Not to take away the benefits of energy gels, protein bars and isotonic drinks for lifting one’s physical condition on a long ride, I found that a quick stop at a local boulangerie in a sleepy French village for an espresso and a tarte Normande was equally effective. Sports science is good, but pastries are better Like a 12-year-old in a suburban back garden imitating Geoff Hurst’s hat trick-completing goal in the 1966 World Cup final, replete with internal commentary, I found myself on more than one occasion channelling the likes of Froome, Cavendish and Wiggins, attacking no one in particular, reeling in an unassuming breakaway or nobly leading out into a headwind friends I pretended were teammates (replete with internal commentary, of course).

But we were at the same time both tumbling through the French countryside at the same time, gearing up for cols, flying on the descents and pondering on the flats, assessing each day at its end and preparing for the next. Though our 350 miles over four days pales in comparison to the Tour de France’s 2,200 miles over 21 stages, it’s hard not to feel an affinity with the riders who at one point were only a few hundred miles south-east of us. Andre Greipel attacks to win the final stage of the Tour de FranceĤ.and should be heroes to today's youth

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