About Resume Home Archives Search Feed Sport Gear Presentations

2023 Tour De France - Part 1

Last year, after some amazing riding by Wout Van Aert and a great battle for the yellow jersey between Jonas and Tadej, I wrote

“This has been the best Tour de France in years!”

“Hold my Ketone”, says the Tour de France 2023.

With a little help from the parcours builder, this year Tour de France is not for the weak. There is no first week dilly dallying by the GC contenders. Gone is the crazy cobble stone stage, which only causes spectacular, yet unfortunate, crashes. Week one hasn’t been merely an appetizer, soup, and some sprinter amuse bouche. Week one has been one raw piece of El Capricho from the area of San Sebastián. The Yates brothers, Jonas Vingegaard, and Tadej Pogacar, were the first to sit down at the table. “Let’s eat!”, they all shouted in unison.

We’ve seen some gutsy riding. Jonas Vingegaard skyrocketed on the Marie Blanque pushing Tadej against the ropes early, dropping him one minute. We all let go a big sigh of relief when we saw the counter attack from Tadej the next day. This is far from over. The battle just got started.

Then there is the fight for the polka dot jersey, the green jersey, and the stage wins. Every day, it has been a spectacle. Wout has been unfortunate and yet oh so close. The Vlam van Ham, Jasper Philipsen, with the help from Mathieu van der Poet, picked up a lot of green jersey points, when the grabbed three sprint stages. The polka dot jersey is a battle between Powless and Gall.

There has also been some drama with the crash and subsequent departures of Mark Cavendish, Enric Mas, Richard Carapaz, Luis León Sánchez, US champion Quinn Simmons or Belgian’s Steff Cras.

If all this were a summary of the entire Tour de France, we would be happy. This is only a quick summary of the first week of racing.

There is plenty of raw meat to be served in the coming days. Some will argue the long mountain stages favor Jonas. Still, I am rooting for Tadej, and Wout.

July 9, 2023

Air

I love a great against-all-odds documentary. The story of Sonny Vaccaro is exactly that. Ever since watching the trailer of Air, I wanted to watch the movie. Initial movie reviews weren’t stellar. However, I’ve come to realize that my movie taste often clashes with that of the expert.

The movie by the Boston brothers, Affleck and Damon, is wonderful. The script is easy: there aren’t any major subplots. And while I already knew the story, it was still entertaining. The clothing style is awfully familiar. More fluo! Masquerading Jordan’s face is plainly awkward. I give it four out of five waffles.

June 19, 2023

Alc Packing List Notes

AIDS LifeCycle shares a good packing list and has in-person and virtual sessions to discuss what to bring and how to pack it.

The South Bay Blaze publishes their Picky Packing List which has valuable information from experienced riders.

In camp, I was surprised by some of the items folks had brought. I was equally flabbergasted how they actually got it stashed away in their luggage. Some folks brought a full size and voluminous sleeping mattress. Others even brought a sleeping cot. Those stood in stark contrast to my minimalist Thermarest. It didn’t really matter since I slept deeply after a long day of cycling. I didn’t even need any earplugs or eye cover.

There are a few things I would alter the next time around:

  • Different type of luggage - The wheels on a regular travel suitcase are barely suitable for the grassy fields. I should have heeded the advice for a roller bag with those skateboard-like wheels.
  • Crocs - I had brought both flip flops and sneakers. The flip flops are uncomfortable to walk in, and the sneakers impractical to get in and out of. I really only needed Crocs-like shoes: easy to get in an out of the tent and functional for the shower trucks.
  • More clips - I had brought 4 clips to hang cloths onto the tent. Pack at least 8 or 10 of them. You can quickly dry your cycling clothes as well as your towel. I didn’t wash my cycling gear and had a fresh outfit daily. Some folks did wash their clothes regularly and having many clips will be key in that case.
  • A large microfiber towel - A regular beach towel doesn’t dry fast enough and my small microfiber towel was very small. I made it work though.
  • Medicated blistex - while I had plenty of SPF lip balm, I ended up with a blister on my lips. Only when I got home and could apply some medicated Blistex did it heal. I did bring too much sunscreen. One tube is more than enough, instead of the 3 that I had brought.
  • Instead of my tube of Bengay, bring patches with lidocaine.
  • A beanie is warmer than a hooded sweatshirt, and you can use it also when going to sleep.
  • Outdoor tent light decoration makes it easier to find your tent. I left my waterbottle outside so that gave me a clue as well.
  • I did pack too many (3 large + 2 smaller) battery packs.
  • There was no need for swimtrunks.

Aside of these few tweaks, I felt well prepared. There wasn’t really anything I lacked.

June 19, 2023 ALC2023

Alc Showertrucks and Bathrooms

A week camping out means a week of porta potties. There are hundreds of them: at every rest stop, at lunch, and in camp. At the rest stops, they are even decorated in the theme of the rest stop. May the force be with you.

With this many people, hygiene is key. ALC hammers the practice from the beginning:

  • take of your snotty gloves at every stop
  • apply the two step system: use disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer after the bathroom and before any food or water stop. It all seemed to work well, and few folks got sick.

I used to be part of the “trowel club” along backcountry backpacking trips. So this was all fine for me.

The shower trucks were a pleasant surprise. After a long day in the saddle, you look forward to a nice warm shower. In camp there were about three long shower trailers and a few supply tanker trucks: male, female, all.

I was anticipating a lukewarm drizzle from the shower head. Instead, there was plenty of hot water in the private showers. Especially on the cold and rainy third day this felt great. I never had to wait for a long time to take a shower, and didn’t feel pressured to cut it short either.

June 19, 2023 ALC2023

Come for the Scenery, Stay for the Food

The food on ALC is plainly amazing. After burning thousands of calories on the bike, you hunker for a great tasting and plentiful meal. And that’s what the chefs in camp deliver.

As a pescatarian, I filed in the vegetarian line. It is a single and often the longest line. There is plenty of protein: vegetarian “meat” balls, grilled portobello mushrooms, smoked jackfruit. My plate was full every night with great tasting food: Mexican, Italian, French, and comfort American. Salad, main course, side dish, and desert. Two dinners are common and encouraged. Also the breakfast is amazing: you will need to protein and carbs on your ride. Lunch is typically prepared peanut butter with apple and jelly sandwiches or jackfruit burritos from Boudin, with a side of fresh fruit and salty chips (you need the sodium too!)

As many calories I burned throughout the day, I gained them back in the dining tent.

June 19, 2023 ALC2023

Frank Vandenbroucke and the Love Bubble

The Love Bubble - Kind People Are My Kind of People

From day one of the AIDS Lifecycle, people in camp will talk about the Love Bubble. This refers to the safe, positive, kind, and all inclusive vibe that hovers around all things ALC. The Love Bubble is real. I can not think of any negative moment throughout the entire week. People were understanding, with a can do attitude, and going out of their way to help each other.

A La Vandenbroucke

I just finished reading God is Dead: The Rise and Fall of Frank Vandenbroucke, Cycling’s Great Wasted Talent. Frank was an amazing Belgian cyclist, whose legs, when he was mentally focused and stayed off the drugs, could go forever. He had an abundance of energy. He also suffered from an ailing knee from a car accident in his early youth.

I thought often about Frank on my ride to LA. On day two, my knee started the hurt a bit. Thanks to the ALC sport medicine team, this was remedied swiftly with three pieces of strategically placed Rock Tape. Amazing!

My cycling capacity grew throughout the week. I had never ridden 80+ mile days consecutively. I wondered how my body would cope. As some riders in one of the grand tours experience, I got stronger every day. My training and tapering surely had something to do with this. I felt, even on that long 109 mile day, that my legs could keep going on. I also moved from following the pack (in dutch: wieltjes zuigen), to pulling from the lead, with my node in the wind. Let it rip! I even joked as we neared Santa Monica: “Who’s up for continuing to San Diego?”.

I rode my first AIDS Lifecycle a la Vandenbroucke (in his clean and sober days that is).

June 18, 2023 ALC2023

Aids Lifecycle 2023 - Back Home

I am back home from an epic cycling adventure: AIDS/Lifecycle 2023. Wow!

At the moment, I lack the words to describe it all. The Love Bubble. Butt butter. Rocktape. Oranges, bananas, eggs and pickles. Brian’s Believe cookies. The chicken lady. The strawberry lady. The sisters. The pink ladies. The evil twins. The quad-buster. Paradise Pitt. Military bases. Bradley. Y’all. On your left. Slowing and Stopping. Safety Orange. Red Ribbon. Red Dress. The Ripple. Trudging Buddies. New Bear Republic. Fruit Punch. Funky Monkeys. Fubar. The Bobs. Positive Pedalers. Kind people. Coney. Tracey, Joe and Tyler. Glenn. John C’s brother. We’ll get back to these in coming updates.

Yet, this is not just a cycling vacation. We did this to raise funds to end AIDS, and to support the ALC mission. Together we raised over $11M! Thank you again.

Thank you also to my brothers and sisters on wheels, the South Bay Blaze team. We were ready, physically and logistically. We encouraged and supported each other all week long, and fixed a few flat tires along the way.

Hats off to an amazing ALC organization and the many volunteering roadies. Guiding over 1400 riders along busy roads safely is intense: ambulance, moto, traffic, sag vehicles, busses, the many bicycle repair stations, and rest stop shenanigans. The logistics of moving a small village of 2000 people every day from campsite to campsite while providing hot showers, great tasting meals, medical, massage, sports medicine and chiropractic services, and entertainment are incredible.

I still have to sort through many pictures and goPro video snaps.I’ll try to cover the various topics and keywords in upcoming blogposts.

June 12, 2023 ALC2023

Giro D’Italia’s Occurring

Remco Evenepoel’s strong start in the Giro d’Italia this year gave hope to many Belgian cycling fans. When a positive covid test knocked him out of the race, I kept tracking the race via the daily summary on Sporza and by listening to Geraint Thomas’ Watts Occurring podcast.

G, as Geraint is referred to, is one cool dude. Unfazed, even keeled, humble, and thankful of his team mates. I became a big fan. Even when he lost the maglia rosa, the pink leader jersey, to Primoz Roglic, he was graceful.

The moment of the Giro d’Italia came a day later. G served up the final sprint for a retiring Mark Cavendish, his friend, even though Mark was riding on another team.

May 28, 2023

It Is Getting Real

Yesterday, I joined a few hundred riders for the Northern California Day on the Ride. The ride gives you a preview of what it will be like on the AIDS Lifecycle ride itself. We rode 70 miles and climbed a few hills in Marin County. It was an awesome and a very positive experience. It is all getting real. I cleared off a table in the garage to start staging the stuff the pack.

April has been a big-miles-training-month: 465 miles in the saddle. Yet, I realize that this monthly total is still less than what we will do in one week, riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Wowzie!

(From: South Bay Blaze Training ride #12)

The 80 miles South Bay Blaze ride to Andersen Lake and Morgan Hill was my longest distance in decades. We still have another big ride planned in the coming weeks (93 miles).

In April I finally joined the ranks of my fellow riders by purchasing a Garmin bicycle computer. I messed up a few times by prematurely ending the ride.

April 28, 2023 ALC2023

On a Quest for My First Bicycle Computer

I firmly believe that exercise gadgets are to be earned. I gifted myself an Apple Watch only after running hundreds of miles. After many hours in the saddle, I felt I earned the right to splurge on a bicycle computer. A bicycle commuter will allow me to guide my on my routes, to coach me on my climbs, to track my performance, and most importantly, to make me a safer through the combination with the Varia radar light.

My Apple Watch only goes so far on my cycling trips. Most importantly, it lacks easy accessibility and turn-by-turn GPS. I also didn’t want to ride with my iPhone mounted on my handle bars. The iPhone may overheat and is fragile.

Bicycle computers are hardened devices. They are able to withstand a bump here and there and handle rain and heat. Refresh cycles span multiple years, unlike other consumer electronics.

The hunt for a bicycle computer started over a year ago. Garmin, Wahoo, Hammerhead all have great devices.

Rumor had it that Garmin was about to refresh their Edge bicycle series. Last year, the flagship Edge 1040 and Edge 1040 Solar were released. These were big form factor and expensive devices. I decided to wait for the 5- or 8-series refresh. A month became a quarter, became a year, and more. It had become a monthly ritual to scour the cycling forums for news on the upcoming devices.

The wait is finally over. A few weeks ago, Garmin finally released the Edge 540 and 840 devices.

After reading a great review by DC Rainmaker, it was clear the Edge 840 was the device to purchase.

My initial experience has been superb. The device is easy to use and provides me the information at the time I need it. For example, it will switch automatically to a climb assist at the bottom of the hill. I made one small change to the default screen: I added my current heart rate.

I also like the Varia integration, although I turned off the audible notification.

I am looking forward to get more out of the stamina, recovery, and training features. I guess it needs a bit more riding data. It is a bit surprising it can not analyze the historic Strava data I shared with Garmin Connect.

Current verdict: a fan.

April 26, 2023