The end, I hope, will be celebrating in the spa town of Bagnères-de-Luchon on Saturday 14th July, Bastille Day. However, the substantial Ying for that Yang is that I aim to have cycled 197km over the Pyrenees’ finest climbs after leaving Pau that morning.

Along with several pals and around 7,000 other riders, I have committed to another Etape du Tour – where amateurs tackle a stage of that year’s Tour de France. The Etapes are never a walk in the park, but this year the organisers have really shown a sense of humour by picking possibly the toughest day of the entire three week professional tour to test the hoards of enthusiasts.

Here’s the profile of this fearsome day out.

The beginning was on Monday 2nd January with a couple of laps of Richmond Park. Legs a bit heavy, much work to be done.

• Weight: 14st 4lbs (equivalent 200 lbs or 91kg)
• BMI: 25
• Training miles in 2012: 22!

I’ll report back in February!

And then there were 4…setting off up luz ardiden

Having developed an unhealthy interest in cycling the legendary peaks of the Tour de France over the past few years and having my friend Paul Bottrill entered in to this year’s Etape du Tour (see August 2009 posting ‘Etape in Cotes du Rhone’), I chose to spend a long Bank Holiday weekend on ‘recon’ in the Pyrenees.  Six good men and true scaled the Col du Tourmalet on Saturday 29^th May following in the footsteps of Merckx, Bahamontes, Coppi, Millar and Van Impe (all leaders over this 19km, 7.4% average gradient climb).

We had warmed up on the Thursday and Friday with picturesque valley rides to Cauterets and Garvanie both ending in climbs up to ski stations, as we waited for the major Cols to clear of snow (Tourmalet at 2110m, amongst others, was initially closed) and as we found our mountain legs.

The successful ascent of the Tourmalet was celebrated with a visit to Pascal Labasse’s delightful Domaine Bellegarde in Jurançon, where the residual sugar in the sweet Manseng wines seemed to serve as ideal recovery fuel.  Pascal generously sent us on our way with the remains of a bottle of his late (December) harvest Sélection DB from the 2000 vintage – a handy addition to one’s bidon, if ever there was.

Sunday wasn’t a day of rest as we hauled weary limbs up another Hors Catégorie climb, Luz Ardiden (13km @ 7.7% average), a ski station finish that has been won by legends such as Indurain, Armstrong, Delgado and Virenque.  This climb couldn’t be ignored as it started at the front door of our hotel.

I finally met my nemesis on Monday half way up the Col de Marie Blanque which had lulled me with a gentle opening 4 km, before averaging 12% for the second half.  Having swore blind that I was done for the trip, a finally sally up the Col du Soulor (13 km climb @ 7 %) was rewarded with meeting the Astana team and reining Yellow Jersey holder, Alberto Contador, at the top – although he didn’t seem impressed by my retro gear and road-weary countenance.

So on Sunday 18^th July I shall be raising a glass to Paul and giving thanks that I am not setting out to ride 181km and scaling the Marie-Blanque, Soulor and Tourmalet on the way.  If you achieve it, Paul, a bottle of Selection DB is on its way!

9am on Monday 20^th July and I found myself sweeping through the most northerly outpost of the named Côtes du Rhône Villages, Rousset-les-Vignes.  Eighteen villages are entitled to add their ‘handle’ to the Côtes du Rhône Villages moniker, marking them out as superior to generic Côtes du Rhône.  As I swept past gnarled vines and lavender fields I regrettably had no time to discover any local gems or to consider why nearby Vinsobres had gained an upgrade to full AOC status (2005), yet Valreas had not – was their topography so different?  I scanned the landscape then came to my senses and realised I’d only gained about 45 minutes on the infamous ‘broom wagon’.

I had entered into the Etape du Tour, a one day event that has been running for two decades and which allows amateur riders (8,500 of them this year) to tackle a stage of the vrai Tour de France with roads closed, feed stations et al.  Sportingly the organisers had picked the 170km journey from Montélimar (gateway to the Southern Rhône) to Mont Ventoux, the infamous Géant of Provence.  Nine-tenths of the route unfolded through the stunning countryside of the Drôme and the Vaucluse and, on another day, would have made for a very pleasant means of working up an appetite for (and riding off) a long lunch.  On this occasion, Ventoux (literally) loomed large all day and the 21km climb to its summit in 37 degree heat was the sting in the tail that many had feared.  Nevertheless, I finished in nine and a half hours without a broom wagon in sight.  The views from the summit and the elation of completing the stage were just about worth the ascent.  The ‘maillot jaune’, Alberto Contador, completed the ride five days later in half my time!