Cyclo Tour de Léman 2006
Wow....Just finished my 110K ride from Evian to Lausanne. This was a wild ride with very limited traffic control, bikes flying by at high velocity competing for road space with motorcycles, barriers, cars, and pedestrians! This makes mountain biking look like child's play! The day started at 7:30 with a boat ride to Evian. Pretty crazy....500 riders & 500 bikes piled onto a passenger boat.Lots of spandex, aluminum, titanium, and carbon packed in pretty tight.
We hit Evian at 8:00 and started the race at 8:30. The weather was beautiful and I must say I enjoyed the sensation of riding fast, in a peleton, with just the sound of whirring wheels...no wind! I got my first reality check about 20km into the ride when a group of riders merged thru my peloton and in the process put a s0lid hip into my handlebars...was going about 25mph and almost lost control...one of those wobble wobble wobble events for about 50 feet...
The first rest stop provided a break from the rush. Unlike what I've seen in US events, the menu included chocolate and various Swiss cheeses...not bad...
Then it was back to the bike cloud...
Once we past Geneva it got a bit better but near Nyon my collegue Anant got clipped by another rider...this drove him head on into a fixed barrier and took him out of the race. He's badly bruised, but no broken bones or head injury. (his helmet though was split in two!).
After Nyon I pulled over for a nature break and then found my self riding solo into a head wind. Finally hooked up with another rider and we shared the load until we hooked up with another pack. This makes it sooo much easier! My legs burned going up hills at about 80km but somehow I was able to hold my own.
I will say it was tough keeping up with some of these leather skinned old men who despite their girth, had calves that made mine look small. These guys hauled and if you get get in their pack, they did a good job of breaking wind (or should I say blocking the wind). Reminiscent of my sumo buddies without the sound effects.
Finished in 3:30:51 almost exactly 30 minutes behind the winner. Average speed 31.4km/hour). To me this was quite good considering most of my training is riding an older commuter bike 1km to work each day.
And of course the best news is that both bike and I feel great!
Cheers, Dave
We hit Evian at 8:00 and started the race at 8:30. The weather was beautiful and I must say I enjoyed the sensation of riding fast, in a peleton, with just the sound of whirring wheels...no wind! I got my first reality check about 20km into the ride when a group of riders merged thru my peloton and in the process put a s0lid hip into my handlebars...was going about 25mph and almost lost control...one of those wobble wobble wobble events for about 50 feet...
The first rest stop provided a break from the rush. Unlike what I've seen in US events, the menu included chocolate and various Swiss cheeses...not bad...
Then it was back to the bike cloud...
Once we past Geneva it got a bit better but near Nyon my collegue Anant got clipped by another rider...this drove him head on into a fixed barrier and took him out of the race. He's badly bruised, but no broken bones or head injury. (his helmet though was split in two!).
After Nyon I pulled over for a nature break and then found my self riding solo into a head wind. Finally hooked up with another rider and we shared the load until we hooked up with another pack. This makes it sooo much easier! My legs burned going up hills at about 80km but somehow I was able to hold my own.
I will say it was tough keeping up with some of these leather skinned old men who despite their girth, had calves that made mine look small. These guys hauled and if you get get in their pack, they did a good job of breaking wind (or should I say blocking the wind). Reminiscent of my sumo buddies without the sound effects.
Finished in 3:30:51 almost exactly 30 minutes behind the winner. Average speed 31.4km/hour). To me this was quite good considering most of my training is riding an older commuter bike 1km to work each day.
And of course the best news is that both bike and I feel great!
Cheers, Dave
posted by DFisch at 5:57 AM
3 Comments:
sounds like a total blast! group riding adds a whole new dimension. my favorite is riding is a familiar small group of like minded riders where everyone gets share in both the work and fun. there are so many different approachs to riding; hammerheads to bird watchers, just have to find your comfort level. enjoy and hope to hook up with you all soon. -bro don
Hey Bro Don! That's a good perspective....next time, I'd definitely like to ride with a like-minded pack...it was a bit hard, floating from one group to another, and scary riding in the middle of a large peloton...see you soon I hope!
Congratulations Dave. Hope your friend is recovering well. Mountain biking is child's play now? Actually that is exactly what I have been saying to myself ever since I started mountain biking. That this makes me a child again, and that it is more fun than the wildest conceiveable amusement park roller coaster ride. But the road race sounds thrilling too, and that is so neat that you not only entered, but finished in good form, feeling great. We are very impressed! Peg
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