I think it was after the Pemberton Classic back in March this year, whilst trolling the Internet on how to get to Saint Savin that I learnt that the L”Etape in 2012 would be staring near where we were staying for the SPR Pyrenees trip. At that stage I did not know anything about the L”Etape other than it was meant to be the toughest one day cycling sportif in the world and involved a lot of climbing.

Starting on Bastille day (14th of July) in Pau ,55km”s from where we would be staying in Saint Savin I made a fairly spare of the moment decision and paid my 95 Euro”s (seemed like fantastic value compared with some of the prices we pay in Perth for such an event). Over the next few days via Facebook and over coffee after the Saturday morning ride, I tried to persuade some of the other intrepid SPR Pyrenees Team members to join me. The general comments were mainly along the lines of “are you nuts”, “crazy” whilst others had already made other plans in Europe prior to arriving in Saint Savin, so alas I would be the sole representative from the club.

My cycling form going into the L”Etape was nowhere near the level leading up to the UCI qualifier as I had not been getting out often for rides during winter and consequently was several kilos over my race weight and lacking basic mileage & race sharpness. I however felt I was stronger with a few extra months of cycling in my legs (coming from a running background I had very little leg strength) so it would be interesting to see if the improved leg strength would offset the inferior fitness level. Having done the 5 Dams (238km) with Matthew back in April I was reasonably confident I could cope with the distance provided I did not run out of energy during the race (hit the wall) and kept my fluid levels up. Having experienced this both running and during a SPR EBR Long hills ride where I could barely get over “Lennie Hill” and was bailed out by Jen S and Rob R I knew this had to be avoided at all costs.  Further discussions with Jerry who did L”Etape in 2009 and hit the wall on the Hautacam made this one of the major goals for the event. My goals were thus as follows:

1. No crashes
2. Don”t get swept up by the broom train (must average faster than 18km/h)
3. Don”t run out of energy (hit the wall)
4. 9 to 10 hours

Sometime in May I think, I learnt that I would not be the only SPR member doing the ride and that “Brother Dan” would be joining me for the adventure (flying in from London). Having someone to chat to in the lead up to the event was great and many e-mails were exchanged re gearing decision, bike food, training preparation etc.

I flew into Lourdes a few days prior to the main SPR group which arrived on the 13th. I wanted to have enough time to get over any jet lag and climb at least one Hors Catégorie (HC) climb so I knew how to pace myself for the race. Having a week off the bike I had very fresh legs when I tackled Luz Ardiden (1720m, 14.7km @ 6.9% average) at threshold on the Wednesday. It was very tough, and that evening I realized to be confident of finishing without hitting the wall, doing four mountains I would have to judge my effort and be very conservative.

As the day of the race approached I received a lot of words of encouragement and support from my fellow SPR Pyrenees team mates, some of whom I think were even a little jealous that they had not entered (Anna & Amanda). However it was Dale and Alison who went above and beyond volunteering to drive me to the start and pick me up Bagneres De Luchon (200km away). With 10,000 cyclists and associated traffic the logistics of getting to and from the event were significant. More importantly I had friends to chat to during and after the race which made it so much more enjoyable.

Race Day

We left at 5:15am from Saint Savin to get to Pau for the 7am start. I was in band five along with 1,200 other riders. There were approximately 10 groups that were separated by several minutes at the start; after the first four groups had departed we left a minute or so before 7:20. The forecast for the day was for a maximum of 21C with a chance of a shower. I had my SPR kit, arm warmers, long fingered gloves and a Gillette in my back pocket. I have never seen so many cyclists in one location and there was a real atmosphere with a French commentary team who occasionally spoke a little English setting the scene. The first 30km or so was on the flat which was good to warm up the legs prior to tackling the first climb, the Col d”Aubisque (1709m, 16.6 km @ 7.2% average) from the west. There was a slight head wind, so I was quite content to sit in a largish group and only did a couple of turns at the front; the pace was easy at about 34-35km/h. The climb was very enjoyable and I got into a good rhythm taking turns with a French climber passing hundreds of riders along the way.  At the top I stopped re-filled my water bottle put on my Gillette (as it had started to rain) and started the descent.  The descent was very cold and dangerous but everyone was very sensible. In addition to the freezing rain, there was mist which made it very difficult to see the corners/switch backs.  Fortunately there were a number of marshals on the course who were wearing yellow jackets and waiving/indicating the upcoming corner before you could see it.

The second climb was the mighty Col du Tourmalet which needs no introduction; a very long HC climb. Half way up the 20km climb, was the first food stop and as I had depleted a number of the muesli bars, casino online power bar (thanks Keith) and gels I had with me so I stopped for a few minutes to replenish my supplies. The climb was tough and somewhere along the line, I think with about 6-7km to go my climbing legs started to give way and I was in the granny gear for the remaining ascent. I should say, bar one person I was still passing lots of riders so I guess I wasn”t suffering as much as others.  It was just disappointing for the legs to go so early in the event, when the heart was more than willing. The Col du Tourmalet descent again was cold, wet and misty and I got passed by several (many?) riders who were better descenders/knew the intricacies of the route.  When we arrived at the bottom of the valley, the weather had cleared and I started to warm up again.

The third climb was the Col d”Aspin, a category 1 climb which on paper was the easiest (1489m, 12km @ 4.8%). The climb is even easier than the numbers suggest as the first 8km or so are @ 2-4%, with only the last 4km being 6-8%. In my opinion it should not really be classified as a category 1 climb with the climb only consisting of the last 4km. The first 8km you are on an undulating highway and are not really climbing. The French normally follow this principle closely, as is the case with the Tourmalet where you climb 5km at about 4% prior to the actually start of the real climb. At this stage of the race, everyone was very spread out and I did the “flat” section of the Col d”Aspin with two other riders. Granny gear for most of the final 4km, still passing people but way less numbers on the road.

A shortish descent, final pit stop at the base of the Col de Peyresourde (1,569m 9.5km @ 7.1%) where I ate several muesli bars a piece of cake and re-filled my bottles. This was going to be a tough climb, particularly in the later stages where there are multiple back-to-back km”s @ 8 percent. With dead legs it was even tougher, going up the climb I recognised some of the riders who hadn”t stopped at the bottom, exchanging grimaces.  From what I can tell most of the riders doing L”Etape were European (and French) and at this stage of the race everyone was suffering and just wishing to see the top of the climb. The descent was fantastic, with dry roads and not technical I was confident to give it a good crack and did not get passed by anyone (a first). Coming into town, I was with  two other riders and we all took turns descending into the head wind and would you know it just before the 180 degree turn I was on the front. With weak sprinting ability I realised my best chance would be to accelerate hard out of the corner and then try and TT it the 500m or so to the finish. With the quick acceleration and the adrenalin rushing, I opened up a gap and my legs somehow were able to keep me at 41km/h the whole way to the finish and I did not get passed.

I knew I had exceeded my own expectations massively as shortly after getting my finishers medal and realising I needed to stop my Garmin, it said 7h57m. Later that night after the last person had finished the official results were published and I learnt I had finished 167th overall in a time of 7h55m23s. Doing the L”Etape was a great experience and a real challenge.  The event was so well organised and the support of the French people (Bastille Day) all along the route was fantastic.  Whenever you went past a group of supporters you would hear “allez allez”, the kids would put their hands out to be touched as you rode past making you feel like a “pro”. There were unofficial water stations in certain parts of the course, a wide selection of food at all the stops with the course well marshalled, particularly on the dangerous, wet misty descents.

photos to come.