Tour de France 2011

juli 2011

Posted this on blogger years ago, but got fed-up with faffing around with image hosting and decided to repost here on Find-penguins. Læs mere

40fodaftryk
4Lande
18dage
150fotos
0videoer
3,4kkilometer
1,3kkilometer
549sømil
948kilometer
30kilometer
6sømil

Følg Kalender Del Træskoliste

Rejsende Tour de France 2011
- Vis rejse
- Tilføj til træskolisteFjern fra træskoliste
- Del
- 15. jul. 2011 18.00
- ☁️ 22 °C
- Højde: 409 m
- Frankrig Occitania Saint-Gaudens 43.107768, 0.72472243°6’28” N 0°43’29” E
Dag 8
St-Gaudens
15. juli 2011, Frankrig ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
I made decent time, and arrived at St-Gaudens by 19:00, despite having to stop to attempt to make repairs to my continually puncturing front tyre.

Shortly after St-Gaudens a van, driven by some English cyclists I had met on the top of Col-de-Aspin, drew along side and informed me that I was making good time.Læs mere
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Rejsende Tour de France 2011
- Vis rejse
- Tilføj til træskolisteFjern fra træskoliste
- Del
- 15. jul. 2011 22.00
- ☁️ 17 °C
- Højde: 1.072 m
- Frankrig Occitania Portet-d'Aspet 42.945267, 0.85431642°56’43” N 0°51’16” E
Dag 8
Col de Portet d'Aspet
15. juli 2011, Frankrig ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
I aimed for the Col-de-port-du-Aspet. A mere Cat 2 Col, and but a speed bump compared with the Tormalet at a just 1,100m tall. Even so, though it is a relatively short climb, it has a 9.7% average gradient. I'm told at points the gradient reaches 13% (which seems accurate having done it) which is not good when towing as much weight as I am.

None the less I finished the climb at around sun set, with the required sprint-finish.

The usual revelry that goes on a col ahead of the tour de France was getting into full swing by the time I pitched my tent.

I made a soup using some culinary advice I obtained from Sir Ranulf Fienn's book "mind over matter" in which he and his walking partner cross Antarctica on foot, by which I mean I put some butter in it because apparently that sort of thing is the best way to get calories in.Læs mere
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Rejsende Tour de France 2011
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- Tilføj til træskolisteFjern fra træskoliste
- Del
- 16. jul. 2011 10.30
- ☁️ 20 °C
- Højde: 1.070 m
- Frankrig Occitania Portet-d'Aspet 42.945641, 0.85467642°56’44” N 0°51’17” E
Dag 9
Le Tour de France - Stage 14
16. juli 2011, Frankrig ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
The morning was spent jockeying for position on the Col, so I didn't have time to prepare the customary mountain top Welsh cakes. Instead I ate up the remainder of my bread and cheese.

The Swiss outnumbered by Norwegians, Brits, Aussies, Germans, French and Belgians attempt to make up for their deficiency in numbers.

Even though its the first climb of the stage, a breakawway was already forging ahead to scoop to king of the mountain points for the col, and the sprint points that follow it.

The tour provided its usual spectacle, and then in the early afternoon I set out for Carcassonne. I had the best part of 140Km to travel, through some not ideal terrain.Læs mere
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Rejsende Tour de France 2011
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- Del
- 16. jul. 2011 13.30
- 🌧 24 °C
- Højde: 688 m
- Frankrig Occitania Saint-Lary 42.93004, 0.89424542°55’48” N 0°53’39” E
Dag 9
Saint-Lary
16. juli 2011, Frankrig ⋅ 🌧 24 °C
Descending the Col to I traveled through some very picturesque villages. Saint-Lary in particular looked glorious in the sunlight.
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- 16. jul. 2011 14.15
- 🌧 25 °C
- Højde: 395 m
- Frankrig Occitania Saint-Girons Lez 42.984187, 1.14644642°59’3” N 1°8’47” E
Dag 9
Saint-Girons
16. juli 2011, Frankrig ⋅ 🌧 25 °C
After descending the Col-de-port-du-Aspet, I had a fairly hard slog through the undulating foot hills of the Pyrenees on my way to Foix. The going was tough, and I took a break in a cafe' to watch the close of the day's Tour stage, as the riders climbed to the high-altitude finish.

The head-wind in the lower lying areas of the Pyrenees was punishing, and I had to pedal /down/ any hill shallower than about 3%.Læs mere
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Rejsende Tour de France 2011
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- Del
- 16. jul. 2011 18.00
- 🌧 21 °C
- Højde: 597 m
- Frankrig Occitania Saint-Martin-de-Caralp 42.993305, 1.54787242°59’36” N 1°32’52” E
Dag 9
Col del Bouich
16. juli 2011, Frankrig ⋅ 🌧 21 °C
Things continued to be difficult until I got over a final Col at about 600m above sea level. Having dropped down to 365m at Saint-Girons, my last Col (Col del Bouich) took me back up to the altitude where I had finished descending Col-du-port-de-Aspet. Fortunately I climbed the shallower face (as I will admit to having been a bit tired at this point).Læs mere
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Rejsende Tour de France 2011
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- Del
- 16. jul. 2011 18.20
- 🌧 23 °C
- Højde: 400 m
- Frankrig Occitania Foix Château de Foix 42.9639, 1.60538142°57’50” N 1°36’19” E
Dag 9
Foix
16. juli 2011, Frankrig ⋅ 🌧 23 °C
The Chataux in Foix. I was tempted to stop and look around, but wanted to make the distance to Carcassonne. I took route N20 towards Carcassonne.
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Rejsende Tour de France 2011
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- Del
- 16. jul. 2011 23.20
- ☀️ 22 °C
- Højde: 100 m
- Frankrig Occitania Carcassonne La Cité 43.200586, 2.35437243°12’2” N 2°21’16” E
Dag 9
Destination Carcassonne
16. juli 2011, Frankrig ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
With the mountains behind me I was flying along, and was making an averaging around 30Kph, despite my load. As I rode down the busy 4-lane road, many of the Tour de France support vehicles passed me by.

As I took the exit from N20 for Carcassonne, I passed the hotel where team Liqui-gas were staying, and enjoyed the unusual role reversal of one of their riders, pointing at me ride by with my panniers. I gave them a wave, and carried on.

The road to Carcassonne, was traveled by many of the tour support vehicles and caravan floats, and I was in high spirits, as many of them waved and tooted at me (including team Sky). I had a little race against the LCL time-trial float (he overtook, so I overtook him back and so on).

Fate, sensing that I was in danger of enjoying my self then threw some quite nasty mechanical problems at me. I got yet another puncture in my front tyre and my bottom bracket started to develop a nasty issue.

With each turn, the bracket would give an audible clunk, and send a small but perceptible vibration down my right leg. This eventually started to cause a nasty pain in my hip joint, and I found my self faced with making the last 60Km to Carcassonne, with a painful joint issue and a leaky tyre. It was quite annoying being overtaken by all the technical cars from Le tour at this point as many of them had £4,000 carbon fiber racing bikes strapped to the roof, and I was thinking "want to swap?".

The countryside, with the red roofed buildings on the horizon and hay bales in the foreground, felt like I had stepped onto the Carcassonne playing board.

The sun sets as I travel to Carcassonne. Shortly after the sun-set behind me a perfect Lunar Eclipse rose ahead of me. Regrettably I was too tired from constantly re-inflating my tyre and generally dealing with my ailing bike to stop and take a picture of that.

Had I been free from issues I probably would have arrived around 20:30, but I eventually limped into the camp site at 23:20 (10 minutes before they closed for the night).

The last, inefficient 60Km had exhausted me, so I got my tent pitched, made some Welsh cakes and then got some much needed sleep.Læs mere
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Rejsende Tour de France 2011
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- 17. jul. 2011 11.40
- ☁️ 18 °C
- Højde: 110 m
- Frankrig Occitania Carcassonne La Cité 43.199874, 2.35515443°11’60” N 2°21’19” E
Dag 10
Le Tour de France - Stage 15
17. juli 2011, Frankrig ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
The camp site was perfectly situated for watching Le Tour, as the route used the access road for the site. I happened to pick a corner with no less than three groups from Wales on it. I lent my large flag to one couple from Risca, as I had also brought the small flag from my bike to the road side. I instructed them they were to guard it with their lives, as I couldn't stand the ignominy of returning home, were I to loose the colours.

Being early in the stage, the peliton came through almost fully formed (a small chase group preceded them slightly, presumably seeking some green jersey sprint points somewhere up ahead).

BMC cycling team seemed to be driving the pace of the peliton; stretched out in a long chain connected to the main bunch.

I waved my flag at the Team Sky support cars that followed, and received a toot, and a wave from the first and second respectively.Læs mere
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Rejsende Tour de France 2011
- Vis rejse
- Tilføj til træskolisteFjern fra træskoliste
- Del
- 17. jul. 2011 14.25
- ☁️ 18 °C
- Højde: 113 m
- Frankrig Occitania Carcassonne La Cité 43.205513, 2.3615643°12’20” N 2°21’42” E
Dag 10
Carcassonne
17. juli 2011, Frankrig ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
After the tour I had the day to explore Carcassonne.

Quite by accident, I found my self entering the city by a little used windy stair case away from the busy main gates. Approaching Carcassonne this way was made the experience somehow more authentic, than using the "tourist trap" main gates as I did later on.

The medevil city is very pretty and it was easy to imagine my self strolling down the streets of Storm Wind in the World of Warcraft, or as a character in Assassin's creed. The awnings in this scene made me think of bouncing around like I was in a platform game.

There were many vendors of weaponry, and I almost rose to the purchase of a sword, but was concerned about problems at customs.
In the evening I had a meal of a local, medevil dish "casoulette".

Tragedy struck though, as somewhere in the hustle and bustle of the city the duck and I were separated.

I think that nothing might epitomize feeling silly quite so much as wandering a fortified town in search of one's duck and having the words "small pastique duck" spat back at you by the matredie of the restaurant where you ate, after inquiring if it had been found. Despite many hours of searching I was unable to reunite with the duck. I feel quite sad about that.

Searching around for the duck, I found that the city had a pleasant feel to it at night. This is the main square, which has only restaurants and bars on it, providing pleasant aromas.Læs mere
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