Post Seven – Alpe d’Huez

Climbing Alpe d’Huez is a very personal experience. Everyone has their own stories to tell about where it’s steep and where it’s not, how they felt along the way, and if they remember all 21 switchbacks. 

I don’t remember all 21, but I do remember rounding Dutch Corner with its foreboding cemetery and switchback nine. Nine stands out because I called out to Steve, “hey buddy, we’re half way up.” We laughed for about half a second and then put our heads down and kept peddling. 

We all made it to the top, grabbed food and prepared for the descent. That is, we stuffed cookies and croissants into our mouths, filled our water bottles, and put on every piece of clothing we brought with us. As with other climbs so far this week, it was cold up there.

What I’ll remember most about Alpe d’Huez is probably not the climb, but the descent. Rather than retracing the climb up, we went down the “back side”. I now understand why it’s not used very often in the Tour de France.  Rough road, rocks, gravel, and some very sharp hairpin turns. At one point we stopped to take pictures, and I could not even look of the side of the road. Straight down for hundreds and hundreds of feet. Oh, did I mention NO guardrails – none. Just to be fair, however, to the French version of CalTrans, the road did get much better the further down we went. 

Am I glad I did it? You bet. Despite sweating on the way up, freezing at the top, and a death defying descent, it was one of the best days of my life. After all, how much better can it get than doing a climb like Alpe d’Huez with good cycling friends? We’ll remember Alpe d'Huez for a life time. 

Post 6

It’s a beautiful day in France. It’s warmer than the last few days with a crystal blue sky and just a touch of white, lace thin clouds. It was the perfect day for a gentle ride through the French country side. The only real climb was the Col du Marais. Some folks decided to add a few extra thousand feet of climbing, (guess who), but most of us were happy to return to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon. 

 

The decision to ride easier was not because of the the Col de I’Arpettaz yesterday, but rather because our itinerary has changed and tomorrow we climb Alpe d’Huez.  Originally, this legionary and storied mountain was scheduled for Saturday, but because the weather is predicted to be about the same tomorrow, as today, we have made the switch. The weather for the weekend is not looking so nice.

Alpe d’Huez was first added to the Tour de France since 1952. In fact, it was the second to the last stage in this year’s tour. Sportscasters had predicted that the climb up Alpe d’Huez would crown this year’s winner, but as it turned out, it didn’t.  Known for its 21 switchbacks and over 6,000 feet of climbing, Alpe d’Huez holds a special place in the hearts of cyclists. We may not know the capitol of Montana, but we do know Alpe d’Huez. And tomorrow, it’s our turn to conquer one of the most fabled climbs in all of cycling. 

There are a couple more pictures from yesterday’s climb up the Col de I’Arpettaz. Pictures from the climb of Alpe d’Huez will be posted tomorrow. That’s if anyone has the energy to take any and I have the strength to actually post them. Stay tuned. This is going to be great!

Blog Post Five – The Col de I’Arpettaz

Today was our last “free” day. Tomorrow (Sept 9) the official tour begins. So the discussion started last night over dinner was, “where should we go tomorrow?” Sometime after the first bottles of Cotes du Rhone were consumed, the suggestion was made that we do the scheduled ride for next Sunday, today. But, alas, no decision was made. The conversation continued this morning over breakfast and with half open eyes, the suggestion to climb the Col de I’Arpettaz was accepted; at least by most. So around 10:00 AM, we started down the bike path for the approximately 20 mile ride to the base of the Col de I’Arpettaz.

Now to understand the Col de I’Arpettaz, your have suspend your California reality of what it’s like to climb a mountain in the Alps. First of all, we road is about as wide as the Bob Jones Trail. It states out going through what looks like someone’s driveway. Then, it makes a left hand turn. For the next 10 miles, you climb. We started as a group, but as the miles went by, we became strung out over the road. The green of the valley melted into the Alpine forests that dwindled until we were above the tree line. The landscape finally giving way to massive granite outcroppings that still towered above us.  As we continued to climb, I began to experience the dreaded three “S’s”; suffering, silence, and solitude. A couple of us regrouped and finally, we all made it to the summit. We were tired, but grateful to have survived. The only remaining problem was that it was freezing on the windblown, barren mountain top.  Not wanting to linger, food was quickly consumed, jackets and warm warmers were put back on, and we started the descent.

According to physics, what goes up must come down. So for approximately 10 miles we descended through more hairpin turns than I have ever experienced. I was sure my tire rims would over heat because I could never let off the brakes. Never mind the fact that the only thing between staying on the road and sure death over a two-three hundred foot cliff was a thin wire strung between wooden posts. I don’t think the concept of guardrails is popular in France.

At the bottom we found a place for lunch and then continued back through the valley until we reached the hotel and warm showers.Warm showers and the now customary AHH helped with the pain and suffering.

Post Five

Our group is finally assembled in Annecy. The last three arrived this afternoon. Tired, yet excited to be in France and start riding. 

Before they arrived, the seven of us got a taste of the Alps, or maybe just the pre-Alps. We stated with a ride around Lake Annecy with a little detour to climb the Col de Bluffy. It was a nice, gentle climb with a great decent back to the lake. We continued around the south end of the lake, and started the journey back north toward Annecy. About half way back, the group split and, with the help of our new best Italian friend, Margret, a few of us decided to do the climb up to La Chapelle Saint Murice. Again, not a hard climb, but long and with an amazing 12km decent back to the western side of Lake Annecy.

About 4:00 we are all back at the hotel. We were finally all together and ready for the next adventure – dinner! After the customary AHH at the hotel, we either walked or took a taxi into Annecy for a great opening dinner. The only glitch was that our waiter didn’t speak any English. After numerous attempts to order wine, drink and food, the restaurant sent over a different waiter. Much better. More than two bottles of Cotes du Rhone appeared on the table, followed by a great dinner.

Tomorrow is our last day “on our own” before the official biking tour begins. The decision in the morning will be, “where do we go today?”    

Post Four

Saturday Morning - We gathered in small groups in the California darkness. It was too early to be awake, but we were lucid enough to pack suitcases and bike bags into our vehicles and head toward San Luis Obispo. We arrived in good fashion, checked in with our bags and bikes, and waited in the San Luis Obispo Regional Airport’s international departures lounge. ie the six seats closest to the windows. Our flight to SFO departed on time at 6:20AM with only a glimpse of light appearing in the eastern sky.

As six of us boarded the plane, reality hit. Months of planning and preparation are coming together and we’re flying to the French Alps.

I write the first half of this post on the third flight of the day. So far we have spent over six hours on two separate flights and will spend another eight hours on this one. It already has been a long day and it’s going to be a longer night.  

Sunday Morning - We arrived in Geneva on time, found our shuttle driver, packed-up yet again, and departed for Annecy. We’re not sure if our driver didn’t know any English, or just chose not to communicate with us. Either way, he was very much the silent type.  Even a grunt or grown would have been nice.

Amazingly, we were in Annecy by 10:00AM. The next task was to assemble our own bikes or adjust the bikes we rented. With this task completed, the only remaining question was what to do with the rest of the day? Several options were discussed and debated. They included, napping, walking, riding or a combination of all three. So, three of us walked and then napped, two rested (no sleeping) and then biked along Lake Annecy, and two napped and did recon on the hotel. But, regardless of the option chosen, we all gathered at the appropriate time on the hotel patio for the first of what I expect will be many an AHH (Annecy Happy Hour). Now it's bed time. It's been a very long two days.