July 22 2009 – Stage 17 Tour de France – Cormet de Roselend

July 22 2009, Stage 17 Tour de France – Bourg St Maurice > Le Grand Bornand

Woke after a big sleep still very, very fatigued. The 3 Ventoux climbs, L'Etape, Col du Petite St Bernard climb the day before and poor dietary profile (no protein) had created a serious kilojoule deficit and leg muscles was suffering badly. All the Heineken in the world couldn't mask the damage I was doing (it appears multiple Heinekens is actually counterproductive – who'd have thunk-ed?!).

Anyway. We woke and spun out early. Given that the TdF was starting from Bourg Saint Maurice that morning, the roads to the Cormet de Roselend were likely to be shut early given it was a long grind to the first climb. Snap, the officials had shut the entrance by 10AM (!), but, as we're discovering, no does not mean no in France! We walked our bikes 50 m up the road, went through a fence and were on our way.

I had decided to take my camera up again (about 8kg) despite the difficulty it put me in yesterday – it created a serious nerve impingement on my right side and basically shut down movement through my RHS sub scapularis and right hip flexor – very painful – see my pack horse-ness below.

The climb to the Cormet de Roseland started in steamy forests – a summer storm front was building. Providentially as it turned out, I had packed a jacket, and arm and leg warmers.

Mike took off, as I was still suffering. Good on Mike for just lording it up and carrying on. I had planned on ditching the camera but figured it wasn't everyday I could reel off high level shots at the TdF.

The Cormet climb was tough and given it was the first climb on a long tour stage including the Cols de Romme, des Saises, de la Colombiere and two more, I thought that an attack might happen here with multiple participants, including mountain ninja Pellizotti (to secure the polka dots).

The climb wends its way through steamy forests consisting of multiple switchbacks which provide for ideal attack points and opens up into a mid section which is a false flat and takes in some absolutely SPECTACULAR scenery – this planet was truly created by humbling and inconceivable power and force.

We had gone past a perfect double switchback which would have made for awesome photos, but we had pushed on up a bit further then a gendarme had blocked us from going back down the road as the sponsor's train had started moving up the road.

After the false flat the road again ascends in a devilish manner into some spectacular glacial country – it would be frightening up here in winter but in summer it is just humbling. I felt truly insignificant in the face of such magnificence.

We passed a few good spots but I wanted to do the peak, however the gendarmes were looking edgy so we flicked around and headed back down to choose our spot, which as it turned out, was a good spot. Protection from the looming storm as well as views down the road through 2 switchbacks and back down the mountain which provided for ideal long range and wide angle shooting.

French cows just lording it up.

The sponsor's cars eventually reached us and the electricity built. We cleaned up with free stuff as the storm started looking very, very ominous.

I love the pre-peloton excitement – it's truly electric. The people, endless cars, and then the choppers, and then, the riders.

As the riders approached, the storm had unleashed a summer bombardment, causing us to seek refuge in the leeward side of a campervan – which proved to be silly, as the wind threatened to blow the van over. I ended up sheltered in a nook of a rock wall. The skies opened as the riders approached – I don't think I've ever seen a group of people so relieved to see the Tour de France pass so quickly.

Given the rain and wind my photos were very poor. I don't have any video as the camera was stolen (see more below). We ended up on Eurospot TV a few times – look for a Union Jack flag on a wall about 3km from the top, and a person wrapped up in a boxing kangaroo flag with an orange Euskatel cycling cap on. Hopefully we ended up on SBS, or at least end up on the DVD package they put together.

The lead group blasted past, with the peloton strung out obviously as a result of some attacks. It really is frightening how quick the peloton swings past. They are ultra hardcore and elite sportsmen.

Here comes Contador.

After the riders passed, we hauled butt to get off the mountain, the slick roads and hairpins making for some interesting riding.

We got into town to our site and got out of our stuff so we could head down the street for some shopping and to find somewhere to watch the tour. It's at this point that I have worked out that I somehow allowed the Canon Ixus 85S which I'd been using for video to fall onto the grass the night before, which meant I didn't see it as we cleared the table, and therefore someone was able to snaffle it whilst we were away from he site. Fortunately I had backed up the video and photos from Stage 16 as well as L'Etape – thank god, where would we be without the below video?!

We ended up in Maccas watching the Tour finish with about 30 other people and using their free wifi which was poverty stricken – very, very slow.

The rest of night was spent searching for camera as I realised it was gone when we returned. Not happy – mainly about the lost video of L'Etape and Stage 16 (which turned out to be unfounded as I'd backed them up).