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| Dave | profile | all galleries >> France & The Tour de France 2012 >> The Tour de France >> TdF Stage 16: Col du Tourmalet | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow |
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The next stage we got to watch close up was not until almost a week later, when we left our hotel in the Religious shrine city of Lourdes, rode up the beautiful bike trail that traveled up the Pyrenees valley, and started the long, steep climb up the Tourmalet. This day I was carrying my pro level camera—a Nikon D300 with several lenses—halfway up the climb in a backpack. It got heavier and heavier AND HEAVIER as we finally got up to the small restaurant the tour company had rented, where I could drop off the pack and continue to the top. Steep ramps were here, too, with some almost 25%. When Sam the guide and I finally got to the summit it was total chaos, with us in very real danger of being stranded there as the Gendarmes closed the road to even bike as the race approached. We shot several photos of each other and then headed back down. There were all sorts of wacky characters having a great time up there. A guy in a whole body furry kangaroo suit passed us, going down as we climbed. Then came another rider with a life-sized inflatable ‘roo on his back. I thought I had seen everything—until Darth Vader passed us going down the hill—too fast for me to get my camera out in time to grab a shot. Fortunately, after a few misadventures, we did get down to the restaurant with the food, a change of clothes, and a chance to semi-relax and wait for the Tour Caravan, the crazy parade of advertising vehicles passing by, throwing out cheap promotional items that the crowd fights for as if they were gold dubloons. Then the race came by and it went so quickly. Groups of riders, some singles, but then once again Cavendish struggled by last and it was once again over .This time the road back down to the bike trail and then to Lourdes was a much higher quality, so when the traffic stacked up we took the example of the locals and took over the left lane. It was a very long and very exhausting, but very exhilarating day, with morei n store tomorrow on the Peyresourde! |
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| Ajilli | 21-Aug-2012 13:15 | |