My Tour de France

[toolonglegs]

Well seing that Mike has a training log and a tour de Mike...thought I may have one too!.Not quite as detailed thou!.
Day Zero!!!
Well I have been in France less than 24hours...seriously tired...travelling time from NZ was 32 hours.With 4 yr old twins it was rather exhausting.4 flights and less than 5 hours sleep...not much riding for a day or two .
Plus it is raining today and colder than Sydney so no great loss.
On the plus side I was rather happy on the drive home from Lyon airport to see at least 15 cyclists out training...and that was in a 30-40k drive on pretty small country lanes.Living in a small town with a zillion country roads leading in every direction has it bonus'!.
Can't wait to get back out there....I know these roads really well but stil find little treasures everywhere I go...and they are rather beautiful roads as the area I now live in has about 1000 swamps for me to ride around!.If I go on a 100k ride I can fit in some 15-20km big climbs up to about 1400 meters.If I drive 50-100k's first I can include Alpe Dues Huez or Clo de Croix Fer in my little jaunts ... will have to take a camera out to make everyone jealous.

[lukas]

Hey toolong.. so where abouts are you living? Near the alps I presume??

I'm spending 5 nights in the Pyrenees in late July.. can't wait!

[mikesbytes]

tour de toolong COOL

[Chuck]

Can't wait to see some photos. Seriously envious.

[Boognoss]

Can't wait to see some photos. Seriously envious.

+1

[jr1991]

I want to hear firsthand about climbing those alps

[toolonglegs]

Tour des too long
I am a little bit northeast of Lyon,so the proper Alps are about 100kms away...but the foot hills start 35kms to the east and there are some seriously steep clims in those...steeper (but shorter) than any I have done in the Alps so far!
I snuck in 2 good rides in NZ before flying out but with only a 39/23 combo on I seriously struggled on some of the climbs where I was..they were only two to 3.5k long but up to 7-8% av grad ...which my 100kgs always finds hard!!...so the big alps will be a wee while off!.

[sandman]

Toolong

Can you post a google maps link of where you live ?

Pete

[mikesbytes]

What about Tourlong de France

BTW, where did you do the rides in NZ?

[toolonglegs]

Here you Pete,
As you can see pretty damn flat where I am...which is good given my current state.But the hills start proper 35km east and they dont stop getting bigger till Italy .Should have taken my camera out on my morning ride...just beautiful,a bit chilly still but just had to ride harder to warm up.
Bad news on the racing front,it will cost me quite a bit to join and race as the licences go from Sep to Aug.So not really worth it for 2 months,so gives me a bit of time to wind up some form.
Mike around Cambridge the climbs are around Mangakawi .Also did a loop of Mangatautiri which is up and down the whole way.
The biggest climb is over the Kaimi's to Tauranga but I didn't do it this time.
I will be a week or to till I hit the real climbs here,need to get a 27 on the rear of the Cannondale to have any hope of an enjoyable ride...23 just dosent cut it for me!.
But we are living in a house now!,kids are at school,visa application is under way and 2 weeks till I have internet at home .
So all good so far!!!!...havent thought about work yet,but will have the kids in 5 weeks when school holidays start for 6 weeks,so gives me time 2 or 3 months to learn French as no one at all speaks English!.


Google Maps Link

[toolonglegs]

btw....I have done a few hundred k's since I have been here....hardly seen a pot hole even on the little country roads I spend most of my time on.Had a load of trucks and cars slow down if it wasnt safe to pass and not even one close call....not like Sydney at all in fact

[sandman]

Toolong

Great to her from you. Excellent on settling in and finding your way around the place. Funny that I gather your in more of a "rural" area so the push to speak English is diminished

Only yesterday I had an idiot in a small truck (Beaurepairs tyre truck) overtake a car ( they were both oncomming) while I am on the road with no shoulder. I waved my fist at him and he just smiled, doing well over 100km/hr and passed within 1 meter.

I sat down and watched "Hell on Wheels" and another TDF movie ( think it was CSC team in 2003/2004) and thought about what kind of riding you'll be able to do. All I can say is WOW !!!!! You're going to have a blast, especially when you get the 27 on the back

Great to hear from you and keep us posted on what you're up to...Be nice when google get higher res maps of where you live and what a challenge, street names that make no sense

Cheers..Pete

[mikesbytes]

Hey toolong, I'm doing my first open road race and I've been given are really good handicap

http://www.nsw.cycling.org.au/files/Races/2008/08142/08142.htm#Handicaps

[toolonglegs]

Nothing like Spring in France!!!...rain rain rain.Had a nice wet ride today,only managed 70k's but did have a great ride.The highlight being all the snow on the hills,probably a bit far to ride to them.I reckon 140-160k round trip to get to the snow,that would include a 18k climb (just to get over the foot hills) before the real climbing.Once I get a car I will be off!.Snow might be gone by then but I know it will be back!!!.

[Hawkeye]

OK, spill the beans! How did you go?

[Chuck]

Toolong,


Does Le Tour travel through or near where you are this year.

Are we gonna see you running alongside the riders, in some crazy garb, on the telecast back here in oz .

[toolonglegs]

Toolong,


Does Le Tour travel through or near where you are this year.

Are we gonna see you running alongside the riders, in some crazy garb, on the telecast back here in oz .

The last two years it has gone very close,2 years ago it went thru a town 25k's north of here and last year it had a finish and start in that same town.
This year the stage after Alpe Dues Heuz finishes an hour south of here and the stage after starts 45min west.Not sure what we are up to yet as I have to buy a car first...but I will have the kids on holiday so might go to the Alpes over night with them...we will see.

[toolonglegs]

There is no way anyone can claim I have advantage with the weather.3 weeks I have been here...had one day with blue sky.Rained on every ride I have done...today it is 12 degrees at 3pm and I can hardly move my hands after a ride!...it is only 3 weeks till national summer holidays start!!!

[mikesbytes]

So all of those K's everyone was expecting you to clock up won't be happening?

[toolonglegs]

I am clocking them up....just getting wet and cold doing it.Problem is it should be 20 degrees here now and blue skies!....and I only brought summer kit.To tell the truth even I do clock up some good k's over summer I will struggle in my first winter!.

[toolonglegs]

It was too nice a night tonight,so even thou I rode this morning...I just couldn't help myself.My wiggle order turned up so I have a new chain and a 12-27 so I thought I would go and find a nearby hill....30k's later I started to climb up to the huge virgin mary statue at Miribel.Only a 3k 5-6% climb but it was nice to be climbing for a change.Now I can go and find some real hills!.

[Aushiker]

Fantastic views and riding Toolong. I am so jealous . Oh you will need to get a Look now that you are in France

Andrew

[sogood]

What a symbol to erect on top of a hill!

[Kev365428]

Certainly is phallic.

Kev.

[toolonglegs]

yeah it is a weird thing to put on the top of a hill .
Don't know about a Look just yet,see a lot of them around thou.The boat arrives with all our stuff on the 6th so I need to source a training frame by then to put all my bits on!.