2 x car tyre patches, 1 x gator set for tubeless tyres (You know - those things you stick into the tyre with a big needle), 2 x bombs, 1 x bomb adaptor, 1 x small carbon pump (ours is stupidly light), a chainbreaker/multitool and a superlink. Looks like quite a long list but my share of the stuff I fit into a small "specialized" tubby bag. Mark carries the rest in his camelbak. Oh, yes we also take along a cellphone, credit card and R100 - for beers in the chillzone aftewards - which I carry in one of those waterproof pouches that I can hang around my neck.

This leaves my pockets open for food! I'll estimate how long a stage will take me and then take enough vooma's so that I can have 1evry 2 hrs. I also take a sandwich/roll (white bread with ham and butter, an apple danish (if I can find one) and then a few handfuls of raisins.

I'm a bit lazy right now so I'll post something later that contains a bit more about my nutrition. What I eat before, during and after each stage and WHY. Suffice it say at this stage that I'm a disciple of "The Paleo Diet for Athletes" by Joe Friel and Loren Cordain.

Home Again

Arrived home last Sunday. Cashed in a few of my voyager miles and flew back. Couldn't get my head round driving back. Also gave me a few hours to get a few pressies for my biggest fans back home.

Spent the week doing "putting my feet up".
Felt quite tired (sleepy)and to be honest, not really in the mood. I'll probably get round to something this week-end. But think I'll need to be a little more goal orientated in my training.

In the next few days I'm also going to do a little recap of certain elements of the epic. I'd like to have a look at our nutrition. There were some things that worked quite well, but also things that were disasterous. Nutritional needs are very different for a week long event and most importantly, popular nutritional supplements (gels etc) have a limited role to play. But more on this later.

Stage 8 (Grabouw to Lourensford)

Another fantastic day as far as the route is concerned. Definately a place I'd like to come and ride again. Luckily thanks to my sportstrack unit I should be able to find the trails.

The stage was only 62km so we got to start 1hr30 later than usual at 08h30. There was a nice relaxed atmosphere at the start and the announcer made quite a big deal of the fact that there were 8 teams from Upington. Mark was singled out for special mention since it was his birthday and he was finishing his 5th Epic.

The relaxed atmosphere evaporated just as soon as we hit the first climb of the day. The bunches were quite big and no doubt the riders fatigue soon had tempers on the edge. This is not unusual on the last day of the epic. But usually it stays with the guys just verbally abusing each other (or their moms -"jou ma se .....")! Not sure what the cause was but yesterday 2 guys took it up to the next level and had each other in a classic head lock. Fortunately the terrain didn't make it possible for these 2 gems to fully explore their new relationship, eventhough the rest of the bunch strongly encouraged them to do so.

Had another giggle at the only water table of the day. Danny (I'm not sure what is surname is) who is obviously a professional speaker/MC/DJ entertains the riders and spectators at the refreshments stations. The guys has a razer sharp wit and he loves taking the piss out of the "celebrity" teams in the race. Tiaan Strauss often suffered at the sharp end of his tongue. Yesterday he got hold of Dieter Voight (current Mr South Africa) and told everyone what a magnificent performance Dieter had put in to win his Mr SA title, "narrowly beating Nantie Hayward and Jannie de Beer to the title".

We often make big plans during the week as to how we plan to celebrate finishing the race. And with the race finishing on Mark's birthday it was going to be a double celebration. I was in bed by 10!

Stage 7 (Hermanus to Grabouw)

Today was a good day! Mark was still not feeling to boerewors so we decided to look after him and ride very conservatively. We ended up riding with 2 other Upt teams. Jan and Gawie and then also Riaan and Fafa. Besides Riaan and myself the rest of the other guys were nursing a variety of aches and pains. We soon referred to our "bus" as the ambulance.

The "easy" pace and the really spectacular route (loads of lovely singletrack) really made for the best day of the epic so far. After a day like today, my resolve to return next year is supercharged!

We're staying at the Houwhoek Inn tonight and going out for a lekka dinner. Its Marks birthday tomorrow and we're hoping for another day like today to finish off on a good note.