Photo: © Starshot Design Agency

One Giant leap: Ben Atkins' Giant Tour 2004

From his desk job in Brighton to the Tour of Germany. It's quite a leap for Gran Fondo lover Ben Atkins, who is one of a very lucky group of journos riding the Giant Tour, a toned-down version of the pro event as a guest of Giant Bicycles. Over the course of the next seven days, Ben will live and breathe the life of a professional cyclist, so follow him (albeit with a touch of envy) as he embarks on the experience of a lifetime.

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Giant Tour 2004

Day 4 - Stage 2 - June 1: Bad Urach - Wangen im Allgäu, 180 km

Yeeeessss!
Photo ©: Starshot Design

The fantastic weather that we had enjoyed all the way down here finally broke today. A times it looked as though the rain might hold off, but it started falling almost as soon as our tour bus pulled into the Gammertingen car park, as William began to unload the bikes. We spent the next hour putting on jackets, then taking them off again as irritating showers kept coming and going, but by the time the start time arrived, the rain had become more persistent and heavy.

At 11:30am, the gun went and we began to roll out what was to be a rolling stage; it was pretty obvious that it was going to be harder than it looked on the otherwise fairly benign profile. There was only one classified fourth category climb to contend with, but the whole parcours threatened to be peppered with lumps which would make my life very difficult indeed.

Having said all that, this turned out to be my day... The promised neutralised start didn't seem to materialise, so from the gun we were riding at 40-45 km/h in a bunch three to four hundred strong. The rain had now stopped, and the roads were drying, but at these kind of speeds - with that many reasonably inexperienced riders in a bunch stretching and contracting around corners and up little rises - crashes were inevitable. We estimated that at least 20 people came down at some point or other during the first hour or so. Thankfully, so far as I know, no one was seriously hurt (plenty of beautiful bikes were though!).

Amazingly, I found myself able to stay with the incredible pace being set, never too far from the back of the bunch, without actually ever being the last man. Inevitably though, a split had to happen, and when it did, after around 60km, I was too far behind it to do anything about staying with the front group, even if I'd been capable...

Once the really fast riders had left us, we settled down to what for most was a much more comfortable pace. There were a few guys who seemed willing to do loads of work on the front, and let me tell you, there were plenty of us willing to let them! So the pattern remained the same until we arrived at the foot of the fourth category climb. It was pretty sharp, and although it was only a few kilometres long, by the time I got to the top, the majority of the bunch I'd been in were long gone up the road.

After a few kilometres a dozen or so of us formed into a group and set about the task of finishing the last 35km in as best fashion as we could. A few of us knew how to work together in a chain, but trying to get the rest to understand was too much like hard work, so progress was pretty poor as we accelerated and slowed every time someone went to the front, then ran out of steam.

By now, the rain that had been threatening to set in all day made an appearance, and very soon we were all soaked to the skin and trying not to swallow too much of the water coming off each other's wheels. After a few kilometres we caught Philippe Lesage of Velo101.com, who had been in the group in front, but done too much work and worn himself out. This was my chance to be a good team rider so I offered him my wheel, which apart from the spray that he must have got full in the face, he gladly accepted.

As we neared the finish, one of the German guys in the group said something about nobody being allowed to sprint because loads of people had done no work in the group. As we passed the 600 metres to go sign though, one of day's passengers made a dash for the line, and I wasn't going to let this one go! I accelerated around a couple of riders until I had his wheel, then shot by on his left, leaving him trailing a couple of lengths behind. In the great tradition of sprinters we shook hands as we slowed down, and the place we were sprinting for? 253rd.

The marvellous thing about this pro cycling lark is that we have one of Giant Europe's finest mechanics with us on the ride, in the form of William Hebing. After riding in the rain for over three hours, the bikes were filthy - but that wasn't our problem. We just handed them to William who loaded them into the trailer, and he would clean them, make sue everything was working properly and pump up the tyres. We wouldn't see them again until we sat on them in tomorrow's stage.

All we needed to worry about was the business of eating, resting and biting our fingernails in anticipation of tomorrow. We're going to the Alps...

Photography

Images by Starshot Design Agency

• Team Support - Phillipe had no jacket with him today.
• The bunch rolls out across the green fields of Bavaria.
• Tucked in nicely...
• Do I look like I do this for a living or what?
• Nice and easy, sheltering in the bunch...
• Getting a bit close to the back for my liking.
• On the back, soon be off it...
• Nearing the finish with my small group.
• Focusing... the sprint is coming.
• Last drink before the big effort.
• Yeeeessss! I'm 253rd!
• Thank you fans...
• ... I'm not fat, I'm a sprinter!