Cyc'd European Tour 2014 - Day 8 Col du Telegraph, Col du Galibier andAlpe d'Huez

The blog post today is pretty hard to write, simply because the ride today was such an epic conclusion to a fantastic 8 day (or 10 days) of riding with the most iconic of climbs Alpe d'huez.

The group was in high spirits despite the threat of cold and a wet morning, possibly because it was the iconic climbs or possible because we knew we didn't have to get back on the bike after today. 

Some were keen to set good times on the climb and the talk started at breakfast as to who would attack and when. Stephen who had ridden the mountain before could hardly contain his excitement at trying to better his last time. 

We all donned our tour kit for the ride, and headed off to conquer our highest peak ever Col du Galibier. 

Of course being the French alps there is alway another climb to conquer and today that would be Col de Telegraph. Surprisingly most of us felt fresh on the climb after 7 days of solid riding. The shortened day turned out to be a blessing in disquise and we had "slightly" rested legs.  I managed to find a good rhythm on the climb and moved away from the other riders keen to take it easy. Soon Neil, who had taken off early, came into view much to my surprise. Those who have ridden with me before would have heard about the "red mist" and the sight of Neil within chasing distance set the red mist into full swing. With only 2 km of the climb to go I managed to pass him only to be passed again soon after. With 1km to go Neil pushed the pace, I managed to hold on and with 600m to go put in a massive sprint to pass him and take the line honours for the first col of the day. 

After stopping for a photo, put on our vests for the short descent to start the long grind to the Galibier. 

During the descent my feet went numb and I found the first few km of the climb really tough going. Matt soon caught me, but shouted a few words of encouragement for me to stick with it.

 Fortunately that was enough to get me going and we rode together though the landscape which at times resembled a moonscape with the mountains rising high on all sides. 

We continue on as the tempurature started to drop and the altitude made it noticeably harder to breathe. It was hard to work out if the views or the altitude was more breath taking. 

Just as we were starting to struggle we came across a guy from Germany who was riding from Munich to the Côte d'Azur. We chatted to him for the last few km which made them just fly by. As we neared the summit the air got the slight better of Matt and we managed to ride apart a little just prior to the sign for the col. 

The summit was freezing with the road lined with snow. Our new German friend very kindly gave us some warm gear so we didn't freeze before our support van tuned up.

From there it was the fun part. All rugged up we plummeted to the coffee shop at Col du Lautaret for a welcomed warm lunch break, where we devoured our body weight in burgers and fries

We claimed our bonus col, Col du Lautaret making it 4 for the day before we made the long descent to the start of Alpe d'huez. 

The rest stop was tense, layers of clothing were dropped, water bottles removed and every non essential item stored in our bags looking for every gain we could get on the last climb of our tour. 

The climbers rolled to the base for a neutral start and it wasn't long before the road turned skyward. 

It was not long before the first attack occured, with Matt and I pushing the pace on the first switchback. The switch back attacks continued until the group splintered and Neil, Matt and I were on our own. Neil set a cracking pace putting in attacks on the tougher sections. Matt yo yoed off the back but stuck with it. There was no time to take in the view apart from my stem as we looked for everything from our legs. Sadly at turn 18 on overtaking car put a split between Neil and I and it broke my spirit in the chase and I couldn't get back on. Matt and I continued the tussle as the 12km TT markers came into sight. With 300m to go we launched into a sprint to take the line honours in the TT section (and trying to break my goal for an hour to that mark).

Sadly the sprint would be my undoing as my rear wheel came out of place and jammed against my frame. Matt got away for the last 2 km to take the official TDF win and I soon rolled across second. The  most epic finish though goes to Flynn and Jason who put in a full sprint battle for their place on the leaderboard both collapsing as they crossed the line. 

The Cyc'd group stayed at the line cheering "Allez" for anyone nearing the finish all swapping stories of how they conquered the epic mountain. 

It truly was the perfect way to finish our amazing 8 days touring France!

Cyc'd European Tour 2014 - Day 9 Rest, Recovery and Riding.

Today most people took it easy after the epic day that was Alpe d'Huez and Galibier yesterday. Everyone was late to ride for breakfast without the proposal of an early roll out to attack a few cols. We wandered down to the Alpe d'huez village to check out the shopping and coffee options. 

There was some discussion of riding but most obtained. Matt keen to grab one more Col headed out to tackle Croix der Fer. 

Stephen and I were much more subdued option for a roll down the hill to have lunch at Bourg d'Oisans, sadly this of course meant another ride up the hill. 

The little town was very picturesque and a complete haven for cyclists with a bike rack on every corner. 

We enjoyed entirely more lunch than we deserved given the descent but it was hard to say no to the deliciousness on offer. 

The others higher up in Alpe d'huez continued their tour of the village, some opted for a liquid refuel after the weeks riding. 

Other lived out life long dreams wandering through Alpe d'huez. 

With lunch polished off (and some time for desert) we headed back up the hill for an easy effort on the Alpe. This time was much ride pleasant than the vomit inducing effort of yesterday. There was plenty of time for photos and taking in the view. 

Meanwhile the more serious ride Matt had conquered the Col and was enjoying coffee at the top before finishing off an epic 107km ride. 

The rest of the crew rested up generally amazed at all the riding and climbing we'd managed to accomplish in our short time here. 

Once all back home it was time to start the pack up process ready for us to say goodbyes and head back to reality. 

Finally. Rather than my take on the whole thing. This is what everyone else had to say (in no particular order. 

Flynn -> It’s cold at altitude.

Cam M. -> Unfortunately time did not permit a visit to the town of Pussey to see how compact cranks are made

Anthony -> Epic riding, unbelievable scenery, consumed more food than I thought possible, finished each day fully satisfied. 

James -> All five senses are assaulted with the magnificent beauty of riding the French Alps, a continuous kaleidoscope of wondrous  experience shared with fantastic friends.

Jase -> What can I say? I saw trees of green, clouds of white, bright blessed day and dark sacred night and I think to myself, what a wonderful world, whooo yeah!

Danny -> France 1, Troe nil.  France an easy winner.  will be back!

Kent -> I'm riding 30km km uphill for coffee it better be bloody good. 
Roberto -> flapjacks, bollards and guards and French scenery stunning. 
Craig -> two words.... That hurt. Stick a fork in me I'm done. 
Bruce -> in the words of daft punk faster, better, harder, stronger. 
Gav ->Bike riding means simplicity and simplicity means happiness.
Tracey -> life is like a bicycle in order to stay balanced you must keep moving. 

Matt -> If France was a woman I would marry her.

Stephen -> (don't have an actual quote but I'm sure he'd say) Just awesome. "Are you going to sprint? No are you?......Booom!"

Cyc'd tour 2014 by the numbers. 

Days riding - 9

Number of kilometres - 921.9 (1121.9 including the Swiss extension)

Number of meters climbed - 26,097 (29,622 including the Swiss extension)

Number of calories burned for the week - 43,888 (or 87 flapjacks)

Number of flats - 2 (I'm not counting your pinch on the same flat Jase)

Number of days I had to pinch myself to check it wasn't a dream - 9

Cyc'd European Tour 2014 - Day 7 Col de la Madeleine (and a lot of rule#9)

Odds were it was going to happen eventually, but our run of perfect weather ended abruptly at 3am when the heavens opened and the valley was engulfed in cloud. 

This awaking certainly dampened the spirits of the group,after a weeks worth of climbing most of us were probably just content to stay snuggled under the blankets rather than tackle another 2 cols. 

But in the Cyc'd spirit we donned our wet weather gear and saddled up for a cold (10oC) and rather wet trip out to our first Climb of the Day Col de la Madeleine. We decided to head out a little later, hoping that the weather would clear up for the climb. 

Sadly before we hit the base if the climb we got our second puncture of the tour with a massive slice to one of Matt's tyres. Bruce was very quick to lend a hand, with the section of tyre to patch up the slice. Unfortunately he'd slightly misunderstood the article on using a broken tyre, by keeping the broken section rather than the good section of the tyre. 

We all huddled for shelter under on overpass while we waited for the van and a new tyre. Once that was sorted we headed back onto the road headed for the Madeleine. 

With such an iconic climb the GoPros were the order of the day to ensure every moment was captured. The wet weather however made it difficult to tell if the cameras were actually working or not. 

The base of the climb found us at our rest stop and the van for a quick refuel before the road began to ascend. The feelings were mixed on how the climb would play out. I for one had tried a few to many attacks and chases to this point and my legs had waved the white flag. Many wanted to take it easy in the wet conditions and stopped for a few more photos than usual. Jason however saw this as a chance to pounce and attacked early sprinting away from the rest of the field. 

Matt and Craig soon gave chase (under the veiled disguise of "riding at my own pace"). 

Being a mountain that shares the name of my little one (at least phonetically) I posed for a photo before riding up with Stephen. 

Both nursing injuries we were happy to ride at an easier pace than previous Cols but still maintained some effort as we quickly gained some of the other climbers. 

The mountain was eerie with the mist rolling in over the mountains edge and spilling onto the road, often obscuring the view of the next turn. 

Everyone was in good spirits, despite the cold and the wet, happy to wave for the odd photo or two. 

Before long we'd managed to catch sight of the chasers Matt and Craig, but keen to keep their distance they upped the pace and neither Stephen nor I had the mental strength to start a chase, and they quickly disappeared. 

The gradients seemed to endlessly increase and we found ourselves grinding up the hill more with every mile marker that passed. The only thing that was keeping us rolling was the company and the stunning mist covered views as we rolled on. 

The 4km marker came around and we finally caught sight of Jason as he valiantly fought to keep his chasers at bay. In what seemed like an eternity we came with 2 km to go , yet the summit seemed an eternity away. Keen to stretch my now aching back I rose out of the saddle to finish the climb, which proved just too much for Stephen and despite cheering him on to catch my wheel we drifted apart. 

The last kilometre finally flattened out and we could roll easy to the finish line. Line honours today to Matt and Craig but with an amazing effort by the Dark Horse Jason for holding them off until the 4km mark to claim 3rd.

All happy to the at the top we retreated to the warmth of the coffee shop to await the other riders and to feed our unwavering caffeine additions, with the best yet to come. 

Over a few espressos we discussed the weather situation and decided that no one was in the mental (or physical) space to attack the Croix de la Fer in this weather. So it was agreed that we would tackle the descent in the wet conditions and from there to the hotel for some hot showers!

Descending the other side of Madeleine was sheer joy with more elevation lost in a shorter distance than the way we'd climbed and even with the wet and slippery corners brought a smile from ear to ear. 

We regrouped at the bottom for a bite to eat and for some impromptu bike washing in the nearby fountain.  

Our stay tonight is in the cycling friendly town of Saint Jean de Maurienne, where even the hotels are cycling specific. 

Despite cutting our ride short today we still covered 100km with over 3000m of climbing and the shorter route is a welcomed rest for some tired legs looking to tackle the Galibier at over 2600m followed by the most iconic of climbs Alpe d'huez. 

Strava

Galibier via Télégraphe

Saint Martin D'Arc, Rhône-Alpes, France

• Distance
   34.4 km
 
• Elevation
   1,919 m
 
• Grade
   6%

Men's Leaderboard

			Speed	Power	VAM	Time
	1	Aurélien gay	20.3km/h	290	1,134.1	1:41:31
	1	Loïc Ruffaut	20.3km/h	327	1,134.1	1:41:31
	3	Armand A	20.0km/h	83	1,117.0	1:43:04
	4	Bart Bury	19.9km/h	-	1,109.5	1:43:46
	5	Frederic Glorieux	19.9km/h	-	1,109.3	1:43:47
	6	rich velo	19.7km/h	247	1,100.5	1:44:37
	7	Mike Simpson	19.7km/h	-	1,098.0	1:44:51
	8	kristof houben	19.6km/h	272	1,094.4	1:45:12
	9	Enrico Zaina	19.3km/h	-	1,075.0	1:47:06
	10	POLVERONI DAVID	19.2km/h	251	1,074.1	1:47:11

Women's Leaderboard

			Speed	Power	VAM	Time
	1	Erica Magnaldi	15.9km/h	179	890.4	2:09:18
	2	Margriet de Beus	15.3km/h	204	853.4	2:14:54
	3	Peta McSharry	14.7km/h	178	818.2	2:20:43
	4	묘 묘	14.3km/h	207	796.7	2:24:30
	5	Karen Poole	14.0km/h	221	780.4	2:27:31
	6	Tanya Stawicki	13.9km/h	185	773.5	2:28:50
	7	Helen Bennett	13.7km/h	-	767.0	2:30:06
	8	Céline S	13.6km/h	138	761.2	2:31:15
	9	Rosamund Bradbury	13.3km/h	250	744.4	2:34:39
	10	Catharina Berge	13.1km/h	176	732.8	2:37:07

Strava

Alpe d'Huez "Vieil Alpe"

Le Bourg D'Oisans, Rhône-Alpes, France

• Distance
   11.9 km
 
• Elevation
   1,031 m
 
• Grade
   9%

Men's Leaderboard

			Speed	Power	VAM	Time
	1	Peter Pouly	18.6km/h	364	1,603.7	38:34
	2	Laurens ten Dam	18.2km/h	391	1,574.4	39:17
	3	Thibaut Pinot	18.1km/h	386	1,565.8	39:30
	4	Dean Murdoch	17.7km/h	408	1,530.9	40:24
	5	Mark Jong	17.4km/h	393	1,500.6	41:13
	6	Diego Van Looy	17.0km/h	353	1,467.3	42:09
	7	POLVERONI DAVID	16.9km/h	244	1,458.7	42:24
	7	Paul Oldham	16.9km/h	361	1,458.7	42:24
	9	Mike Simpson	16.9km/h	-	1,457.0	42:27
	10	Joris Ronflet	16.8km/h	350	1,450.7	42:38

Women's Leaderboard

			Speed	Power	VAM	Time
	1	Emmie the Poo	15.6km/h	-	1,348.9	45:51
	2	Lydia Boylan	13.4km/h	221	1,158.9	53:22
	3	Margriet de Beus	13.1km/h	172	1,127.9	54:50
	4	Rachael Elliott	13.0km/h	235	1,125.9	54:56
	5	Clare Miller	12.9km/h	-	1,114.7	55:29
	6	Call Your Mom	12.9km/h	209	1,111.4	55:39
	7	Louise Wong Min	12.6km/h	-	1,091.1	56:41
	8	Sarah McLachlan	12.6km/h	205	1,088.9	56:48
	9	Catharina Berge	12.5km/h	214	1,082.5	57:08
	10	PETITGIRARD Marlene	12.5km/h	167	1,081.3	57:12

Sunday: 

Green Socks -> Neil (from embrace) for making Eric climb the mountain while he drove the van and then taking the descent on the bike for the way down

Pink Socks -> James for taking on the descent of Madeleine even when only able to brake one handed.