Stage 14: Tour De France

I am writing this a few days late and honestly after lots of climbing, I am having trouble remembering which stage is which. I know I am not a pro but I hear pros rarely remember the areas they raced in ( atleast not well). For them it’s probably because of the high speed and the huge pelotons..for me it’s just because I try to block out the pain. And along with it, are some memories.

I started the day by underestimating the distance to the start point and paid the price. There was a long baby hill on the way. Sounds easy but when it’s your first stage in the alps, it’s probably better to save the energy.

The stage was 4200 metres of climbing, including the Col de la Ramaz and Joux Plane. The only thing that saved me were the beautiful downhills and mountain ridges. I can’t say it enough but the beauty in this part of France is something to behold.

Honestly I wasn’t feeling it from the start. I am learning a lot about how my body has a mind of its own. I don’t like it. I struggled through the first multiple climbs. Low motivation and exhaustion. By the time we hit the last two major climbs, I had already started telling my body to wake up and it listened.

What I have seen work for me is remembering my indoor training where I would do 5 hour workouts at endurance pace. That’s the power I am starting to make sure I hold on these long climbs and it helps keep my motivation high.

Tomorrow is the last mountain stage before a rest day. Let’s do it.