Tour shorts

The Tour de France was supposed to be Contador vs Froome. After watching the Dauphine, it looked might it could be an epic battle between the two. But, now it’s looking like the Vicenzo Nibali and Astana show. There have been so many twists and turns already, but now, maybe no one is able to attack Nibali and Astana all the way to Paris.

On the plus side, it’s looking like it will be a cracking Vuelta –  a three way battle between three of the world’s best cyclists – Froome, Contador and Quintana. Perhaps even Wiggo will get his long awaited chance to ride as super-domestic.

If the Tour is going to be predictable from now on, at least that is good news for those who need to go out and train on the bicycle. I have a 12 hour time trial in 11 days, and I could do with some training more than just watching the telly. As the event looms, I’m torn between resting and doing nothing and going out to panic train to get a few 7 hour rides in. Common sense will probably prevail and it will be a compromise with a few 2-3 hour rides to keep ticking over.

I’m glad to actually be doing a 12 hour, rather than just thinking about it. But, part of me will be glad when these long flat time trials are over. Last weekend I was cycling up and down the hills of the Tour de France in Yorkshire. I found that really exhilarating. Especially, the long climbs of South Yorkshire, like Oxenhope Moor. I want to go and ride Holme Moss and all the climbs of the last stage in Yorkshire. I’ve had my fill of long dual carriageways for the year.

Be careful what you wish for

Last week I had an idle thought going through my mind – that the ideal race for me would be a 100 mile time trial with 4,000 metres of climbing. Alas, my pride took a bit of a battering, when I blew up in a 100 mile TT with just 400 metres of climbing. It doesn’t matter how much of a climber’s build you have – if you have no energy – going up a slight incline can be incredibly handwork.

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