Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 21

The Cycling: Stage 21 is 108.4km long and starts in Chatou and ends in with a sprint on the Champs-Élysées.  All eyes are on Mark Cavendish as this is his last chance this year to beat Eddy Merckx record of stage wins.  He went for it on the final sprint for the finish line but found himself boxed in by other riders and finished in third place.  Wout van Aert won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "This is it; the final day!  Well done to everyone who has come along on this spinning journey with  us!  The time has come to don your yellow, grab your finish-line-fluff and spin your way to victory!

The final challenge of Tour de Fleece 2021 is to spin something yellow or something that contains yellow.  If you would like, you can also post a finish-line picture of you, your wheel and your work this month!".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  It's very hot today.  I have the fans on and I am still melting.  I have spun some Ryeland today that I combed a little while ago from a purchase of 200g of raw fleece that weighed 150g after it was washed and 98g after it was combed.  It's really nice.  I got  238m, which gives another 714m towards the team total.  My contribution to the team total amounts to 11,196m

My final tour photo of everything that I've spun on the tour contains 18 skeins from 13 different British breeds, leaving me 10 breeds left to spin, 5 of which I'm still waiting to be delivered to me in fleece form, so have lots to do yet.  Unfortunately, the photo is taken in artificial light so you can't really see the difference in colour and texture as clear as you would in natural daylight, but its all very different.

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I will be pushing on with the spinning of the last 10 breeds for my British Breeds project, still waiting for 5 of them to come in from the farmers but I can get on with the knitting part if I'm left waiting.

A final team total was given on 26th July 2021 by the Team Organisers and as a team we have spun 261,939.01m!  This is the equivalent of 163 miles!

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 20

The Cycling: Stage 20 is only 30km long as it is Time Trial day and starts in Libourne and ends in Saint-Émilion.  No climbs, just rolling terrain.  Wout van Aert won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "The cyclists have their second individual time trial today.  For the first one at the beginning of Tour de Fleece we spun under tight time constraints - now we're trying something else.

Your challenge today is to spin 10g of fibre as fine as you possibly can.  No plying, just singles.".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  I'm not doing the challenge today.  I've spun Whiteface Dartmoor today.  I have a huge fleece, it was originally just under 6kg on arrival but I've just used a relatively tiny amount that I have combed and I got 117m of sport weight yarn, which is another 351m for the team total.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 19

The Cycling: Stage 19 is 207km long and starts in Mourenx and ends in Libourne.  The route is a transitional stage with a descent and just one Category 4 climb, rolling terrain and one uncategorised climb before being mostly flat.  A big crash just a few minutes in but no one was hurt.  Matej Mohorič won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "We're getting in to the last few days, chaps!  The flat stage today is perfect for those who are looking to sprint to the finish.  If you're feeling a bit sprinty, why not don the green jersey (we know you've earned this!) and grab something green.

Today's challenge; either spin something green or take a picture of as many green things as you can gather in one place (who said things had to be serious?)".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  Just a small skein today.  I chose to spin some South Down, just a 50g bump that I got in a Breeds Sample box that I got from Fibre Hut.  I spun it sport weight and I got 107m from it, adding another 321m to the team total.  These are pre-wash measurements.

As for the challenge, I took photos of my back garden, specifically the raised vegetable bed.

Lots of green things in the garden right now.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 18

The Cycling: Stage 18 is 129.7km long and starts in Pau and ends in Luz Ardiden.  The route is mountainous and includes two category 4 climbs.  Tadej Pogačar won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "It is the last mountainous stage today, and we'll see who gets crowned King of the Mountain!  

The challenge for today is to spin something red and white - getting the polka dots in there could be a bit tricky, though!  If you're feeling a bit arty, now would be a good time to try a white yarn with some red beads...".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  Motoring on through spinning for my British Breeds project I've picked up the Hill Radnor today.  100g bump of pre-prepared fibre and I got a sport weight yarn 172m long, adding another 516m to the team total.

I noticed that the finished yarn was considerably darker than many of the other natural white's that I have spun and I just so happened to have the skein of Whitefaced Woodland, that I spun the other day, to hand to do a comparison.   

Washed Whitefaced Woodland on the left, unwashed Hill Radnor on the right.

There is another little speed bump in the road with my British Breeds project, having learned in the last 48 hours that is no such thing as a grey Suffolk sheep and that fibre sold as Grey Suffolk is actually nothing like that of the fibre off a Suffolk sheep, which only come in a creamy white, and I've had that confirmed by the Suffolk Breed Society, no such thing as a grey Suffolk.  I am confused as to why this is all that is available from suppliers.  This fact is also mentioned in the Fleece and Fibre Sourcebook and yet I can't find white Suffolk as a pre-prepared fibre anywhere, it's all grey.

I'm waiting on 300g of fleece direct from a farmer so at least I know that its white Suffolk.  .

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 17

The Cycling: Stage 17 is 178.4km long and starts in Muret and ends in Saint-Lary-Soulan (Col de Portet).  The route includes 3 climbs, 2 of which are Category 1.  It is also Bastille Day so the French riders are looking for a win today.  Tadej Pogačar won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "Today the riders are cycling their penultimate mountain stage.  They'll be pushing themselves to pack as much energy as they can in to this ride... a bit like a spinner trying to get all of the singles on a bobbin...

Your challenge today is to finish a bobbin and take a picture; is it tight and tidy, a bit loose in places?".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  First of all I spun and plied a 100g bump of Devon and Cornwall Longwool and the finished yarn is 100g/123m adding another 369m to the team total. It's quite scratchy and definitely not suitable for next-to-skin use.

I can easily take part in the challenge today.  Here is a bobbin of Devon & Cornwall Longwool.  

I also got on and spun a 100g bump of Teeswater.  I got 132m from a 100g bump of pre-prepared fibre and its a lot softer than the Devon & Cornwall.  That's another 396m for the team total.

Devon & Cornwall on the left, Teeswater on the right.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 16

The Cycling: Stage 16 is 169km long and starts in El Pas de la Casa and ends in Saint-Gaudens. Two more riders abandoned the race yesterday, one to focus on the upcoming Olympics and the other due to injuries sustained way back on day 1 when the fan got in the way of the peleton and brought half of them down.  I guess the injuries are just not healing due to continued pressure on them.  Today's route takes the riders through the Pyrenees and back into France. Along the route there was a Category 2, a Category 1 and a Category 4 climb.  Patrick Konrad won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "After a good rest our cyclists will be heading to Saint-Gaudens for their next stop.  They'll be passing Haute-Garonne, in an area known for its violets.  These little flowers have many culinary uses and a delicate flavour.

If you are looking for a bit of inspiration today, why not try a delicate purple-hued yarn?".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  I am spinning a 100g bump of Whitefaced Woodland plus 25g of Whitefaced Woodland from a British Breeds Sample back, both purchased from World of Wool.  As I've done in the past I split the larger amount into two by holding the two ends together, finding the middle and separating into two equal amounts at that point.  Then with the sample amount, I split that into two the same way but then stretched each out to the same length as the larger bumps and spun both the sample and the larger bump at the same time in each case so that the fibres mixed.

The finished yarn is 226m, so that is another 678m to add to the team total.

Collectively as a team we have spun 158,697.21m or 158.69km.  That is almost the distance of Stage 12, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Nîmes, which was 159.4km.  We are awesome as a team!

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 - Rest Day 2

Cycling: Today is a rest day, so there is no racing today.  

Team Challenge: "It is the second (and final!) rest stop today.  If you need to have a bit of a break, now is your chance!  You may need to stock up on supplies (we need to check the biscuit cupboard), check on how the garden is growing, or just step away from your spinning for a while.  All top athletes need a breather!

If you're looking for a challenge today then why not share a picture of the yarns you have completed so far.  It may be the inspiration needed to help fellow spinners in the last few stages".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  Monday was rest day again but I combed 421g of washed and dried Welsh Mountain Pedigree fleece and I got 236g from it, obviously this photo shows just a small part of that amount.  

For the rest day challenge, so far I have spun 1189g of yarn.  Top row, left to right: 4 x Portland, 1 x Shropshire.  Bottom row, left to right: 1 x Lincoln Longwool, 3 x Welsh Hill Speckled Face, 1 x Shetland Moorit, 1 x Herdwick.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 15

The Cycling: Stage 15 is 191.3km long and starts in Céret and ends in Andorra-la-Vella. Today's route takes the riders outside of France and into Andorra today and contained an 18.4km long uncategorised climb right from the start as well as containing one category 2 climbs and 3 category 1 climbs.  Sepp Kuss won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "Have you been a bit of a stationary spinner with the same view or location each day?  The Tour de France cyclists have a different view every mile, so let's change things up a bit!

Your challenge today is to spin in a different location and take a picture to show us where today's chosen seat is!".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  Well, I didn't sit anywhere different to spin but I have spun 100g of pre-prepared Lincoln Longwool that I bought from World of Wool.  I have 133m of sport weight yarn for my British Breeds Project and that is another 399m for the team total.

We have been having fun on the social media chat for the team and one of the other team members posted this, which I find hilarious!

"Sheep, sometime in winter (probably on a misty day), transform into clouds on legs, a whole different creature.  They change back just after shearing takes place, so technically sheep's wool is cloud wool.  Unless you're spinning a long wool sheep, when its possibly easier to say they're not sheep, but mysterious mop creatures".

It made me laugh out loud especially given that I have spun up a long wool breed today, Lincoln Longwool, and I have somehow managed to schedule myself Whitefaced Woodland followed by Devon & Cornwall Longwool, followed by Teeswater.  What was I thinking, 4 long wool breeds one after the other with just the Whitefaced Woodland getting in there to break up the run, although that can be quite longs itself.

100g/133m of Lincoln Longwool

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 14

The Cycling: Stage 14 is 183.7km long and starts in Carcassone and ends in Quillan. Today's route contains two category 3 climbs and three category 2 climbs. Two more riders abandoned the race following yesterdays crash, they were not on the start line.  Bauke Mollema won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "At this stage the cyclists pass through Ariège which is named from the latin word 'Aurigier' which means to carry or contain gold.  It was common practice to weight fleeces down in streams so that their fibres could collect small pieces of gold as it flowed past.  Imagine pulling out a golden fleece! 

Today's challenge is to spin an animal fibre that doesn't come from sheep.  It could be mohair, alpaca, llama, yak... there are lots of options!".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  I've ignored the challenge again and have spun the last of the Portland today, giving me 201m of yummy yarn and another 603m to add to the team.

I've enjoyed the tour so far and I've been watching the cycling and got quite into it, says the person who initially said "I'm not interested in the cycling".  I am really hoping that Mark Cavendish makes it through these next upcoming mountain stages so that he has a shot of beating the stage win record that he equalled yesterday.

All four finished skeins of Portland

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 13

The Cycling: Stage 13 is 219.9km long and starts in Nîmes and ends in Carcassone. Today's route is heading west towards the Pyrenees and is the second longest on the tour and features just one categorised climb.  With 62km to go there was a crash towards the back of the peleton with some of the riders falling down a small ravine, at least one landed in a tree.  All got back up but 3 of them abandoned the race.  Mark Cavendish won the stage, equalling Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins.  

Team Challenge: "We're past the halfway mark now, everyone!  If you've been spinning based on our little challenges you've probably got quite a bit of yarn around by now!

Today's challenge is all about finishing things off (like that trifle in the fridge, or that bar of chocolate in the cupboard).  If there are some things that need plying or some bobbins that need unwinding today is the day to get that done!".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  I am still working on the Portland, boring and predictable, but I'm on a mission!  So, another skein finished, 239m so that's another 717m for the team total.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 12

The Cycling: Stage 12 is 159.4km long and starts in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and ends in Nîmes. Today's route has just one category 3 climb and a long uncategorised climb before a downhill rush to the finish line.  Nils Politt won the stage. 

Team Challenge: "If you've ever been to Nîmes you've probably seen the stunning neo-classical gardens (Jardins de la Fontaine) which have been built around a natural spring.  The gardens have been added to and repaired over the years to create an intriguing space of water, temples and trees.

On the topic of plants - today's challenge is to spin something containing plant fibres.  Flax, cotton, hemp and bamboo are all contenders for this!".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  I'm not doing the challenge today, sticking strictly to my own goal and carrying on spinning the Portland.  I have washed and dried the skein I spun 2 days ago but I have spun up a second skein today.  There is a lot of lanolin in today's skein and you can feel the difference between the 2 skeins.  Today's skein is 231m, which adds another 693m to the team total.

Skein at the top is washed, skein at the bottom is unwashed.

Left is washed, right is unwashed.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 11

The Cycling: Stage 11 is 198.9km long and starts in Sorgues and ends in Malaucène. Today's route include a double ascent of Mont Ventoux and two category 4 climbs.  Wout van Aert won the stage. 

Team Challenge: "The finishing town today is Malaucène in the Vaucluse region; home of prime cherry production!  Almost 4,000 hectares of cherries are planted here producing an annual harvest of up to 20,000 tonnes - that is a lot of fruit!

Today's challenge is to spin something fruity; it could be a cherry-red top, something named after a fruit or you could experiment with banana or pineapple fibre".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  I got back to working on spinning the Portland fleece that I combed.  I spun the second single and plied with the first, giving me a sport weight yarn 107g/248m, which is another 744m towards the team total.

I have a really tenuous link to the challenge in that Portland has the name of the drink Port in it and Port is made from fruit...

My first bobbin of Portland single, still more room yet!

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 10

The Cycling: Stage 10 is 190.7km long and starts in Albertville and ends in Valence. A flat route today, through the valleys of the rivers Isère and Rhône.  Mark Cavendish won the stage. 

Team Challenge: "Today the race passes through Chambéry, famous for its Fontaine des Éléphants (Fountain of Elephants) which was built in 1838.  The four elephants are very lifelike, even if you can only see their front ends!.

A non-spinning challenge today: shock: Find out the nickname of this statue and have a listen to L'Elephant by Camille Saint-Saëns as you spin".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  First up, I Googled the statue. The nickname of the statue is "the four without asses".  It honours General Count de Boigne and stands 17.65m tall, built in limestone and consists of a fountain, a column and a statue.  The fountain represents the Cross of Savoy with four elephants joined by the rump with water flowing through their trunks into a basin.  There is an inscription above each of them.  

A column stands on top of the elephants, symbolised by a palm tree trunk and decorated with Persian, Mughal and Hindu weapons and various objects representing the customs, arts and civilisation of the people that he fought or governed.

The statue is of the General dressed in his costume of Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom or Sardinia.  His hand resting on an oriental sword whilst his other hand holds a document representing donations granted to the city by the Count of Boigne.  The statue is bronze, was cast in Paris, weights 750kg and is 2.82m in height.

 

I also Googled the music and had a listen and all I am going to say is "Hmmm, yes, not my cup of tea", that is about as polite as I can be about that.

So what did I do today in relation to spinning.  Well, I decided to work on the Herdwick that I spun a few days ago and pick out the coarse fibres that didn't get pulled out or fell out whilst spinning and now that I have done that it is much nicer and softer to handle.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Rest Day 1

Cycling: Today is a rest day, so there is no racing today.  

Team Challenge: "And breathe!  Today is a day of rest for both the riders and us!  If you've been pushing yourself now is the time to take a step back, stretch out those muscles, rest those hands and look at what you've accomplished for far.  If you've got an injury or an ache that is niggling away take the time to sort it out and let it rest.

Today you have a gentle challenge; reflect, breathe and think of something you're thankful for. (You don't have to share this if you don't want to!)".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  I actually took a bit of time off to catch up on personal things, paperwork, chasing farmers for those fleece I am still in need of etc.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 9

The Cycling: Stage 9 is 144.9km long and starts in Cluses and ends in Tignes.  Starting in the Arve valley there are another 5 climbs today and the finish is at high altitude, up in the mountains, at Tignes, a ski-resort.  Ben O'Connor won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "Today we have a mountain stage; it is going to be hard on some riders and a challenge for all of them.  In everything we do we have things that challenge us - even spinning!  

Your challenge today is the polar opposite of Stage 4: spin something you really don't like.  It could be a colour you can't stand, something with a texture that displeases you or that top that you wish you'd never bought!  This is a great opportunity to get this poor maligned fluff out of your stash and in to the world... you never know, you may like it!".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  I plied my Herdwick this morning and got 125g/241m  of sport weight yarn.  That is another 723m for the team total.  

We have now collectively spun twice the length of Chesil Beach, to Portland and back, which leads me nicely into my 450g of hand combed Portland top and I've started to spin that.

This is just a small portion of the 450g of hand combed top.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 8

The Cycling: Stage 8 is 150.8km and starts in Oyonnax and ends in Le Grand-Bornand. There are 5 classified climbs today. This is part of the Alps sections of the race.  Dylan Teuns won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "Oyonnax is where we start today; a town that once had the monopoly on producing boxwood combs.  In fact, this is such a big part of the town's history that they have a museum with over 16,000 items from old wooden combs to more modern plastic and bio-plastic versions.

When preparing fibre we either card it to make batts and slivers or comb it to make tops.  (See that seamless link?  We've had our hobnobs today!)

Today's challenge is to spin from a different preparation that you normally do.  Rolags, batts, slivers, rovings, tops - there are lots of options!".

What I planned to do and what I achieved: I'm not doing the challenge today as I am spinning a 100g bump of Herdwick plus 25g of Herdwick from a British Breeds Sample back, both purchased from World of Wool.  As I've done in the past I split the larger amount into two by holding the two ends together, finding the middle and separating into two equal amounts at that point.  Then with the sample amount, I split that into two the same way but then stretched each out to the same length as the larger bumps and spun both the sample and the larger bump at the same time in each case so that the fibres mixed.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take work-in-progress photos of the spinning but I do have a photo of the larger bump of Herdwick.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 7

The Cycling: Stage 7 is 249.1km and starts in Vierzon and ends in Le Creusot. The stage is the longest on this Tour and the longest of all stages over the past 20 years.  There are lots of non-classified climbs and 5 classified climbs today. Matej Mohorič won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "The final destination for today is Le Creusot in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region (Burgundy merged with Franche-Comté in 2016).  We all know Burgundy for its wine, but this area of France has also bought us Charolais cattle and Charollais sheep.  This breed produces a strong, bouncy fibre which is not dissimilar to our native Shropshire wool.

Your challenge today is to go au-naturel and spin with undyed fibre.  Extra kudos if the breed originates from France".

What I planned to do and what I achieved: I could have spun some Charollais today, I do have some, but that would be deviating from my own personal goal of spinning as much of the outstanding breeds for my British Breeds project as possible before the kids break up from school for the summer holidays.

I decided to spin some Shropshire, given that it was mentioned in the challenge as being similar to Charollais.  My finished skein is 98g/204m, which is another 612m for towards the team total.

This is the first single finished with the fluff for the second single.

The pre-wash measurements were 98g/204m, post wash was 94g/183m

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 6

The Cycling: Stage 6 160.6km and starts in Tours and ends in Châteauroux - Val de Loire. The route contains just one category 4 climb.  All riders took Covid-19 tests yesterday following the time trial and all have come back negative, it's good that they are doing tests for the safety of everyone. Mark Cavendish won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "The cyclists are passing through Amboise today; the place where Leonardo Da Vinci spent his last days.  Famed for many pieces of work, Da Vinci also designed a weaving loom which wasn't built until 500 years after his death - and it worked perfectly!  Another piece of work by him was 'Madonna of the Yarnwinder', a painting depicting the Virgin Mary and an infant Christ, holding a crucifix-shaped yarn winder.

Today's challenge is a photographic one - show us your yarn on its winder! (And if you don't have a winder, show us what you use instead!)".

What I planned to do and what I achieved: First off, I Googled the painting as I had never heard of it.  It is interesting that I discovered that there is more than one version of this painting, they are similar to each other but with notable differences.

The information gathered from an official Leonardo Da Vinci site states that the original has probably been lost and that several copies still exist and that there is strong speculation that at least two of copies are by Leonardo Da Vinci himself, pictured above, but there is a lot of debate surrounding them and that any or all of them could in fact be by his talented students.  The original works is securely dated at 1501.

The work was intended for Florimond Robertet, Secretary to the Kind of France and shows the winder shaped like a cross and symbolizes the Passion of Christ and His future death.  It seems that Mary is trying to pull the child away from the symbol of his future death but she is powerless to prevent the Crucifixion and his destiny.  The painting is known by several names including Madonna of the Yarnwinder, Madonna of the Spindle and Madonna with the Distaff.

Today I have plied the Moorit Shetland that I spun yesterday and this has given me a sport weight yarn of 125g/251m, which means that another 753m is added to the team total.

I'm able to complete the challenge again today and snapped a quick picture of my newly spun Shetland whilst it was still on my Niddy Noddy (a form of wool winder).

The finished skein of Moorit Shetland that is part of my British Breeds Project

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 5

The Cycling: Stage 5 is a Time Trial and is just 27.2km long and starts in Changè and ends in Laval.  The 30 year old French lady who caused the big crash on Saturday, Stage 1, has finally handed herself in and is currently in custody at a police station in  Landerneau. On Sunday, the Finistère gendarmie announced the opening of a judicial investigation into "involuntary injuries with disability not exceeding three months by a deliberate violation of an obligation of safety or prudence". She could face up to two years in prison and a fine of $35,000.  The race organisers are no longer looking to prosecute her but she's not off the hook yet as any of the riders could still sue her themselves due to injuries, damaged and wrecked bikes etc, especially the three that had to abandon the race due to injuries received, medical bills, loss of earnings and future earnings as they will probably have to pull out of other races too until injuries are healed. Tadej Pogačar won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "Time Trial - today it is just you and the clock.  The fastest time trial that the Tour de France has seen was set by Rohan Dennis in 2015; 9 miles in 14 minutes and 56 seconds.  Now that is a lot of spinning!

Your challenge today is to see what length single you can spin in 14 minutes and 56 seconds.  No plying necessary!  On your marks, set, spin!".

What I planned to do and what I achieved: I am doing the challenge today, whoooo hooooo.  I am spinning some Shetland in natural shade Moorit, 100g bump and 25g that was in British Breeds Sample pack, both from World of Wool.  I split the larger amount into two by holding the two ends together, finding the middle and separating into two equal amounts at that point.  Then with the sample amount, I split that into two the same way but then stretched each out to the same length as the larger bumps and spun both the sample and the larger bump at the same time in each case so that the fibres mixed.

I managed to spin 32.56m in the 14 minutes 56 seconds allowed, timed on my stop watch.  Taking the single off the bobbin onto my niddy-noddy, tying it, taking it off the niddy-niddy to measure it and then feeing it back onto the bobbin was great fun, NOT!  The issue is that there is so much energy in the spun single that it just becomes one big twisty-twirly-knotting-up-on-itself mess.  When you ply with another single, which means you twist the fibre in the opposite way to which it is twisted as a single, it removes some of that energy.

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Once the measured single was back on the bobbin I was able to finish spinning that half of the fibre and then spin the second single.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 4

The Cycling: Stage 4 is 150.4km and starts in Redon and ends in Fougeres.  The lady who caused the big crash on Saturday, Stage 1, has still not been found. Virtually flat terrain today. The riders staged a bit of a protest with regards to safety and how many big crashes have occurred already in the form of a go-slow at the start of the race. Mark Cavendish won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "It is a flat stage today as the riders travel 150km from Redon to Fougères with a speedy section in the medieval town of Vitré.  Of course, no medieval town is complete without its own fairy-tale castle and Château de Vitré is it.

Today's challenge is to spin your favourite fibre; the fluff that you have been coveting, the top that you can't stop touching.  Now is the time to make your dreams come true!".

What I planned to do and what I achieved: Once again, I am not doing the challenge but I spun all day to finish up the Welsh Hill Speckled Face and the last skein is a little less than 125g but is 280m, which adds another 840m to the team total (280m for each single, there's of 2 of them, and then another 280m for the ply).  I've washed all 3 skeins and they are now on the hanging drier.

A close up of of the Welsh Hill Speckled Face on the drier