Well, it was a fun ride... Except that Sporting Tours, treated us like Pro riders. We slept in the same hotels as the Tour riders. We had back up vehicles following us all day, servicing us with water, energy drinks and food. All inter stage transfers were in a luxury bus. All meals provided were of top quality. After a day of hard riding our bikes were taken from us, serviced by a ex Tour mechanic. We also received, deep or light, sports massages from two current pro tour masseurs. We felt like "Gods" <br />The route was exactly the same as this years TdF, from start line to finish line. The general rule of thumb was: If the Lance rides a stage in 6 hours, we would ride the same stage in 8 - 10 hours. Having watched the Tour on TV before we left, we had an idea of what we were up against. Once again how wrong we were. TV does lie. The peleton does fly. They all make it look so comfortable. What men they are (sorry not very PC). <br />Our ride time for stage 14, Lodeve to Mt Ventoux, 221km. Took us 8hr20 versus the 5hr43 done by Richard Virenque on the day. Armstrong has the current record time for the fastest ascent of Ventoux, 58min. All I know is, to have shaved off 2min from my time of 1hr46 would have been near impossible. The Ventoux climd starts in the town of Bedoin, from there it is 23km to the summit, average gradient 7.4%. Every km is marked with a beacon, stating the altitude, distance to summit, next km average gradient. Twice the road veered up to a 12% gradient for a km. Makes riding up OuKaapse Weg feel like you going down hill. When passing the monument to Tom Simpson, loads of people stop and pay their respects to the man who died on the slopes back in '67. It is a very somber feeling to be standing on the place where a great cyclist died; uttering the words "put me back on my bike". The roads are littered with monuments to famous cyclists, another being Fabio Casartelli. <br />Another off the route HC climb we manage to squeeze in was on stage 15, Vaison-la-Romaine to Les deux Alpes. The famed Alpe d'Huez, with 21 switchbacks. The ski resorts of Alpe d'Huez and Les deux Alpes are in off the same valley road. So it meant adding on an extra 35km. Well worth the pain in the legs and saddle sores.<br />I am not a league racer any more. I rode at a competitive level a couple of years ago before I had to get a real job. I am a Cape Town resident and my brother lives in Johannesburg.<br />I'm very willing to share photos or answer questions. ;D <br />