Monday, April 19, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Little things
The wind, has been the main character of the last few days of riding. Definitly, it has stolen the show.
Since I left the Pyrenees it's been consistently coming from where I want to go to. It's been very frustrating. Not only makes the ride a lot harder, slower, and longer, but it's restless to ride against a headwind. Phisically and mentally. When you're on the mountains you only push going uphill and then relax coming down. But against the wind on this hilly terrain, it makes the ride a 150-200 km mild uphill. 7 to 10 hours a day you can't rest, even when going downhill.
And then there's the noise, the bloody stressful noise. Being a sailor I should be used to this. But pedaling for 8 hours with this distant thundering right inside your head non stop, drives me insane.
It's very hard to deal with all this. Specially when I thought this would be the easier part of the trip. I thought the mountains would test myself, but these last 5 days have been the real test. They reminded me of the meaningless of planning. No matter how much you train or prepare and plan for journeys like this, it's nature who has the last call. Weather has been perfect don't get me wrong, sunny warm days one after the other. But my legs and my mind are way more exhausted than what I thought they would at this point.
From Biarritz to Arcachon on wednesday, there're 180 km. I did 210. I left the bag with money and debit card at lunch and I realized it 15 km later. On the evening, one hour from Arcachon, I couldn't take a panini out the bag (tired, wind, hunger) and so I went off at it with such anger, I actually felt ashame of myself. Such is the desperation I reach when riding over 10 hours with this constant buzz in my ears.
But at the end of the day, I feel happy. I feel happy because I arrive and I can rest. I feel happy because I'm out there, free, doing what I chose to do. Doing something that I believe in.
And are the little things that I witness and learn along the way that keep me going. The smell of the forest, the hare that sprinted away scared of my suddent presence, the croaking of frogs while passing a little pond and the wind died down a little to allow me to hear the world. It's finding out that Sort, where I spent my second day on the Pyrenees, means Luck in Catalan, so people go there specifically to buy their lottery tickets.
On Thursday going to Angouleme (a cool little surprise of a town by the way) when the wind was not that strong, I found this group of kattle laying lazily on the grass. And I saw them, and I stared at them, and secretly envied them for being so laid back and restful. But at getting closer I noticed their ears, shaking, every 3 or 5 seconds, all the time. I realized they were shaking the flies off their ears. That must be so annoying I thought. So I smiled, put my head down, and kept going, pedaling away.
Yesterday, was the windier day, and after a bend on the grenhills I saw this cows, again, just chilling. And I started smiling again, but this time there was no shaking, just peace and restfulness. Puzzled, I wondered, and immediatly this white noise spoke right next to my ears and gave me the answer. That same wind which was exhausting me, was blowing the flies away from the kattle's ears. And I smiled again. I smiled at how things work. I smiled because there's a balance, sometimes we're good and sometimes not quite. And I smiled because I knew at some point this wind would let go, veer or back to help me, or if it doesn't then there's must be a lesson there I have to understand.
So I put my head down again, and pedaled and pedaled and pedaled... and thought it would be cool to be able to shake my ears like that to scare flies and mosquitoes, or this bloody wind... and I pedaled.
PS: can't upload pictures in this... bar with computers! tomorrow Paris so I should then...
Since I left the Pyrenees it's been consistently coming from where I want to go to. It's been very frustrating. Not only makes the ride a lot harder, slower, and longer, but it's restless to ride against a headwind. Phisically and mentally. When you're on the mountains you only push going uphill and then relax coming down. But against the wind on this hilly terrain, it makes the ride a 150-200 km mild uphill. 7 to 10 hours a day you can't rest, even when going downhill.
And then there's the noise, the bloody stressful noise. Being a sailor I should be used to this. But pedaling for 8 hours with this distant thundering right inside your head non stop, drives me insane.
It's very hard to deal with all this. Specially when I thought this would be the easier part of the trip. I thought the mountains would test myself, but these last 5 days have been the real test. They reminded me of the meaningless of planning. No matter how much you train or prepare and plan for journeys like this, it's nature who has the last call. Weather has been perfect don't get me wrong, sunny warm days one after the other. But my legs and my mind are way more exhausted than what I thought they would at this point.
From Biarritz to Arcachon on wednesday, there're 180 km. I did 210. I left the bag with money and debit card at lunch and I realized it 15 km later. On the evening, one hour from Arcachon, I couldn't take a panini out the bag (tired, wind, hunger) and so I went off at it with such anger, I actually felt ashame of myself. Such is the desperation I reach when riding over 10 hours with this constant buzz in my ears.
But at the end of the day, I feel happy. I feel happy because I arrive and I can rest. I feel happy because I'm out there, free, doing what I chose to do. Doing something that I believe in.
And are the little things that I witness and learn along the way that keep me going. The smell of the forest, the hare that sprinted away scared of my suddent presence, the croaking of frogs while passing a little pond and the wind died down a little to allow me to hear the world. It's finding out that Sort, where I spent my second day on the Pyrenees, means Luck in Catalan, so people go there specifically to buy their lottery tickets.
On Thursday going to Angouleme (a cool little surprise of a town by the way) when the wind was not that strong, I found this group of kattle laying lazily on the grass. And I saw them, and I stared at them, and secretly envied them for being so laid back and restful. But at getting closer I noticed their ears, shaking, every 3 or 5 seconds, all the time. I realized they were shaking the flies off their ears. That must be so annoying I thought. So I smiled, put my head down, and kept going, pedaling away.
Yesterday, was the windier day, and after a bend on the grenhills I saw this cows, again, just chilling. And I started smiling again, but this time there was no shaking, just peace and restfulness. Puzzled, I wondered, and immediatly this white noise spoke right next to my ears and gave me the answer. That same wind which was exhausting me, was blowing the flies away from the kattle's ears. And I smiled again. I smiled at how things work. I smiled because there's a balance, sometimes we're good and sometimes not quite. And I smiled because I knew at some point this wind would let go, veer or back to help me, or if it doesn't then there's must be a lesson there I have to understand.
So I put my head down again, and pedaled and pedaled and pedaled... and thought it would be cool to be able to shake my ears like that to scare flies and mosquitoes, or this bloody wind... and I pedaled.
PS: can't upload pictures in this... bar with computers! tomorrow Paris so I should then...
Monday, April 12, 2010
Le Tourmalet... Fermé Fermé!!!
Sunday was good fun. The weather again was kind to Fonzie and I left from Saint Marie de Campan at the base of the Col du Tourmalet at 7:25 am. I tried to leave as early as possible as if there was any problem and I couldn't go over the Tourmalet, I would have to ride down and go around to Laruns.
The previous night I talked to a few locals and people who work in the ski station which had just closed, and they all told me the same: " Tourmalet..Fermé fermé!" yes yes Fermé fermé but is it really impossible to go through??? "oui oui...Fermé!"
More than a cycling achievement I thought this would be a stubburness affair. So I left with the idea of hiking up the last couple of Km if I guessed conditions were safe enough. And so it happened.
I rode up past the ski resort and right after the 15 km mark (out of 17) the snow blocked the road. 1h23m up to that point and then started the walking while pushing the bike to reach the Col du Tourmalet at 9:35. Unofficial information, but most probably the first cyclist through the Tourmalet this year... claaaro que siiii!!!
Another 55 minutes walking downhill and I was off the snow to start riding downhill, to reach the base of the Col d'Aubisque through a beautiful valley. Up I went to reach the Col du Soulor after 5 hours 17 minutes of riding and 72 km, only to find out the Aubisque, was as well fermé fermé! I was just 25 km from Laruns where I wanted to finish the stage, but quite a dangerous road there, so I decided to remind myself I'm just a little bugger from the tropics who knows barely nothing about mountains or snow and be a little prudent this time and went down and around instead, 60 km to Laruns, to complete 130 km in 7:33m t 17 Kph average, and more than 2000 meters climbed.
A hard stage, and a deserved stopped at Formigal for a day where I've been very well taken care by an old times friend. Very enjoyable time together, and very appreciated all the help and attention.
Tomorrow is 182 Km run to Biarritz through the last 2 kms of the Col du Portalet, and the Col du Marie Blanque....early start tomorrow, good night!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The Soundtrack!
Hello there... Le Tour has a soundtrack, and no better way to explain it, than from the composer himself. Here's what Frankie wrote to me today:
"
Mate. I was watching TV at home and Milka was on the computer, Chello already in bed. Milka calls me at some point and shows me from her Facebook something called Le Tour de Fonz and inmediately I start reading its contents. When I see it, I realize is my buddy Alfonso, on a bicycle, going around France departing from Italy. I keep reading and I see you and your bike and the camera (and the fibreglass box where you keep your stuff) going along like a free soul with a personal and charity goal. Mate, I couldn't resist and needed to participate in your initiative. I ran to the room, grabbed the bass, the recording device and started playing and recording ideas out of the blue letting myself go by the lines of funk that we once listened together, driving along in your Blue Toyota Corolla '88 (Automatic!!!). Man, I composed this piece thinking that hopefully it will help you follow your rithym on the hills, mountains, bends, downhills and uphills in France. Here it goes "Go funk a ride!" as a little display of my support and celebration of personal achievments to follow. For you my friend!
Note: recording was made ina mini portable studio at 3 am using my bass and electric drums; sorry about quality and flaws.
Frank"
Sorry about quality!!! haha, what a legend! GRACIAAAASS Frankieeee!!!
"
Mate. I was watching TV at home and Milka was on the computer, Chello already in bed. Milka calls me at some point and shows me from her Facebook something called Le Tour de Fonz and inmediately I start reading its contents. When I see it, I realize is my buddy Alfonso, on a bicycle, going around France departing from Italy. I keep reading and I see you and your bike and the camera (and the fibreglass box where you keep your stuff) going along like a free soul with a personal and charity goal. Mate, I couldn't resist and needed to participate in your initiative. I ran to the room, grabbed the bass, the recording device and started playing and recording ideas out of the blue letting myself go by the lines of funk that we once listened together, driving along in your Blue Toyota Corolla '88 (Automatic!!!). Man, I composed this piece thinking that hopefully it will help you follow your rithym on the hills, mountains, bends, downhills and uphills in France. Here it goes "Go funk a ride!" as a little display of my support and celebration of personal achievments to follow. For you my friend!
Note: recording was made ina mini portable studio at 3 am using my bass and electric drums; sorry about quality and flaws.
Frank"
Sorry about quality!!! haha, what a legend! GRACIAAAASS Frankieeee!!!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Yesterday, today and tomorrow!
Yesterday I cycled from Sort in Spain to Bagneres-de-Luchon, France.
I left at 845 and after 30 Km of a little uphill to get to the base of Port de la Bonaigua, I started to proper climb. 1400 m above Sort, La Bonaigua is a ski resort that sits at 2075m, but now the ski season's finished it's like a ghost town.
A few pictures here and there and down to Vielha, where La Gio had told me I had to stopped at the mexican restaurant and try the empanadillas which were very good apparently. And so I did. at 1245 I was at the bar where Ester from Madrid was in control. She made good company as i chucked in a few of the empanadas which as Gio said were very good indeed. But what she didn't say is how cool this bar tender was, which later found out she was not only the bar tender, but the cook as well. And a very good one as I can tell from this cheese flan she made me try and retry because they were delicious. So nice were they that I had to ask for the recipe, and so cool she was that she gave it to me happily. "Now you just have to make it, and enjoy it with friends" she said.
After a nice chat with a group of people who were admiring my case, proudly I set off towards Bossost but not quite, as just before this little village, there's a road that takes you to El Portillon which at 1300 meters approximately it was the second Col of the day and then down to Luchon where I spent the night.
Today took me from Bagneres Luchon to Campan through the Col de Peyresoude and Col d'Aspin. A couple of classic mountain passes from Le Tour de France and i can see why. Beautiful riding in a sunning landscape. 1569 m at Peyresoude and 1489 at Aspin for a good run of 65 km to arrive at Campan. The shortest ride of Le Tour (de Fonz i mean). And this only means one thing. That tomorrow is a big one, or was a big one but I'll explain that in a second.
Tomorrow the plan will see me passing the Col du Tourmalet at 2114 meters and then the Col d'Aubisque at around 1700 m above sea level. Together zith the Galibier in the Alps, these are the big three cols of the Tour de France.
In 1910 when the Tour fist came to the Pyrenees they cross from between Perpignan and Luchon (289 km with 4 major climbs) and, after a rest day, between Luchon and Bayonne (326 km long and 7 brutal climbs). While passing the race officials at the col du Tourmalet the stage and tour winner Octave Lapize called them "assasins, all of you". You can read more in this link http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/COURSE/us/les_pyrenees.html
So this year the Tour in celebrating 100 years of that and having a stage from Luchon to Pau, through the Peyresoude, Aspin, tourmalet and Aubisque. Almost 200 km with more than 4000 m climb. Or, what I'm doing today and tomorrow, in just one day.
Now! That's in July and it's only April now and while talking to another cyclist at the top of aspin this morning, i found out the Tourmalet and Aubisque are closed, snow! So I'm presented with 2 options here and one dilema. Either go safe and be "good" and take the road around to Laruns, a bit longer but no big mountains. Or I can still try to go over the cols. It's only 2120 m and yesterday I was at 2075 and temperature wasn't an issue at all. I just saw a webcam of the area and you can see spots with no snow. Tomorrow is warmer than yesterday and today, probably the warmest day of the year so far, so i think is really worth a try. Early start to try and reach the top, if not possible, come back down and go around to Laruns. Where there's another change of plans.
The original program was to go from Laruns to Biarritz, with the goal of scoring some surf on the rest day. Looking at the swell and wind forecast for next week, surf is not happening. I have a friend who is in Formigal, Spain, not very far from Laruns next to the Col de Portalet and offer to pick me up in Laruns, to have dinner back in Formigal as they're having the local fair and parties for the end of the winter season on Sunday! From there instead of Biarritz which I already know, I'll head to San Sebastian and spend a day there before start my way up to La rochelle and Paris.
Beautiful trip, loving it!!!!
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