Tour de France Eve

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Kathryn

Tour de France Eve may not be a bank holiday, but it's certainly feeling festive in Leeds ahead of the Grand Depart!

 

The rain has started but it hasn't discouraged souvenir shoppers.

 

I've seen UCI president Brian Cookson and Tour organizer Christian Prudhomme about town, both chatting with excited fans.

 

Prudhomme and his team have put together a great course for the 101st edition. Over 21 stages, the peloton will encounter 25 climbs graded category 2 or harder, cobblestones, 4 countries, and 3,664 kilometers of cycling.

 

The race hasn't even started and already people have been up in arms about controversial decisions to leave riders like Wiggins and Millar at home. With Froome perhaps a touch nervous about Contador's impressive form, the battle for the top spot on the podium promises to be an exciting one. Meanwhile, Kittle, Greipel, and Cav are chomping at the bit to go head to head. It's sure to be a close Tour all around.

 

For the time being, fans and curious locals are taking their photos here but come morning, 198 cyclists and dozens of support vehicles will take to the road while the sidewalk will overflow with enthusiastic spectators.

 

I can't wait!

 

Categories: England, France | Tags: , | Comments Off on Tour de France Eve

British Men’s National Championships

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Kathryn

As soon as the women's race had packed up, the men started to arrive. Below: Scott Thwaites and Erick Roswell of NetApp-Endura.

 

David Millar abandoned the time trial a few nights prior due to a cough. He hoped to rest up ahead of the road race and next week's Tour de France.

 

Simon and Adam Yates.

 

Sky May have had 7 riders on the start list today but only 5 showed up. Ian Stannadrd and Sir Bradley Wiggins were DNS.

 

The Yates twins catching up with their mates.

 

Bikes queued up as their owners queued up to sign on.

 

A busy scene at the start.

 

Josh Edmondson and Luke Rowe.

 

A quiet moment for Geraint Thomas. He wasn't the only Welshman lining up today but he was undoubtedly the crowd favorite.

 

Meanwhile Rowe and Millar looked ready to get the show on the road.

 

Thomas and Millar (I love seeing my favorites laughing together!).

 

The flag waved and the race was off! The men would complete one long loop before doing 10 laps of the 7.2km finishing circuit.

 

Para cyclists on tricycles, hand cycles, and a tandem duo set off on a race of over 20 laps of a 1.5km circuit.

 

Officials officiating.

 

Flowers for the division winners.

 

So,etching I've never seen at any race before: the attendants from the VIP section brought the food out to spectators across the street!

 

But I wasn't there to eat, I wanted to see racing!

 

Ten laps to go

An early break of 10 was whittled down to 8 by the time they started their laps after over two and a half hours of racing. The break included 4 Sky riders, the Yates brother, and 2 others.

 

Conspicuous in his absence from the leaders was Geraint Thomas, sitting 1:14 in arrears.

 

Alex Dowsett and David Millar, both of whom I was hoping to see on the final podium with Geraint Thomas, were in a group about 2:38 off the lead.

 

The peloton rolled in nearly 8 minutes behind. UCI rules state that the peloton can be pulled for safety reasons if they are over 8 minutes behind.

 

Nine laps to go

The same 8 rode on.

 

Thomas was clawing seconds back, now 1:05 behind.

 

The Millar/Dowsett group was still hovering around 2:41 behind.

 

The peloton at 8:17 behind.

 

Eight laps to go

No changes in the lead.

 

Thomas, putting in a monster ride, gained a few more seconds and was 58 seconds off.

 

Just shy of 3 minutes for the Millar/Dowsett group while the peloton (pictured below) were 8:31 off the break.

 

Seven laps to go

The break had dropped one of the non World Tour riders and was now 7 strong.

 

Millar and Dowsett both abandoned at some point on this lap while the peloton kept a consistent gap to the break away.

 

The emcee, flipping back and forth between clipboard.

 

Six laps to go

The leaders were still working together and it was clear the race winner would come from this lot.

 

The massive effort to bridge the gap was taking its toll on Thomas who was now 1:25 back. Still, on every lap the crowd roared at the sight of the Welshman.

 

Five laps to go

Thomas continued to bleed time and was 1:45 behind the break which was moving strongly.

 

Four laps to go

Luke Rowe attacked and was trying to hold his 12 second advantage over the break.

 

Thomas by now had been absorbed by a small chase group which included the highest placed U23 rider on the road.

 

Three laps to go

It was down to the 4 Sky rider and Simon Yates to duke it out.

 

Adam Yates had lost nearly 30 seconds.

 

Thomas's group was an astounding 5:05 down.

 

There were a few small chase groups but the that was all as the peloton had been yanked off the course for falling too far behind.

 

Fans (and an abandoned rider) scrambled to find great places to watch the leaders come in.

 

Two laps to go

Peter Kennaugh and sprinter Ben Swift pulled clear of Simon Yates but their lead was minimal and not to be taken for granted.

 

Luke Rowe and Josh Edmondson were 45 seconds off their teammates at the front.

 

Adam Yates had lost an additional minute on the last lap.

 

The bell lap!

 

Kennaugh and Swift had put almost 39 seconds into Simon Yates and were gunning it!

 

One last clipboard check before the race would finish and a new British champion would be crowned!

 

Kennaugh and Swift were so even matched but Kennaugh clearly pulled ahead with a handful of meters to go and took the title!

 

Simon Yates, looking twice over his shoulder to make sure he was alone, came in for third place.

 

LukeRowe finished with a high 5 for Kennaugh.

 

The U23 champion, Edward Laverack.

 

The pre-podium interview.

 

The U23 podium.

 

The elite men's podium: Ben Swift, Peter Kennaugh, and Simon Yates.

 

I grabbed 3 autographs from the men: 127 Scott Thwaites, 137 Luke Rowe, and Alex Dowsett was thrilled to sign the calendar.

 

Categories: Wales | Tags: , | Comments Off on British Men’s National Championships

British Women’s National Championships

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Kathryn

Abergavenny, Wales is host to the 2014 British national championships. With the elite men's and women's time trials already decided earlier in the week (Sir Bradley Wiggins and Emma Pooley, respectively), I've come to watch the road races.

 

The bunting is up!

 

A handful of shops in town have done up their windows for the cycling. My personal favorite is a knitted Wiggo at the local yarn store.

 

The women's hilly road race is 101 kilometers and includes 1 long loop before 4 laps of the finishing circuit.

 

I was a little surprised to see the state of affairs when I arrived at the start. Every race is run differently but British Cycling seemed to be dangerously behind schedule by my estimates. The gantry was down…

 

…it was up (kind of)…

 

…and down again…

 

…and finally up for good. Of course, as soon as it was up, the crew realized they needed to snake a TV cable across the gantry.

 

Several riders rolled through the start area trying to find race officials. I chatted with Victoria Grimmer and asked her what she thought of the course. “It's really hard. Yeah…it's really hard!” She was a bit nervous about the race, saying this would her biggest one yet, so it didn't help that the race officials were in fact running late. Below: Lowri Devey resigns herself to waiting.

 

Race day or not, the dogs must be walked!

 

The peloton continued to arrive and ask about what time the sign on would get underway. Unfortunately, the officials decided to scrap the sign on ceremony altogether so as to have a shot at starting the race promptly at 9am. While I appreciate punctuality, I'm both disappointed and annoyed that the organizers weren't prepared on time, especially when the riders were. I've seen very few women's races relative to the men's and I was really excited to see riders like defending British champion Lizze Armitstead and Laura Trott, gold medalist in track cycling at the London 2012 Olympics. Without the sign on, none of the women were introduced to the crowd. British Cycling wasted a great opportunity to help grow women's cycling.

 

Emma Pooley, 2014 time trial champion.

 

The press getting their shots of the peloton.

 

The peloton.

 

I'm not sure who the emcee was but he, too, was not particularly organized and even joked that he'd be ready by the men's race.

 

Since no one called the women to come forward, they stayed 15 meters behind the start line until the rushed 5 second countdown was complete.

 

Disorganization aside, the race was underway!

 

Left to right: Sharon Laws, Hannah Barnes, and Lucy Garner.

 

Lizzie Armitstead in the orange of Boels Dolmans Cycling Team (center) and Emma Pooley (right).

 

As the women rode through Monmouthshire, the emcee kept us up to date. After 90 minutes of racing, a breakaway of 13 had gone clear. By the time they arrived for the first of the city laps, they had dropped 5 and 8 dangerous riders remained: Lizzie Armitstead, Anna Christian, Hannah Walker, Katie Archibald, Sharon Laws, Emma Pooley, Dani King, Laura Trott, Sarah Storey, Elinor Barker, Nicola Juniper, and Louise Mahe.

 

Below: prepping the winner's jersey before the race began its 4 finish circuits.

 

As the women sped towards town, the men's vehicles drove on the course to reach their designated parking lot. Wouldn't you know it, the very first vehicle, Madison Genesis's RV, nearly pulled an Orica! The driver slowly proceeded to pass underneath the gantry but there was a vent or pipe or something on the roof that clearly wasn't going to cooperate.

 

So the spectators lifted the gantry from one side and the bus passed successfully!

 

Wisely, the officials did double check that shifting the gantry hadn't messed up the finish line camera.

 

The 8 strong break with 4 laps to go.

 

A strung out peloton minutes back.

 

The break had dropped 1 or 2 riders on the next lap.

 

The peloton rounds a corner at speed.

 

Lizzie Armitstead escaped the break and gained about a 13 second advantage.

 

The chase!

 

Armitstead's lead bounced between 5 and 16 seconds over the next lap. Below: moving the lap counter board.

 

On the next lap, Armitstead snuck up on the back of the peloton and had nearly lapped them! The officials clearly weren't prepared for her to appear so soon and they forgot to have the bell ready! But Armitstead signaled to the officials who all responded by showing her one finger (a polite finger!). The bell guy got his act together by the time the chasers arrived.

 

Emma Pooley goes off the front of the chase.

 

Clearing off the stage to make room for the race winners.

 

The riders in orange and black burst around the corner and onto the final 100 meter straightaway. It was clearly Armitstead, King, and Trott but in what order? The 2 Wiggle Honda riders were neck and neck with Armitstead trying dearly to hang on. With a handful of meters to go, Trott surged ahead and took both the U23 and elite national titles!

 

Trott and King.

 

Dame Sarah Storey was taking no chances that her number would come unpinned.

 

A joyful Trott before the awards ceremony.

 

Pulling on the U23 jersey which she had successfully defended.

 

The podium left to right: Katie Archibald, Laura Trott, and Elinor Barker.

 

The elite podium left to right: Lizzie Armitstead, Laura Trott, and Dani King.

 

King and Trott thoroughly enjoyed their champagne.

 

Katie Archibald hung out for awhile after all the hooplah died down and she signed the one and only autograph I got from the women.

 

Categories: Wales | Tags: , | Comments Off on British Women’s National Championships

Critérium du Dauphiné stage 7

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Kathryn

Sneaky Ville-la-Grande! You thought you could trick me by not posting the names on any of your streets and that I would get lost and give up on watching the sign on for stage 7 of the Dauphiné. But you underestimated me and the fact that I tend to over prepare (it’s the teacher in me). I had pretty much memorized the town map the night before. Plus, these neon arrows are useful.

 

Lack of street signs aside, Ville-la-Grande is a cute French town near the Swiss border. I arrived to find the set up crews busily preparing the podium, start line, banners, wiping down surfaces and attending to a host of other details not to be overlooked.

 

I was feeling pretty optimistic with the overall arrangement of the sign on podium and the likelihood of being able to interact with the riders.

 

When you are the only spectator around and you’re standing in the same spot for a couple of hours, you tend to strike up conversations with the various crews. It’s a nice way to pass the time and it’s a good way to practice my French. I’d met 2 people who were especially easy to talk to (by which I mean, one was very patient with my French and the other spoke Spanish) and they both turned out to be unexpectedly generous. My French speaking friend gave me the road book for the race (it’s like a program which details all of the important information for each stage as well as practical details like the nearest gas station to each stage finish) while my Spanish speaking friend got me a VIP bracelet. I was floored by each of these gifts!

 

The view of the sign on truck and fan area from the roof of the VIP zone.

 

Did you notice the photo of the man washing the side of the truck amidst the set up photos? That spot was just a few paces from where every starting rider would have to climbs the steps to sign on. It’s where I parked myself!

 

Cofidis showed up en masse and I got my first autograph from Estonian national champion Rein Taaramäe (pictured far left). He asked where I wanted him to sign and I replied, “Anywhere!” He found a good piece of real estate on the cover of the road book and proceeded to sign his name slowly and with a sense of deliberation I’ve never seen before. (And of course, it just looks like 2 unclosed ovals to me!)

 

The Astana bus on its way to the team parking lot.

 

There’s an inevitable long pause between riders and teams at the start of a sign on, so that’s when the emcees need to entertain the crowd. I’d never seen the 2 emcees at the Dauphine before but they were great!

 

As more riders started to turn up, I got a huge kick from checking out their bikes. I’m not a gear geek, mostly because I don’t know enough about the gear, but you didn’t need to be an expert to realize that these were incredible bikes. Below: Danny Pate’s bike.

 

When Alex Howes and Andrew Talansky rolled up together, I promised them I’d keep an eye on their bikes for them. You can be sure that no harm came to them under my watch!

 

Oh, and Howes approved of my sock choice.

 

With several climbs, including 2 HC mountains at the end of the stage, lots of riders had maps or handwritten notes to keep on top of the topography.

 

I was sure to stand out of the way and only to talk with riders who were more or less within arms reach. Even with that criteria, I got to chat with plenty of riders! I spoke with most of Garmin and a few other riders who’ve seen me around at the races like Maciej Bodnar, Kévin Réza, and Simon Gerrans.

 

I love Colombia (both the country and the cycling team), so it was great to talk with Darwin Atapuma in particular. The Colombian Spanish accent remains my favorite!

 

I’ve come to be a big fan of Giant and several of my favorites were here. I bumped into Thierry Hupond and Johannes Fröhlinger a lot at Tour Down Under so they always get a kick out of seeing me pop up at random races in Europe (I get a kick out of watching them race!).

 

Lieuwe Westra parked his bike right next to me even though there was plenty of space elsewhere, so we talked about his narrow loss yesterday to Jan Bakelants. He shrugged his shoulders and laughed, “That’s racing!”

 

Not too long after, Bakelants appeared. While he moved up considerably in the GC after yesterday’s breakaway win, it wasn’t enough to crack the top 10 but it did land him second in the points competition to Chris Froome. Since Froome was wearing the yellow jersey, Bakelants was borrowing the green jersey. We shared a laugh about how my presence is good luck for him and talked about upcoming races. When he asked me if I was going to follow the Tour de Suisse, I told him I would love to but I couldn’t afford to travel in Switzerland for a week, to which he responded, “I know! It’s just crazy how expensive it is!”

 

Froome showed up and parked his bike just as Bakelants was about to head back to his bus. I watched as Bakelants paused for a moment and gave Froome’s bike a once over. He hesitated and then picked up Froome’s bike to test its weight. He then picked up his own bike for comparison. Bakelants clearly made a face, but I couldn’t tell what the face meant. Still, it was pretty interesting to watch a Tour de France yellow jersey wearer investigate the bike of a Tour de France yellow jersey winner.

 

Since so many riders wait until there’s only 15 or 20 minutes left to sign on, there’s often a big traffic jam of riders and bikes traveling in different directions, in addition to staff, VIPs, and journalists wandering around. It was at one such moment when your favorite Welshman and mine, Geraint Thomas, rode up and couldn’t find anywhere to lean his bike so I stepped in and volunteered to hold his bike for him! I don’t mind saying I was pretty damned pleased with myself! He thanked me after he’d completed his sign on duties and I seized the opportunity to tell him something I’d been hoping to say to him for quite some time–that I was really excited to see him working closely with my favorite brand of yogurt! We excitedly talked dairy for a minute or two–what else would you talk about with a man who has won multiple track gold medals in the Olympics and is a 3 time team pursuit world champion? As for the yogurt, The Collective makes fantastic yogurt in incredible flavors. I make sure to have it whenever I’m in the UK and I lived off of it when I backpacked in New Zealand. I’d recently spotted his new crème brûlée flavor (and immediately snapped a photo of it) so I’m looking forward to trying it before the Tour de France kicks off in Leeds next month.

 

Ryder Hesjedal was one of the last to sign on. It’s such a thrill when my favorite riders know me and stop to say hi! He told me he liked my tweet about him and David Millar using the buddy system at the end of yesterday’s stage.

 

Sylvain Chavanel posed for a fan photo while the peloton went about its business.

 

Katusha made their way to the start line.

 

I couldn’t resist: 3 cheers for Poland! Michał Golas, Maciej Bodnar, and Bartosz Huzarski.

 

David Millar with kiwis Jack Bauer and George Bennett.

 

Froome in yellow and bandages.

 

Only mild chaos at the starting line.

 

The peloton waits.

 

And waits.

 

Froome and Bakelants.

 

Alberto Contador and Edward Beltran.

 

Wilco Kelderman.

 

Photographers wove their way through the peloton, snapping away.

 

The jerseys.

 

Go time!

 

Talansky, Howes, and Navardauskas.

 

Once the team cars had all passed, the crews got to work breaking everything down. I made sure to find my 2 friends again to profusely thank them for their kindness!

 

Given that the Dauphiné is an ASO race and such an important tune up for the Tour de France, I am delightfully shocked by how low key the whole affair is. There is no media caravan whatsoever and the minimal press is mostly interested in the jersey holders. With such talented cyclists, demanding stages, and no fuss spectating, I’d like to catch more of the Dauphiné next year.

 

When the dust had settled, I counted 26 autographs!

 

On the cover of my road book: 5 Danny Pate, 38 Rein Taaramäe, 47 Ivan Santaromita, 72 Natneal Berhane, 74 Cyril Gautier, 77 Kévin Réza, 85 Tony Gallopin, 106 Marco Marcato, 111 Bob Jungels, 118 Haimar Zubeldia, 126 Pete Stetina, 167 Ramunas Navardauskas, 168 Andrew Talansky, 172 Nikias Arndt, 174 Johannes Fröhlinger, and 176 Thierry Hupond.

 

On the back cover of my road book: 26 Nicki Sørenson, 54 Jose Ivan Gutierrez, 103 Maciej Bodnar, 122 Darwin Atapuma, 135 Simon Špilak, 175 Chad Haga, 191 Wilco Kelderman, and 193 Lars Boom.

 

I also had my calendar with me in hopes of adding 2 more autographs to it and I succeeded! Jens was happy to sign and said doing the calendar was an “interesting” experience.

 

Historically, Pippo Pozzato has been a tough autograph for me to get but I triumphed today! He was talking with someone when he saw me waiting off to the side and he gestured to take the marker. When I handed him the calendar too, he broke into a huge grin and proudly exhibited the photo to his friend. Yeah, it was a different reaction than Jens!

 

Only 4 unsigned months left…

 

Categories: France | Tags: , | Comments Off on Critérium du Dauphiné stage 7

Critérium du Dauphiné stage 6

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Kathryn

Such wonderful service! It's hard to get lost when the bus to Poisy dropped me off roughly 502 meters ahead of the finish line for the sixth stage of the 66th Critérium du Dauphiné.

 

Lots of signs to direct both riders and cars of where to go (and where not to go).

 

There were a couple of bends in the final 500 meters, including a lazy right hander at 200 meters to go.

 

For a moment I was puzzled–where was the finish line? The massive gantry is always visible from a few hundred meters out.

 

So I set myself up a meter or two after the finish line and a few minutes later, the gantry, a massive arm, swung out across the road from the top of the timing truck.

 

A metal leg was installed to support the gantry's weight. I've never seen one set up this way before and I was impressed. It seemed really compact and efficient.

 

The official time keepers checked and rechecked the cables several times. The final few kilometers were largely flat (though with a short, punchy 15% climb thrown in), so it looked like a good chance for a sprint or breakaway finish.

 

Installing the final you-are-here touch to the finish line.

 

A little before noon, the first of the team buses began to arrive. Daniel Mangeas, the legendary voice of the Tour de France, stepped out of his commentary box to chat with the crowd and greet the bus drivers.

 
A split second before a bus would pass under the gantry, most of the drivers quickly flicked their eyes upwards, as if to verify they were not about to smash into an unexpectedly low gantry Orica-GreenEDGE style.

 

Mangeas checked his stats, wandered around the VIP area, and occasionally shouted out race updates to the eager spectators.

 

With about 50km to go, Mangeas kicked into action and began to commentate the race. Over the years, I've learned to do 2 things in French: get around comfortably as a tourist and talk about cycling. Please don't ask me too much in French about my teaching career but I'll gladly discuss Cav vs Kittle with you en français. Much of my cycling French I've picked up from listening to Mangeas, but I could hardly believe my ears today. He reported a breakaway of about 16 riders including Jan Bakelants and his teammate Zdenek Stybar. While Bakelants wasn't a GC threat at over 6 minutes off the lead, the breakaway had a big enough lead that the stage winner was certainly among the escapees.

 

No ASO race is complete without floppy PMU hands. And hats, lots and lots of hats. I myself picked up 2 today.

 

I had to double check with my neighbors (we'd become close over the afternoon as they were curious about me, the only person to arrive hours early who neither qualified for a senior citizen's discount nor peed standing up), but this man I'd seen all day working with the finish line cameras and cables is a member of France's Olympic bobsled team. Everyone needs a day job!

 

With about 15km to go, the race was really moving. In the excitement, a radio reporter from France Blue walked right up to me and started asking me rapid fire questions. I immediately interrupted to say I only speak a little French but I did my best to keep up and he asked if he could put me on the air. It always happens that they ask different questions in the actual on-air interview, so there were a couple of moments where I had no clue what he had just asked me, but I think it went well enough. He seemed happy!

 

Mangeas reported that Pim Ligthart, Lieuwe Westra, and Jan Bakelants had gone off the front of the breakaway. They didn't have a massive gap but were holding steady at about 20 seconds.

 

Less than 10km left and the photographers were jumping off motorcycle and jockeying for position.

 

Ligthart cracked, leaving Westra and Bakelants to duke it out. They worked together for as long as necessary and then began watching the other. With 200 meters to go, Westra attacked! Bakelants was slowly slowly slowly reeling him in. At 30 meters, Westra swung right, almost boxing Bakelants in, but he suddenly swung out left, leaving enough space for Bakelants to surge ahead and claim his first victory of 2014!

 

 

Rounding out the top 5, Bakelants's teammate Stybar, Pim Ligthart, and Jens Keukeleire, respectively. Jens Voigt is just visible as he rolled in for sixth place.

 

Nearly 4 minutes later, a peloton of about 50 riders came home. Race leader Froome had crashed with 7km to go and the peloton obeyed an unwritten rule to wait for him.

 

Neither Froome, bearing evidence of his crash, nor Contador looked too happy with the day's ride.

 

Simon Gerrans and Daryl Impey led a group in.

 

Bakelants had ridden in to the podium area and no one paid any attention but when the yellow jersey showed up, the press perked up.

 

Ivan Santaromita and the peloton at nearly 7 minutes down.

 

Two riders I can always count on to ride together: David Millar and Ryder Hesjedal.

 

How did Poland do today, you ask. Maciej Bodnar, my favorite Polish rider, had ridden in the break, so the 2 Michals of Omega Pharma-Quick Step (Kwiatkowski and Golas) rode in together, leaving Sylwester Szmyd the last Polish rider on the road.

 

Among the media vans, I spotted one that had a very different job.

 

In all my years at the races, I'd never before seen the van where the winners' jerseys are pressed with the team logo. The first batch of jerseys are ceremonial: they are always long sleeved, zip up in the back, and meant to be worn just on the podium (pictured below).

 

The next batch of jerseys take longer. This is the jersey the rider will wear the following day so the logo must be perfect, as must be the fit. Often a rider will receive a few jerseys in different sizes just to be safe. Never in my life have I seen someone folding with such love and caring precision.

 

Riders continued to trickle in. George Bennett and Jack Bobridge.

 

On the podium, Jan Bakelants was thrilled to recieve his cow, flowers, and medal (not pictured)! Is it a coincidence that he tends to win when I'm at the stage? You decide.

 

Showing no signs of fatigue from a tough Giro, Belkin's young gun Wilco Kelderman remained in third overall at 12 seconds down.

 

Italy's Alessandro De Marchi kept the climber's jersey.

 

Some races will open up the road to let fans closer to the podiums. ASO tends not to do that. This guy tried to quietly sneak in among the professional photographers but security was having none of it.

 

Froome retained both the yellow and green jerseys. He told the media his crash wasn't bad, but judging by his tight lipped smile and banged up limbs, he was understandably eager to get off the podium and out of the spotlight as soon as possible.

 

It was the usual traffic jam for team cars and buses trying to make their way out.

 

Lions piled up in Sky's window attesting to Froome's dominance.

 

Bakelants's cow and flowers were already waiting for him in the OPQS bus.

 

A sizeable crowd lingered at the anti-doping control for Froome. I decided to move on–it had begun to rain lightly and I don't really need to interact with a man immediately after he's filled a specimen cup.

 

Categories: France | Tags: , | Comments Off on Critérium du Dauphiné stage 6

Tour du Mont Blanc day 3

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Kathryn

The last day of our trip promised to be the longest and hardest yet. Each morning I’d wake up with stiff calves but after 5 minutes of hiking, my legs relaxed and felt fresh and new again.

 

Morning mountains.

 

In the sun, it was warm but in the shade, it was awfully cold!

 

We hiked and hiked, climbing higher into the sun which warmed us considerably. We hit a bit of snow.

 

We hit some more snow.

 

Everything was covered in snow! Getting out the map, Guillaume pointed us in the right direction and handed over his trekking poles to me one more time. The problem with hiking in snow in running shoes wasn’t just that my feet would inevitably get wet, but that they had poor traction. The good news was that this wasn’t a particularly steep section so all I had to do was plug away to reach the summit of Grand Col de Ferret.

Almost there!

 

Made it!

 

We stopped for a quick snack and some photos. After trekking through the snow for upwards of half an hour, we were nice and warm and there was surprisingly little wind up there.

 

The Swiss-Italian border!

 

From here, we had a steep descent down to the valley.

 

A hiking shelter.

 

As you’d expect, it was absolutely lovely.

 

Our glutes got a rare break as we followed a relatively flat trail for awhile.

 

We had another good, hard, steep climb to get to our lunch spot. There was no shade and no breeze so it was slow going for me. A man asked me for directions along the way and, in an exhaustion induced brutal mangling of French and Spanish, I pointed him ahead to ask Guillaume who had the map. The two of them chatted happily away for the rest of the climb–the man was a former patient of Guillaume, a physiotherapist! Small world.

 

We had a good lunch, eating as much as we could so we wouldn’t have to carry anything extra, and got moving. The signs said it was 3 hours 50 minutes to the town of Courmayeur and we planned to be there to catch the last bus of the day back to Chamonix, France, which would depart in precisely 4 hours. Not a moment to spare!

 

Fortunately the hike was mostly flat with one final steep descent into town.

 

We must have been really gunning it because we arrived at the bus station just two and a half hours later. But all was not well–the bus was was sold out! So we did what we’d done in New Zealand: stuck our thumbs out and hitched a ride through the Mont Blanc tunnel, an impressive piece of modern engineering.

 

The full Tour du Mont Blanc would have added another 3 or so days to our hike. We didn’t have enough time to do the whole circuit, but I’m pretty pleased with what we’ve done!

 

Hike details

Start elevation: 1,600 meters at La Fouly, Switzerland

Finish elevation: 1,224 meters at Courmayeur, Italy

Highest point: 2,537 meters at Grand Col de Ferret

Lowest point: 1,224 meters at Courmayeur, Italy

Hike time: approximately 8 hours

 

 

Categories: France, Italy, Switzerland | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

Tour du Mont Blanc day 2

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Kathryn

Yesterday’s hike concluded with a steep climb up from Trient to Col de la Forclaz. We took a trail rather than hike on the road, but in case you’re wondering what I mean when I say “steep,” Col de la Forclaz is the penultimate climb in this coming Saturday’s stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. Check out the profile!

 

You may also recall I mentioned the Swiss cows and their sizable bells. What had been a delightful chiming in the evening was a noisy racket hailing from nocturnal cattle at 2:49 in the morning. It sounded like a gaggle of toddlers wielding wooden spoons trying to destroy high quality pots and pans.

 

Guillaume slept through this.

 

But come morning, the scenery was beautiful and the mountains were calling, so off we went after a good breakfast (I believe Guillaume snagged the extra jam packets off our table. Smart guy.)

 

Had the refugees been open, this is where we would have spent the night, at the shelter at La Bovine (1,987 meters) which we reached less than an hour after leaving Col de la Forclaz.

 

Our next goal was Champex-Lac…

 

…and it was beautiful! It was a quintesstial Swiss mountain town. Stunning mountain views, log cabins, the whole nine yards.

 

Perfect place for a picnic.

 

We hit the road again, enjoying the total lack of snow which had hampered us the previous day.

 

A lovely field of wild flowers overlooked a mountain village.

 

Guillaume showed his appreciation of the flowers by tromping through them and leaving a man-sized depression in his wake.

 

I don’t think we encountered more than 2 or 3 hikers and just a handful of locals all day.

 

I haven’t spent much time in mountain villages in my life, so the layout was pretty interesting to me. The houses were all incredibly close to one another, many practically breathing down the other’s neck, reminding me more of a big city than the mountains.

 

The last several kilometers were pretty flat so we hiked on and arrived at our hotel before too long.

 

The chairlift was basically in the backyard of the hotel’s patio.

 

Funny forks and fire at the table? Must mean cheese fondu for dinner.

 

Our meal was interrupted by an all too familiar sound. About 2 dozen cows sauntered down the street, occasionally picking up the pace when the cattle dog got antsy. Who knew Switzerland had so much in common with India?

 

The night before, upon arrival at the hotel at Col de la Forclaz, we’d been immediately taken into a barn/cellar. My French is ok but by no means great so all I understood was that we had to leave our shoes here. Guillaume explained we were to borrow Crocs to wear during our stay. Wearing them made me feel a little like a mental patient but they were comfortable enough and my shoes probably smelled so I didn’t mind sleeping away from them.

 

When we arrived at La Fouly, we were given thin, cheap slippers that really made me feel like I was being institutionalized. I spent the evening in them, shuffling out to the grass to do my yoga, wearing them to fondu, running in them to see the cows storm the town. It was while I was enjoying the livestock that I realized Guillaume was wearing his normal shoes.

“What?! Where are your slippers?” I demanded.

“Oh, they’re weird. I’m wearing my shoes.”

Oh, indeed.


Hike details

Start elevation: 1,527 meters at Col de la Forclaz, Switzerland

Finish elevation: 1,600 meters at La Fouly, Switzerland

Highest point: 2,490 meters at Val Ferret, Switzerland

Lowest point: 1,470 meters at Champex Lac, Switzerland

Hike time: approximately 7 hours

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: Switzerland | Tags: , , , | Comments Off on Tour du Mont Blanc day 2

Tour du Mont Blanc day 1

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Kathryn

My ears perked up.

 

“…And coming up after the break: travel tips from Matt Lauer,” came the voice from the TV.

 

“Oh this could be good,” I thought.

 

It’s been a bit of a while now, but here’s what I remember of Matt Lauer’s travel tips.

1. If you think you’ll get hungry, pack a sandwich. This will save you a few dollars at the airport.

2. Buy 3 ounce bottles for your liquid toiletries and use your big shampoo bottle at home to refill when necessary.

3. Check in online before your flight so you can avoid a long line at the check-in counter.

 

And so on. Matt Lauer’s travel tips were basically a list of obvious, common sense tasks. One item that didn’t make his list but very well could have is this gem: Don’t go hiking in the Alps in your running shoes when there’s still snow on the trails.

 

I recently learned that one the hard way.

 

I met up with Guillaume, my French hiking partner extraordinaire who I traveled with for 3 months in New Zealand. I had mentioned I might be coming to France in June and wanted to hike, he responded with an invitation to the Alps as he wanted to scout out the trails he’d be running in a 104 kilometer race come August (not a typo, he’s actually doing a 104 kilometer race).

 

As was the case with our New Zealand hikes, we completely lucked out with the weather. We had sunshine and clear skies the entire time and missed the rains which had been omnipresent the days prior.

 

Before we even set out on our first morning, I was gobsmacked by the views of Mont Blanc and the surrounding Alps.

 

Shortly after we set out on our first morning, my legs were pretty gobsmacked, too. In the 6 months since leaving New Zealand, I’ve mostly been in cities and not terribly active. That’ll happen when you catch the flu which turns into a 6 week cold and then spend a month standing by the side of the road to watch cycling. I hushed the voices in my head that screamed, “What were you thinking?!” and concentrated on finding my rhythm. It was to my great surprise and relief when I finally looked at my watch and saw that we’d been going for a couple of hours and gaining some noteworthy elevation without breaking and while maintaining a solid pace.

 

I tend to hike fast–it’s just my natural pace–but I’m no match for Guillaume’s speed so my view is often of the back of him.

 

We paused briefly at the French-Swiss border for photos before carrying on into Switzerland. It was beautiful but there was a cold wind encouraging us to keep moving.

 

Note that the snow followed the border, too, sticking to the Swiss side.

 

Remember how I mentioned I was hiking in my running shoes? A few days before the hike, Guillaume and I had an email exchange that went something like this:

Guillaume: You have boots?

Me: Nope.

Guillaume: No, seriously. You have boots?

Me: Nope, seriously, I don’t have my boots here. Why?

Guillaume: There is a lot of snow.

Me: Is it dangerous if I’m in my running shoes?

Guillaume: Yes (wink emoticon)

Me: No, seriously, is it dangerous?

Guillaume: I don’t think so. No?

 

To Guillaume’s credit, he did borrow a pair of boots from a friend for me but after much deliberation, I opted for my shoes rather than risk spending 3 days hiking mountains with blisters.

 

It was smooth sailing until we made our way to a lookout called Croix de Fer. Much of the trail was hidden under several inches of snow. Guillaume went first and I was to follow in his footsteps. On 2 occasions, I spontaneously decided to explore the terrain with my backside (I have a bit of an on-again-off-again relationship with gravity) so Guillaume handed me his trekking poles and that was a tremendous help.

 

Leaving Croix de Fer, we hit something of a serious road block. The entire side of the mountain was covered in snow and on a very steep section, too. Handing me his poles, Guillaume told me to be careful. “Because if you fall here…” and then he made a gesture with his hand that started off like an airplane taxiing to pick up speed and then suddenly his gesture morphed into that of a plane nosediving and crashing. He added some explosion sounds for good measure.

 

We made it, just fine.

 

Descending into the village of Trient, we met a noisy herd of cows. I’ve seen cyclists win huge cowbells in races before but only when I heard half a dozen of them chiming away did I appreciate their magnitude.

 

From Trient, it was a short climb of a couple of hundred meters up to our stopping point for the day: Col de la Forclaz. At the summit was a convenience store and a hotel.

 

Since the huts don’t officially open for the season until the middle of the month, we had no alternative but to splurge on the hotel which, happily, included our dinner and breakfast. Normally when I hike the day ends with either a long drive or setting up a tent and then helping to make dinner, so it felt like a huge luxury to take a hot shower, spend 30 minutes stretching and doing yoga in the sun, and then eat a meal that I didn’t have to help with! The icing on the cake was the extra large bunk beds.

 

Hike details

Start elevation: 1,252 meters at Argentière, France

Finish elevation: 1,527 meters at Col de la Forclaz, Switzerland

Highest point: 2,201 meters at Aiguillette des Posettes, France

Lowest point: 1,231 meters at Trient, Switzerland

Hike time: approximately 7 hours

 

Categories: France, Switzerland | Tags: , , | Comments Off on Tour du Mont Blanc day 1

YOU can send me to the Tour de France!

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Kathryn

Recently, my friend Renata (who you’ll remember from the video about El Chorro, Spain) and I entered a fabulous contest run by a great Aussie website, Cycling Tips. They’re sending 2 lucky and hardworking fans to cover the Tour de France from a fan’s perspective. We sent in a 90 second video previewing how we want to approach the Tour. It’s an understatement to say this is my dream job! I love cycling and I want to share it with the world. To get to do this with Renata, a close friend since I was a teenager, is simply the icing on the cake (plus she’s a great photographer!).

 

And we are finalists!!

 

The winning pair will be selected by you, the public. I would be over the moon if you would take a moment to vote for us–Kathryn & Renata–on the following link: http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/06/the-ultimate-job-competition-finalists/

 

I’ll be sure to let you know how the voting turns out. Cross your fingers for us!

 

Thank you!

Kathryn & Renata (and Mini Bear, too!)

 

Update: June 11, 2014

Cycling Tips announced the other day that they picked a different duo to send to the Tour de France. I’m sure they’ll do a great job!

 

A huge thanks to everyone who voted for us or sent a supportive email! I’m really touched by the encouragement we received. I’m pretty pleased that we were finalists at all and will do my best to continue to bring you cycling and travel posts here on the blog!

Categories: France | Tags: | Comments Off on YOU can send me to the Tour de France!

Philly Cycling Classic

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Kathryn

As I rest up in advance of next month’s Tour de France (and likely catch a race or two before then!), I bring you a guest post from our North American sports correspondent, David (perhaps better known to readers as Hermano). Enjoy!

-Kathryn


Sunday, June 1 was the date for the 2nd Annual Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic. The race is the highest rated one day race in the US and continues a long tradition of cycling in Philadelphia, dating back to 1985. Until 2005 the highest placed American in the old Philadelphia International Championship was crowned national champion, whether they actually won the race or not. Eric Heiden, Greg LeMond and a young Lance Armstrong are just some of the names who have competed in Philadelphia.


This year’s race followed virtually the same course that’s been used for the past 30 years although the start/finish line has been moved to the top of “The Wall,” a nearly 1 kilometer climb inManayunk that maxes out at 17% and has always been the centerpiece of bicycle racing in Philadelphia. The day included a women’s race, followed by a men’s race. One thing that has changed this year is that for the first time in any professional cycling event, both races offered the same purse.


First up was the women’s race featuring many of the top riders in the female peloton. Evie Stevens, who left her career as an investment banker 5 years ago to become a cyclist, was the defending champion.


Others in field included Stevens’ Specialized Lululemonteammate Carmen Small; Mara Abbott of United Healthcare Pro Cycling, a two-time winner of the Giro Donne; and national champions from Mexico, Belarus and Italy.



Perhaps no one had better form coming into the race than Alison Powers (United Healthcare), who last week became the American champion in the road race and time trial to go along with the criterium championship she won last July, making her the first woman to hold all three national titles at once.


I happened to spot Alison warming up and she couldn’t have been friendlier when she signed an autograph. And when I congratulated her on all her championships, she had a huge smile that made it clear the excitement hasn’t worn off.


The women’s race consisted of 5 laps of the 12 mile circuit, ending with an excruciating climb up the Wall each time. By the second lap Alison Powers had gone on the attack and opened up a lead that reached 1:10 on the peloton. If anyone could hold off the field by herself, it would be Alison.


While Powers looked strong throughout, it would always be a longshot for one rider to time trial to victory against such an impressive field. No one seemed more comfortable than Stevens, consistently riding near the front of the peloton with her teammates leading the chase.


Powers was caught on the fourth lap which set up an exciting finish. As riders began to appear at the top of the Wall, Stevens had opened up a small gap and rode to the finish to claim her second straight victory in Philadelphia.


First up on the podium was Krista Doebel-Hickok (Team Tibco-To The Top) who took the prize for best rider under 25.


Powers’ solo break didn’t last until the end, but she did earnenough points while in the lead in both the Queen of the Mountains and sprint competitions to claim the honors in both contests. There’s that smile!


How do you make that smile even brighter? Podium Boys!


The top 3 finishers were each presented with a trophy – a replica of the Liberty Bell – by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Did Evie Stevens need that extra pair of sunglasses because it was such a beautiful day or because Powers kept smiling?


Final Women’s Podium:

1st – Evie Stevens (Specialized Lululemon)

2nd – representing Canada, Lex Albrecht (Twenty16)

3rd – Lauren Hall (Optum powered by Kelly Benefit Strategies)


The men’s race, beginning at high noon, had a lot to live up to. The field was equally impressive, led by newly crowned national champion, Eric Marcotte (SmartStop Pro Cycling). Dr. Marcotte (he’s a chiropractor when he’s not winning bike races) out-sprinted his teammate and fellow Philly competitor Travis McCabe and a field of riders from Garmin, BMC, Cannondale and other World Tour teams last Monday to become a most unlikely national champion. Today he debuted his stars-and-stripes jersey and was happy to sign an autograph.


Kiel Reijnen (United Healthcare Pro Cycling) celebrated his 28thbirthday by trying to defend his title from last year.


Optum powered by Kelly Benefit Strategies were led by Jesse Anthony and the King of the Mountains from the Amgen Tour of California, Will Routley.


What’s that you say? The guy next to them isn’t wearing the correct headgear for a cycling race? There must be a reason. It turns out that Robin Carpenter (Hincapie Sportswear Development Team), who grew up just blocks from the finish line, attended his graduation ceremony from Swarthmore College before the race.


The men rode 10 laps of the same course for a 120 mile race. It wasn’t until the third lap that the day’s break established itself. Carpenter had traded in his mortar board for a helmet and was part of the 7 man group that also featured former US time trial champion Tom Zirbel (Optum). The first name in discount warehouse vehicles, Team Budget Forklifts, was also represented (in bright yellow).


My wife and I found a spot about 100 meters before the finish partly to see the action on the steepest section of the Wall but mostly to be closer to the greatest volunteer I’ve ever seen. This guy had as much enthusiasm as anyone at the London Olympics. He shouted encouragement to literally every rider in both races – leaders, chasers, the peloton and anyone dropped by the pack. (He also showed some fabulous dance moves when “Shout” came on the sound system).


The challenging course meant that many riders wouldn’t see the finish. At one point with a couple of laps to go, I looked over and saw Stephen Hyde (Astellas Cycling Team) standing next to me.


We chatted for a few minutes and he confirmed that the Wall is as difficult as it looks. Surprisingly he said the descent was just as tough since the road was in such bad shape after a harsh winter so there was no chance to recover. He left in search of a free beer (not hard to find in the frat boy atmosphere up and down the Wall) and to chat up some ladies.


I turned around a few minutes later and saw Benjamin Chartrand(Silber Pro Cycling Team) sitting on a stoop behind me. He looked exhausted and in no mood to talk as he ate a quick lunch so I didn’t bother him. I did, however admire his “Dopers Suck” socks.


With a couple of laps to go the breakaway group was reeled in and the field was back together. As they raced up the Wall on lap 9 I was excited to see Canadian Bruno Langlois (5 Hour Energy powered by Kenda) moving up in the pack. I cheered as he powered his way to the front but couldn’t do anything but gasp as he went under the finish gantry and raised his arms in apparent victory. Sadly for Bruno, this was a 10 lap race.


We moved a little further down the Wall for the final ascent, guessing that the race-winning move would come with 200-300 meters to go. Kiel Reijnen dug hard to come to the front just ashe reached us. He never relinquished his lead and for the second race of the day, we had a repeat winner. Not a bad way to celebrate a birthday!


Final Men’s Podium

1st – Kiel Reijnen (United Healthcare Pro Cycling)

2nd – Jure Kocjan (SmartStop Pro Cycling)

3rd – Dion Smith (Hincapie Sportswear Development Team)


It was a great day of cycling. There was a party atmosphere inManayunk and the racing was of the highest quality. I can’t wait to come back next year! And a special thank you to the two national champions who signed autographs today, Alison Powers and Eric Marcotte!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: USA | Tags: , | 4 Comments