Tour de France 2016

Pop it in your diary now folks.. 2nd - 24th July 2016 - Its the 103rd edition of the Tour de France, and as always it's likely to be a banger!!

As usual 21 stages make up the route, this time covering 3,519km. A total of 9 flat stages for the sprinters (including the final 'procession' on the Champs-Elysees), 9 mountain top finishes and a welcome return of 2 serious individual time trials (of 37 and 17km in length).

The Grand Departe is from Mont Saint-Michel in north west France, and then the route will visit Switzerland, Andorra and Spain (as well as a bit of France!) before returning the capital for its classic finale.

Time bonuses are back this time as well, with the top three on each stage gaining bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds respectively. This is the first time that this has featured in the Tour for 7 years, and as in other races only counts for 'normal' stages (not mountain-top finishes!).

Check out the official route in 3D below, and over the coming months we will explore the route and where it's visiting in more detail!

Enjoy!

Cycling Sportive Review : White Horse Challenge 2014

White Horse Challenge (April 2014)

This is the second year that I have cycled the White Horse Challenge (WHC), and is usually the first one that I'll ride each year as it is based around where I grew up in Oxfordshire/ Wiltshire.

The ride starts off in Shrivenham in Oxfordshire and then goes on a 144 km (90 mile) loop around Wiltshire whilst going up three of the white horses that there are to offer. The total elevation gain for the ride isn't one of the most gruelling that you'll ever encounter by a long way, but it is plenty enough to warm up the legs in April at 1,498m.

I was supposed to be riding with a number of guys who I ride with when I go back to visit my parents, along with a former colleague (Fraser) - however that soon when down the pan when he got stuck at the back of the queue of starters whilst everyone else shot off down the road without us! Going on the slight lack of training before the event, I have a feeling that this was a blessing in disguise as it meant that we were both able to set a sensible pace to potter around, and whilst I would get dropped on the climbs we would usually meet up either on the decent or at the feed station!

The plan was going perfectly until Fraser announced that a recent knee injury was playing up and any more stops to wait for me at the top of climbs would mean it was impossible to start moving again meant me doing the second half of the ride on my own - and I'm glad that it was my second year on the ride and knew what was still to come. Ramsbury hill isn't the longest of climbs, but it sure is a shock to those who aren't aware of it (which I found to my hilarity when a large group of club riders stormed past me at the 15% sign at the bottom of the hill to a flurry of comments like "Goodness me" and "Golly gosh" - at least, that's what I think I remember them saying!)

The biggest climb of the day is right at the end up the Uffington white horse, and is where the KOM competition takes place each year with a nice little prize for the fastest person between the timing mats. The climb starts on the B4507 and climbs up past Dragon hill, underneath the white horse and finishes just past the first of the visitor car parks.

Dragon Hill, for those that don't know, is supposed to be where St George slayed the dragon to become the patron Saint of England, although in my research there seems to be varying accounts of this so I'm going to stick with the local version (because I'm slightly biased!).

In those last 25km I have to say that I was suffering, and that I was really struggling to believe that I would get up the Uffington hill. However it's a miracle what an energy gel and a good-timed toilet break can do isn't it? I did nearly all my climbing on the day in the seat (Ramsbury was the only one that I couldn't), and annoying the photos don't do me justice! How is it that the pro cyclists like Froome, Wiggins and Quintana make it look like they are actually going up a hill fast and when it's me storming fast people who are struggling out the seat it looks like the passing in being reversed?!

The weather has to have a mention for that day as well, and for the second year in a row it couldn't have been more perfect! There was a little bit of cloud at times which helped to keep the temperature down, but for the vast majority of the day it was perfect and I'm still boasting the tan lines!

I've also had it pointed out to me that I need to thank my sister and her husband for their support at the end of the event - I heard a car slowly approach just as I came down from Dragon Hill, and whilst silently cursing them for slowly going round me I saw a familiar face hanging out the window! They gave me a nice bit of support and then headed off to the finish where they were waiting with a couple of bottles of isotonic! Thanks both!!

A big thanks to all the organisers of the event, it was a cracking day out again and all seemed to run smoothly from my point of view as a rider! See you next year on it!

For a look (and laugh) at my ride data from the day, click here!

Keep 'em Spinning

Robo