Calories burned: 7,814
Hours cycled: 8 hours 48
Average speed: 24.8km/h
Average Heart rate: 96
TOTAL (3 days)
Total distance: 648.63km
Calories: 25,067
Total cycling time: 26 hours 23 minutes
Today's Computer data HERE
COBBLES!
Great day today.. The main focus of it being a cycle over 13 km of cobblestones at the tail end of today's 218.5km long stage.
This morning it was alarm clocks at 5.45am, breakfast at 6am, then a 1 hour transfer from our hotel to the start for the third stage from Wanze to Arenberg. By 8am we were on our bikes, and unfortunately back in our rain jackets as the bad weather continued (i have been in at least 2 layers since the first day..)
We passed the first couple of feed stops without any drama, and without the need to pedal at high speed, it was more of a case of "finding your legs" after yesterday's climbing day. It actually takes a couple of hours for your legs to start feeling "normal", but once in the groove it is a great feeling, especially on a flat stage like today's one.
At the lunch stop
There really isn't much to say about the day's riding up until we hit the long sections of cobblestones with around 25km to go. In that last 25km, there was to be 13km of cobblestone riding, something that was going to be a real test coming after 8 hours of riding. The first section was only 700m long, but more than enough to realise how painful/difficult/uncomfortable and unique it was going to be.. The best tactic is to hog the side of the cobblestones and try and ride on the 2-3 inches of dirt that lie between the cobblestones and the farm field… if the dirt runs out, you are onto the cobbles and bearing the full brunt of the ridiculous vibrations. I have an even higher appreciation of the pros that race this in races like the Paris-Roubaix one day classic, That being a 260km race that has 60km of cobblestones..
I managed to puncture with about 500m left of the 13km of cobbles, but didn't really care as what better place could there have been to have your first puncture in around 3,000 miles of cycling?!
We rolled into our Hotel in a group of 8 riders, by staying together we had made light work of the last 3 hours, and i actually felt great as we arrived, perhaps it was the sunshine and blue sky (for the first time!) that added to the joyful experience.
An easier day tomorrow after 3 tough ones thankfully!
Comedy moments of the day
Davina (one of 2 ladies doing the whole route) after one section of pave "after those cobblestones i no longer feel like a woman"
Sandy forgetting his feet were clipped in stopping at a T junction and the subsequent comedy fall
Rowley having a bird cycle into his wheel at high speed. Not much left of it after that
Colin having to wear a pink horn & tassles on his handlebar for winning the "fusser of the day award" for his 3 punctures and 1 crash in the first 2 hours of yesterday's stage.
Check out the handlebars on that expensive bike.. is that a forced smile?
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