Haute Route day off, looking back on the Alps....

Haute Route, day off. Looking back....

So taking a day off, trying to assess what happened last week. To say it was a disaster would be extreme, i’m sure at times last week while on the bike and in the heat of battle so to speak I would have said it was a disaster. Once the dust settles I would say just hugely disappointing would sum it up. My first stage was not a terrible day, pretty good actually. Getting caught on your own in the valley was clearly a mistake and a timed wet descent is always going to be a bad gig for me. I kind of salvaged the day but the next day unlike usual where I can back up days reasonably easy, it seemed like I lost my ability to do this. I described it after stage 2 like I felt like I had never trained, my power was down a massive percentage. This was such a shock and the result from that day was a proper wake up call.

Getting off the bike that day was on my mind for most of the 150 odd kilometres. I felt and still do like I have let down a lot of people, but binning the week and sitting in a van would have been even worse. So I reluctantly carried on, thankfully the Time Trial was my saving grace and it came just at the right point so I had a good sleep and only had to do a 50 minute effort that day. After that I had a chilled easy day and finally found my legs a little bit. Although even feeling I had a good day only just scraped me a top 20. Yes the standard is higher, but people who I was around last year were putting a lot of time into me and when selection was made early in climbs they were there and I was getting shelled out the back.

I have found scales in our Geneva hotel, I thought I would see what they told me and I could have found out the reason for me being rubbish last week. 68kg... either these are very wrong or I am 4kg heavier than when I left the UK. One way or another I have to go into tomorrow with something positive and try to be competitive. In my darkest hour on the final climb on stage 2, I spoke to a guy Geoff, we rode that climb mostly together. He was a big help as he was able to, not particularly help me, no one can ride the bike for you, but just chatting to him took my mind off being where I was. The next day he told me his wife saw my name in the Iron riders and somehow we were first and second, I had no idea of this! So thanks Mrs Geoff as there is something for me to ride for in the Dolomites even if I do get smashed up by the first group like this week.

The response from other riders about this Alps edition, the returning riders all seem to feel there has been cuts to the service, less out riders keeping you safe and fast in towns and villages. Food I hear was not great in the Pyrenees. The after party is now finger food instead of a sit down meal which we had in my first year here in 2013. But you cannot take the views and stunning terrain we are riding through. Despite my disappointments from last week and I am sure this will be the same next week, I look forward to the incredible terrain of the Dolomite and Swiss Alps, of all the mountain ranges it has the edge for me.

Right, thats all from me today, 7% battery and the swiss have a different style of socket for our plugs. So I am off to find another adaptor. Hope your all ready for a UK bank holiday of sun and chilling tomorrow.