D2 race and The "Ventoux"

After travelling nearly two full days in a Van that had no aircon or windows in the back, we drove into the quaint little town of Pierrelatte...The D2 race in the South of France. Temps were around the 35deg mark which was a shock coming from the 'teens'. Anyway, I had a good swim, coming out in front pack and had my domestique.. Laver.. in the pack with me.. the pic can see him driving and myself 4th wheel back. Meant I didnt have to worry about working on the bike too much and hit the run relatively fresh. A 2 lap, 5km course, I found myself in the front pack of runners and after the first lap, one guy surged and I couldnt respond so was content with finishing off in 5th.

Our 'recovery' day was spent climbing Mt Ventoux, a massive climb used in the Tour de France (not this year) and saw us going from 300m to around 1900m in 21km's. Gradient went from 6-11%. The self portrait shows the 'effort on the brow', about 2kms from the summit and the valley floor in the background, where we came from!

I am now in the Netherlands, battling the wind and rain, getting the body prepped for the 19th of August. I have never seen so much water on the sides of roads.. not to mention the ducks!