Challenge Vercors - FBRROTY

TdMB minus 56 days

Bike of choice     : Kap
Distance              : 170Km
metres climbed    : +3500m

It's the third time I've set out to ride the full lap of this event ( formerly the Challenge Dauphine) ... my local Sportif in the Vercors, it's almost rude not to as it always passes through the village I live in.

At the first attempt 3yrs ago it was lashing with rain, the target was really the 120Km loop and I was riding with Robin who had flown over for the weekend, didn't have much riding in his legs and was probably going to be pushed by the 120. In the end it was lashing with rain, Robin was mildly hypothermic on the descent from the Col de Herboilly and I was relieved to hear his ask if we could cut it short and just do the 75Km.

Next attempt with Ali and Wendy of the Chant the weather was with us but the travel gods were most definately not. Two different flights coming into two different airports both being diverted to a third and fourth meant we finished building their bikes at 2am and headed off to the startline 5hrs later.

We might still have been OK if Ali hand't punctured on the way up to Bois Barbu and lost an hour trying to sort it  ... to cut a long story short we rode the 120Km that year.

So the jinx had to be broken, I was riding alone with no-one else to blame if I didn't get round and this time I had a very different head on. It's "only" 158Km so I might as well ride over the Croix Perrin to get to the start line (10Km and +250m warm-up ride) I arrived in Autrans with just enough time to scoff a croixant and some fruit before the hooter sounded and the mass of 800 riders in front of me started moving back over the Croix Perrin towards Lans. There were a surprising number of Brits in the pack some of whom keep coming back to ride this event. Hardly surprising really as it's such a gorgeous place.

Autrans - Croix Perrin - Lans - Villard - col de Herbouilly .... almost a standard ride for me so far but then first the 70Km and the 120Km riders peel off to go their seperate ways and without any though or hesitation we descent down the Grand Goulets through the new tunnel towards the Drome and St Jean en Royans.

The temperature has risen fast and although I knew I had started way at the back of the pack I was surprised to find that there was no-one else in sight. I seemed to be dangling out on my own between packs and it pretty much stayed like that all the way round.

After St Jean came the (speak in booming voice) COL DE LA MACHINE ! A fantastic climb which ends with one of those classic clifftop roads passing through natural tunnels and arches, a wee wall on the left seperates you from a 500m vertical drop to the valley below. There are more riders around me now all struggling in the heat, every now and again one of them blows up and starts slipping backwards (me too) then finds some reserves and crawls back. Over the col at the 80Km mark I note that this is just 1/4 distance on the TdMB .... there's no rest as we immediately continue the climb towards the Col de Lachaud.

There were 4 guys 500m ahead of me on the road, working together up the climb but I couldn't bridge that gap until we reached the col and then they all sat up to coast the descent so I freewheeled away from them down past the Musee de la resistance and into Vassieux for what would be my last refuelling stop.

100Km down - not even a third of the TdMB and I'm knackered.

Over the Col de Alexis it started raining, huge globules, a welcome relief from the heat just at the point where the long straight run back across the Vercors starts. I was spinning along at 45Km grinning from ear to ear when I passed the final refuelling station, no way was I stopping to get cold when I knew there were still 2 grinding climbs to come. On  the long haul up to St Julien en Vercors the organisers has put up signs saying "dos d'ane" (donkey's back) .... it felt very apt as I grovelled my way up - it's not meant to be hurting like this !

Down the other side into the Gorge de la Bourne and up the final climb - again a climb I usually relish as it's cool and the gradiend is light but yesterday it was tough - the final sting in the tail came as we turned up the valley to Meadre and Autrans ... a stiff headwind for the last 10Km to sap the little energy that was left.

Zipped up and sprinted across the line though ;o)

I was too hot and dehydrated but at the same time pleased to dip under the 7hr mark, 6hr 30mins in the saddle plus a bit of stoppage time for eating for a 158Km +3250m lap, all I've got to do is double that, throw in a bit more climbing and I'm there. I think I might have to borrow a triple chainset though.

8wks to go !!!