I am in Chambery, don’t ask me how, but I am in Chambery and nothing else matters and the first week is over.

Of course, it started just like the last few days. Transfer to the starting point, drive off and after 10 km the rain starts. But if you go straight to the top, it’s not so bad, you build yourself up especially in little things. But it is not a small thing, when finally the wind is missing and that was the special thing this morning. Without wind, something like that, many joked. Of course we were all happy. So we mastered the first summit in the fog and drizzle.

After a wet and therefore cautious descent, there was more news back down in the valley. The race organizers decided to cancel the middle section because of persistent bad weather conditions. Was I happy about that? And how. Although it was around 18 degrees below and the weather was nice, you could already see how violent it must have been up there and therefore the cancellation of this part was already justified.

I was even happier when we drove along the Rohne Valley, finally cycling is fun again and then it was also warm and the rain dissipated.

At the end, however, the dreaded last climb was still ahead. I would have preferred to delete this than the middle part. Because as sharp as the looks on the diagram, is also. There it goes constantly 11 – 15% up. In contrast, the infamous Col de Marie Blanche was a cakewalk. I’ve ridden a lot of mountains, Stelvio and Tourmalet and what they’re all called are easier for me to ride than those roads up through the forest. I also bet the Telegraph and Galibier will fall easier than that today. We will see …

In the end, I got over it and I’m not ashamed to report that I took some recovery breaks until my pulse was back under 100. Here I then got comrades who realized that this is a good strategy. Because pushing is out of the question, never. Accordingly, I then also inflated the cheeks when I was at the top.

But then the disaster continued. In the downhill I got the flat tire this time in the back. So stop and change the tube. As far as that goes yes everything, if you also had an air pump that would work. Now I really prepared everything thoroughly in terms of technology. But I had a spare hose with too short a valve. The valve looked too little out of the rim, so that my special air pump could not grasp that and therefore could not build up pressure. The valve extension I got from the broken tube also not down. Well, passing mountain bikers could then help out with a super great, fantastic standard air pump.

So I finally arrived at the hotel and there was then lasagna, fries and beans. The Tommies loved it and were blissful. Now I’m not just anywhere, but in a Best Western with its own restaurant and its own menu. However, ordering a simple filet de boeuf from the menu was a challenge for the hotel crew because I am one of the people in the room … Then after this problem arose, others also inspected the menu and ordered accordingly. France, what you experience everything is not from this millennium….

Bottom Line

• I have survived the first week. I’m really tired and exhausted, looking forward to rest and some time for myself, and I’m counting on the fact that I’ll get better in recovery, the overcompensation effect will kick in.
  
• I also got through the cold well, which was already worrying me. When you’re constantly wet through and through for hours hnweg and driving through the cold, you can just get sick. I stayed healthy, good.
  
• Looking forward to the south, the Pyrenees and the second week.
  
• Looking forward to 30 degrees and more.