THE ULTIMATE TRIATHLON

So I have decided not to continue with the Tour route now. This is mostly because I am still feeling pretty weak and getting back on the bike isnt really an option. Not that getting my bike on a French train was much easier although I have eventually reached Toulouse once the staff had stopped striking long enough to wedge me and my bike between the door and the toilet.

Once I get back to the UK I will consider the options for the rest of the Ultimate Triathlon but frankly I think it is probably time to write it off and call it a day. I will also update the blogs for the eight stages I did manage to ride, because quite a lot of interesting stuff did happen along the way. I wouldnt change what happened and I return home with no regrets. Cest la vie.

So I had to stop riding. I finished stage 8 and rode the 40km to St Gaudens last night and was still feeling good, but I woke up feeling awful. I somehow got up and got on the bike but it was torture. I think it was a combination of dehydration heatsrtoke hayfever and exhaustion. I managed 9km of the route, which took about two hours before I collapsed by the roqdside and fell asleep. I was so weak I could hardly get up and ride back to town, which took me about 4 hours in the end. I am resting here in ST Gaudens now, and have to decide whether to continue. Now I have taken extra rest days, continueing would feel like cheating ; there are no second chances for the pros, once they fall behind and are swept up by the broom wagon they are out. On the other hand, is me getting on a plane home now a kop out. Should I try to finish the route anyway? All I know is I need more sleep!

This was a really tough day. There were some big climbs, it was really hot, and I felt very alone. I could at least start early and was on the road before six in the morning. I hoped this would give me a chance to get to Barcelona in time to plan the mountain stages.

For much of the day, the route followed the Spanish coast. This involved the most beautiful cycling road which was awesome, although very up and down. There was then a big climb inland (worryingly only a category 3) and I got horribly lost in Granollers. Eventually I got to Barcelona, later than I hoped, but in plenty of time to plan tomorrow, the biggest day of the Tour. If I can do that, I can do anything. On the plus side, my legs are still feeling strong and generally I am feeling really good.

Despite yesterday I decided I would take my gear and ride alone today if necessary as I wanted to try and do the right route. I rode along with the Crohns Crusaders for the first hour or so but then John and I disagreed on the correct route so I left them behind. It was a pretty flat route and I rode really well today. I was feeling very strong and a plan started to formulate about whether it would be possible for me to go on alone after Barcelona, when the Crohns team are planning an extra rest day. The pros dont get this rest day, so I don't want to take it either, especially as I'm feeling so good.

I race through the rest of the stage as I want to finish in plenty of time so as to be able to meet up with the team at the end without causing any problems. I have few problems with the route and reach Perpignan by 6pm despite a stiff headwind. I then ride an extra 30km to meet up with the Crohns team at Canet-en-Rousillon, who have not followed the correct route and plan to ride an extra 17km to make up the distance of the stage and then stop, well short of Perpignan. This is enough to confirm that I cannot ride on with them, as in my opinion they are not riding the route. Of course, what they are doing is still amazing, they are still riding the distance, but for me not reaching the finish-towns isnt riding the Tour de France. I have to admit we have different agendas - their priority is to raise funds and awareness for Crohns disease. I want to ride the exact and full route no matter what. That evening in Girona I say my goodbyes to the team; I have decided to go on alone, taking trains or riding between stage towns. It is a huge gamble and I know it will be more difficult alone, but at least I can run things on my own schedule and terms.

Much better day today. It was the team time-trial around Montpellier and we actually rode it as a team. The Crohns team is made up of Damian, Dale and Marika and I really like them and it is good to ride with them. It was a bit of a nightmare navigating our way around Montpellier though and the 40km took about 5 hours which is ridiculous really but we had a good time. We even bumped into a pro team - the Columbia Highroad team - who were checking out the route, and we rode with them for a (short) while which was really cool.

Today was not a good day for my relationship with the Crohns Crusaders team. I really appreciate the fact that they are letting me tag along with them and use their support vehicles, but the organisation could be a lot better. Example, today, packing everything up at the hotel, putting the bikes on the cars, finding the start takes so long that its half ten before we actually start cycling. The rest of the team doesn't seem as bothered as myself about the route and there are too many delays, meaning that when we stop for lunch, John (support crew) suggests we take a short-cut in order to try and make it to La Grande Motte before dark. This wouldn't be so bad, except that it means avoiding a tour climb to the Col de la Vayede. I am keen to ride the route exactly and so go off on my own, which doesn't go down well with John. I sprint to try and do the climb and catch up, a cause which isn't helped by a 14km detour the wrong way up another climb, but I eventually complete the right col and sprint after the others. I catch them up, but John loses his temper with me again and I realise that the 3 weeks ahead are not going to work if this continues. I end up riding the last 50km alone, a tortourous affair as I am without any food and start suffering pretty bad, but I make it to La Grande Motte by dark and can at least feel content that I have cycled the full stage.

I ended up riding the first real stage alone, as the rest of the Crohns Crusaders team had decided to ride the first half the day before in order to attend a sponsor dinner. I was keen to try and ride the route exactly as the pros will do, so I stayed in Monaco and left early alone.

It kicked off with a catergory 3 climb out of Monaco which provided me with some breathtaking views out over the coast. After a dizzying descent down into Nice, the route followed the coast for a while before climbing again inland. We failed to coordinate meeting with Damian and co, so I continued alone for the remainder of the stage to Brignoles which I reached by 5.30pm.

Overall I felt pretty good about the day, although it had been a long day and I was only just beginning to realise about the distances involved.

Oh yes, oh yay! We are finally in business here. A successful first day in the sunshine here in Monaco. It was only a 15 km prologue, a warm-up for the pros to parade around Monaco, but it was completed succesfully nonetheless.

It started with a pretty steep climb straight out of the blocks, at the top of which stood a policeman telling us we couldn't go along the road which the official route would. If it had been England I would have suggested we just cycle past him, but this guy had a gun. Nevertheless, after a short detour we were back on track, before taking a wrong turn up a hill which, whilst being quite unneccesary, did provide some great views.

After the first 7km in which we had climbed 200m, it was all downhill. This unfortunately included going down a one-way street the wrong way. Unlike the pros, no one had closed the road for us, yet we were not deterred and descended the steep, narrow road rather cautiously, pulling over at the first hint of a car. Once this was done it was a straight sprint back to the harbour, going through the 'Formula 1' tunnel en route. We swung back into the harbour and the first day was done.

And here is the best news - the exact route details for the remaining stages have finally been announced! Just in time! So, tomorrow is a 187 km stage to Brignoles.