Looking Back

It's hard to believe that the trip has come and gone. I can say that because my legs are no longer experiencing that constant state of soreness. Please check out the pictures. The scenery was one of the best parts of the trip. It just can't be beaten (except for that stretch on the W&OD trail between Reston and Herndon). The fun will hit home again in a few weeks when watching the Tour de France coverage on TV and we get to see the pros covering the same ground that we were just on.

Our plans were certainly more grandiose than our actual rides, but not by much. We never found the Col de Izoard and Mitch will forever be haunted by the fact that he took the tunnel at the top of the Galibier rather than taking that last kilometer at a 10% gradient to the absolute summit. Judging by how abysmal he felt the next day, he definitely made the right decision. But at least it gives him a good excuse to go back!

Looking at my computer files, here are my stats: 7 days, 500 miles, and 35 hours saddle time.

Here is a list of the Cols we climbed, their altitude, and their TdF category rankings (we all may not have done each one, but at least one of us climbed each one during that 7 day period):

Alpe d'Huez, 1860m, hors category (multiple ascents for each)
Col de Galibier, 2645m, hors category
Mont Ventoux, 1912m, hors category
Col de Croix de Fer, 2067m, hors category
Col de la Madeleine, 2000m, hors category
Col de Glandon, 1924m, hors category
Les Deux Alpes, 1650m, 1st category
Sestriere, 2033m, 1st category
Col de Lauteret, 2058, 2nd category
Col de Telegraphe, 1566m, 2nd category
Col de Montgenevre, 1850m, 2nd category
Col du Mollard, 1638m, 2nd category
Col d'Ornon, 1371m, 2nd category
Col de Sarenne, 1999m

Let us know if Virginia is getting to drab for EVO training camp, and we can definitely throw out some ideas!

Check out the photo album

Please click below for more complete photo coverage of the trip. When prompted by KodakGallery, you are not required to sign in if you don't want to. Just look for the link that says "view photos without signing in".

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=fvebj9l.b0uei9o9&x=0&y=-2ns41y

Videos courtesy of YouTube

We tried to take some video from the digital cameras. They were pretty good quality to start with, but were degraded as they were uploaded to YouTube. Unfortunately, the audio and the video on the Ventoux and Galibier videos are out of sync, but c'est la vie.

Check out the following fun:

An entertaining interview of the boys as they contemplate the ascent of Mont Ventoux:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bow1GD4qtmo

A handlebar view of what it looks like to descend into and along the Grand Goulet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E7gOZyLDtI

A video of Junk summiting the Galibier and expressing his state of mind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYNAgJnsbTY

Last Day to Ride

Slug here again. Today was our last chance to ride before heading back to reality on Sunday. The weather was iffy with some morning rain, but by the time we set off it had cleared a bit. I accompanied Junk and Squirrel to the base of the 12 km Col de Ornon climb, at which point I turned back and headed to 1 last climb up the Alpe d'Huez. Junk and Squirrel did the Col de Ornon and then also headed back to the Alpe d'Huez. Not happy to climb it once today, Junk had to display one last bit of insanity and climbed it twice! The 2nd time in the rain!

We started our adventure last Sunday with the Alpe, and today we turned the last page with the Alpe. It was fitting to bookend the trip with ascents up the most famous Tour de France climb of them all.

Rest Day

Having gotten back to the hotel late Thursday night, we needed some rest. We slept in and had a lazy day which was just what the doctor ordered. Squirrel and I started off about 3pm to do the Col de Glandon and the Col de Madeleine where we were going to meet up with Slug who drove there to do the Madeleine. So our rest day ended up being about 4.5 hours and climbed the 15 mile long Glandon and the 12.5 mile long Madeleine, both up to 2000 meters in altitude. Slug had a more traditional (read: not manly) rest day and did half the Madeleine for about an hour of saddle time. The one thing you realize about these climbs is how amazing it is that the pros can go so fast on them. These are monster climbs and we are taking them relatively intensely and going REALLY slow. Very humbling.

Shoes

Junk here. Shoes are an unappreciated prerequisite to modern road cycling. I learned that the hard way after our hour long drive to Briançon and I realized that the feeling we all have that we forgot something was legitimate this time. Squirrel and Slug ventured to Sestriere as I drove another couple hours to get the shoes. The boys had nice climbs to Italy over the Col de Montgenevre and then up Sestriere. Squirrel was determined to eat authentic Italian food but all he got was a sad excuse for a panini which was more like a salami baguette.

I met up with them just over the Italian border and we set off to find the Col de Izoard which will feature in the Tour this year. Well that didn't work out as planned either as we took a wrong turn. In the end we all got in good hours and great scenery, but the Izoard remains on our to do list.

Since I got off to the late start and didn't make it to Sestriere, I rode back to the hotel over the Col de Lauteret which rounded out my 7 hour, 119 mile day.

Ventoux Report

Slug here again.

The Ventoux climb lived up to its reputation. You can see the climb for miles in every direction. We were all feeling quite good, and we will be posting VIDEO next week to prove it!!!! The climb starts steep and stays steep for almost its entire 21km distance. There were markers every km telling you the gradient for the next km, and we saw lots of 9s and 10s!!!

After cresting the desert like summit, we had a beautiful descent down the other side, and then tacked on some lovely kms through vineyards back to Carprentras. C'est magnifique!

Le Géant de Provence (Ventoux)

Wednesday we did Le Mont Ventoux. It was an awesome climb. And we all felt good for a nice change. Full details tomorrow.

Recovery Day

Slug still here. Feeling hungover, Tuesday had to be a recovery day. We headed out from Grenoble to the Vercors region of gorges. Having spent a week in Grenoble in advance of our arrival, Squirrel had ridden these roads a few times so we turned to him for advice. He indicated that the flat road we had planned was not very scenic and he said another was better. When asked about the terrain because of Junk and my need to recover, he didn't indicate that there were any obstacles on the way. So after a run up of about 2km, imagine our surprise when we started climbing and climbing and climbing and climbing. 10 miles later (miles, not kilometers), after more switchbacks than Alpe d'Huez (though admittedly much tamer), we crested and headed to Villard de Lans, a beautiful Alpine village. At this point, I headed back to the car on a beautiful descent while Junk and Squirrel tackled the Grand Goulets loop, which was spectacular as advertised. Pictures (and video) will be posted next week.

Epic

Today's guest blogger is Slug, who due to oxygen deprivation has forgotten his blogspot user id. Sorry for the delay in updates, but we have been riding, sleeping, and eating instead of blogging. Today's update covers Monday's Marmotte ride, which usually consists of the Croix de Fer, the Telegraphe, the Galibier, and Alpe d'Huez. The mountains were angry that day, my friends, and the temperature was high. Junk, Squirrel and I headed out and tackled the Croix de Fer with little to report other than beautiful views on the 27 kilometer climb to just over 2000m in altitude. After posing for the obligatory summit pictures, to be posted later, we proceeded down the switchbacked descent until we came to the unfortunate sign telling us "Route Barré". Undeterred, we figured (hoped) that the road closed sign only applied to cars. It didn't as the smell of dynamite and the rock avalanche covered road eventually signalled to us to turn around.

So we backtracked and found the Col de Mollard which the Dauphine and the Tour are using to bypass the road closure. At the same time, we also found Squirrel's front derailleur cable split in half leaving him in the small ring for the rest of the day. Squirrel was concerned and wanted to find a direct route home until Junk pointed out that the only way home was either to backtrack completely or complete the route. And anyway, the rest of the route was either uphill or switchback downhill, so the lack of big ring access wasn't too much to worry about. Now, the rest of the route...that was something to worry about.

The Col de Mollard turned out to be a nice, challenging 6.6km climb followed by a spectacular switchback descent on which Ludovic Turpin crashed and broke his leg two days prior in the Dauphine. After a wickedly hot stretch in the valley, we started on the Telegraphe. Squirrel seemed unaffected by heat and derailleur issues, but Junk and I learned what "bonk" means.
After being mistaken for a touring professional on the summit belying my desire to vomit, we took off for the Galibier. Now this is a challenging climb with good legs, let alone starting it completely bonked and dehydrated. We gutted it out and reached the top of this snow covered monster (well, I cut off the last km and went through the tunnel lest I perish 500m from the summit). After regrouping, we started the 25 mile descent which was almost interrupted when the native groundhog like creature called a Marmotte tried to commit suicide under my front wheel. So I was almost killed by the Marmotte twice in one day.

With the road closure, the extra detour climb, the extreme heat, and our pitiable state of body, we exercised the first good judgment of the day and decided not to climb Alpe d'Huez to finish the loop. 110 miles, 8+ hours of riding, and 4 epic climbs were enough for now.

Jetlag Supplemental

So after we posted yesterday, we went to dinner and thought of a bunch of random stuff we could have written about but forgot. Nothing so important, but jetlag has got me up early and I couldn't just lay awake in bed any longer, while the other 2 appeared to sleep. So I found that the cafe with internet service is open at 6:30am...which is remarkable because everything else here opens late and closes early. I think the owner of this café is the only entrepreneur in the region because it opens at 6:30am and closes at 1:00am.

When Slug and I finally got the airport on Saturday and arranged to have our lost bags delivered to our hotel; we went to the rental car counter. We had rented a 7 seater minivan to accommodate the bike boxes and the 3 of us for the week and the return trip to the airport. We had reserved the car on the French side of the Geneva airport because it was much cheaper. Europe being what it is, the French side didn't work a full day. We told them we were coming at noon. So that's when they came. Since we were flight delayed and baggage delayed, we were later than that and they left. So the only thing we could do was rent a mini-mini-van from the Swiss side. It will do for getting 3 people and 3 bikes around here for rides, but we have no idea how we will get 3 bike boxes in that thing for the return to the airport.

We're unlikely to be able to post pictures taken on the road until we get back and put them on Ofoto or something because the internet cafe is not WiFi; but a terminal you use; so no way to upload our photos to it.

Among our favorite stories so far comes from yesterday's ride. We climbed Alpe d'Huez and instead of coming straight down, we took the back road out. It continues to climb up to a second peak called the Col de Sarenne. On top of that we were low on water because it was hot. The only thing around was a "refuge" for hikers, etc. We asked the lady there to refill our bottles and she hesitated, telling us that they don't like to do that because they run a business and they can't waste time giving water to all. But she made an exception. Since she was relatively attractive, Squirrel though he would make it worth here while and offer her a kiss in exchange for the water. The concept of a trade lost in translation, Squirrel leaned in to give her a kiss. Caught by surprise, she dodged the effort expertly and Squirrel was left hanging. Oh well...6 days to go and we know he'll keep trying.

We're in France...point me toward Alpe d'Huez

We had a long flight that was highlighted by a delay and a missed connection for Junk and lost baggage for both Junk and Slug. Both our bikes were late and arrived on Sunday. Undeterred, we immediately rented bikes when we arrived on Saturday afternoon and went straight to Alpe d'Huez (which is seen from the balcony of our hotel room in the picture to the left) and did the first 4 or 5 hairpins. So after 4 minutes of riding on rented bikes, Slug and I are climbing Alpe d'Huez. And we wouldn't have had it any other way.

When we got to the hotel room, we knew Squirrel had arrived in town, but we had no idea where he was. So Slug and I went to dinner and sat outdoors at a little pizzeria on the main drag. Sure enough, at about 8:30, the Squirrel-meister comes whizzing though town, dressed in complete kit, which looked great against the mountains. He had been up the Col de Glandon and the Croix de Fer on Saturday checking out the Dauphiné. He saw the leaders crest the Glandon and had a great time checking out the pro peleton. Unfortunately, he received no contract offers from any of the team cars as they went by.

Fortunately, Slug's bike arrived before we rode today, Junk had to stick with the rental, but that did not keep the three of us from tackling Alpe d'Huez, the Col de Sarenne, and Les Deux Alpes. The climbs were great, and today was a perfect warmup for tomorrow's slog over 4 of the toughest climbs you can do in one loop.

Internet access is available so we expect to update daily. The important thing is that we are all here, safe, excited, and prepared to suffer. Wish us luck!

Où est les filles?

In lieu of a direct post from Squirrel to the blog, I wanted to let everyone know that Squirrel, or écureuil as the French say, arrived safely to in the Alps. After flight delays in Dulles and in Paris, he finally arrived in Geneva, in time for a 3-hour bus ride to Grenoble. He showed up at about 7:30pm local time. Having killed the whole day travelling, he set his sights on the next day and rode from Grenoble to the summit of Alpe d'Huez, which I think is about 80-90 miles round trip. Not a bad way to start the trip. He then spent yesterday travelling around the Vercors region southwest of Grenoble. He said the weather and the riding is AWESOME (his emphasis). And he mentioned nonchalantly that yesterday was his birthday. Happy Birthday, Squirrel!!!!!! Hope you celebrated properly! Being camera-shy, this was the only picture available from his first few days in France.

Whose Idea Was This Anyways?

Squirrel, Slug, and Junk will meet up in the French Alps town of Bourg d'Oisans on June 10 for seven days of riding some of the most famous mountains in Tour de France lore. Bourg d'Oisans is nestled at the base of Alpe d'Huez and will serve as our home base for our week in the Alps. This is the starting point of a famous ride called "La Marmotte" which is held each year and in which more than 5,000 riders participate. It is a 110-mile loop with 18,000 feet of climbing that tackles four massive passes which you may have heard of: Col de la Croix de Fer (hors categorie), Col de Telegraphe (2nd category), Col de Galibier (hors categorie), and Alpe d'Huez (hors categorie).

While we won't be riding with the masses, we are going to steal their loop and use it as one of the key rides of our week. But rather than thrashing ourselves over the same mountains each day, we are on the lookout for more. Armed with a $20 French Road Atlas from Barnes & Noble, we plan to ride loops that take in Sestriere and the Colle delle Finestre in Italy, the Col de Izoard, Mont Ventoux, Col de Madeleine, Courchevel, Les Deux Alpes, and the Grand Goulets. Each ride will be between 80-110 miles. Perhaps our appetite is bigger than our stomachs, but we shall see when we get there. And if there is internet access in the Alps, you'll get to read about it right here (if that interests you in the least).

Ten days out from our trip, we're keeping a constant eye on the weather. Apparently, it hasn't warmed up much in the Alps, and many mountain passes are still covered in snow. Assuming the roads clear up in time, expect to see many pictures on this site similar to that on the right. Of course, this opens up a can of worms all by itself: what do you wear when it is 2000 feet and nice in the valley and looks like this at 8000 feet on top of the Galibier? Answer: bring your jerseys with the biggest pockets and load up on arm, knee, and leg warmers, vests, and rain jackets.

Hopefully this blog will provide some entertaining stuff, much like the emails from Pinky, Fish, and Craig during their Carmichael training camp in California. Unfortunately for us, we'll have no sag support (unless Squirrel lures an unsuspecting French maiden into that role), no world famous companions, and no soigneurs (unless Squirrel's aforementioned French maiden is a trooper). The closest thing we have to comfort is a hotel that includes breakfast and a bike store across the street if something really goes wrong with our equipment. We've taken the map, found as many famous peaks as possible, and then played connect the dots to create routes each day. So we're going into this not really knowing how far each day will be or how much climbing will be involved. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss! One thing is certain: upon our return each one of us will either be strong as an ox, or dead as a doornail. With scenery like this, who really cares which one?