Stuck in the middle of it all,in a tiny tin box sit Sean Kelly and myself. It's a peculiar space to occupy in the Tour de France caravan. We sit at the very peak of a media network that brings the images of these warring knights of the road to millions worldwide, just 2 men in 2 square metres of ground.

And it's a long history of warfare too. 2010 sees the centenary of the Tour de France visiting the Pyrenees for the first time and all the famous climbs used in that first foray have been revisited this year, culminating in the showdown between Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador on the slopes of the Col du Tourmalet. Hundreds of thousands lined the road as the two strongest men in this years tour went shoulder to shoulder, eyeball to eyeball to see who would crack first, neither did,but it was so vastly removed from those first stages 100 years ago won by Frenchman Octave Lapize as to be as if from another planet.

Sean prefers to limit his exercise to running whilst on the Tour but this year, as last, I have borrowed a bike from a team and taken to the road at every opportunity, often riding a part of the route each day and having a relaxed spin in the mountains on each of the Tour's two rest days. I can't get out everyday as the logistics of the job often prevent it but come the second, and rather late, rest day in Tarbes this week I was looking forward to a ride up the Tourmalet, a day bound to be more pleasurable as Sean had agreed to the request of a former team mate and former Champion of France, Marcel Tinazzi, to join a party of riders on quiet spin up the Col to celebrate the achievements of the early Tour pioneers.

The weather on the morning of the rest day didn't look particularly favourable with spots of rain blotting the windscreen as we drove to St.Marie le Campan at the foot of the great Col and somehow I think Sean was hoping that one good downpour would mean the ride might be cancelled. I once remarked to Sean, on a training day when the clouds hung leaden in the sky, that it was only a spot of rain likely. His reply came back quick as a flash; "I spent 17 yeas as a professional suffering in the rain, why would I want to now go and ride it it for fun?". If the weather failed to provide an excuse not to ride the coup de grace was revealed when the bicycle and kit promise by Tinazzi emerged from the back of a support van.

And what a bike it was, the very finest racing machinery and clothing available...in 1910. For years I have been trying to get Sean to ride the great retro event l'Eroica in Italy, where you race across the white gravel roads of Tuscany on period bikes and for years he has steadfastly refused. Now, faced with 25 other members of the Velo Club Ancien, he had no choice but to don the woolen jersey and shorts, pull the spare tire over his shoulders, adjust his goggles and face the Tourmalet on one gear.

For the record, he made it easily to the top as you would expect for the rider with the 3rd best palmares of all time and actually quite enjoyed it but what an eye opener on the world of Edwardian racing. My superb Team Wiggle issue Focus Cayo weighs in at about 7.4kg with my own light Shimano DuraAce race wheels on, Sean's pre First World War machine weighed about 20kg. Added to which there was no super slick 10 speed, just a single freewheel of 24 teeth, driven by a 40 tooth chainring. Braking must have been more of an aspiration than a reality with a single 'spoon' type rod operated front brake that applied limited pressure to the top of the tire and as for the saddle...well let's not even go there.

And yet, feeling totally incongruous in my Team Wiggle Tandem kit and modern bike I had the best ride of my year, riding up and down the line as a domestique, fetching and carrying water and food for the group as they displayed just how hard the men of the early tour were.

How has this helped the tandem project? Well physically not much but I am a man who needs motivation, who needs to be in love with the bike and the romance of riding it in order to achieve and you could not in 1910, or now, ride these mountains on these machines without a real fire inside for the joy of the bike and that is utterly inspiring.

If you want to see exactly how much fun we all had away from the Tour for a day, check out the Facebook site run by the German Eurosport commentators; "Radsport on Tour" and go to the video section. A picture can say a thousand words!

Now, do Wiggle do 20kg, 100 year old single speeds?

Ride Safe