ANGLET, France -- For many people, vacation means lying poolside or beachside, reading and relaxing. But for me, it meant biking through the French Pyrenees in a week-long race, taking in the famous climbs of the Tour de France with 400 others.It was agonizingly difficult, one steep, grueling mountain road after another. But it was also wonderful.The event was part of the Haute Route series, billed as the highest, toughest and most prestigious amateur cycling events in the world. The events take place annually in the French Pyrenees, French Alps and Italian Dolomites. A U.S. event is planned for the Rocky Mountains in June 2017.Haute Route events attract cycling-crazy folks from around the world of all ages and abilities. At the sharp end of the stick are aspiring or retired professionals, in the middle are fit cycling enthusiasts like me and at the bottom are people who signed up on a whim and may be regretting it. Some brave souls do all three European events, back to back, the so-called triple crown.My August trip to southwestern France was a 50th birthday present from my wife. I met up for the race with a friend, Paul ODonnell, also turning 50. Both of us race bikes regularly in the New York area and are, for our ages, very fit. This was to be a stiff test of our abilities: 500 miles (800 kilometers) with 65,000-plus feet (20,000-plus meters) of climbing. Each day wed burn 4,000 to 5,000 calories.The event began in Anglet in rainy weather. Then we hit the first major uphill of the day, the Col dAhusquy, a steep 8-mile (13-kilometer) ascent. Id never been on a climb this long and difficult before and found myself breathless and exhausted halfway up, wondering what Id gotten myself into.A quick pause and it was down the other side toward the days second and final climb, the Pierre St. Martin, a 10-mile (16-kilometer) climb through heavy fog, with visibility dropping to about 20 meters (65 feet), a blessing because you couldnt see the long series of switchbacks coming. It was quiet for long stretches but for the whirring of bikes and the riders breathing, with cowbells softly tinkling in the distance. A car or motorcycle engine would come and go and then you could focus on your own engine again -- heart, lungs, legs.Day two saw four climbs, all hard and long, with the Col DAubisque the killer, on and on (and then on some more) for 10 miles (17 kilometers). Exhausted, rationing water, stuffing down energy gels, controlling the breathing, I tried to focus. Sweat dripped into my eyes, stinging me onto another pedal stroke, and then another.Some might call it suffering, but for me it was cleansing, liberating, nothing but effort and the road ahead. The mind? Circling the wheel, wondering what was to come. And then I passed a one-legged, one-handed man on his bike, also making his way up. Hes Christian Haettich, a regular, who lost his leg and hand in a traffic accident as an adolescent and yet hes chugging away on some of the toughest climbs in Europe.At the top, the landscape was astonishing, massive mountains upholstered in green grass and trees like giant sleeping ogres. The Pyrenees, where Iberia smashes slowly into France.Dropping down like a marble, through tunnels bored through the rock, we descended into the valley. Cows lay nonchalantly by the roadside, big metal bells around their necks, a few pigs too and some sheep, guarded by large mountain dogs. We were warned not to approach the sheep lest the dogs mistake us for wolves and attack, as had apparently happened in previous years.And then to the base of the days final climb, the Col de Spandelles, just 6 miles (10 kilometers) long but with steeply graded ramps. Small groups of curious bystanders would form by the road, some clapping, some cheering us on.We went through the legendary Tourmalet climb, scene of epic battles in Tour de France races. Drink, drink, sweat, sweat and drink some more. More switchbacks, focus, OK, half a mile (1 kilometer) to go, pushing a bit harder and onwards, up and then down through majestic scenery, but always keeping an eye on the clock. Each day had a time cut off and if you didnt make it, youd be eliminated from the timed event and escorted to the broom wagon for a ride to the finish. The next day you could continue at your own pace, no longer timed.The final day was a mere 105 miles (169 kilometers), just one major climb and then mostly downhill through rolling farmland into Toulouse. And then it was over. We got our participant medals, then celebrated with pizza, soft drinks and later in Toulouse, a beer or two.Reflecting on the week, each day had seemed as punishing as the next, my whole body a slippery sinew of muscle turning and turning. But Id gradually adjusted to the effort, the fitness kicking in. What seemed like misery in the moment felt like triumph looking back. But would I trade a beach vacation for a week of pushing uphill again?Absolutely.---If You Go...HAUTE ROUTE: http://www.hauteroute.org . Event organizers can handle hotels, meals and other logistics for participants. Punto Tours -- https://puntotours.com/ -- offers a more upscale experience with personalized support. Custom Oakland Athletics Jerseys . 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Mark McGwire Jersey ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- After a string of uninspiring performances by starting forward Grant Williams, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes sat the freshman down for a frank discussion.We sat there, and I dont think he would call it a pleasant conversation, Barnes said. I basically said to him, hes really disappointed me. (He is) a guy we thought would really come in here and show us an impact.Williams finally did just that by more than doubling his previous best with 30 points to help Tennessee overcome a first-half deficit against hot-shooting Lipscomb to win 92-77 on Thursday night.He helped the Vols counter the Bisons outside shooting by muscling his way into the inside to hit tough layups and get to the free-throw line, where he hit 10 of 13. It was the first 30-point performance by a Tennessee freshman since Chris Lofton -- who was in the stands for Thursdays game -- did it against Arkansas in 2005.And Williams was grateful for the harsh words from Barnes, who was critical of his entire team after the Vols squandered double-digit leads in back-to-back games against North Carolina and Tennessee Tech this week.If you have guys just telling you that youre a good player, youre doing this well, youre doing this right, youre not going to really succeed because youre not going to work on the parts of the game that arent good, Williams said. Him being blunt really helps all of us, I would say.Tennessee (6-4) and Lipscomb (4-9) were tied at 71 with 12:28 to play, when two inside shots by Robert Hubbs III and a pair of 3-pointers from Detrick Mostella and Lew Evans sparked a 19-0 run for Tennessee.Lipscomb, which struggled all night defensively and pulled in only 29 rebounds compared to Tennessees 41, went 7:24 without a basket and never recovered.We talked about it at halftime, Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. We said if were not better defensively well lose by double figures, and we got that (prediction) right.The Vols followed up a sluggish second half in a narrow win on Tuesday against Tennessee Tech by shooting consistently well againnst Lipscomb.dddddddddddd They sank 54.5 percent of their shots and went 28 of 39 from the free-throw line.Still, it was the Bisons who led 58-49 at halftime after matching the Vols 2-pointers and free throws with a flurry of shots from behind the arc. Lipscomb has been hot from deep all season and entered the game ranked seventh in the nation with 112 3-pointers made.The Bisons hit 11 of 18 from 3-point range and 62.5 percent overall in the first half. But after the break, they cooled to 25.8 percent shooting, hit only one trey on 10 attempts and found several players in foul trouble.Hubbs finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Mostella added 11 points.Garrison Mathews led Lipscomb with 28 points. Josh Williams added 16, and Nathan Moran chipped in 10.The difference from the first to second half was we werent the same offensive team, Alexander said. We were the same defensive team, unfortunately. Shots stopped falling, and we were never able to put anything together at either end.THE TAKEAWAYLipscomb: After scoring a season-high 15 triples against Morehead State on Saturday, the Bisons seemed poised to exceed that against Tennessee before their 3-point shooting faded in the second half.Tennessee: The Vols were criticized by coach Barnes after blowing a 22-point lead and nearly losing to Tennessee Tech on Tuesday. They responded by a steady effort against Lipscomb, despite the Bisons hot shooting in the first half.QUOTABLEA guy like Grant can score, Hubbs said. Hes a big body. He just gets the work done. Im very proud of him. We need somebody to score like that night in and night out. We need a big body down there that can score.KEY STATSTennessee went 28 of 39 from the free-throw line while Lipscomb only hit 9 of 17. The Vols outrebounded the Bisons 41-21 and outscored them 48-28 in the paint.NEXT UPLipscomb: At Tennessee Tech on Saturday.Tennessee: Hosts No. 8 Gonzaga in Nashville on Sunday. ' ' '