Back in 2010 I was much fitter and still doing cycling journalism. I thought I’d lost this mini-documentary I made for BBC Sport about riding the Etape du Tour. An epic day out – I’d forgotten how much fun and how hard it is to ride up mountains and film.
Wrote about it for my blog too http://chasingwheels.com/etape-du-tour/etape-du-tour-2010-pau-to-tourmalet-in-which-time-slips-away-from-me
Okay done 28k first chance to breathe had a couple of tough climbs ready just got to keep going and get to the marry block just passed a sign that says 9k to the top of the marry Blanc first big climb of the day it’s 8:40 got to be over it by 10:50
Hopefully it’s only 9k so it shouldn’t take that long up ahead one of the guest Riders from a French snowboard team clearly he’s going to be quick down the hill you can not slow up them either 4K to the top of the marry Blanc this is supposed to be the toughest 4K
Of the day already it’s that last 4K Sweat Just pours off you as you come up here you desperately just trying to keep going pluging away at the kilometers that was one hell as % hting 70k an hour at 40 m an hour Pros will be going another 20 30k
Faster and everywhere you pass there’s people cheering they’re going out cheer on amateurs imagine what it’s like when the proper tour comes through the fair is Fe Station at 112 kilm last 20K murder now we got the P solo and then we got the um
Tom about 70k to go it’s not you know we’ve done the majority of it I just feel absolutely exhausted and I haven’t even done 20 days around France yet imagine how the pel feel less than 10K to the summit of C this is really really s I’m literally in my lowest
Gear and I can barely turn it been going for five and a half hours best Pros they were finished by now and we’ve got another 50k to go I can’t believe I’d just come up this stupid Valley 10K it was absolute 144k done that was a fabulous descent off the S just absolutely hammering it down at 60k an hour 70k an hour barely hav to break in most places so that was a lot of fun it’s up there ahead I can just see peeking out the valley
Can of Coke you see the pros they’ll be drinking it as well just a little sugar little hit of sugar it’s salt and it’s cold usually oh beautiful 18K to the summit I don’t think I’m can go any faster than this I’m going 10K an hour seriously get your pedometer out and
Walk at that speed it’s not fast we think of Yen folks the German with saxo back I’m Mountain so tough is out of office for July reads I’m away from my desk making pain pay Yen says it’s about between the head and the legs what he says is when you’re
Hurting like this you just have to tell your head and you’ve just got a say shut up legs and just keep going so for the next 15K I’m just going to lock that thought in my head so still about 7 km to go we got make our way all the way up
There and around the top of that and then in behind it and now just just try to finish Pros will come up here 20 25 maybe 30 and they’ll be racing they’ll be going flat out this is impressive when you know how hard it is to know what they do just three long
Kilometers it’s literally that bad that cown K byk 500 M at a time get through it see how you do what a view that is here we go last kilometer one to go 200 M to go 200 m 100 meters around this Bend [Applause] apparently oh here we [Applause] Go [Applause] really 181 exhausted nothing left again