I have watched the Tour de
France from the time I was a 7 year old girl, fascinated with the beauty and
colour of the peloton, the landscape of the country, and the competitive nature
and speed of the athletes.
I have watched in awe as
they suffer on the majestic mountains, sprinted for finish lines, and crashed
only to rise up from the carnage and carry on.
The buzzing sound of the
peloton, the helicopter shots of the teams racing through the sunflower fields
and snaking through narrow European towns, the switch backs and summits of the
epic climbs, the crazy fans in costumes and in nothing at all have captivated
me every July for decades.
My imagination has run wild
on many training rides where, in my head, I am attacking on Alp d’Huez, in a
breakaway with Jens Voigt, been motivated by the cheers of the fans, and my
triumphs are being narrated by Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwen, “oh, it’s a beast
of a climb!”.
And yet, it is even better
to experience it in person. This year, as
the pack rode through Ornon and Annecy I was filled with the excitement of also
having ridden there, as they summited Mount Ventoux I could see the same roads
that I had suffered on, when they climbed Alp d’Huez not once, but twice, I
screamed “I’ve been there!”, when they summited the Semnoz I could barely hold
my excitement “I’ve done that!”
There are few words that can
describe the sense of accomplishment having summited a 30 km mountain and the
thrill of the descent. Life changing,
awe inspiring, immense pride, and giddiness may be some, but the only way to
truly be captured by the beauty and grandeur of the Alps is to experience it yourself.
So who’s in for the Cycling
Centre France trip next year?
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