Due to a lazy holiday in Türkiye, the Strava challenges for September and October did/will not bring new “records”.
Not that I care much – before going to the beach, I had a ball in the Eifel during, and the day after, the Eifel Cycling Classic and I really needed the time off “zee baik”…
(Garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/378911239 and http://connect.garmin.com/activity/379499168)
For Paula, my faithful companion on most of my ridiculous cycling expeditions, it was a long overdue “holiday in the sun”.
Being Portuguese, the summer in the Netherlands was not that bad (July/August), but compared to the real stuff, to her it it was like it is for me to cycle in the south of my country instead of in the mountains…
For two weeks, Eftalia Village (near Alanya) was our “all inclusive resort”.
We knew in advance that we would have one day of heavy rain – amazing that they could tell us that, whereas the local forecast for this afternoon is impossible to make.
Other than that, the weather was fantastic: cloudless skies and temperatures up to around 29 degrees (Celsius), dropping to around 25, 26 after that day of rain.
The resort was as expected, albeit that this one has also (recently, or I would not have wanted to go there) fallen for the “Russian temptation”.
They pay less than half as we do, but their numbers add up quickly and they buy any bling bling from the local shops, with the added fun of buying fantastic fake “branded” shit.
In general, the (food) waste in a resort that size – during high season it can host up to 1.600 people – is tremendous.
The added waste by the Russians, eating only half of what they put on their plates, is just a bit over neglect-able.
Besides, it is financially well compensated with their intake of paid alcoholic beverages, as only “local stuff” is included and they do not seem to like Rakı very much…
Planning for the French Alps
Anyway, we had a great time and wouldn’t be bothered or distracted with stuff like that – not too much anyway.
The Zumba activity at the pool, right before our noses, was a daily highlight and I was only tempted to buy a Bieber handbag or two, to be used as buckets during my BTC training…
Back home from Türkiye, I quickly discovered that the weather had changed for the worse.
Not unexpected, but it means I can put my Scapin on the Tacx – the new i-Genius Multiplayer will get me through the winter.
I will mostly use the videos from Real Life Video – the quality is fantastic and they’re a lot cheaper than the ones from Tacx.
I will also be on the spin bike watching / training with my favorite ClubVirtual videos, I will not be neglecting the King Cobra for the fat tire mud rides outside, but I will mainly use the Tacx to train for next year’s holiday in the French Alps…
We have planned the outlines of that trip during the second half of June and booked the accommodations: my own Tour de France 2014 will (most likely) be starting in Megève, close to the Mont Blanc, after which we’ll move to Bourg-Saint-Maurice and Allemont.
After taking on various passes in those areas, we will transfer to Bédoin.
On the list is the “Cinglé”, meaning you conquer the Mont Ventoux from all three starting points (not counting the MTB track) on a single day.
After that, we’re off to Barcelonnette for some more, as the climbs/passes for “Le Brevet des 7 Cols d’Ubaye” will be on the to do list.
Other than those, the Col d’Agnel and d’Izoard are waiting for me.
I will spend the coming period plotting my stages – it’s one thing to find the passes, it’s another to be able to plot a course that connects them and does so within my capabilities.
Tour de France 2014 – main page.
