02 July 2006

EC FR06 - day 5

EC FR06 – day 5 the triple wammy.

Yesterday I was writing from the Col Du Toumelet. Today I write from over the Col Du Port. It’s going to be a bit of a wait at lunch as the first group decided to completely ignore the directions and went 20-30km off course. Probably not the best idea on a 200km day with 3 BIG cols. Also Michael Peters said hello to the tarmac for the 2nd time in the camp which added to my anxiety levels.

Anyway back to yesterday. We started the day with a leisurely run from our Chalet ontop of the Col Du Solour. This really is a great spot for bike groups and today the sun had finally come out and the views were spectacular. After a quick breakfast the road trip to St Gaudens began. This was 175km over the Tourmelet, Aspin & Pereysourde (this is basically a stage of this years TDF but they add in 2 extra cols – amazing what you can do with some extra blood in the system J ). The guys faired really well and everybody made our cut off times. The stops were short (our token Aussie Andrew Charles didn’t even stop at lunch!!). On arrival in St Gaudens they guys only had 30mins to freshen up before we were off for a Lake swim. This was a good chance to eye up the course for tomorrows aquathon. We then proceeded to Ian place (www.pyreneesmultisport.com ) his wife Julie had been slaving over the over all afternoon and put on a fantastic spread of salads, meat, breads, wine, cake…….. It was a great way to finish a big day at the office before we made a hasty retreat to bed.

Tonight we presented the jerseys. Yellow to Gordo (points leader), Polka Dots to Mike Montgomery (KOM) and Green (daily Epic Award) to Ed Mcdevitt for smoking Molina on the top of the Toumelet

The guys are now showing signs of significant fatigue which is normal. They are quickly becoming accustomed to the routine of each day and dealing with fatigue the best they can. We are starting to see their cognitive powers diminish day by day so it’s now our job to keep them on track, stay healthy, eat & drink well and concentrate on descents.

posted by john @ 6:43 AM