Touring diary as I cycle the famous mountain climbs of France and Spain and visit Le Tour de France
I didn’t really expect to be riding my bike again in France, but when Andrew (our tour leader from 2017) emailed me an invitation to join the 2019 trip to France and Spain, I jumped at it.
It was just 4 days after the passing of my wife Merryl, and I knew I’d need a goal to work towards in the future months to help get me through the difficult time that was follow.
So, after quite a few months of training, I’m ready to leave for France on 12th July.
Our last day of our Tour was spent in Lyon, which is France’s 3rd largest city. Situated on the junction of the Rhone and Saone Rivers, it’s an important commercial centre. The old inner city is fantastic with narrow cobble-stoned streets and has the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre dating back 2,000 years. We enjoyed a visit to the magnificent cathedral on the hill (accessed via a funicular train), wandered through the streets and had our last meal together at one of the many open-air restaurants.
As this is my last post of the trip, can I say thank you to those who have followed my travels and for the comments that have been made about them. I’ve had a great adventure and I’ve enjoyed every minute bringing it to you. Thanks too to son Paul who set the blog format up for me and made it so easy to post regular updates to. It will be a great momento of my trip.
On our last day in Alpe d’Huez, I wandered around the town and took a few more photos and video. Even took a short ride part-way up the mountain in the gondola to get the early morning cloud hanging in the valley.
Today is our last full day at l’Alpe d’Huez and 11 of our group headed out for our last ride of our tour. After a swift descent down the mountain to Bourg d’Oisans we headed up the valley before turning right for the 20 klm climb up to the small ski village of La Berarde. After the climb up to Alpe d’Huez yesterday, I found the going pretty tough but managed to join the group for coffee half way up and then kept with them for the final ascent. After a nice lunch we headed back down the valley, but diverted along the way to the quaint little town of Venosc for deserts and coffee. Then it was full pelt back to Bourg d’Oisans (thanks to Warrick for drafting me down the highway) where I reluctantly returned my hire bike. I could be very tempted by a Pinarello.
My Garmin said I traveled 81.5 klms in 3 hours 40 minutes at an average speed of nearly 22 klm/hr. We ascended 1,233 meters elevation and I burnt 1,405 calories, so I don’t feel at all guilty about the ice ream with lashings of real cream on top. A ride back up the mountain in the car to Alpe d’Huez and my French riding experience was all over. Tomorrow we travel to the city of Lyon for some sightseeing before we fly out for home on Monday evening.
The climb from Bourg d’Oisans to the ski resort of l’Alpe d’Huez has been a signature stage of the Tour de France since it hosted the first TDF mountain top finish in 1952. Although not part of the Tour this year, it has hosted some classic battles that have confirmed the winner of the Tour’s yellow jersey. Over the length of 13 klms it rises approx 1,100 metres at an average gradient of 8.2% with the earlier couple of klms more between 10 and 11%. There are 21 hairpin switchbacks along its length. each named after a famous cyclist. The record time is under 40 minutes but I took closer to an hour more than this. Nevertheless it was all about the finishing for me and I was proud to hold my bike aloft at the finish, even though I was the last of our group home. Congratulations to the rest of the group who all finished the climb. (2 on electric bikes).
Today was a light day. Only six of us headed off on a short 35 klm ride which took us along the edge of the mountain below Alpe d’Huez and then a fast run down into Bourg d’Oisans for lunch and then desert at a great little patisserie. Yum yum. The scenery was breathtaking. Along the way we met a couple out touring on their electric bikes. He was 79 and she was 75. They looked great and were really enjoying riding up to 110 klms a day. After lunch we got to ride back up to Alpe d’Huez in the car with bikes in the van – very civilized!!
I just had to include the pic of our illustrious leader Andrew riding the electric bike around the town on our return.
Today was one of the highlights of our tour – meeting up with the Tour de France. We traveled by car and van to within 17 klms of the top of the first major climb of the day, the Col de la Croix de Fer and then rode to within 4 klms of the Col – about the closest the gendames would allow us to continue without walking. The ride itself was no pushover and we appreciated what the Tour riders cope with many times over in a day. We ascended about 1,000 metres while the Tour rides rode up 5,000 meters that day.
Prior to the arrival of the Tour, there is the Tour procession of all the sponsor’s vehicles throwing out sample of merchandise ranging from hats, lollies, drinks and even washing powder. the “less mature” of our group (only kidding) had a great time collecting all the paraphernalia that was thrown out.
Finally the Tour riders arrived, spread out much more than I had expected, and we got to see Froomey and other heroes close up. No wild behaviour from our group but plenty of cheering and encouragement especially to Marcel Kittle who unfortunately withdrew from the race shortly after passing us as a result of injuries sustained in a crash earlier in the day.
Hope you enjoy our TDF experience.
Today we said goodbye to Lake Annecy and travelled for nearly 3 hours to Bourg d’Oisans which is a small town about 16 kilometres below the ski township of Alpe d’Huez which is to be our home for the next week. We had lunch there and I managed to pick up a pretty smart hire bike for the week (a bright red Pinarello Dogma F8 for the technically minded). After lunch we headed up the legendary climb (in cars this time) to our hotel Alpe Azure at L’Alpe d’Huez .
Our first ride in the Alps was into Tour de France territory. Leaving Alpe d’Huez we rode upwards for about 40 minutes, over a col (name I can’t remember) and down into a valley with the huge dam across the river – the Barrage du Chambon. This was our staging point for our assault on the Col du Lautaret and the Col du Galibier. The Tour will pass through these roads tomorrow and there was a huge amount of traffic – bikes, cars and motor-homes- along the way The climb to Col du Lautaret was pretty gentle (average about 6%) and about 20 klms long. We stopped at Col du Lautaret to refuel at the cafe and then those who were fitter than me, rode the last 8 klms to the Col du Galibier – a famed Tour de France climb were Cadel Evans tightened his grip on the Tour yellow jersey in 2011. I rode up in the car so I could get photos for the blog. I’m still suffering a bit from bruised ribs which restrict my breathing, but have no excuses. Our return from the Cols was set at a cracking pace punctuated for an hour or so by lunch at the little town of La Grave. Along the way we passed though a number of quite long road tunnels which was interesting.
Tomorrow will be a big day. We are meeting up with the Tour de France. We are going to ride to the first major climb of the day, and then settle back to see the Tour go by. Then we’ll head for the nearest TV in Borg d’Oisans to see the finish of the Tour.
Apart from not having a bike, I needed a day off to recover from the previous day’s events. Sue and I decided to hire bikes from the hotel and ride down to check out the town. It was market day and the place was alive. Sue bought some special goodies for Scott’s lunch and I bought something special to bring home (providing I can get it through customs). Not telling what it is, but there’s a clue in the video. The old town with the canal running through it is very picturesque and there were lots of holiday makers boating, cycling picnicking and generally enjoying themselves. Hope you enjoy the photos and video. Tomorrow we pack up again and head for the Alps.
