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Published: March 19th 2018
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no-tunnel-today
Sorry, try again at 6PM I'm writing this on June 20, which has turned into a rest day in Bourg d'Oisans since we are spending 3 nights here and the forecast for today is not as good as tomorrow's. So to try and catch up:
After supper in Valloire we were met by Brice from the Routes des Grandes Alpes office who had earlier (when we were researching things) expressed interest in our trip - as in he thought he would do a promotional video starring us! We were hoping he could provide some inside information about the state of the Col du Galibier since to this point it was still closed, but we had been hearing rumours of its imminent opening. In fact in the morning he actually drove up to see what the deal was, and of course I seized the opportunity to tag along.
It turned out that both the road and the tunnel (restricted to bikes, but since we had the van we thought we might shuttle ourselves) were still closed, and even though we might be able to get through the 'closed' road on bikes, the threat of avalanche was what was preventing the route from being opened on
no-road-either
While we were there, the wind actually blew over part of the barricade the other side. So once again we were forced to change our plans (just as well, as the ride up looked nasty, it was only 11 degrees and viciously windy at the top, and the forecast called for the possibility of severe thunderstorms). By the time we had confirmed everything and discussed options it was already 11AM, a rather late start for an ambitious day.
So we climbed back up the mere 5km to the Col du Telegraphe, descended all the way down (I am getting the hang of this: I was the last one to leave the top after we stopped for a group photo, but just off the front at the bottom. My ears popped in the process) to our old friends the river and highway D1006, and prepared to backtrack and go the long way around to Bourg d'Oisans by climbing the Col du Glandon. Fortunately, the previous day's nasty winds were still blowing, but this time in our favour: all decked out in our matching outfits (for Bryce's sake) it felt like we were pros in the peloton, blowing through the roundabouts at 40kph.
The climb to the Col du Glandon was challenging i.e.
photo-op
At the Col du Telegraphe a real bitch, especially the final 2km that averaged 11% (with purported intervals of 14%). The saving grace was that the bad weather bypassed us (we could see it from our high perch as we climbed) and we encountered but a few light (and welcome) sprinkles on our ascent. Once at the col I opted to climb the additional 2.5km to the Col de la Croix de Fer before settling in for what I assumed would be an extended and fast descent to le Bourg d'Oisans.
Things certainly started off that way as the road hugged the valley and we could see where it was going (the issue we usually have is that when we come to a curve on a descent we never know if it's a simple bend in the road or the start of a switchback - the difference is substantial, as you can fly through the former, but must grab handfuls of brakes for the latter. Either way, though, we descend faster than most cars, some of whom have the courtesy to let us by), although we did have to stop a couple of times for work crews. I also chose to stop (a rare
wind-assisted-tavel
Commonplace for the Pros. occurrence, since I do not like giving up the speed I worked so hard to attain) for a photo op I felt I couldn't resist. Still, I reached 68.5kph, which is finally better than I can obtain back home.
Then the unexpected happened: the road tilted upwards. In a serious way. As in first-gear grunt-work, which was quite a shock to now-relaxed legs. It seems we had to get over to the next drainage before resuming our descent to the Bourg, but once that was over it was clear sailing yet again, complete with cooling mists from the many roadside waterfalls we passed. And then we were in a town seemingly devoted to cycling, ensconced in a wonderfully French hotel with great food - I am a happy camper.
The only thing is that my hamstrings are tighter than banjo strings, and I think they're starting to play the theme from Deliverance.
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