On July 22, 2007, I'll attempt to complete Stage 14 of the Tour de France. Winding through 197km (122 miles) of mountain roads in the Pyrenees, this is one of the more difficult stages in this year's Tour de France.
JUST ADDED! Click here to download a Google Earth file of the Stage 14 route. Don't have Google Earth yet? Click here for instructions on getting it and using it.
Here's the analysis from the official Le Tour de France web site:
Gilles Maignan, pilot for Christian Prudhomme, two-time French time trial champion, 4 Tours de France: "A small incline to welcome the riders first thing, then a relatively calm route via Carcassonne, Limoux and Quillan before taking on the Port de Pailhères (17 km at 7.2%) and the climb up towards the Plateau de Beille (16 km at 7.9%). The end of the stage will be very difficult and should only leave room for the very fittest riders in the peloton."
And here's David Brinton's analysis:
"A strong argument can be made that the Tour de France is the world's toughest athletic challenge, conquered by some of the world's most well-conditioned athletes. It's well known in the cycling community that the Pyrenees host the most challenging stages of this grueling, 21-stage, three-week event. This stage that Ryan has chosen to ride is among the toughest of the Tour. Simply completing the 122 miles is a huge accomplishment, even for the experienced cyclist."
This exact route has never been a stage before, although past stages have finished atop Plateau-de-Beille. The last stage to finish there was in 2004, with some rider named Armstrong winning the stage. I don't recognize the name; must have been some flash-in-the-pan stage winner who quickly succumbed to the crushing weight of obscurity.
Starting in the town of Mazamet, the stage covers 197km (122 miles) before finishing atop the Plateau-de-Beille. There are three climbs on this stage; one minor and two major. The first is 9km (5.6 mile) climb that ascends to 810m (2,657 ft) atop the Cote de Saraille. Even though it is a cold-start climb, the short 5.2% gradient shouldn't be a problem.
The pain will come roughly 120km (74 miles) later, and it will come in spades.
A solid 93km (58 mile) block of that is uphill, with a slope that continually increases along the stretch. This is going to wear me down before I even reach the first real climb of the day: the 16.8km (10.4) ascent to the Port de Pailheres at an altitude of 2001m (6565 ft--Denver is at 5200 ft for reference). It's a climb of 1224m (4,016 ft) at a 7.2% average gradient.
A 35km (22 mile) descent from Port de Pailheres brings me to the base of the ride's final and most intimidating climb: a 16km (10 mile) climb to Plateau-de-Beille. This is when I'll get to find out how much of me survived the previous 181km (112 miles). The climb to this 1780km (5,840 ft) mountain-top finish has an average gradient of 7.9%.
I can't even imagine what this will be like after having already climbed more than 120km (75 miles) along the stage. My prediction? It's going to hurt...a lot.
Just in case you don't believe me, take a look at this article from a recent issue of Pro Cycling magazine. ProCycling recently ranked the '50 Greatest Climbs' in the world (Note: in case you're not a cyclist, the word 'greatest' is, in this case, synonymous with 'most difficult'; if you are a cyclist, well, you knew that already, right?). The climb to Plateau-de-Beille, the finale of this stage, is ranked 16th. (If you want to see the full list, click here)
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In case you missed that last part, here it is again: "...it is surely the most unpleasant climb in France."
And that's why I chose this stage . There were other, easier stage rides available, but I knew I wanted to make this ride the focus of the fundraiser for the Dylan Fitzgerald Carlton Scholarship. And if I was going to ask for help, I thought I should earn the donation.
Over the next four months, I will spend every day training for this. Right now, this stage is beyond me; if I were to try it today I doubt I would survive the second climb up Port de Pailheres. I need to shed weight, increase my power and endurance, and improve my climbing efficiency. If I fail at any of those goals, I will fail the challenge.
Although I'm not competing in the TDF, I will be riding the stage on the same day as the pros. The roads will be closed off and the crowds will be out. I'll have vehicle support just like the pros for the entire ride and, if I make it, I'll be escorted by an official Le Tour vehicle for the final kilometers to the finish line.