Stage 9 Tour de France and Brive

 The result of today's stage does not change the GC so, again, I won't type it all out.  

A bunch sprint decides the stage and throws up a few new sprint names for me.  Tim Merlier, however, does it again.

The first ten were as follows:  

Merlier, Girmay, Koolj, Philipsen, Bitten, Pluimers, Ackermann, Russo,  Kanter, Fretin. 

Tomorrow's stage, Sunday, Stage 9 is Malemort to Ussel  185.5 km, undulating, or more like hilly and an over 3300 metre elevation gain and then back to almost the same height above sea level as at the start. 

The nearest place I can see that I know near Ussel is Brive where as a teenager with two friends we were put off a train late at night for being on the wrong train in that we had the wrong price tickets and the guard threw us off.  (We had innocently boarded the wrong train in Paris some hours before).   We slept in a fairly isolated station all night and caught the first slow train next morning.  We were heading south.  It was my first trip abroad.  

Favourite for stage 9:  It looks like the finish could throw up some new names or also some we know but haven't heard for a while like Alaphilippe.    Could be Pedersen, or Pidcock or Van Der Poel or Godon.  Outsiders Ben Healey Ion Izaggire, or Plapp.  

Monday is the first rest day. 

By the way, if you don't read my posts because you think the Tour is not for you that is fair enough and totally understood.  However, I would say that in most of my posts there is always something more to read here if you are a close inquisitive reader and interested in the lives of others.  I could write a book about my life and the experiences I have had without children or grandchildren or spouse.  You might be surprised but there is life without children.  There is a whole world out there where you find your own way and you learn a lot in taking the trouble to fix your computer and your smart phone yourself, 

RIP Ann Widdecombe

I heard of her sad death yesterday and then last night saw reports that she had been murdered in her home.   I was watching a real life homicide investigation on television at the time.  It came as a real shock to me and of course the reality of these murder investigations that I am watching.  Whether it was Ann Widdecombe or any other lone woman in a lonely house it is a great tragedy and shocking.  

I see the news this morning is that a young man who was arrested yesterday has been released and is no longer a person of interest. 

I wonder if it was a random robbery that went wrong, perhaps she was not expected to be at home.  

For those overseas who do not know her, Ann Widdecombe was a retired politician and long serving MP in the Conservative Party  and much respected with strong opinions and ethics and loyalty to Britain.  She joined the Reform Party in 2023 and was still active with them.   She was regularly seen on tv political discussions and was also a celebrity contestant in Strictly Come Dancing a few years ago.  

RIP Ann Widdecombe. 

Today's Tour Stage 7 and looking ahead to Stage 8 to Bergerac

 Stage 7 of the Tour was the sprint to Bordeaux and it has not changed the GC rankings from Stage 6 so I won't type them all out again.  Pogacar still has the Yellow Jersey. 

The sprint stage today was won by Tim Merlier.  Philipsen came in 5th.  The names in the top ten were Merlier, Waerenskjold, Girmay, Kanter, Philipsen, Bauhaus, Artz, Godon, Pedersen, Van Ashbroeck.  I am hoping by writing them out I will become familiar with the latest crop of sprinters.

Sadly  Torstein Traeen who was in the Yellow Jersey two days ago at the end of Stage 5 has dropped out of the Tour today following his injuries received yesterday on the Col du Tourmalet. 

Tomorrow the Tour goes into the Dordogne area and this is the stage where Cro will be within waving distance.  Stage 8 Périgueux to Bergerac. 

It is 180.4 kilometres, flat and lots of lovely scenery.  

This is another bunch sprint finish stage so the names I am trying to learn, above,  should be in the top 10 stage finish again tomorrow in possibly roughly the same order.   We shall see.  I haven't seen any of the tour today.

Yesterday Recap

 Today will be a Friday of staying in the house and keeping cool.  Yesterday's visit to the masseuse was pleasant once I got there but the journey and walking made me very hot and dripping with sweat. The train was cool and on time.  But on alighting from the train the air hit me like an oven.   I spent an hour in a café writing but I think my choice of a hot coffee was the wrong one and I should have had iced coffee.  I spent the hour trying to mop the sweat dripping off me.  I saw later that hot drinks can set off sweat responses and the body reacts accordingly.  I had always thought that a hot cup of tea can be refreshing in hot weather but maybe it works with tea but not with coffee.  A lesson learned. 

The massage was deep tissue which is what the Thais specialise in and I was not expected to have oils.  I think oils would have been a bad thing on such a hot day with my body very hot.   My regular lady is currently working in London helping out at another salon so I was with her new lady and I was happy with that.  She is Thai too and speaks very little English and we had some misunderstanding when I said I had cooled off with water on my wrists on arrival, in the bathroom, and she thought I wanted her to pour water on my wrists.  We sorted that out!   The massage room was quite cool.   

Every Thai massage starts off with the washing of the feet which is an old ritual about having clean feet and not taking dirt into the house.  

The Thais are very particular about outdoor shoes being left in the hallway by the door as soon as you enter the property.  (I have once arrived at the door when some removal men also arrived to pick up a bed and they were required to remove their shoes much to their surprise as  burly men ready to haul the bed to their truck and go they weren't allowed to do anything until they had removed their shoes).  My feet are always clean incidentally.  

Yesterday in view of the hot weather she washed my feet in cold water.  The washing also goes up to the knees. 

I indicated that I wanted her massage to pay special attention to my legs, calf muscles, quads and thighs.  She would have done this anyway but sometimes the emphasis can be put on upper body rather than lower body and I wanted lower body emphasis after all the walking in Azerbaijan and the lack of movement since I got home and have been ill. 

When she had finished I walked slowly back to the station but definitely felt better than when I had walked from the station on arrival.  

I do not seem to cope so well with heat as I did when I was younger and I put this down to hormonal changes since I got older. 

In the evening I had salad for tea and watched further homicides in Philadelphia which I am watching each evening on Discovery+.  I enjoy seeing the detective work that is put into the solving of each case, often years after the actual murder. 

 I watched the highlights of the day's Tour Stage  on Channel 5 which is on for an hour but I am now timing my watching time to 45 minutes, knowing to avoid the first 15 minutes of talk and adverts.  Yesterday was a fine day for Pogacar and a masterclass in cycling in the mountains.  I admire him greatly. 

For Meike, the second book I picked up at the Charity Shop this week is Three Apples Fell From The Sky by Narine Abgaryan.  It is described as an international bestseller and a heartwarming book of love intertwined with history and ancient beliefs. 

Stage 6 result and looking ahead to Stage 7 tomorrow

 Stage 6 and Pogacar demolished his rivals in the mountains.   Tonight he is back in the Yellow Jersey.  He went out solo on the Tourmalet mountain at 40 km from the finish and the gap just got bigger and bigger.  Vingegaard couldn't match it and fell back.  It was a ride of Pogacar's best in the mountains.  

So Pogacar came in first, with Vingegaard second 2' 38" behind him.   Del Toro third, Evenepoel fourth, and the boy Seisax 5th.  Pidcock came in 15th, 8' 18" behind Pogacar and Adam Yates 17th, 8' 21" behind Pogacar.    The yellow jersey holder Traeen had a nasty crash on the descent and got patched up and carried on losing 20 minutes and the yellow jersey.  Vingegaard not happy, Traeen not happy, Evenepoel not happy I think with his team mate Del Toro and everyone asking what can we do to catch Pogacar.  

This is the GC tonight. 

1. Pogacar 21h 11' 57"

2. Vingegaard  21h 14' 39"   + 2' 42"

3  Del Toro  21 15 24  +3.27

4. Evenepoel 21 15 27  +3.30

5. Ayuso  21 15 31  + 3.34

6.  Seixas  21 15 52  + 3.55

7.  Lipowitz   21 15 57  +4.00

8.  Martinez  21 16 18  +4.21

9.  Skjelmose 21 16 54   +4.57

10.  Vacek  21 19 07    +7.10

Goodbye Pyrenees and hello Stage 7 tomorrow,  a sprinters stage.Hagetmau to Bordeaux  175km, flat, sprinters hotspot, Bordeaux. Predictions for the stage winner put Philipsen top and Kooji to watch. 

Today's activities

 Today I have my first massage in two months.  Yesterday I re-commenced my daily exercises, in full.  Things are looking better.  I last exercised using the exercises for seniors routine before I went on holiday on 8th May.  Perhaps I should say I ceased the routine on the day of my holiday. I will now engage on a daily basis.  I felt the sluggishness of some muscles that needed to be stirred into life. 

I heard from Mark in Sheffield yesterday, the man I met on the tour of Azerbaijan.  I think we will be staying in touch with each other.  It is nice to have made a friend on the tour and to have things in common.  I will see how it goes; friendships made on holidays ofter peter out after a year or so although one lady I met in Macedonia continued to email me for 15 years until she passed away earlier this year.  Her daughter found my contact details on her mother's computer and emailed me the news. 

I am thinking of a train tour next year if I am well enough.  This will be starting on Eurostar from St Pancras and heading across to Brussels and Cologne and onwards to Denmark and Sweden.  The other alternative, there are two train tours that I am interested in, is a tour of Germany going to Dresden and then heading northwards.  This one also starts from St. Pancras.   But next summer is a long way off at the moment and I am aware that my health needs to be good to undertake another holilday. 

I am looking forward to going out today and will get an early train and will go to the café to write for a while before my appointment.    So far my 'live train times'  information tells me that the trains are running on time. 

I will not be back until tonight and will do a catch up on Stage 6 of the Tour when I get home.  

Result Stage 5 of The Tour

 The Lannemezan to Pau stage was the flat, sprinter 158,3 km stage 5.    

The stage winner was O. Kooji.  Dutch on his Tour debut.   Great ride and he went out on his own slipping out of the chaotic run in,  followed by Kanter, Melier,  Artz, Philipsen, Girmay, Pedersen, Fretin, Turgis, Waernenskojld.  All sprinters and names that I don't know apart from Pedersen and Philipsen.   I used to know the sprinters but times move on and riders retire who we used to know here.   Pedersen Green Jersey. 

The GC are hanging back which is safer now and it is good if they all agree.  Leave the sprinters to it.   And chaotic it was indeed and narrow streets and speed humps  so best out of their way.  Vingegaard and Pogacar home safely.  

The GC tonight is the same as last night:  

1. Traeen 16h 32' 07"   Yellow Jersey

2. Quinn  16h 32' 35"   +28

3. Vacek  16h 32' 57"  + 3' 50"

4. Pogacar  16h 40' +   7'.53"

5. Vingegaard 16h 40' + 7.53"

6, Debryne 16h 40/ 13'   + 8' 6"

7. Evenepoel 16h 40' 23"  +8.16"

8. Del Toro 16h 40' 24"  +8.17"

9. Ayuso  16h 40' 27"  + 8.20"

10.  Seixas 16h 40' 48" + 8.41" 

Stage 6 tomorrow is Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre, Mountain  185.6 km  

A challenging mountain stage in the Pyrenees. Will Pogacar and Vingegaard  go all out on the Tourmalet?  The highest road pass in the Pyrenees and often featured in the Tour.  Pogarcar is favourite tonight. 

Tomorrow awaits the mountain climbers.