Col d'Aspin Archives

Tour de France 2023 – Recap & Stats

September 17, 2023August 22, 2023

As customary after all my cycling trips into the high mountains, most of those shamelessly dubbed Tour de France like this one or Giro d’Italia, I give you a recap with some stats of my latest adventure.

Compared to other two-week (14 or 15 stages) “grand tours”, it wasn’t the hardest, but it came in close 3rd in distance.

This is also its rank in elevation (D+) but looking at the average D+ over the total distance, it lands on 6th spot (from 7, as neither the TDF 2022 nor the Giro 2020 were two weeks)…

For a total of 1,147 kms, the D+ was 31,971 m – applying the not totally correct, but fair enough 50/50 rule, that amounts to some 56 m of D+ per km of climbing.

Compare that to the Giro’s of 2011 and 2015 (both 82 m/km) or the “toughest” TDF, 2022 at 66 m/km, and this “Pyrenees” Tour seems relatively easy.

Now, I know I’m getting older and some of the (previous) numbers are “off” – be it taken from Garmin, Strava or RideWithGPS – but this Tour really didn’t feel any easier…

Tour de France 2023 – Report Week 2

September 13, 2023August 17, 2023

This post is a recap of the Tour de France 2023 week 2/8 stages…

As mentioned in my previous recap, I had already cycled stage 8 with an unforeseen early finish, which gave me some time to write that post.

By now, we have returned home safe and (relatively) well, I’ve started to dose down the candy and cycled a few times in my backyard.

I’m scheduled to have two neurologist appointments next week, after which I’ll have to make up my mind about surgery.

I’m not convinced I will be able to go pain-free after that and at any rate, in general my spine issues remain and may cause new problems in other areas/on other discs later.

However, getting by on Oxy and Prednisone is not really an option either, nor does it extend my life span, although you never know when that will end anyway…

Tour de France 2023 – Report Week 1

September 13, 2023August 5, 2023

This post is a recap of the Tour de France 2023 week 1/7 stages…

Stage 1

I started last Friday at our stop-over near Montréjeau, heading for the Port de Balès.

We had a little trouble navigating there and as I looked at the route on the Strava app, I decided to start a recording.

Which turned out to be a good thing, as I managed to get rid of the Garmin recording at the end of the stage🤦‍♂️

Tour de France 2023 – Update II

August 18, 2023July 14, 2023

New Tour de France 2023 update.

The pros already moved on from only two Pyrenees stages which brought more spectacle than many expected.

As I have no less than 15 stages – provided I do not blow myself up like I did during my Tour of 2021 – I will have a lot more climbs to chose from.

But the more I look at/study the map on climbfinder, the more I realize that those are not enough to squeeze every one of them in.

In my – base camp – area, there are plenty hardly worth a second look, but the list of those I consider a “must” is just too long…

Tour de France 2023 – Countdown

August 23, 2023July 2, 2023

Tour de France 2023 countdown has begun. I haven’t planned much yet, though…

Four weeks from now, I will be on my brand new Trek Émonda for stage 2 – or 3 – of my Tour de France.

It will be day three, but you should know I usually kick of with a prologue.

A tradition I might actually break with this year, as my prologue’s are nothing like the pro’s short (T)TT’s to kick off many grand tours.

But this years Tour de France – two possible GC contenders short after day 1 – didn’t get off to an easy start either.

So, looking at what I have planned, I might start with stage 1 as well…