7 May, 2008: When in Doubt, Plan

After re-reading Steve Bauer's email 137 times, staring at the bright yellow map of the 2008 Tour de France for several hours, twiddling my thumbs, flossing, adjusting the framed photo of Lance Armstrong and Jan Ulrich that hangs on my wall, and asking myself over and over again, "Can it be done?," I finally reached several conclusions.

1) Steve Bauer was just employing reverse psychology.

2) Even if he wasn't, this is a worth a shot--for the sake of Rick's memory, for the BORP kids, on behalf of crazy dreamers everywhere.

3) Even crazy dreamers need to occasionally dirty their hands with details.

4) Google maps and German on-line train schedules have all the answers.

So here it is, just in case you're curious or thinking of attempting something similar--The nitty gritty of riding the route of the 2008 Tour de France solo:

A list of everything that I will carry:

-bivvy sack
-small bottle of liquid soap
-2 sets of cycling clothes
-cycling tights
-1 pair of shorts
-1 pair of trousers
-1 pair of sandals
-1 short sleeve shirt
-1 long-sleeve shirt
-1 good bike pump
-sleeping pad
-bike lock
-spoon
-swiss army knife w/corkscrew
-2 big water bottles
-bungee cord
-multi-tool
-spare tube
-patch kit
-small bike lube
-two pairs underwear
-rear view mirror
-long-sleeved cycling jacket
-camera
-spare batteries
-france cycling map
-bike lights
-contacts
-contact solution
-contact lense case
-bank card
-passport
-map
-toothbrush
-small toothpaste
-toilet paper
-USANA essentials + fatty acids
-bactroban

And here is a schedule, including how I plan to get from finish lines to starting lines, which are often far apart:

 *=I plan to watch the finish of this stage.

*Stage 1: 5 July Brest to Plumelec 197.5K (hilly)
Depart: 5:00. Finish deadline: 15:00. 10 hours. Min Avg. Speed = ~20 KPH.
Grocery shopping/dinner, if possible, before peloton arrives.
Peleton finish: 16:59 to 17:26.
42.5K connection. Or:
18:30: Ride to Auray: ~50 K or ride to Vannes: ~30K (optional train to Auray: 15:56, 17:53, 19:45--last. 11 minutes).

Stage 2: 6 July Auray to St. Brieuc 164.5K (hilly, headwinds)
Depart: 5:30. Finish: 14:00. 8 hours. Min Avg. Speed = ~20 KPH.
73.5 K connection. Or Train at 16:09, arrives St. Malo 18:22. (L'UNICO!!!)
Groceries, find place to camp, ride first part of route if necessary.

*Stage 3: 7 July St. Malo to Nantes 208K (flat)
Depart 5:00. Finish: 15:00. 10 hours. MAS = ~21 KPH.
Find train station, shop, watch finish.
62.2K connection. Or trains for Cholet at 17:41 (19:36), 18:18 (20:13), 19:35 (21:30).

*Stage 4: 8 July Cholet TT 29.5K.
Depart 5:30. Finish 7:00.
Load up on groceries, eat all day while watching race.
Ride ~50K along route, camp.

*Stage 5: 9 July Cholet to Chateauroux 232K (182K) (flat)
Depart 6:00. Finish 15:00. 9 hours. MAS = ~20KPH.
47.3 K connection. Or (skip finish): Train to Eguzon: 16:37 (17:05) + Ride to Aigurande: 27.5K.

Stage 6: 10 July Aigurande to Super Besse 195.5K (medium mountains)
Depart 5:00. Finish 15:00. 10 hours. MAS = ~20KPH
mountain passes at 158K (Col de la Croix-Morand--10.5 K at 4.9%, max 8.5% at 2K) and finish (7.2K at 4% 8.4% at 5K).
70.4K (hilly) connection. Or:
Ride to Issoire: 37.3 K.
Train to Brioude: 17:14 (17:43), 18:23 (18:56), 19:30 (20:00), 20:23 (20:53)

Stage 7: 11 July Briuode to Aurillac 159K (medium mountains)
Depart 5:30. Finish 12:30. 7 hours. MAS = ~21 KPH.
Climbs at 101.5 (Col d'Entremont: 6.5 K to 4.7%, 295m) and 117 (Col du Pas de Peyrol: 7.8 K to 6.2%)
62.3K (hilly) connection.
Train to Figeac: 13:04 (14:15), 16:52 (18:06), 17:12 (19:50), 18:30 (19:55) LE DERNIER TRAN!

*Stage 8: 12 July Figeac to Toulouse 172.5K (flat)
Depart 6:00. Finish 14:00. 8 hours. MAS = ~21KPH.
Groceries, eat, Watch finish.
KEEP RIDING (start by 17:30): Camp somewhere after SAINT-JULIEN-SUR-GARONNE (57.5 K)

Stage 9: 13 July Toulouse to Bagneres-de-Bigorre 224K (166.5K) (high mountains)
Start 6:00 from Saint-Julien-Sur-Garonne. Finish 15:00. 9 hours. MAS = < 19KPH.
Climbs at 123.5 (6K to 4.9%), 166.5 (13.2 K to 7.1%), 198 (12.1K to 6.6%)
61.2K (hilly) connection. Or (ride passes through Tarbes):
Ride 21.2K to Tarbes.
Train to Pau: 17:50 (18:37), 18:30 (19:14)

*Stage 10: 14 July Pau to Hautacam 156K (high mountains)
Start 6:00. Finish 15:00. 9 hours. MAS = <18KPH.
Climbs at 105.5 (Col du Tourmalet, 17.7 K to 7.5%) and 154 (14.2K to 7.2%)
Camp at summit, 2K from Huatacam.

Rest Day: 15 July.
69.9K (hilly) connection.
Depart 5:00 for 25.3K to Lourdes.
Train from Lourdes to Lannemezan: 6:30 (7:15), 7:32 (8:27) Le dernier tran!

*Stage 11: 16 July Lannemezan a Foix 166K (hilly)
Start 6:00. Finish 15:00. 9 hours. MAS = <19KPH.
Climb at 109K (Col de la Crouzette, 11.6K to 7.1%)
24.9K (hilly) connection.

*Stage 12: 17 July Lavelanet a Narbonne 168K (flat)
Start 6:00. Finish 14:30. MAS = ~20KPH.

*Stage 13: 18 July Narbonne a Nimes 182K (flat)
Start 6:00. Finish 15:00. MAS = 20KPH.
KEEP RIDING: Camp 50K along next day's route.

Stage 14: 19 July Nimes a Digne-les-Bains 182K (hilly)
Start 6:00. Finish 15:00. MAS = 20 KPH.
95.6K (hilly) connection. Or:
Catch ride to Embrun? Or find train?

*Stage 15: 20 July Embrun a Prato Nevoso 185K (high mountains)
Start 5:00. Finish 15:00. MAS = <19KPH.
Benvenuto en Italia!

Rest Day: 21 July
42.3K (hilly) connection to Cuneo + 100K of next day's route.

Stage 16: 22 July Cuneo to Jausiers 157K (high mountains)
Start 6:00. Finish 15:00. 9 hours. MAS = <20KPH.
60.9K connection to Embrun + 50K of next day's route.

*Stage 17: 23 July Embrun to Alpe du'Huez 210K (high mountains)
Start 5:30. Finish 15:00. 9.5 hours. MAS = 22KPH.
If I make it this far, I will probably finish. Camp at summit.

*Stage 18: 24 July Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint-Etienne 197K (medium mountains)
Start 5:30 from summit, decend 13K to Bourg-d-Oisans. Finish 15:00. 9.5 hours. MAS = 21KPH.
83.4K connection. Or:
Train to Roanne: 16:50 (18:04), 17:50 (19:05), 18:22 (19:36), 18:50 (20:05), ... last train 20:50.

*Stage 19: 25 July Roanne to Montlucon 163K (flat)
Start 7:00. Finish 15:00. 8 hours. MAS = 20KPH.
40.2K connection to Cerilly.

Stage 20: 26 July Cerilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond 53K (TT-rolling)
Start 5:00. Finish 7:30. MAS = 20KPH.
218K connection.
Train to Etampes: 11:46 (17:01) L'Unico!

*Stage 21: 27 July Etampes to Paris 143K (hilly)
Start: 5:30. Finish: 12:30. MAS = 20 KPH.
CHAMPAGNE!