Reflection time

I gained a lot from my few days in France, and in the last few days have taken the opportunity to evaluate exactly what I have learned.

First .. there is no place for equipment failure. In the last week I've had a few annoying problems including a broken chain, broken sensor mounting for my computer, a new HRM which I had very little idea how to operate so it beeped every two minutes for over 6 hours, a flapping chin strap on my helmet and underinflated tyres. No excuses.

Next, forewarned is forearmed.... or to put it another way...... it's easier to find a needle in a haystack if you know you're looking for a needle. I prefer to know the size of the challenge ahead of me and grinding around endless hairpin bends without knowing how far to go didn't suit my psyche. I know some may argue the converse, but so be it. Plus, natural competitiveness drives me on when I can see someone ahead.

Third, it's more difficult on your own. I have been told that the atmosphere and roadside support and encouragement on the day is tremendous, and I have no doubt that this will help us all. Jacko and Atkinson are going to talk me round, aren't you?

Finally, the heat coupled with the risk of dehydration are major problems which could scupper everything despite all the training and effort over the last 3 months. It could be 40 degrees on the day. We've all seen the data regarding drop off in performance when you let yourself become dry. I really struggled to keep cool and couldn't shake off feelings of extreme thirstyness. Jacko spoke to me on this subject last week and I think he's made the correct call. The answer may be to use electrolyte drinks to keep hydrated, and rely on energy gels and powerbars/fruit/ham butties etc for calories. There are 4 weeks to test my theory, so I'm going to do some experiments on the road. Also, none of us want to carry two kilos of water up these big climbs and your stomach shuts down when your gasping for breath. So, some careful planning is needed to anticipate where the feeding stations are, and how they relate to the cols.

The fourth col is Port de Bales. Quotation from Cofidis pro Stephane Auge who lives in Pau, 'The Bales is very, very hard, long and steep. There will be suffering here.' Nice. 'Tour stages don't come much harder than this.'

Mark L has kindly pointed out to me that La Luzette was nowhere near 16 %. I was reporting back from local rider Phillipe. It just shows what a novice I am, and underlines how valuable my recce trip has been. I have no doubt that I was in a dark place going up that hill. Google maps is brilliant and I've been trying to find the routes which I followed last week.

Oh.. one more thing... The flight, early starts, disturbance to the diet and sleep pattern are also going to contribute towards our problems.

Apart from all that lot, it should be a doddle.