In recent years, I have become a fan of professional cycling. A close friend for whom it is a passion, and the cycling coverage on ITV4 presented by the incomparable Gary Imlach, one of my first crushes as a kid and still burning strongly today, help very much with this interest, as well as, you know, the cycling action is quite good. And the Tour de Yorkshire is awesome.

I’ve been fortunate to watch the Tour de France when it came to Yorkshire, taken in the Tour de Yorkshire a couple of times and last year, with said friend and super-fan, made the pilgrimage to the Tour in France. We watched the end of one stage as well as taking in the individual time trial in Marseille. It was an excellent experience.

Today, the tour ended in Carcassonne, which is down the road, if, by down the road, you mean a 2 and a bit hour train journey or car ride. To the supporters of the peleton, this is nothing and is a distance that can and should be travelled. However, reliant on a Sunday train service, the odds were not looking in my favour.

Instead, and because I am missing having my own gorgeous bicycle with me on free days like these, I rented a bike and headed out myself, undertaking a mini Tour de France as the real one took place.

Brought to you by our reporter on the scene:
Our focus today is on rider Carla Ramsay, a domestique in team Jet2.com-Minute Maid ***. Normally overlooked, this part-time semi-pro team caught our eye today with a strong performance by Ramsay during the individual time trial.

Today’s route, should you need a recap, covered about 40 km, but with an 8km loop added on a whim by rider Ramsay, we can’t be sure of the official distance. We will try to figure it out as we review the route now. The key points on the route were Nimes for the depart, 5 km south to the delightful village of Caissargues for an early refill of water-bottles, striking out west then south to reach Generac, a distance of 9 km. At Generac, there was taking on additional fluids for another hot day – temperature at 11.00 am already reaching 31 degrees.

Then due south, over the border at Generac in to the region of the Carmargues, famous for wilds bulls, flamingos, wild ponies and flat wetlands reaching for miles. We can’t recall the last time the Tour came to these parts, however today’s route is showing off this region particularly well, specifically this part known as the Petit Carmargue, full of vineyards and chateaux, ponies and bulls thankfully kept away from the riders, and canals and includes part of the route of the Santiago de Compostella pilgrimage.

As ever, our commentary reaches for the tour description as nothing particularly happens in the cycling. Rider Ramsay is making a good pace, particularly for a rider whose kit is not exactly what we would call first class. You have to wonder what kind of team budget sends a rider out on a three-gear aluminium-frame town bike for a time trial, however, the strategy might just pay off.

After heading south for 10 km, of which 8km are a descent over 120m (tough but manageable for the climb back up!), the route reaches a tricky chicane coming in to the hamlet of Franquevaux, however, Ramsay, in true Chris Boardman style, has studied the route in some detail and anticipates this well. Having briefed herself on the route, she decides at this point to go west to the tiny port village of Galician, adding 4.5 km to the route but for excellent reasons. It is time for a lunch break, a new addition to the time trial given its mid-morning start. According to the new Tour rules, lunchbreaks are not included in each rider’s time, so a leisurely stretch along the Canal du Rhône can be enjoyed by all.

Back on the bike and the route retraces itself back to Nimes almost exactly, the only variation being the route through Generac. Rider Ramsay, known to be a bit of a train buff, takes a route around the town to take in the cute railway halt stop, served by a few stopping services each day. It is also an opportune moment to take in one of the team’s sponsor’s products in full view of the cameras; a can of Minute Maid downed and enjoyed in record time. Using the litter bin at the station and, true to form, undertaking an impromptu litter pick to leave a place tidier than she found it, rider Ramsay is back on the bike and on the home stretch to Nimes.

She has sent us some rider’s perspective photos for your enjoyment:

True to form of making a plan and not entirely anticipating the distance, the route was circa 57 km in total. A fine day’s riding for all, and an excellent performance by Ramsay, who has not been in the saddle properly since the Tour of Netherlands one-day Rotterdam to Delft Dash a month or so ago.

I’ll leave the fake commentary there. I really enjoyed the day on the bike. The bike hire scheme here is excellent – run by the local public transport network, it costs a massive 3 Euros to hire a bike for the day, also with the option of being able to park in a secure 24-hour access bike garage for 1.10 Euros – perfect if you’re staying somewhere, as I am, that has no bike storage. It’s based in the railway station so easy to locate, too, and for me, a whole 300 m walk back to the hotel. Wonderful to get back and wash off several layers of sun block and sweat, and in time to see the end of the real Tour de France on TV.

*** Oh, the team name – Jet2.com-Minute Maid. Pro cycling teams have hilarious names, made up of their key sponsors’ brand names and products, some more obvious than others (compare Team Sky to Quick-Step Floors to Trek-Segafredo to Lotto-Soudal to AG2R La Mondale (no, me neither). There is a fun game doing the rounds, which I picked up from Ned Boulting’s twitter feed (who is often tweeted by fans asking where Gary Imlach is that day – I’m not the only one out there (and the twitter feed of GaryImlachsHair explains all)). To obtain your pro cycling team name, take the last company with whom you most recently spent over £100 together with the last product you put on or in you. Ned’s was British Airways-Orangina. I was promoted during the race – I started the morning with Team jet2.com-Hotel Tap Water, so I am grateful to my product placement during the race for the upgrade.

Tomorrow – off again! This time to Nice. A stay at the seaside!