The last of the country known as France

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Ok, so after Paris I jumped on a train and headed south to Marseille, on the Mediterranean coast. No trip around the country is complete until you have stayed in the "real" south of France. I wasn't too sure what to expect by heading down there. From what I learned in school I knew it was a desolate place, full of rocks and small shrubs. I also knew of it as one of the original sailing ports in existance. My mind was full of thoughts from Alexandre Dumas' famous 'Count of Monte Cristo' and various other films. I imagined a wealth of fishermen selling their fresh catches, rural french people with a real 'joy de vivre', and of course, lots of sun and hot weather. What greeted me upon stepping off the platform was not exactly what was expected. The old buildings had been converted a long time ago into somewhat modern establishments, the town was much larger then I thought it would be, and there was a definite influence from Tunisia which I'm not sure why I wouldn't think there would be seeing as how its only a short trip across the sea to Africa! The weather was stifflingly hot! I wasn't spending much time there so I wanted to make the best of it. I spent some time walking around the town, getting my bearings, and also trying to figure out what to do with the free day I had. I decided upon taking a ferry from the Old Port to the Friol Islands just off shore. I really wanted to go to Chateau d'If but due to the weather they couldn't dock the ferry there. This didn't make sence until we left the shelter of the port. On land it was about 33°C and not a cloud in the sky. ONce you got out into the open water however, the wind picked up to over 100km/h! Walking around the island was quite the interesting adventure. Also, the water was a heck of a lot colder then I expected it to be...I found that out the hard way by jumping in before testing it!
I liked the time spent in Marseille but it was time to move on and head to the Alps...

My plan was to take the train to Grenoble and stay for another 2 nights, taking a day to ride to one of road cycling's meccas, Alpe d'Huez. I arrived in Grenoble in the early evening and after finding a hotel, went in search of something to eat. The following morning I set out on a trip that will be remembered for the rest of my life. Let me start out by 1st explaing what Alpe d'Huez is for those who are unfamiliar with it. It's not the highest mountain or the longest road in France, but it has a huge history with the Tour de France. It is a road that starts at the bottom of a valley and winds up the side of the mountain until it reaches just over 2,100m. The hard thing is that its only 12km long and in order to cover that elevation in such a small distance means a series of no more then 21 hairpin corners and in some cases and average gradient of up to 14%!!! Anyways, my day starts in Grenoble which is about 50km away from the bottom of the Alpe. On my road atlas, the roads that I was going to take to get to the bottom were relatively straight which usually mean flat. They were relatively straight but straight uphill! It took me over 2 hours just to get to the bottom of the Alpe! If it weren't for the fact that my entire trip was planned around the chance to ride this road I might have turned back but alas I didn't. I should also mention that I was hovering above the 30°C mark which made the ride even tougher.
Once at the bottom of the climb, I knew it was going to hurt. The hardest part is the bottom and before you know it you're well above the valley below and slowly making your way towards the top. I should point out now that the pros of the Tour can do this ride in just over 30mins! After winding my way up 2000m of hairpin turns and steep grades I arrived in a time of 1:12hr...which I am proud of given the amount of riding I did just to get there and the heat! I couldn't linger for too long at the top because I still had a long way to ride back to the hotel in Grenoble. After refueling, I headed down...and down...and down! There really is no way to describe the decent. All the hard work put out to get up was forgotten about. You just can't help but keep smilling as your tires hug the road surface, grasping for purchase as you wind around a corner, passing cars as you make your way down. Definitely a thrill ride!
Once I finally made it back to the hotel I had been in the saddle for over 5:30hrs! Not the longest ride I've ever done but definitely one of the hardest.
This morning I left Grenoble and took the train to Bruxelles, Belgium. I wish I could have spent more time in the Alps but I really wanted to get moving. Only a few more weeks left and I still haven't made it to the UK yet. I came to Belgium for 3 things...Beer, Chocolates, and Waffles. All of which I am now stuffed with!
Tomorrow I am off to Amsterdam...let's see how that treats me

Sorry for the long stories...but there was a lot to cover. It's a shame the website was down.

Mike

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Comments

[Krystal]

WOW
Very Cool Mike, so much tell. You will be talking for years. Can't wait to hear about Amsterdam....Good Luck there!!!