Haute Route Alps - Finished and recovery ride the next day
With our flight heading out at 1935, we had an extra day in Nice. My plan, after a few wines last night was to sleep in, and maybe go for a coffee ride. Leah had other plans, and having got up all week at 445am, was WIDE awake at 445 and ready to get up. I think I told her it was "quiet time until 7am", and rolled over and went back to sleep, to be kicked awake at 701.
After a brief breakfast we put on cycling kit, yes you read that right, and headed out to Cap Ferrat, 10km away. This was a coffee ride, and I was going to get my coffee. The legs, and body, felt pretty terrible, and flat, but the ride was beautiful as we followed the Nice coastline to Cap Ferrat. Past the Nice harbour, and outrighteous yachts to sleepy Cap Ferrat. Cap Ferrat is one of the hidden, and very expensive, areas around Nice. Almost sleepy would be how I would describe it and a perfect destination for coffee. I hate to say it, but my legs felt much better for their short ride. On the way back into Nice we stopped at the market, and Leah did a little shopping while I watched the bikes.
Cap Ferrat
The Saturday market in Nice.
Leah had carefully planned the rest of the day we had lunch with Janine and Pete at 12:30, then a massage at 2:15 before heading to the beach and finding a shady spot to enjoy some ice cream and relaxing time. A good way to spend the last few hours before our flight.
Recovery food...
Looking back it was a tough week. Not as physically hard the Crocodile Trophy (that was 9 days of mountain biking in the Australian outback, and outback is NOT flat), but right up there. It was much harder than last year, and people suffered with 50% of the women's field and 25% of the men's field not finishing. Stage 3 in the rain was the most miserable I have been on a bike, and not something I want to repeat, especially when we climbed 4,700m in that horrible weather, and talking to others that stage really took a lot out of people. After that stage, the ride became more about survival than I remember from last year. Mt Ventoux was another highlight, and I am happy to have done it, and on no hurry to go back to it.
12 months ago Leah did not have the confidence, nor strength, to do 3000m climbing day in-day out. We did the Tour d'Etape last year and that had 3,000m climbing for one day, and that was her biggest day ever. Then earlier this year we did the
Viking Tour of Norway and that helped a lot as knew what to expect as well as
what stage racing is about. This gave her the confidence boast needed going into the Haute Route, and she excelled. It was a tough week, and now she has the confidence for us to tackle the next challenge. It is likely to be another stage race but we do not know which one.
0 Likes
Share