Schaumburg cyclist Neil Holdway summits the Col des Tentes in the Pyrenees in July. (Courtesy of Manuel Pizarro)
By Ralph Banasiak
Along For the Ride
A dedicated Schaumburg cyclist lived my Tour de France fantasy, cycling five days in the Pyrenees, viewing a mountain stage finish and cheering racers along Paris’s Champs-Élysées on the final day.
Daily Herald Deputy Managing Editor Neil Holdway finally claimed his 50th birthday gift from his wife — a 2020 trip deferred twice by COVID-related issues. Besides compiling autumn biking guides, night editing and serving on the Herald’s editorial board, Holdway takes his cycling seriously.
In this edited exchange, Holdway recounts his TdF immersion in Lourdes and Paris, France, this past July.
Banasiak: Any Chicago area thigh-burner hills to prep for the Pyrenees?
Holdway: This was tough. It put me at a real disadvantage compared to most of my tour mates living near and training on U.S. mountains. I rode through Barrington Hills a lot — Ridge and Spring Creek Roads my favorites — otherwise in the Barrington area, good workouts over long rides.
I rode through Campton Hills some. Those rollers are no Pyrenees. Each year I bike in Wisconsin, this year purposely choosing hillier routes surrounding Madison. That helped some. I still wasn’t ready for Tourmalet’s relentless ascent, especially on only my second day. Its largely 8% grade over the final 11 km, follows 5 km at 7%.
Read the full interview here.
Related: “5 colorful suburban bike trail systems to ride this fall, plus pretty roads for the more daring”
Leave a Reply