I’ve had it in my head for a while now to go to France and climb the same mountains the racers do in the Tour de France. Last year I finally decided my time had come. I searched ads in Bicycling, Adventure Cycling, and other publications. I went on the Web and did more searching. I reviewed tour companies’ itineraries. If I were going to spend all that time and money getting overseas, I certainly wanted the riding to be my focus. From tips to the Rockies, I knew I wanted to average 60-70 miles a day. Finally, I found a tour that went not only to see the Tour de France, but also to actually ride. I was so intent on getting a spot, that when registration opened, I was the first one to send in my information. That was November. From the itinerary I knew we would climb one major mountain pass on most days, with two passes on some days and three passes on one day out of the fifteen. I’d also have one rest day in the middle. This matched what I had done in the Rockies. I spent the winter and the soggy spring (and summer) getting ready to climb. I also hoped the rains here didn’t mean a washout in France in July.
July 5, 2003 – Day 1 – Travel Flying never thrills me. I had concerns for my bicycle on this trip, for if that had problems, what use was going to France? I got to the airport 2-1/2 hours early and found the front desk wasn’t even manned yet. After previous flights in the year where my whole luggage was checked, and it being a holiday weekend, I thought security might be on high alert. But they just swiped my bike case and my luggage and told me to have a good flight. What do you do in a regional airport for two hours where the snack shop is not even open? Robin and I drove to Grottoes and had a drink and split a cheese danish to help pass the time. The flight to Pittsburgh was uneventful and I enjoyed lunch, browsing, and some reading during the layover. My first transatlantic/international flight was next. The airline took good care of us. I’ll start by saying there was no charge for a bicycle case as I was flying internationally. We had a snack an hour in and then a good dinner an hour after that. I watched “The Pianist” and several short programs. Sleep was not occurring, due to the children who stayed up and made noise all night and the fact that the flight attendants decided we needed another snack (a cheese danish, no less). To serve this snack, all the cabin lights were turned on, which promptly shook me out of the little slumber I was getting. The airport in Frankfort, Germany is huge. It had a lot of smoking areas, which seemed to not have good ventilation out of the building. I’ve lost six hours and am slightly tired. I could swear a cleaning lady came into the men’s restroom to do her work while we were in there.
July 6 – Day 2 – More travel and warm-up I did a quick wash in the Frankfort terminal before my flight to Geneva, Switzerland. Again, an uneventful flight and I found my tour group’s escort after collecting my bags. We drove the five minutes across the border to France and our hotel and I found my room and met my roommate for the night, Charlie. After that I went to assemble my bicycle, which came through unscathed. I had it together in time to take the afternoon spin. We rode 35 miles back into Switzerland and along the lake, then cut into the back roads. There I saw apple orchards with a rose bush at the end of each row. I also realized that dotted white lines on the road do not mean it is one-way. We washed and met downstairs for our first night’s group gathering.
July 7 – Day 3 – Tour time – time to start climbing Today we got a taste of our climbs yet to come. After riding through Geneva’s traffic, over their red-cobblestone pedestrian crossways, passing by the carnival on the river, and then crossing the Rhone River, we climbed Mont Saleve (about 1300m/4264’). The road started as a double chevron (road grade of 9-13%), but then settled down to a single chevron (road grade of 5-9%). Triple chevrons are 13%+ grades. Some had jet lag in their legs yet, but I felt pretty good. The views were good. We wound our way towards Annecy, but then took a turn that took us down a 15% grade (and into a lot of insects). At the bottom Charlie was too anxious to wait for the others, didn’t check his map, and went left, which ended up going to Italy. The rest of the group stayed on course and climbed the Col de Bluffy (630m/2066’). Charlie eventually returned to the route and told us of his adventure that threatened to take him into Italy. We then dropped (some realizing this was our way out tomorrow morning) to Lac d’Annecy. I got too excited by the downhill that I led us past our turnoff for our hotel and we had to climb back up a bit. We found our turn and followed the lake’s shore to our hotel, a converted Abby. I had a swim in the lake, an amazing two-hour meal, found out that cotton buds are Q-Tips, and a restful sleep after our 61-mile, 6200’ elevation gain day.
July 8 – Day 4 – Are you kidding me? The first order of the day was to climb out of our lake retreat. Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten all that good food at breakfast. Once we’re back on the main road, we start the climb up the Col de la Forclaz (1150m/3772’). This gave us some more views of Lac d’Annecy at the start of the climb, but went to a double chevron near the end. We took a cool descent, with parts at 13%, and had some flat land to regain our legs. Then we started up the Col du Marais (843m/2765’), with a small section of double chevron. After this descent, and the next two, we get no rest. We start up immediately. Our next climb is the Col de la Croix-Fry (1477m/4845’). Halfway up, where we have a section of double chevron, some of us stopped for fresh-baked pastry. I’ve noticed a lot of recycling containers; some in places you wouldn’t think would have enough recycling. There are also a lot of public toilets – more glorified port-o-johns than anything else. Cows make the mountains musical with their bells. Construction of houses all seems to need a crane – maybe because the houses are on mountains. But they’re all nice and in good condition. Many bicyclists are out riding the roads, even though it’s a weekday. We’re immediately on the climb up the Col des Aravis (1487m/4877’). It’s thankfully a single chevron climb. The views at the top are wonderful and we can still see Mont Blanc. A quick tunnel brings us out in Flumet and we go around the traffic circle to start our climb up the single chevron Col des Saisies (1650m/5412’). The flies have come out and seem to bother anyone going 8mph or less, which is our whole group. The climbs have taken a toll on most of us and we’re anxious to reach the summit. Once there we decide to partake in the local food and atmosphere of this ski area. I ordered a chocolate crepe and some Orangina. Our descent is fun, but like most, not as speedy as I would have thought. The Alps have many switchbacks and you don’t go too far before coming upon another one. My top speed for the day is only 39mph. I can’t say that for the drivers of cars, as they all seem to fly down the cols. Once off the switchbacks and onto the road to Albertville, we follow the river through beautiful scenery. Albertville is bustling with activity when we get there. After a good shower, we had time to preview the town before another amazing supper. Our hotels never had air conditioning, but it mattered little when it was time for sleep. We had done 75 miles and 10,200’ of climbing.
July 9 – Day 5 – Another day in Albertville As we were staying in Albertville another night, there was a chance to recuperate. But I had come to ride, even after yesterday’s assaults. So I set out on the Roselend loop ride, this time by myself. The first 18km of the ride was along the river the way we had finished yesterday. It was nice to see the view in reverse, as it was slightly uphill and slower. Upon reaching Beaufort the climbing begins with a couple double chevron sections through a cool forest. My expectation was a long climb up the Roselend, but what first occurs is the summit of the Col de Meraillet (1605m/5264’). This is a 20km climb at an average of 7.14% with a maximum of 8%. Along the way an MG rally must have been happening as about 30 of these cars headed towards Beaufort. I then dropped alongside a lake and then had to pull myself back up a section of double chevron to get to the gentler slopes of the Cormet de Roselend (1968m/6455’). From the lake this is a 5.5km climb averaging 6.5% with a maximum of 8%. Upon reaching the summit, I found a willing tourist to take my picture. We chatted in broken French and English before I left. I had to return the way I had arrived, but on the way I scrambled down to a stream to refill my water bottles. Then it was back up the Meraillet for the turn to the other side of the lake. From there it was a short but steep climb up the Col du Pre (1703m/5586’). I reached the top but thought I had more to go, it was so quick. Though the itinerary said the descent would be one of the best of the trip, I found it very tough. There were many switchbacks and some spot gravel paving had been done, keeping my speed to never more than about 20mph. Reaching the bottom I felt my rims. Never had they been subjected to such hot temperatures. It’s good to have good equipment under these conditions. I’ve noticed that there are a lot of road mirrors placed so that those coming out of driveways can see around the bends. Also, I’ve been seeing small grottos to Mary along the road, many at switchbacks. Upon my return to town, I had time to sample the local fare and to taste a white nectarine that one of the support crew raved about. That afternoon I also received a half hour massage from our crew masseuse. That was very much needed after my 52 miles and 5600’ of climbing. Another fine meal and I was done for the day.
July 10 – Day 6 – Major climbs Maybe I should have just rested yesterday. We started with an easy seven miles along the river, on a back road paralleling the major highway and enjoying the scenery. Then came the Col de la Madeleine (1993m/6537’). This goes for 28km, though there are about 2.75km of downhill at the 13km mark. It averages 5.7% with a maximum of 9%. Sixteen miles and 5000’ of climbing. This climb starts with a single chevron, then to a double, then, amazingly, to a flat section. Right away, though, we’re back onto a single chevron. And much like the following climbs, the last two to three kilometers kick up and we’re into a double chevron again. It’s as if those constructing the road fell behind budget and schedule and decided to make up both by going straight up the mountain. It was quite a downhill, but still a lot of switchbacks. I didn’t feel too bad up this two-hour plus climb, but I think my lack of a good lunch at the bottom hurt me up or next climb, the mighty Col du Glandon (1924m/6311’). The Glandon starts as a single chevron, goes to double chevron about halfway up, and then finishes with a 13% triple chevron. I felt it mightily at the end. My reserves were so low and the sun so hot I had to stop with 2km to go, and then again at 1km to go. I again stopped for water from the stream alongside the road, though it wasn’t enough. Near the top I thought I was hallucinating, but no, there really was a fenced-in soccer field with gravel as its playing surface. It looked like it could also accommodate the cars that would be on the mountaintop to watch the Tour stage. At the top I collected myself and took some pictures. I had come here to ride and there was one more climb to go. I turned to do the optional 2.5km climb up the Col de la Croix de Fer (2067m/6780’). (6.3% average, 7% maximum) This one actually didn’t feel too bad, probably because we were already up so high and it was so short. From the looks on the map, the climb up the eastern side is quite a bit longer. I’m glad I climbed this one, as the views were spectacular. On top I met two guys from the Netherlands, one who took my picture with the summit sign. We talked for a while, as they knew English and I found out they were here to be on l’Alpe-d’Huez when the Tour rode there. Just two of a half million people or so. On the way down the Croix de Fer, a motorcyclist kicked up a stone that cracked me on the left ankle. That stung and I had some reduced motion in the joint for the next several days, but no real swelling. The descent was fairly switchback free for a while and I actually hit 42mph. The last stretch of road into le Bourg-d’Oisans was thick with traffic as the Tour would be here in just a few days. I was glad to finish my 81 miles and 11,200’ of climbing, even though finding the hotel took a few extra pedal strokes.
July 11 – Day 7 – l’Alpe This is the day I’ve wanted for a long time. It’s my chance to climb l’Alpe-d’Huez (1972m/6468’). (13.8km, 9% average, 11.5% maximum) Aside from a rooster crowing about 5:20am, I’ve had a restful sleep. As we’re staying in the town at the base of this famous climb, we started with a little spin of fifteen minutes to warm up the legs. As soon as you turn off the main road, the climb begins with an overhead banner announcing it. L’Alpe is a mix of single and double chevron climbs through twenty-one turns, each marked with winners from prior years. Many cyclists are climbing this slope today. I saw an old woman working her way up the mountain on an almost equally old bicycle. Some were old men, one getting a helping hand from maybe his son. Other people had foregone the bicycle and had driven their campers and cars up early to secure a spot for the Tour’s ascent. I went up feeling fresh; passing others, but never getting passed myself, never stopping for pictures. It felt a lot like our climb up Reddish Knob, without the little dips near the end. I finished the climb in just over an hour, humbled to know that the fastest Tour riders climb almost twice as fast as me, and that after over 100 miles of racing! The street on top was crawling with vendors and tourists and we had to walk our bikes through it all. A few of us decided to continue the loop and climb the Col de Sarenne (1999m/6557’). Almost immediately leaving d’Huez, the road turned bad, with some gravel sections and large granite “cobblestones” and water over stream flows. The view on top, though, was good. The downhill fared better for us, but again the rims heated up terribly from all the braking. We hit one straight section of 15% grade and let it fly, but abruptly came upon a switchback that two of us almost didn’t realize was there. Scott and I were going over 42mph at the time. Scott slowed and I came right up on him and the guardrail, but missed each. Trying to catch a little rest, we decided to take the low road back to the hotel. We crossed a dam and dropped several miles into town. This gave us a preview of the next day’s start. We had done 34 miles and 6600’ of climbing. After our showers we caught the Tour on Channel 2, which is France’s public station. Imagine watching the Tour with no commercials! And I thought we had it good with OLN. The sleep would have been better if my room didn’t face a skateboarder’s park, where they skated until late at night. And the yelling around 1am from an argument didn’t help, either. The ankle seems to be hurting a little bit now, but still no swelling.
July 12 – Day 8 – Stage 9 mini-preview Today is another heavy day of climbing. Leaving the hotel we climb to the dam we crossed yesterday. This is no col, but yesterday we noticed it was a 7% grade. We’re seeing a lot of campers that must have arrived late yesterday, all getting ready to go up l’Alpe for the stage finish. After we reach the dam we start towards the Category 1 Col du Lautaret (2058m/6750’). (28.5km, 3.9% average, 7% maximum) This is a fairly easy climb, but I’ve brought my red flasher, as we’ll be passing through a lot of tunnels today – sixteen in all. There is quite a bit of traffic and too many diesel vehicles, which really pervade the tunnels. The van is stationed at the top of the Lautaret and our group gets refreshments. From this summit we turn onto the road up to the Above Category Col du Galibier (2646m/8679’). (8.2km, 7.2% average, 9% maximum) This is the highest point on the Tour this year, and also for our tour. It’s quite busy at the top with many cyclists and tourists scrambling for pictures. The road is packed with cars parking on the road that is already barricaded. I’ve brought a vest and warmers for the descent, and I’m glad I did. I’m also glad the van driver is still on the Lautaret, and I hand off the extra clothing. Though not the steepest nor fastest descent, coming off the Lautaret gives us our best downhill, as there are no real bends in the road. My shoulders and hands are starting to hurt from all the required braking in the Alps. After Briancon we start the climb up the Above Category Col d’Izoard (2360m/7741’). (19.6km, 5.7% average, 9% maximum) This is another long climb that starts easy, goes through some meadows and a small gorge, then kicks up for the last three kilometers. I can feel what the racers will feel in a couple days. The downhill to start is a tease, as there is a short climb again before the final plunge. The switchbacks are many again, not made any easier by the fresh tar on the road in a short section. My wheels were hopping there. Halfway down the road straightens and we pick up speed. Upon reaching the Guil River a funny thing happens. We’re going downhill but there is a terrific headwind that keeps us pedaling towards our hotel. No rest for the weary. Then to add insult to injury, our hotel is situated up a short steep road. And it only has a hand shower. But it feels good to finish the 85 mile, 10,000’ of climbing day.
July 13 – Day 9 – Rest Not everyone needed a break, but I sure did. In the last seven days I’ve ridden 422 miles and climbed 49,800’. They say a tough ride is 100’ of climbing for every mile. We’re above that. My heart rate feels a bit high this morning, though I don’t really track it. I slept as long as I could, had a nice breakfast, walked down to town, caught up on my e-mail in an internet café, read, ate, and watched the Tour on TV. It’s the stage to l’Alpe-d’Huez. Tomorrow is our day to watch it live. Some musings on the past week: people all over seem to ask cyclists for directions. I was taking a break on the Roselend day when a van stopped and a woman got out asking for directions. Maybe they believe we really always know where we are. Maybe we just look approachable. Maybe I’m that cute. I also got asked in town while walking back to the hotel. No air conditioning means open windows, but they have no screens. Even so, there seem to be few insect invaders. There don’t seem to be a lot of garbage containers for the public in towns, yet the towns all stay clean. There are a lot of sticks stuck into the side of the roads. I’ve found out that these are for the snowplows. I hadn’t noticed the lack of reflectors along the road as we have here. Scott actually flatted inside the tunnel, a fairly long one, just before the Lautaret. That’s not good in any country. The racers name you see on the roads must be done mostly the night before or morning of that stage. During our climb up l’Alpe we didn’t see nearly as many names as we did two days later on TV. A lot of hotels here provide towels, but no washcloths. And if you stay overnight your bed is made, but usually with the same linens. Because of our latitude, it’s light out until 9:30pm. No wonder the French eat late suppers. Church bells chime the time, and then immediately do it again in case you missed it the first time. Yet they turn the bells off at night so you can get your rest.
July 14 – Day 10 – Stage 9 live A bright, full moon woke me up last night. In the morning I had a sore back from the mattress. And I’ve developed saddle sores. The rest day did nothing to lessen them. Most of us decided to climb back up the Col d’Izoard (this time 26.3km, 5% average, 11% maximum) to watch the Tour today. We climbed it this time from the other side. I left a little after 9am and by the time I reached the road to the summit, traffic was getting dense. The police had already blocked off the climb by 10am (or before?), but we wheeled around the barricades and continued up. I saw a father riding with his son tethered to his bike. The mother was pushing her daughter with her hand on her back. I’m not sure how long she was able to keep that up. Many fans had earlier parked in the camping areas and were walking up. Our van was positioned here since Saturday night and we had a spot about 100 feet from the summit. We could see the Tour coming from two miles away. A few clouds passed by before the racers, but overall it was a good day to be up there. The caravan comes through a good hour before the race and passes out swag for the fans. I collected chocolate milk mix, licorice, gummy bears, a deck of cards (not full, but for a French card game I don’t know), a Champion KOM vest, a bottle of Aquarel, and a few other items. It’s quite a show watching everybody trying to catch all they could. Some people were still scratching names onto the road with rocks. The police tried to keep everybody off the road as the racers passed. They did an admirable job; it wasn’t like l’Alpe-d’Huez. I wasn’t in a great position to see, so I had a lookout on top of the van telling me when Lance’s group was rounding the last bend. Just before Lance came Richard Virenque, but what surprised me was that just after Lance’s group came Erik Zabel. My look at Lance was through my camera’s viewfinder. They were too quick for me to get a second shot. The racers continued to pass for another half hour or so, and then we tried to leave, along with so many others. As we were on the front side and needed to get to the back side, we had to go back over the summit. For some reason, though, the police had blocked it off again. We scrambled to the sides and went through the rough, arriving on the other side. As not many cars had been let up the mountain, the descent was between the pedestrians and us. We again hit the patch of new tar, but made it through and continued down. When the road came to the stop sign there was a line of cars, but we simply passed them on the left. The police were directing traffic there and we continued when directed. My legs felt dead, maybe from sitting too long on top. The ankle, though, is feeling pretty good and I can stretch it out pretty regular now. Again we rode through headwinds, and many groups of pacelines passed me on their way home. We made it back to the hotel with a total of 39 miles and another 4500’ of climbing in time to watch the end of the day’s stage on TV. That gave us a preview of some of the roads we’d be on tomorrow.
July 15 – Day 11 – The longest day Yesterday was Bastille Day and the band that played in town went until 2am last night. It was already warm when we started. We took a back road that took us high above the river, giving us some great views. On a quick downhill I had a bit of chain suck and lost the ability to get into my large chainwheel. Better that than not having the small chainwheel. After we crossed the river, we started uphill towards the Category 2 Cote de St. Apollinaire (1253m/4110’). (6.7km, 7.4% average) This was a 6.7km climb at an average of 7.4%, but the ending, as most other climbs, went up drastically. It was said to be 18%! When Erik caught up to me at the top of the climb, he mentioned he had a noise. We looked for its cause and I thought it was the rear wheel rubbing his chainstay. But after an adjustment the noise remained. Michael caught up to us, took Erik’s wheel off, and found the hub extremely hot. It winds up Erik road up the climb (and maybe the previous miles) with a frozen hub! Luckily the van wasn’t far away and Erik got a spare wheel to finish the day (and the tour). Michael also had an allen wrench and tightened my front derailleur so I had my large chainwheel available again. We then dropped into Chorges and proceeded towards the Col de Manse (1268m/4159’). The van was on top of this climb and we were able to have a nice snack. The descent was nice, though my left hand was falling asleep from the constant pressure on the bars. We then had to do a short double chevron to our next road. And the day just kept getting hotter and hazier. We passed through towns that had painted crosswalks, even though we were in the middle of nowhere and there were maybe twenty people in the whole town. Then came the Col du Noyer (1664m/5458’). This one surprised most of us with its steepness near the summit, about 14% with 2km to go. The heat and lack of shade didn’t help. The summit had a restaurant, as most summits did, though not much else. Then we were treated to what I was hoping for – a good, fast downhill. We blazed down the slope at 75kph (46.5mph). After that it was rolling hills and valleys, with headwinds in the valleys. We weren’t done yet, though, as we climbed the short Col St. Sebastien (926m/3037’). The shade helped here. After dropping past Mens we had a long, slow climb to Clelles. On the map it looked like a moderate-sized town, but I arrived and found no ice cream shop. I really wanted something cold besides water. I went through without stopping. But as soon as I crossed the main highway, I saw a public pool that advertised a snack bar. I rode through the gravel parking lot and had two ice cream bars, even though I was only just over two miles from our hotel. The last section was slightly uphill and our hotel was at the base of Mont Aiguille, making the setting quite beautiful. I never thought I’d do 96 miles and not go the extra four to make it a true century, but I was hot and tired and just wanted to stop. The pool beckoned. 7500’ of climbing was enough for today. Even the mosquitoes, the first time we encountered them this trip, didn’t’ bother me.
July 16 – Day 12 – Rain? My resting heart rate, before rising out of bed, was down to about 40bpm, so I must be holding my own. Breakfast consists of only one croissant, hot cocoa, orange juice, and some bread. The owner believes we don’t want to fill up, as the first thing we do is climb. I’d rather make my own decision in that regard. I ate a lot of bread. The first climb is pretty gentle, and we actually reach the Col du Prayet (1197m/3926’) before continuing up the Col de Menee (1457m/4779’). Through the tunnel at the top of the Menee, I talked with a couple of French bicycle tourists. All of us are wondering about the clouds and the possibility of rain. The descent is fairly fast, with some switchbacks, but I still have time to notice that the hedges are trimmed square, though we seem to be far from any real town. After passing through Die, we were on the climb to the Col de Rousset (1254m/4113’). They have some concrete and some steel telephone and electric poles in this area. It was then on to the Col de St. Alexis (1222m/4008’). I broke from all the route options of the day and decided to go over the Col de Proncel (1100m/3608’) in order to get to la Chapelle-en-Vercors. The downhill on this was fine, except for the group of children on mountain bikes taking their own tour. One was climbing on my side of the road during a left-hand curve. Thankfully he stayed put and I came around him without incident. Once in town I heard rumbles of thunder as I filled my water bottles. I continued on and decided on the out-and-back look at Les Grandes Goulets. The narrow road wound through several small tunnels carved into the rock and then opened to a breathtaking view of this canyon like area. It was then back on the main course, climbing into St. Martin-ev-Vercors and St. Julien-en-Vercors. The clouds still hung over me and I actually got about three drops of rain here, but I descended through some nice cliffs and then along the river. Our last climb to the hotel was one of three chevrons, thought it was only about three kilometers. As I hadn’t really stopped for a lunch, I reached the hotel at 2:15pm with 71 miles and 8000’ of climbing behind me. Another fifteen minutes and we had the rain that had threatened all day. It ended up being just a ten-minute shower, but it was enough to catch others out on the road or get them wet via the wet roads. Dinner at the hotel didn’t start until 8pm, when all the guests ate at once the main course of rabbit. A beautiful view of reddish mountains ended the evening.
July 17 – Day 13 – Rencurel revisited Breakfast can’t begin around here until 8am because the bread truck doesn’t arrive until 7:30. I’ve noticed all the women’s names on the tour begin with the letter “J”. It was a cool, cloudy morning as I started riding this route alone. Many cyclists don’t seem to wave, maybe because there are so many over here that you’d be waving your whole ride. Like on the Skyline Drive, there are cement kilometer markers on the road that make it easy to figure the kilometers to the next town or the top of a col. There were street sweeper machines on D531 this morning – imagine them on Route 33 or Route 42 around here! I like the traffic calming features that are in the cities. They also show up outside the cities, probably just to keep the drivers honest. The opening miles went through the Gorges de la Bourne, which gave another good set of views alongside cliffs. Today was a day of headwinds as I cycled north towards the Pas de la Cle (1400m/4592’). I couldn’t tell if I were warm or cold today. At the top of the Cle there was the Tunnel du Mortier, but it was closed with an earth berm. I cyclocrossed the berm and rode through the tunnel to get a view of the Isere Valley below. I then returned through the tunnel and took to the ridge road that went over and across the tunnel. This road turned into the worst of the trip. Even the water flowing from a fountain was unpotable. I was glad to finally exit this road at the Col de la Croix-Perrin (1220m/4002’), which was the only col I reached by going downhill. My feet were hurting from standing so much, trying to absorb all the shock. My hands had also gone numb. The run after that into Lans-en-Vercors was fast, and the miles from there to Villard-de-Lans were filled with one huge postcard view. I found Ted and Dave at a café in town, and we proceeded to lunch once Charlie arrived. After lunch we did some shopping and then headed back to our hotel in Rencurel. I had done 49 miles and a relatively easy 3200’ of climbing.
July 18 – Day 14 – Cold, no, hot The day started cool, only 51° at 8am, so I dawdled through a big breakfast and my packing. I started out solo again today, climbing the Col de Romeyere (1074m/3523’) before dropping to the Isere River. By then it had warmed enough to shed my vest and warmers. Erik caught up to me in St. Laurent-du-Pont, where I enjoyed a drink and he enjoyed a chocolate éclair. From there we entered the Gorges du Guiers Mort, with its shade and wonderful scenery. The end of the gorges marked the beginning of our next climb up the Col du Cucheron (1139m/3736’). This col started steady, but became a double chevron near the end. The downhill brought us overlooking St. Pierre-d’Entrant, where we stopped for lunch. It was then on to the Gorges du Guiers Vif. Rolling hills brought us to Lac d’Aiguebelette, which we circled counterclockwise. The Col de la Crusille (573m/1879’) was next, on which Charlie battled Jim, followed by a good downhill run towards St. Genix-sur-Guiers. It was then just a short ride up the main highway and then a sharp uphill to our hotel in Champagneux. It was an 87 mile, 7100’ of climbing day, rewarded with a dip in the pool and a room that was extremely spacious.
July 19 – Day 15 – Almost over It gets hot early when you’re not in the high mountains. We had to stop several times in the first half hour, trying to decipher the map and cue sheet. I felt good going up the Col du Tournier (788m/2585’). Trying to get to the next col by following the cue sheets was another effort in futility. Several French riders let me know I couldn’t get there from where I was. We ended up going back down to the main road and circling around on more traffic-laden roads. Eventually we reached the Col du Chat (638m/2093’). We were now above Aix-les-Bains and the Lac du Bourget. The road heading north had some very good views of both. We broke off from the lake and circled down to follow the Cal de Savieres, where boaters were lazily heading down the river. Upon reaching the north end of the lake I headed up the east side by climbing the Col Belvedere (724m/2375’). This was mostly a double chevron in the heat of the day, but with a redeeming quality that you got terrific views of the lake from the other side. We followed the Nephaz River into Rumilly and had a nice lunch, Randy, Scott, Scott, and myself. Charlie found us a little while later and joined us. Then we followed the Fier River, wishing in the heat that some of that water were upon us. In Seyssel I actually stopped at the water fountain and splashed some on me, though the relief didn’t last too long once I started out again. More gentle climbing, with views again of Mont Blanc, finally brought us out to the national route and we only had a few more miles into Eloise. Thus ended the 75 miles and 6500’ of climbing for the day.
July 20 – Day 16 – The final ride Last night and this morning I had decided on one of the shorter routes for today, being somewhat tired, needing to pack the bike, etc. Yet, when we gathered outside the hotel, I decided to take the long route and finish with 900 miles for my tour. I started with Charlie and Chin, but we had a disagreement on the route (those maps and cues again) and I decided to just keep riding instead of agonizing over the direction. I eventually came out on the road I needed, gently climbing to St. Germain-de-Joux. Entering the town took a quick burst of power uphill, then the road continued its gentle climb through the Gorges du Semine, a nicely shaded route. I reunited with Charlie and Chin here. After some forest roads, we stopped in Tres-la-Ville for water, talking with a couple of older gentlemen near the water fountain. We continued climbing and descending, arriving in Mijoux, where they were having a festival. After some refreshment, it was time to do our last climb, the Col de la Faucille (1320m/4330’). The uphill was gentle and the downhill fast, with many good views. I continued to Bossy, had one last stop at a patisserie, and rode back to the hotel. This gave me 62 miles for the day and another 6000’ of climbing. So for the second week, I rode 480 miles and did 42,800’ of climbing. This gave me a grand total of 902 miles and 92,600’ of climbing.
July 21 – Day 17 – Home All the beautiful sun we had turned to thunderstorms as I got to the Geneva airport. I was quite glad it held off for us for two weeks. I breezed through what little security there was and had breakfast while waiting for my flight to London. In London’s Gatwick airport, they have a hub where most of the shops are. Thus, all the travelers were congregated in one place. It made for a busy atmosphere. Once we boarded the plane there, another storm was across the Atlantic. The captain let us know we’d be detained while they worked out new schedules. The delay went from one-half to one hour, then up to four hours, down to two hours, and then we had the word we’d be departing. The delay ended up lasting only one hour. With the adjusted flight path, we got to Pittsburgh only forty minutes late. On my way home I forgot that I picked up six hours, didn’t sleep, and got to Pittsburgh before realizing that by the time I got home I would be awake twenty-four hours. I tried napping in Pittsburg, but to not much avail. I flew to Shenandoah, Robin drove me home, and I crashed heavily. My tour was complete.