World Andorra Andorra la Vella

FINDING MY WAY

12 Etapa- Castelsarrasin - La Mongie y 13 Etapa- Lannemezan - Plateau de Beille Jul 16, 2004

As I began to assend in to the Bask Country of Spain I soon realized all that I had heard...It is truly beautiful! I encounterd some of the most beautiful and difficult roads that I have ever seen. Difficult for navigation and yes a bit dangerous. I planned to leave with plenty of day light on Thursday to make sure I was not stuck lost in the dark, but plans always go wrong- its "Murphy´s Law" ya know. For sure there were problems at the car rental place getting my car. I should have just calculated that in from the get go. I could not have predicted however, that while going through one of the toll booths fresh paint from construction workers would drip all over my new 6,000 km rental car. That added an hour as I had to fill out the incident report in hopes that the guys there would even submit it. Anyway, I did enjoy some beautiful sights as the sun went down on my lost car at the peak of the mountains on narrow roads. I was able to get my dart close to the bulls eye and was lucky to role in to Lannemezan, the start for Saturday's stage. Keep in mind that in the Tour De France the finish of one stage is not often the start for another. I still had a ways to go and up the Col d´Aspin and La Mongie, which are steep dark roads at night. I was lucky to figure out my way with the help of two kids on the side of the road who did not speak English of course. These two kids were so nice and so funny that I am wishing now I had film of them. I am thankful that I at least I know how to say left and right in French, and that I had a good map. They got me exactly where I needed to be.

Once I got to the base of the Col d´Aspin I knew I had made it. I saw the police and the crowds of people gathering at the base with tents and campers. I had to pull over to get a picture with the famous "Devil of the Mountains" that you so often see while watching The Tour on TV. I was so excited as I climbed the steep roads with my car gasping for air, picturing in my mind that the next morning our heroes would be suffering on the same tortueous climb. I continued on and the gathering of campers and tents became more abundant. Up at the top of the col d´Aspin there was a party going on and people were painting the streets full of messages of encouragement for their teams and messages of intimidation for their competitors. I wanted to stop but my urge to get up to La Mongie for the finish was to strong, and I was feeling impatient. I took the road down at about 60 km/hour feeling scared that I might go over the edge as I imagined the guys coming down at double that speed the next day.

As I arrived at the top of La Mongie at about 1:00 A.M., there was one heck of a party going on in the ski town. I parked my car along with the other thousands of cars and campers to join in. There was something so intimidating about picturing these guys coming up these wall like roads with huge mountains surrounding them, and fans on top of them. You feel so small and weak when you look around up there. The chants and singing of the Europeans rang through the streets and echoed off the walls of the mountains strong and clear, and it made me feel nervous and excited. Would I get to see Lance come around the bend first and feel the adrenaline rush of excitement as I see the US Postal blue approaching? I made my way down to the heart of the town from where my car was parked to join in on and see the festivaties. I had a couple beers with some French and Spanish fans and told them that I was Canadian, as I felt it better to conceal my identity and excitement for US Postal amoungst the rambunctious fans. I went to my car to sleep long before the party had died down, because I was one of the many who wanted to experience some of the climb that these guys do early in the morning before the race gets close to the finish line town.

The next morning after some coffee and some carb loading I took my bike down the road of La Mongie to climb back up it again. I could not believe how many people were out on the road on bike to take the challenge. I went down half way and decided to start there and continue on through the finish line up the road the tour took last year. Let me tell you it does not matter what road you take. They are all really hard climbs! Keep in mind that these climbs are only one of two to seven that the pros might have in a day stage. For this stage La Mongie at the finish is the second climb of a 199 km race. My butt was kicked after doing just over one climb. The next day to Plateau De Beille calls for seven climbs, three of which were class one (the hardest). These guys are truly amazing machines!!!

Many people ask the question; "Why would anyone want to stand around all day to see the riders go by an a few minutes on one section of a 200 km course?" Yes, you do have to make your way up the mountains the night before because they close the roads early in the morning, which leaves you standing around all day. Yes the pros do go by quite fast! Even on the steep climbs (the best place to really see them), they go by at a pace that seems non-human. But what other sport can you actually get two feet away from your heroes though, anc actually pat them on the back or poor cool water on them, or run along side while they are competing? Anyone see the time trial today in the Alpe D´Huez? It was unreal...the crowd, the excitement! Why does anyone wait around for the Rose Bowl Parade? Because it is a grand party with lots of eye candy. The Tour De France is the same. All through the night and morning it is a party with much people watching and action. In the early morning you can either struggle, or watch and laugh at people struggling up the mountain on their bikes or even on foot. By mid to late morning you definitely need to pick your spot along the road to make sure you are on camera as the human machines pass by. Anyone see me on T.V.? I was the one making sure I kept my yellow souvenir bag behind me so lance did not get his handle bars caught on one again this year. Once you have found your spot, hopefuly by some Americans and not some American hating "Basque" fans, you can chat with neighbors about The Tour and absorb all the beauty surrounding you. It is not long before The Tour´s own "Rose Bowl Parade" passes by. A caravan of vehicles at least forty five minutes long paves the way for the police motos, T.V. motos, and finaly the cyclists. I guarantee you have never seen so many crazy vehicles in your life filled with beautiful women and dancers. They throw everything from food, candy, and products like Febreeze, to race attire and hats. I collected a bag full of goodies, and not to mention a water bottle thrown away from a cyclist on the tour. I do not know which pro it was, but it nearly tagged me in the head. The parade definitely puts you in the mood and gets your blood pumping for what is to come.

Finaly you hear it...down in the valley below. The sound of hellicopters! Soon you see the hellicopter that hovers almost still. It is the air camera crew, and you know that the Peleton or perhaps a break-away group is coming up the mountain. Then like little ants marching up the hill, you can just make out the diffirence between the motos and the cyclists that follow. You wait eagerly and hear murmers and rumors of who is in the break-away group and other things in the race. If you are lucky and can understand Spanish or French, you can probably get the truth. If you are really lucky, you may be near a camper that has a dish on it and gets Eurosport for all the English speaking world. You look down at another switchback and are in disbelief that the race has already climbed so high, and how fast these guys come up the mountain. The T.V. chopper may disapear around a bend in the mountain and then appear again with the cyclists always under it. Your heart starts to pound with anticipation, and you begin to daydream about your hero coming around the corner first. Suddenly the chopper pops up in front of you from nowhere, and snaps you back to reality. There around the corner, you see the first heroes of the day coming towards you at a relentless pace! If you are a U.S. Postal fan, you feel as if you might cry with excitement when you see the unmistakable colors of the team leading the pack. They come up the road and you swear you can hear their hearts pounding! Sweat poors from the cyclists, and you can see every striation of every muscle of these finely tuned machines strain as if they are going to burst! You are there, two feet away from the heros you see on the T.V. and in the magazines, and you gain an appreciation of the sport that can not be imagined.

Lance, as we all know, is now wearing the Yellow Leaders Jersey, and as of today has won his third of the last five stages in The Tour. As he continues over the next four days on his quest for a historic sixth win in The Tour, I am thankful to have witnessed some of the pinnacle days of this race. These guys are truly amazing athletes, and Lance especially has a look on his face that is not like any of the other competitors. Like M.J., or Mr. Ali, Lance has that winning, determined, never changing look on his face...that of a True Champion! I will never forget how I got to see that look first hand, and what will forever be an Epic Tour De France!

I have said it befor and I'll say it again... if you like to bike, traveling with your bike is an amazing thing! Yes, it has been very difficult at times with all my other luggage and moving around, but there has been so many days that having my bike has ment the world to me. I have seen places and done things in cities and remote areas that probably 90% of people visiting have not seen. It is the best way to see a city!!! And now, I have experienced the roads of The Tour De France!