North London Loop

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I'll be heading out tomorrow morning with Simon on a 110km route around North London. I've never ridden the route before. Although I know what to expect in the first and last sections of the route, urban sprawl, it will be interesting to see what kind of elevation we'll experience in the second half.

Simon has recently come back from a sabbatical in Arizona where he's been spending alot of time on his bike putting in some serious distance training. I'm not sure if this is true but another friend of mine, James, told me Simon finished second in the recent White Rose Classic sportive. I'll have to qualify this with Simon when I see him in the morning (8am ouch!). If it's true then I can expect to be dropped and sharpish. Oh dear!

The New Patron

Photo: Timm Kölln

The Rise And Rise Of Bradley Wiggins

Bradley Wiggins descends the Col du Tourmalet during stage 9th of this years Tour de France. Photo: AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski

If I'd been told before the start of this years Tour de France that Bradley Wiggins (Garmin-Slipstream) would place 4th in the general classification I would have said 'no chance'. Yes I hold my hand up and admit I didn't have Wiggins down to be a GC contender. Maybe win a time trial stage or get in a break away and win a stage that way but 4th in the Tour de France, f**king unbelievable! In taking 4th spot Wiggins equals Robert Millar's record as Britains highest placed rider in the Tour.

So how did Wiggins go from being an Olympic Champion in the pursuit and a time trial specialist to becoming a grand tour contender? If we take a look back at the professional teams Wiggins has been with since becoming a pro back in 2001 we'll see the list is long; Linda McCartney Racing Team (2001), Française des Jeux (2002-2003), Crédit Agricole (2004-2005), Cofidis (2006-2007), Team Columbia-HTC (2008) and Garmin-Slipstream (2009-). 6 teams in 8 years seems like alot of teams in a relatively short time. Although Wiggins may not have been entirely happy at some of the teams he has been on in the past he had always maintained track cycling as his primary focus with his road career coming second. This may go some way to explaining why Wiggins tenure at each of his previous teams was fairly short lived and unsuccessful.

Things are different at Garmin-Slipstream. Wiggins and Jonathan Vaughters found each other at the right time. At the end of the 2008 season Wiggins parted company with Team Columbia-Highroad. Wiggins had made a decision that after the Beijing Olympics he would switch his focus away from the track to the road. He didn't want to limit himself to being one of Mark Cavendish's lead out men with limited opportunity for personal success so made the switch to Garmin-Slipstream where he would be given more freedom albeit working for team captain Christian Vande Velde in the grand tours.

Wiggins dedication as a professional has never been in doubt. As a multiple Olympic and world champion on the track Wiggins knows all about hard work and sacrifice. His switch in focus away from the track meant he no longer needed to carry so much weight (not that he carried much excess any) so between the 2008 Tour de France and the 2009 edition Wiggins reportedly lost in the region of 6 to 8 kilos. His body fat pre Tour was 4 percent. His doctors at Garmin-Slipstream advised him not to let his body fat go any lower or his body would start eating into his muscles. Wiggins has payed alot of attention over the past year to his diet which at times he admits borders on the unhealthy. This is one aspect of his life that has changed compared with previous seasons. It certainly paid off in the mountains during the Tour.

The other big change is being part of a team that Wiggins feels really comfortable with.

"There’s a reason I’m doing so well here and that’s because of the people around me," said Wiggins. "A lot of teams say that they’re a bit like a family but this one really is. A lot us live in Girona and there’s something quite special about it that I’ve not had in other teams."

Certainly, Wiggins relationship with Vande Velde seems as strong as it ever was. Even when the captaincy switched to Wiggins midway through the Tour all the right noises were coming out of the harmonious Garmin-Slipstream camp and imparticular Vande Velde himself who seemed relieved to have a teammate riding so strongly in the mountains.

There is talk of Wiggins switching to Dave Brailsford's Sky HD team for the 2010 season but having seen his results improve so dramatically at a team where he really feels at home I doubt Wiggins will make the switch instead opting to see out his contract at Garmin-Slipstream at the very least. That is as long as Mr Contador doesn't sign for them. If this did happen, and it's a long shot, then expect to see Wiggins abandon ship.

Now this years Tour is over Wiggins can take a well deserved rest. He can then embark on his next racing challenge with a new found confidence in his ability on the road.

"Next year I’m going to concentrate more on the Tour but I don’t see why I couldn't win something like the Vuelta a España and smaller races like Tirreno-Adriatico. This has opened up a whole new set of doors for me now." said Wiggins.

We can be sure of one thing. As Wiggins put it recently;

"keep the faith people, I ain't no Bernhard Kohl"

(Since writing this post yesterday I found this article on Bradley Wiggins where he talks about winning Olympic gold and the Tour in the same year. Go on my son!)

Tour Moments Relived

The Columbia Highroad team sets the pace during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France. Photo: AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski

BBOX Bouygues Telecom's leader Thomas Vockler of France celebrates on the finish line before winning the 196.5 km 5th stage of the 2009 Tour de France on July 8, 2009. Photo: PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP/Getty Images

The peloton approaches during the 6th stage of the 96th Tour de France between Gerona and Barcelona July 9, 2009. Photo: REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel

The peloton makes its way past fields of sunflowers during stage 11 of the 2009 Tour de France from Vatan to Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry on July 15, 2009 in Vatan, France. Photo: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

Angelo Furlan (Lampre NGC) of Italy grimaces as Dr. Gerard Porte treats his wounds after he crashed during the 11th stage of the Tour de France in central France on July 15, 2009. Photo:AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski

Decorations on the bicycle of Team Columbia-High Road leader Mark Cavendish, on July 17, 2009 during the 13th stage of the 2009 Tour de France. Photo: JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images

Team Saxo Bank rider Jens Voigt of Germany lies on the ground after a hard fall during the 16th stage of the 96th Tour de France on July 21, 2009. Voigt suffered a fractured right cheekbone and a severe concussion. Photo: REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel

Alberto Contador (Astana) of Spain is pictured after the signature ceremony on July 21, 2009 in Martigny (Switzerland) before the start of the 16th stage of the 2009 Tour de France. Photo: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images

Jersey Winners

From Left to right the winners of this years Tour de France stand together on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris: Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) with the polka dot jersey for best climber. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) with the green jersey for best sprinter. Alberto Contador (Astana) with the yellow jersey for overall winner. Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) with the white jersey for best young rider. Photo:BERNARD PAPON/AFP/Getty Images

So the Tour de France is over. I'm a little bit lost this evening without the Tour highlights to look forward to on Eurosport. However, it isn't the end of Tour talk on this blog. Over the next few days I'll be posting a piece that takes a look a Britain's Bradley Wiggins who for me was the biggest revelation of this years Tour (and you can bet your house he's clean).

Mark Cavendish Makes It 6 In Paris

Mark Cavendish wins on the Champs-Elysees in Paris today with team mate Mark Renshawcelebrating behind him. Photo:PASCAL PAVANI/AFP/Getty Images

Todays final 160km stage of the Tour de France run between Montereau and Paris Champs-Elysees saw Mark Cavendish (Columbia HTC) win by a big margin against the rest of the field and in doing so he took his 6th stage victory of this Tour. Cavendish has undoubtedly cemented his reputation as one of the greatest ever sprinters. No doubt he'll be back next year with the aim of taking his first green jersey victory. This years green jersey winner went to Norway's mighty Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team).

Damian Hirst Trek Madone

As previously mentioned Damian Hirst's butterfly inspired design of Lance Amstrong's Trek Madone bike will be ridden by the Texan on the final stage of this years Tour de France.

Kraftwerk Live

Germany's Kraftwerk recently played live at the Manchester velodrome in the UK. I bet it was one hell of a great gig. Wish I could have been there.

London To Clacton-On-Sea

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I've been too busy over the past couple of weekends to get out on my bike for a long ride. I'm trying to keep the momentum going by fitting in at least one long ride of 100km or over at least every week and a half as I'm trying to maintain reasonable form for a couple of up coming sportives. The weather in and around London has been fairly changeable of late so I asked my boss if I could take a days holiday whenever I thought the weather would be good in order to get a ride in. I rode from London to the seaside town of Clacton-On-Sea with a couple of friends last year so decided to ride the same route again on my day off. At a distance of 130km, the route with it's mild rolling hills would be the perfect distance to help me keep in decent condition.

I chose today as my day off and the day to do the ride and got it a bit wrong in terms of the weather. It pee'ed it down for the first 2 hours soaking me to the bone. Whilst riding through the wet I convinced myself the rain too was part of the training and tried not to let it get me down. When it did clear up the sun made an appearance and although clouds remained in the sky it didn't rain again and the temperature warmed up nicely drying out my rain jacket which I was able to stow away in the back of my jersey.

I rode a leisurely pace and arrived in Clacton-On-Sea in 6 hours having taken a couple of wrong turns along the way. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to treat myself to fish and chips on the sea front as I had to catch my train back to London as soon as I arrived.

All in all it was a good training day. If you live in East London and are looking for a long ride then try this one out. The route does pass along a few busy stretches of road but equally runs along many kilometres of deserted country roads. Click the google maps route above for more details.

Wiggo In Third Place

Bradley Wiggins (Garmin-Slipstream) leads Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) and
Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) in yesterdays 15th stage. Photo: JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images

Yesterday's 207.5km 15th stage between Pontarlier and Verbier saw Bradley Wiggins ride himself into 3rd place overall in the general classification and in doing so prove to everyone his performance in stage 7 was no fluke. There is every chance now for Wiggo to finish the Tour with a top 5 finish and maybe, just maybe, a podium finish. I don't want to get ahead of myself here but if Wiggo does make it onto the podium in Paris he'd become the first ever Briton to do this going one place better than Robert Millar's 4th place overall back in 1984.

Expect to see Wiggo up front with the main contenders for the remainder of the race and watch out for him in Thursday's 18th stage TT, he'll be going all guns blazing. I just hope Wiggo rides the last 6 stages intelligently and doesn't unnecessarily tire himself out by riding on the front too often. Keep calm Bradley!

Polka Dot Tree

Yesterday Betty and I were cycling along London's Southbank when we came across a polka dot tree. Ok it was red with white spots rather than white with red spots, like the jersey, but hey how often do you come across spotty trees and during the Tour too, very cool!

Good On You Mate!

Photo: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

An emotional Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo Test team) crosses the line as winner of today's wet 200km stage 13 between Vittel and Colmar. It was a fantastic ride by the 25 year old finishing over 4 minutes ahead of the second place rider Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel - Euskadi) and nearly 7 minutes ahead of the main peloton.

I've become more and more a fan of Haussler as this year has gone on. Since leaving Gerolsteiner at the end of last year Haussler started off the 2009 season in phenomenal form taking 2nd overall on the Tour of Qatar, stage 2 at Paris - Nice, 2nd at Milan - San Remo (a hairs breadth behind Mark Cavendish), 2nd at Ronde van Vlaanderen and a respectable 7th at Paris-Roubaix. Today Haussler took the biggest win of his career and in doing so proved his ability as one of the greatest young talents of his generation. He'll be one to watch out for again in next years Spring classics and judging by today's ride could well become a GC grand tour contender in the future.

Click here to see video of the super close finish between Mark Cavendish and Heinrich Haussler in this years Milan San-Remo.

El Diablo Is Back!

Photo: JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images

Find out more about El Diablo here.

Barry Hoban

In winning yesterday's 11th stage of the Tour de France Mark Cavendish became the first rider in Tour history to win 8 stages in the shortest amount of time (over 2 Tours). Not only that, Cav equalled Barry Hoban in becoming only the second Briton ever to win 8 stages of the Tour. I'm sure you'll agree it has been quite a start to the young Manxman's career, he's only 24. We can expect Cav to go on to win many more Tour stages and in doing his name will be mentioned in the same breath as sprint hero's such as Mario Cipollini and mentor Erik Zabel.

But what of Barry Hoban? Hoban was a sprinter and all round damn good rider from a different era. Born and raised in Yorkshire Hoban started his racing career in 1955 competing against another budding English rider Tom Simpson at the end of that year. Hoban moved to France in 1962 and turned professional with Mercier BP Hutchinson 2 years later. Hoban lived and worked abroad as a pro cyclist for another 16 years. His first year as a pro proved to be fruitful winning 2 stages of the Vuelta a España.

His next major victory wouldn't happen for another 3 years and was shrouded in tragedy. In 1967 Tom Simpson died close to the summit of Mont Ventoux. The following day many riders were reluctant to continue racing asking the organisers to postpone the next stage. Instead French rider Jean Stablinski proposed the race should continue and that a British rider should take the next stage win in memory of Simpson. This honor went to Hoban. 2 years after the death of Simpson Hoban married Simpson's widow, Helen.

Following the gifted victory in the 1967 Tour Hoban went on the win a further 7 Tour de France stages between 1968 and 1975. His other major triumph came in 1974 with victory in the Flanders classic, Gent-Wevelgem.

Apart from outright victories Hoban's near wins Palmarès was also impressive. He placed second in seven Tours de France stages, and third in another seven. He also placed third in both Liège-Bastogne-Liège (1969) and Paris - Roubaix (1972). I'd imagine Hoban would have been close to being a Tom Boonenesque type rider judging by the races he won and nearly won.

In total Hoban competed in 12 Tours de France, finishing 11 of them. In doing so he bridged a significant link between 3 Tour legends. His first tour was Jacques Anquetil's last. He rode in the peloton with Eddy Merckx and his last tour was Bernard Hinault's first.

For further comparison between Mark Cavendish and Barry Hoban see cyclingart.blogspot.com.

Leah Vande Velde Prepares Homemade Energy Bars

This video shows Christian Vande Velde's wife, Leah, preparing and cooking homemade energy bars. The recipe ingredients are listed at the end as well as the prep and cooking instructions. I'm going to try this in time for my next long ride. Yum!

Sunflowers

Photo: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

Here is a photo from yesterdays 10th stage of the peloton riding past a field of sunflowers. The Tour de France wouldn't be complete without a version of this iconic image.

Whilst yesterdays rather dull 10th stage passed off without any major race radio related issues it was a good day for Lord Cavendish (Columbia HTC) (sorry Jack I had to borrow your phrase). Today's 192km stage from Vatan to Saint-Fargeau is another fairly flat route and may well see Cav take yet another stage victory unless a breakaway can succeed.

It seems Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) and Tyler Farrar (Garmin - Slipstream) are the only other sprinters who are prepared to put up a fight against Cav and good on them too. Cav needs some competition. Can anyone explain why Tom Boonen hasn't even attempted to take part in a bunch sprint yet this Tour? For all the controversy surrounding Boonen and his penchant for a good party we all know he's a strong rider and a winner. So why can't he be bothered to even try to complete for a sprint victory? Maybe he's lost motivation due to Cav's domination. Lets hope we see Tommeke put up more of a fight before the Tour hits the Alps.

Le 14 juillet

Bastille day is a French national holiday celebrated on 14th July each year. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille on 14th July 1789 when the Bastille fortress-prison was attacked. The storming is seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation. Shortly after the storming of the Bastille feudalism was abolished and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen proclaimed. This declaration is a fundamental document of the French revolution. I wasn't aware of all this until I did a little research so I thought I'd mention it.

Ok French history lesson over. What this means for today's 193km stage from Limoges to Issoudun is the roads along the stage route will be packed with French fans urging on all the French riders in the hope that one of them will win the stage.

I did a bit more research and found that since 1947 there have been 18 French victories on Bastille day made by 15 riders.

Emile Idée in 1949 in Nîmes

Jean Robic in 1953 in Luchon

Jacques Vivier in 1954 in Vannes

Jean Bourles in 1957 in Ax-les-Thermes

Jacques Anquetil in 1961 in Périgueux and in a time trial in Paris in 1964

Roger Pingeon in 1968 in Albi

Raymond Delisle in 1969 in Luchon

Bernard Thévenet in 1970 in La Mongie and again in 1975 in Serre-Chevalier

Bernard Labourdette in 1971 in Gourette

Mariano Martinez in 1980 in Morzine

Vincent Barteau in 1989 in Marseille

Laurent Jalabert in 1995 in Mende and again in 2001 in Colmar.

Laurent Brochard in 1997 in Loudenvielle

Richard Virenque in 2004 in Saint-Flour

David Moncoutié in 2005 in Digne-les-Bains

Will today see another French victory? Maybe, if a breakaway succeeds, but the route of today's stage is pretty flat so will favour a bunch sprint finish which means Mr Cavendish has to be favourite to take a 3rd stage victory. Having said that no race radios in todays stage could mean anything might happen, we'll soon find out. Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!

Bad Hair Day?

Photo: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images

Bradley Wiggins The Mountain Goat!

Photo: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

Bradley Wiggins (Garmin Slipstream) finished in what I can only describe as the most surprising 12th place I've seen for a long time in cycling. Todays 224km 7th stage from Barcelona to Andorra Arcalis saw the peloton head into the mountains for the first time in this tour with a finish at an altitude of 2240 metres.

Bradley Wiggins is a multiple Olympic track cycling champion, an ex world track champion and a damn fine time trial specialist. What he wasn't was a mountain climber. I say wasn't because today Wiggins finished the stage in a group containing some of the best climbs in the world, Cadel Evans (Silence Lotto), Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) , Fränk Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) and Lance Armstrong (Astana) to name a few.

To be quite frank I was dumb struck. That must have been Wiggins best ever performance in the mountains leaving him 5th overall in the GC only 46 seconds down on the overall leader Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale).

Apparently Wiggins has lost 10kg since last years Tour de France. In terms of power to weight ratio Wiggins must have retained all his power but is now dragging 10kg less up the hills. Move aside Christian Vande Velde it looks like Garmin Slipstream may have a new leader!

Lance Armstrong Gets Damian Hirst Treatment

These are preview images of the Trek Madone bike Lance Armstrong will ride on the final stage of this years Tour de France. Damian Hirst has designed the butterfly inspired artwork for the bike. Armstrong wrote on his Twitter social-networking feed he was “speechless” after seeing Hirst’s design on the bike’s frame. Let's hope Armstrong mean't he was speechless with happiness otherwise it may be Hurst who could end up in the formaldehyde!

Battle For Second Place

Photo: Sirotti

The sprinters put in an incredible effort to fight it out for second place in yesterdays 196.5km 5th stage between Le Cap d'Agde and Perpignan. Thomas Voeckler (BBOX Bouygues Telecom) took the stage victory, his first in the Tour de France despite spending 10 days in yellow during the 2004 Tour. Well done to Voeckler who also happens to be in my velogames fantasy team.

Le Peloton

Photo: JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images

Is it me or do the riders look like little toys? It's a great photo taken at the start of this mornings 196.5km 5th stage between Le Cap d'Agde and Perpignan. For those of you out there interested in photography the picture was taken with a tilt-shift lens.

New Forest Road Sportive

Sunday 5th July saw me take part in the first of 3 sportives I have signed myself up for this year. At 150km the New Forest Road Sportive was, relatively speaking, probably the easiest of the 3 since there was less elevation and it was shorter than the sportives I have planned in August and September.

Route elevation

I camped the night before the start just 10km from the start line since a drive from London would have seen me having to get up at 4am and there was no way that was going to happen. As it was I awoke just after 5am on the Sunday morning and fired up the camping stove. After a good breakfast of porridge, banana and coffee I quickly got cleaned and packed and headed over to the start of the event.

Signing in started at 7.45am for the pre-registered riders and I was pretty keen to get going so as to finish earlier. I managed to sign in and prepare myself in time to set off just after 8am. It was a good start to the day. Not only did I feel well good but I managed to hook up with a fellow by the name of Roy who also happened to be aboard the same bike as me, a Wilier Izoard. So off we went taking it in turns at the front for what must have been nearly 2 hours.

Although the rain came down on us for the first hour or so the weather cleared and out came the sun to transform the day into a beautiful summers day. The countryside we rode through was picturesque as is typical of the New Forest. We wizzed past quaint villages with wild ponies, horses and their foals grazing by the road side. We even saw a very happy looking greyish pig trotting along the roads edge. I may be wrong but I think the New Forest is unique in that wild animals such as the ones we saw are still able to roam freely in the UK.

Close to the first feed point Roy punctured which is where we said goodbye although I had a feeling I'd be seeing Roy, the ex-racer, later on. The first feed point was the only one of the 3 feed points to provide food. I stocked up on some fig biscuits and flapjack, filled up the bottles and off I went.

Before I started the ride I had asked a work colleague who had ridden the sportive the previous year about the route. He told me it was fairly flat with just a couple of hills. He must have amnesia because by the time I had passed the first feed point I'd already ridden up and down a number of lactic inducing short sharp hills.

By midday the temperature must have hit 26, maybe 28c. Not majorly warm but warm enough and I was loosing alot of fluids. I made sure I didn't make the same mistakes I've made in the past and added electrolyte tablets to my water so as to ensure I didn't cramp up. It seemed to work. I only experienced mild cramp at 2 points during the ride and they both came after putting in big efforts. I figured as long as I paced myself correctly and didn't push my body too hard I'd keep the cramp at bay.

Route map

In fact up until feed point 3 I was still feeling pretty good. Yes my legs were hurting a bit but no more than to be expected. As I was filling my bottles again at the 3rd feed point I asked one of the volunteers how far it was to the finish. He told me it was between 15 and 20km. I thought, that isn't so bad. Hardly further than my cycle to and from work every day. How wrong I was.

The last 15km seemed to drag on forever. Up and down the damn hills through the bloody countryside. I ran out of water and became thirsty. I slowed down to what felt like a snails pace. I was surprised I wasn't being passed by everyone. Maybe they felt the same as me. I persevered, with gritted teeth. 'Surely this is the last hill?' I kept asking myself.

With about 5km to go Roy zoomed past me, legs like pistons. As he past he gave me a casual wave. I knew that would happen. Off he peddled into the distance leaving my sorry arse behind.

Me on a descent

I arrived at the finish line with an official time of 5 hours 35 minutes and 38 seconds (some 5 or so minutes behind Roy). Was I happy to see that finish line. My entire body was aching but I was happy to have finished with a reasonable time. Next up is the Burgess Hill Rumble on 30th August. There's going to have to be alot of training between now and then if I'm going to ride it well.

The day after the ride I had no energy. I was super slow to and from work on my bike. It really does bring it home how amazing the pros are to be able to get up every day and ride for 200km competitively. Respect to them.

Enough Said!

My TDF Velogames Fantasy Team

Here's the Tour de France fantasy team I submitted to velogames.com yesterday (in no particular order):

Team name: Easy Rouleurs

Andy SCHLECK SAX
Vincenzo NIBALI LIQ
Carlos SASTRE CTT
David MONCOUTIE COF
Mark CAVENDISH THR
Luis Leon SANCHEZ GCE
Thomas VOECKLER BBO
Maxime MONFORT THR
Heinrich HAUSSLER CTT

I've taken a major gamble not including Alberto Contador or indeed any Astana team members. I'm banking on Astana to implode under the weight of all their egos although I know this is unlikely.

I'm putting all my faith in key members, Carlos Sastre, Andy Schleck and Mark Cavendish to score me big points. I'm hoping for at least one good day from the remainder of my team. Fingers crossed for a stage victory from any of my French contigent, David Moncoutie, Thomas Voeckler or Maxime Monfort on Bastile day, 14th July. Also, I can always depend of Voeckler to get into multiple breakaways throughout the race. As for Vincenzo Nibali and Luis Leon Sanchez I have high hopes for these boys in the GC. Heinrich Haussler is just an animal that is almost certainly going to produce a Cancellaraesque attack with 2km to go to snatch victory from the pure sprinters. Well that's the idea anyway.

To enter your TDF fantasy team visit velogames.com.

Tour de France Travel Guide

Graham Watson is perhaps Britain's most accomplished cycle sport photographer. He has photographed the great cycling events of Europe, North America, Australia and Asia. Watson first saw the Tour de France as a tourist way back in 1977 and has covered this greatest of all cycling races every year since then. His many visits to each region of France during this time has given him an in depth understanding of the country, people, language, culture and of course cycle racing. In his new book Tour de France Travel Guide, Watson imparts much of this knowledge and in doing so produces an indispensable guide to La Grande Boucle.

The guide starts off with a chapter called Planning Your Trip. It is here that Watson suggests different ways in which a trip to the Tour can be organised, be it through a tour operator, both official and unofficial or by planning it yourself. He moves on to outlining the pros and cons of the various ways in which to move around France during the Tour, be it by bike, car, Camper or train. Also, would you prefer to camp, hostel or stay in a hotel? Watson has it all covered. Not only that but he mentions important points especially relevant to non-Europeans in particular visitors from the United States, Canada and Australia relating to visas and driving permits.

The end of the chapter, indeed the end of every chapter, is entitled Legends of the Modern Tour. Here Watson indulges the reader with both photos and anecdotes about his favourite cyclists both past and present. It's a great idea that breaks the book up nicely by providing a bridge between each section. Also, it's a great excuse to brush up on your knowledge of some of the past greats.

Next up is Following the Tour. This brief chapter gives the reader a glimpse into the best ways of tracking down the Tour by planning a series of strategic interceptions. This could include attending the pre-race build up, visiting a mountain stage and what to do and look out for whilst at the roadside.

The Flavour of France is next. Here Watson writes about the people, the language and my personal favourite, food and drink. He goes into detail about the different types of restaurants to be found in France as well as going through some pretty obscure but nevertheless valuable culinary etiquette.

At least half the book is made up of a Chapter called The Regions of France. In this chapter Watson covers every region of France with some regions, such as the Alps, receiving more attention that others. Firstly there is a close up map of the region, then Watson focuses on points of interest in the region such as a famous stage that passed through, the best places to ride your bike, amazing hotels and food and drink. Each region section ends with a accommodation recommendation and a mention of the regional food speciality.

A guide to the Tour de France wouldn't be complete without a chapter dedicated to the mountains and this guide doesn't disappoint with the next chapter, Mountains of the Tour. The chapter is split into three regions, The Massif Central, The Alps and The Pyrenees. What comes next is much detail on many of the most famous mountain passes to have been used in the Tour including such legendary names as Puy-de-Dôme, Alpe d'Huez, Col du Galibier, Mont Ventoux, Col du Tourmalet and Col d'Aubisque to name but a few.

Finally Watson gives tips and suggestions about photographing the tour, a natural end to a guide written by a photographer dedicated to shooting many iconic images over the past 30 years.

This book has got me so excited. Not only excited about watching the Tour but more than that it has really given me an urge to get myself over the Channel with my bike ASAP to enjoy some of the France Watson writes about so well. This really is an insiders guide. There are exquisite little hotels nestled up on the side of medieval hillside villages in The Massif Central and the Midi-Pyrénées that you'd be hard pressed to find even with the help of google. This guide opens up the readers horizons in terms of where to go and stay.

The book is beautifully presented with hundreds of Watson's photos. Not only that but it's very well bound with a cover you can wipe the red wine off, quality! To top it all off, for the train spotters, there's a list of 55 great climbs on the back page along with the heights. I've done 4 of them. Only 51 to go, I can't wait!

Tour de France Travel Guide (Velopress) costs £17.99 plus worldwide shipping and can be purchased from Urban Hunter.biz.

The Road To Mt. Ventoux - L'Etape Du Tour 2009

I never ever win competitions so it was a great surprise to get an email from thebikeshow.net informing me that I had won their DVD prize for answering their competition question correctly. The DVD I won is entitled The Road to Mt. Ventoux - L'Etape du Tour 2009. It's essentially a reconnaissance on this year’s Etape du Tour.

For those who may not be aware of the concept behind Etape du Tour, each year amateur cyclists get the chance to ride one stage of the Tour de France on closed roads, just like the pros. This year sees around 8000 Etape riders tackle arguably the most fascinating of stages, the 167km stage 20 from Montélimar to Mont Ventoux. The real stage 20 takes place on Saturday 25th July. The Etape day happens 5 days earlier on Monday 20th July.

As I said the DVD is a reconnaissance of the stage and is presented by self proclaimed rider, writer and marketeer, Mike Cotty. Cotty starts off by talking through what types of kit the Etape cyclist will need ranging from the type of bike including wheels, gearing and tyres, through to clothing and nutrition. All of it is common sense stuff although it's always nice to be presented with a clear summary to make things as easy as possible.

Cotty then moves on to a little culture by visiting some of Montélimar's sites, including a trip to the local nougat shop and factory. I found it very amusing that at no point throughout the entire DVD did Cotty take his helmet off. Whether in the nougat factory or sat outside of a bar at the end of a long ride, the helmet stayed on.

Moving on to the ride itself and this is where the DVD starts to come into its own. Cotty rides the entire route, albeit over 2 days. As Cotty rides he points out many crucial snippets of information relating to road conditions, weather, when to eat, where best to stay with a group and where the most technical sections are. All in all very useful information especially for those not used to riding in a large group over roads that are unfamiliar.

I won't be one of the riders taking part in this years Etape but if you are riding it and haven't yet seen this DVD I would recommend taking a look. It really does give the viewer a clearer idea of what to expect. My only criticism, and my wife agreed with me on this, is the music. Many of the action sequences of the DVD that see Cotty swooping up and down the undulating hills are accompanied by really bad techno music. It's the kind of annoying techno that you'll sometimes hear on video games but unlike the video game there is no option on the DVD to turn the noise off.

Incidentally, the competition question that I answered correctly to win the DVD was:

"When cycling up to the top of the Mont Ventoux from Bedoin village what is the name of the rest point just below the tree line where you can buy coffee, food or use the toilet?"

Visit Cyclefilm for further information or to buy The Road to Mt. Ventoux - L'Etape du Tour 2009.