BMC Teammachine SLR02 Disc Two 18
Price £3,300, evanscycles.com
Frame ACE carbon
Gears and brakes Shimano Ultegra
Tyres Vittoria Rubino Pro
There are no miracles in sport, but the cyclists competing in this Friday’s stage of the Tour de France will be praying for one. Stage 19 is a 200km monster which runs from Lourdes to Laruns, taking in almost 5,000m of climbing up some of the most challenging peaks in the Pyrenees. The hardest day in a long race is called the Queen Stage and its combination of distance and dizzying verticality will push the riders battling for the yellow jersey to the limit. So what exactly do I think I am doing grinding my way up one of its endless climbs in the lung-scorching 35C heat?
I’ve been a cycling fan for years, but have never managed to organise a ride over any of the great cols that lend the Tour its Homeric quality. But last week, along with a group of five friends, I set out to cycle from Biarritz to Girona, dipping my wheels first in the Atlantic and then six days and 650km later in the Med. It was hardly a peloton, but we did at least manage matching jerseys. And instead of electrolyte drinks and energy bars, it was plenty of cold beer and a glut of croissants. Rather than a directeur sportif and post-race masseuse we made do with Google maps and a strange vibrating rubber ball that someone brought along. One of our group did also gamely shave his legs, but then said it was only because his wife liked it…
Over two particularly long days we tackled what the pros will do in five short hours. We rode up, up, up the classic cols of Aspin, Tourmalet, Soulor and Aubisque. The joy of all the up is the hard-earned reward of the demon-like descents down the other side. Ticking off these climbs made us feel like devotees on a pilgrimage, more so than dousing ourselves with holy water in Lourdes ever could. The Tourmalet alone has featured in the Tour more than any other mountain. This year will be the 82nd time its switchbacks have hosted the race.
Of course, other than an armful of performance-enhancing drugs and a year-round training regime, what helps on a ride like this is a half-decent bike. I was able to give BMC’s new Teammachine a thorough workout. Based in Grenchen, Switzerland, BMC is a relatively new brand, but its Teammachine already has a phenomenal palmarès to its name. Its riders have won the Tour de France, the Olympics and the World Championships. Most of us will never ride at those elite levels, but what you can experience is a speed-focused carbon frame which delivers a heady combination of responsive agility and all-day comfort. It’s not the lightest bike out there; it feels sturdy and resilient rather than flimsy and flexible. But then going downhill fast is no place to be worrying about a frame failure. BMC looked at 247 different parameters when creating the distinctive geometry of this carbon frame and considered more than 50,000 iterations before settling on this one. The finger-light hydraulic disc brakes are superb. Spinning round each axle like the grater appliance from your kitchen blender, they’ll stop you on a postage stamp whatever the road conditions – rain or shine. And the accurate Shimano Ultegra 22-speed drivetrain has granny gears easy enough to take you up the steepest slopes.
None of us fell over or fell out. We had a wonderful week of cycling, sunshine and scenery. Looks to me like there are plenty of miracles in sport…
Cool kit
Safe and smart, this bike helmet has indicators and Bluetooth for a connected ride. Livall Smart helmet, £80, halfords.com
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166
