Stage 12:
216.5km / 135.3 miles
1,510 metres climbing
Ride time 7hrs 35
Average speed 28.5 kph / 17.8 mph
The first of the long apparently flat stages that over the coming days will deliver us to Mont Ventoux and then the Alps. Setting off in light drizzle, it didn’t really warm up until the very last few km. A long long stage, typified by straight roads (some of them up to 15-20 km without a noticeable corner – thanks Romans),
and generally little of significance until, towards the latter part, a series of castles, chateaus and rivers.
But by then I had somewhat lost interest. Due in the main to the fact that after about 85km I crashed.
Riding in a group, the rider immediately in front of me braked without warning when a car looked like it was going to pull out of a side junction into our path. I was watching his wheel, and from where I was, couldn’t really see the car anyway. So, he braked, I didn’t see that coming, my front wheel hit his rear, and although sometimes that isn’t a problem, it is all a matter of how you are balanced at the time. On this occasion, things didn’t work out in my favour and I was immediately flipped over the bars and piled into the road, bike on top of me. By all accounts it was quite spectacular.
Fortunately the bike was still rideable, after straightening the bars and the right sided shifter. But I had gone down on my right side, and my right wrist was not pleased by the experience. My fear was that it was broken. Other than that, I had a bang to the right arm and a bruise to the right side of my back where I hit and rolled, and the mini pump in my right rear pocket dug in. Riding on after sorting the bike, I checked in with the physio 25 miles later at the next feed stop, and got some strapping. The rest of the ride was a case of protecting my right hand and wrist from jolting, although my right hand still had to be used for the front brake, and to change the rear gears. So, pretty important really, both for making progress and for riding safely in a group. As a result the rest of the ride didn’t really interest me in terms of the surroundings, so no photos of chateaus, or anything like that.
Restrapping after completing the ride, and a collective medical opinion that it probably wasn’t broken, but we’d know more the following day, rather left me in limbo. It didn’t help that my hand swelled significantly during the evening and I had to remove the strapping and use an ice bag to control it. Along with plenty of brufen and paracetemol.
So all in all a day to forget.
Stage 13:
176km / 110 miles
1,147 metres climbing
Ride time 6hrs 17 mins
Average speed 28 kph / 17.5 mph
This stage would be the first test of the hand. The wrist was still swollen, but re-strapped and ready to go. Another apparently flat stage although one category 4 climb (not that anyone noticed it); some pleasant towns and villages, one or two more chateaus, then yet more arrow-straight roads and wide rolling terrain, typically forests or cornfields, and occasional poppy fields and lavender. Although there were sunflower fields, none of them have flowered yet, so they just look like green plants about a metre high. For the first time I had no ideas where we were going to, other than in the most general of terms, and knew only that it was a “flat” stage of 173km. And that it was expected to be sunnier and warmer than previous days. That seemed to be about the minimum necessary information. And so it proved.
So it was another ride where motivation was a challenge. The hand was ok as long as the road was flat and a smooth surface. In the middle of the ride, we had to ride about 35km on really rough surface, which was the sort that gives you pins and needles in hands and feet, even if you are completely physically fine, due to the continual vibration. Which led to me mostly riding one handed, again in a group but taking care not to endanger myself or anyone else, as a result of not having both brakes covered at all times.
Knowing it was a relatively short stage, we all pushed on, and after minimum time at food stops, cracked on and with better smoother tarmac later, were soon passing the geographical centre point of France, and quicly thereafter, arriving at our hotel for the night. Having finished by 3pm, there was time to do some washing, get it out in the sun to dry, dangle tired legs in the pool, and generally chillout. Bodies are now increasingly fatigued after two weeks of mostly long hard days, and the limited recovery time available.
The hand ended the day swollen, as a result of the rough tarmac section, but not as swollen as last night, so with an ice pack and some TLC it will hopefully be ok for tomorrow – when we have five cat 4 and two cat 3 climbs to attack, between Saint-Pourcain sue-Sioule and Lyon – within a ride of some 191km. At least one of those will necessitate riding standing, not in the saddle, and that will be the real acid test for my hand, in advance of the Mont Ventoux and alpine stages that follow – where there will be many hours in total spent in exactly that way – climbing out of the saddle. Which puts more weight on the hands. The consensus of medical opinion for now, is more firmly of the view that I have not broken any bones, but need to keep on with the icing and if possible elevate the hand overnight. Not exactly sure how I’m going to do that, but will see what inspiration can produce.
I also promised to write a little piece about food.
We, the lifers, are like a plague of locusts attacking any food that comes within range. We are burning somewhere between 6,000 and 9,000 calories a day, so need to eat a lot! New arrivals soon end up following the same regime. Typically at breakfast I’ll put away two pain au chocolat or croissant, a bowl of cereal and yoghurt with fruit, a coffee, fruit juice, and a chunk of French bread with ham or cheese, or jam, or all three. And an egg if there is one available. An extra chunk of French bread with ham and cheese gets made up and goes in the back pocket for “later”.
Once on the road, we have a food stop once every 40km or so. Some are in villages, others in lay-bys, some in parks or beside lakes.
lunch stop stage 12:
lunch stop stage 13
Each food stop of the day has its own character. The first one typically has bananas, dried fruit and peanuts, pastries or similar.
All of those get eaten, and a handful of dried fruit and peanuts normally go into the back pocket for “later” i.e. for eating between food stops. It is important to keep energy levels up at all times! Stop 2 at about 80km typically has bananas, sandwiches (peanut butter or jam or both, or pate, or cream cheese), and fruit. Stop 3 after about 120km is lunch, typically two of three of a cold pasta or cold rice or cold cous-cous dish, each enriched with peppers, tomato, peas, or tuna (tastes a lot better than it sounds!), plus melon, and sundry other items, e.g. cake…
All of these get eaten. Finally, food stop 4, after about 160km, typically has cans of coke, sweets, crisps, mini cakes. Just enough to get us through to the finish.
All the various foods provided, are good for quick-release and slow release energy during the day, and water is available at all stops, along with fruit squash, and of course hand wipes and suncream! At the finish, any remaining uneaten lunch rice etc is available. Plus there’s the option to buy sundry other small items.
Finally, at 8.00 normally, although 7.00 on occasion, dinner. This is the most variable culinary episode of the day, often involving beige food, mystery meat, rarely enough (or any) salad or vegetables, but hopefully enough to see us through the night. Despite the best attempts of the Tour de Force team to explain exactly what our needs are, the hotels vary in their ability to interpret this and turn it into tasty interesting food. Sometimes the offerings are bizarre, other times simply beige, and on occasion just not very much or not very good. In these cases, we tend to get a morning pastries treat at the first food stop the next day as payback. Our every culinary need therefore being catered for!
Andy J Tour de Force 2013 
Written
on July 5, 2013