Croix de Fer Archives

TDF 2022 – Countdown

October 2, 2022July 13, 2022

Those of you following me on Strava may already have seen that I’m “tapering” this week.

I actually have no idea how to do that properly, but as it’s hot and the outlook is the same for next week in France, I’m also getting adapted to the heat.

Today and tomorrow, I will enjoy watching the pros’ Tour de France stages passing close to and even through Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, where we have booked our apartment.

Both these days are going to be tough, like most of the stages I’ve planned for myself.

Although most of them are quite short, the altimeter gain in each is scary 😎

Critèrium du Dauphinè – Part 1

February 23, 2023June 27, 2022

As previously mentioned, my “Tour de France 2022” is more like a “Critérium du Dauphiné”, given the duration.

Traditionally that features stages in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie, both departments in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

With our base camp located in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, I have the opportunity to incorporate (parts of) the two last stages of this year’s edition in my trip(s).

This post tackles the “familiar terrain” part of that.

Tour de France 2022

November 27, 2022June 14, 2022

So, yesterday when I got home, Paula handed me an envelope.

While I thought for a moment she was handing me the divorce papers, it actually contained my birthday present 🤣

It was a printout of a reservation she had made on Booking.com and while she knows that my hearth lies in the Dolomites, that was just (way) too expensive.

But because we both have fond memories of last year’s stay in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, she figured this would be more than a consolation.

Well, HELL YEAH!!!

Tour de France 2021 – Recap

February 26, 2023August 18, 2021

As promised, I will conclude the reporting on my Tour de France 2021 with a recap.

I cycled 14 out of 15 available days and have my own stupidity to blame for having a “rest day”.

While I guess this Tour de France once again showed I’m (still) capable of pushing myself through – and over – my limits, there’s no denying that I will have to take it down a notch.

How much will also depend on my capability to keep enduring the back pain on every climb.

Sure, taking in the mostly overwhelming landscapes, the feeling of tininess when looking around and the stunning views are great “distractors”.

But I keep increasing the number of short breaks to ease the pain, which eventually do not help very much any more either.

On the upside, these enable me to take in more of the views and make pictures too 😂

Anyway, lets get to the recap…

Tour de France 2021 – Epilogue

February 10, 2023August 15, 2021

Croix de Fer

We’ve already travelled home and I’ve cycled my pancake flat backyard yesterday afternoon, but here’s a short recap of my last Tour de France 2021 stage.

That was Friday the 13th, and I had no idea if I would.even get out of the village on my bike.

I did (get out of town), but as the road immediately started going up at between 7% and 10% from our apartment, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get all the way to the summit of the Croix de Fer for the last time.

After all, it’s a formidable, close to 30 kms long, climb, I was not in a good shape and trying it with no warming up to speak of…