Today's stage of the Tour, 108.1 miles, went up the west side of the Tourmalet. Today we saw the Tourmalet enshrouded in fog. I bet the riders appreciated the cooler weather. A nice ending for Schleck and Contador at the top. Chris Horner from Bend, Oregon also had a very good showing and is in the top ten. I'm glad it wasn't foggy for us on our day up there as I appreciated seeing the scenery and looking backward onto the switchbacks we just came up, watching circling vultures and eagles riding the thermals. Today we couldn't recognize anything.
Tuesday's ride marked the 100th aniversary of the route of 'The Circle of Death', when Henri Desgrange added the high mountain stages into the Tour. He said, "The Tour de France only became the Tour de France when we sent the riders into the mountains." I recently heard that a rider in 1910 rode the Pyrenees with 12 veal cutlets in his bag. There is a great article in today's guardian.co.uk about that ride. Apparently riders used candles in lanterns to help guide them up in the dark.
Pausing to remember a cyclist
10 years ago
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