CYCLING A STAGE OF THE TOUR DE FRANCE!

EPISODE #191 –
I’m over in France to take on the famous cycling event “L’etape du tour” where members of the public for one day are allowed to ride a stage of the Tour de France, with closed roads and 17,000 people in attendance, this is one of the most incredible experiences on a bike you’ll ever have.
Thanks to the guys at Zwift for inviting me out here and for sponsoring this video, this is a dream come true.

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Thomas “The Cycling Tattooist.”

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Film & Editing: Thomas Martinez.
Intro Music: Press 1, Lukas Got Lucky.
Intro Film & Editing: Joe Simkins, Karl Kolecava.

I have just got back from what was one of the biggest and most challenging rides I have ever done and that is Latour. This is a crazy event where they allow people of the public to go ride one of the stages of the tour to France. But as grueling as it was, believe me, it lived up to the hype. A massive thank you to Zift for inviting me out here and for sponsoring today’s video. This is a day that I will not forget. It’s about time we do this sister cycling tattooist. So, the big event is tomorrow. It’s the evening before and I’m definitely excited, but the nerves are starting to kick in for sure. It’s suddenly dawning on me how big of a ride this is tomorrow. 130k. That’s not the hard bit. It’s the 4 12,000 m of elevation that is in the ride. I’m going to have a pretty early start tomorrow because they do recommend that you get there between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m. Plus, I’ve got a bit of a drive from where I’m staying. So, I’m probably going to have to leave the hotel at around 500 a.m. But anyways, I just wanted to start this video here and um say please wish me luck. Um definitely going to need it and I guess I’ll see you on the start line. [Music] Come on. [Applause] So, here we go. It’s Dday. And of course, in true Thomas style, I’m running late. I mean, it wouldn’t be me, would it, if I wasn’t? Oh my god. This is the one time I could have really been running on time, but ah sailor be. Hey, I refuse to let a bad night ruin me just doesn’t get through to me. Even back then getting stopped by the truency. Posted with the bros and turned a barn into a mutiny. One of them and then we handled it brutally. I made it. Yes, I’m late but I made it. Now just a small part of doing a huge ride with loads of elevation. That’s what a thousand more organized people than me look like. Look what I bumped into. Good day, mate. Yeah, if I wasn’t worried, now I definitely am cuz you got animals like this turning up. So, I’m about that today. I don’t know. I’m about to get my legs ripped off, I think. [Music] I can’t handle this dramatic music, man. All right, here we go. Y’all not sick. Got immunity and lack the continuity. I leave them in the dust and stack bread cuz I’m moving things. Speed reach a new high. When I started removing things, I had to drop the baggage out the I almost forgot about the best bit about this. This is my first time riding on closed roads. Oh yeah. Yeah. Oh, man. So good. Oh my god. I’m already happy. I haven’t even done a kilometer. Before I blew a wing, I let the engine fail. Cold day in hell. I let a pest prevail. Put them to the test and let the pressure scale. Yeah, that’ll do it. That’ll separate the weak from the real. Getting to it. Ever heard of that expression, find a good wheel to sit on. I think I found it. Play the part, but sometimes it’s like I’m missing a script. I write my own cuz nobody going to tell it like it is. Yeah. Nobody going to tell it like it is. All right, here we go. First climb of the day and this is about the point where I get dropped. Tristan’s just up there. I’ve got a feeling he’s going to disappear very quickly. That ger is on another level. I was redlining just trying to keep on his will. So I’ll be showing him the way. [Music] Well, there’s Tristan. He’s gone. dropped me like a sack of I did manage to hang on for 14k though, so pretty decent effort if you ask me. Reality is definitely setting in and I’m starting to see how hard today’s going to be. Woo! This is only the first climb. I know I’ve already said that, but I just thought I’d reiterate that I should not be puffing like this. Hey, so why be showing them the way? Living by example, put my life on display. Put me in the game, watch them make a play. Live a life for the day. Sun shining through the grave. What you say? I’m steaming out the pot. Got my brother standing next to me. I’ll pass my boys the rock. Put some diamonds in the ring. Add some to the show. Never stop. Well, that descent didn’t feel long enough. And now we’re straight back in to the second climb. 13.7 km this one. I best settle into a pace here because I’m going to blow up very very quickly if I carry on like this. Hey, what what you say? I’m steaming out the pot. Got my brother standing next to me. I’ll pass my boys the rock. Put some diamonds in the chain. Add some numbers to the flock. Let it pop. Go and show them what you got. Never stop. Never stop. [Music] Never stop. [Applause] It’s so good that people come out to cheer you on at the side of the road. It’s brilliant. Proper lifts your spirit. Makes you feel like you’re in a proper race or something. I feel like I’m in the tour of France. 600 m to the top. Let’s go. can say all the things. [Music] Woo! That’s what I’m trying to do. [Music] No mucking about. Straight back on the road. All right, here we go. Climb three. Another long one, of course. 12.6 km this one. And uh it’s a little bit steeper. Average gradient of 7.7%. It’s going to hurt. Obviously, they all hurt. I’ve proper knocked off the pace on this climb. I’m doing the sensible thing and uh saving some energy back because there is a mammoth climb to do right at the end and I don’t want to put myself in a position where well, you know what’ll happen? I’ll end up bonking on the halfway up the mountain or something. So, we don’t want that, do we? So, for now, I’m being sensible. On the last couple of climbs, I was holding around 280 to 300 W. Uh, but now I’m severely less than that. Maybe around the 240 mark, maybe even a little bit less. I don’t know what I was thinking. I knew this was going to be hard. I’ll tell you what, the people at the side of the road, they’re in half. Even if it’s really hurting, they start cheering for you and all of a sudden you find a few extra watts. [Music] Oh, brilliant. Oh, it pains me to do it, but I’ve had to stop a sec. Oh, dear me. I’m just on the limit and uh I can’t get fuel in when I’m on the limit like that. So, I’m going to stop and quickly bang a gel down. Let my heart rate come back down and then we’ve got 2 and 1 halfk to the top. Not far. That descent can’t come soon enough. [Music] When you say all the things I am having fun, believe me, don’t let this put you off for doing something like this. It’s amazing. I mean, look. Look where I am. [Music] Oh. Oh my god. Look at that. I’m going to have to stop. That’s unreal. Look at that. Yeah. As I was saying, I mean, look where I am. Oh my god. Absolutely incredible. All of a sudden, I just forgot about all that pain I was just in. That is just something else. That is unreal. [Music] Man, the spectators here is so good. Oh, this is what an amazing day. I’ve never simultaneously been in so much pain and and been having so much fun at the same time. My emotions are all over the place. One minute I want to cry, next minute I’m laughing. Right, climb four now. Uh well, I think it’s four anyway. I’ve lost track of it. But it’s the penultimate climb anyway. This one is a bit of a short one. I say short one. It’s 6k, which normally would be a pretty decent climb, but around here it’s nothing. And especially when the last climb is 20k long. So, so this is a mere blip compared to that. I’m really just in survival mode now. So, I’m just going to tap away, get this one done, and then save any little drop of energy I have for last climb. That’s my tactics. Whether it works, who knows? You might see me dead halfway out the last climb. It’s quite likely. I think very nearly at the top of this climb now. Just about make it out in the distance. I believe there’s a a little food stop at this uh at this peak. So, definitely going to treat myself to a little break there, raid whatever snacks I’ve got, get a load of water down my neck, and then push on to the final climb. [Music] Don’t worry. [Music] I just missed the little like entry sign to the climb, but we’re on the last climb. Come on. Just 20 kilometers of uphill left to go and then we’ll be done. It’s such a weird feeling because I’m having such a good time, but I also want it to be over. [Applause] I’m only 5K into the last climb and I literally just saw Ed Lavat come back the other way. So, he must have absolutely smashed it. I’d love to know what time he managed to do this in. I know it’s probably a fair bit quicker than me. I am absolutely crawling up here. I’m doing like 240ish watts and uh feels like I’m doing double that. We’re almost halfway up the climb now. I just went past that sign that said 1k until the uh refreshment stops. So, believe I’ll be stopping there and then uh do this climb in two halves cuz I’m not man enough to do it in one go. All right, leave me alone. It’s crazy how high up we are and we’ve still got 735 m to go. I think I’ll just sit here. I don’t need to go to the top. Oh, it’s quite nice here. I think I’ll tell you what though, this event is very, very wellrun. Food stops are amazing and uh yeah, obviously closed roads. It’s just all been just yeah, really, really well run. Even yesterday when I went to pick up my number, they they call it the village and it’s just absolutely mental. In fact, I’ll just cut back to that now. I’ve just got here to the village and this place is absolutely insane. I have never ever done an event of this size before and it is breathtaking. I cannot believe the amount of people here and all of the vendors. It is absolutely insane. And it’s definitely making me feel a little bit nervous about tomorrow as well. Oh my god, this is going to be one hell of a ride. I think one of the best things about coming somewhere like this is you as a cyclist, you obviously feel really at home. You know that everybody here just absolutely loves bikes just as much as you do. And it’s just yeah, this great feeling here like everyone’s just really excited to get going tomorrow, I think. [Music] [Music] Don’t see this on the push. [Music] Thank you very much everybody. Thank you. Anyways, I’ll cut back to myself. Whether or not I’m suffering right now, I don’t know. Maybe I already am. Yeah, back to me. So, yeah, the village was amazing and as I said, it’s run absolutely amazingly. And uh yeah, can’t thank everyone that puts it on enough. And obviously can’t thank uh Zift enough for putting me through this torture. All right, let’s finish this thing. Can’t stand around here all day. [Music] Right, my game plan now is just literally to survive this. All dreams of doing a half decent time are completely out the window. I just need to get to the top. Obviously, I’m not going to quit. That’s uh not even in the question. I will get to the top, but I’m just going to go so slow. I’m uh currently doing about 220 watts and I think that will do. To be honest, we’ll get there. One pedal stroke at a time. Left, right, left, right, left, right. [Music] Come on. One more K to go. Woo. I need my bed. I am absolutely done in [Music] Oh, there’s the top. Come on. Finish strong. Let’s go. Come on. Oh, this is unreal. [Music] What an experience. This has been one of the best things I’ve ever done. Oh, I’m dying. But oh my god, what an experience. Here we go. Woo! We done it. Nice job, man. Yeah. Well done, man. Hey, man. It was a powerful photo. Thank you. We done it. Got the medal. Don’t mind if I do. I don’t know what that is, but it’s the dest thing in the world. No, it’s not what I want. I’m going to go find some proper food. [Music] So, I’ve just got back to the hotel and it’s finally sinking in. What an incredible day today was. I I feel so lucky to have been invited out here and to have experienced that ride. As much as I was moaning during it, I I had such an amazing time and uh it’s he’s definitely one for the memory bank. If you get the chance to come out here and do one of these rides, I highly highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed. Just unlike me, make sure you bring your aame because it really is a tough ride. I suffered a lot today. Uh, I kind of knew that was going to be the case because I’ve just come off of having two weeks away with very little training. I know, excuses, excuses, but I I wasn’t feeling fit at all coming into this. But of course, I wasn’t not going to do it, was I? So, anyways, big thanks to Zift again. Super grateful for their support of the channel and for inviting me out here. It’s dream come true. This is actually only day two of a 10-day trip, so you can expect a lot more to come from me here in France, so stay tuned. I hope you enjoyed this video, and if you haven’t already, please click that subscribe button. It really helps out the channel. And I’ll see you next time. Heat. Heat. [Music]