After 12 months of planning finally the reality bites and I wake from jetlag to discover I’m in France. It’s strange going from the virtual world of endless hours on the internet arranging things to actually being here. It takes a bit of getting used to.
The first week is spent with my old friend Pete who has the good fortune to reside in Giromagny, at the base of the Ballon d’Alsace in the Voges region of France. Needless to say it is our plan to climb that hill regularly. Pete is joining me on the Etape du Tour II, the 207km stage from Issoire to Saint Flour in the Massif Central on July 17. But more on that later. Suffice to say we both need more kms of climbing in our legs over the coming weeks. My first test comes next Saturday, July 2, when I take on the beast of the ‘Oisans’, La Marmotte. The trepidation and fear I’m sensing is motivation to ride ride ride…
And so we do. Firstly I have unpack the deRosa to see how it travelled. Once again Singapore Airlines take good care of me and all is in order. I pack it well but you never know… I’ve heard horror stories of bags of carbon dust arriving. My aluminium/carbon frame has, dare I say it, travelled well over the years.
Sunday 19th June is an easy roll out and around the town through the gorgeous forested areas dotted with private lakes. The roads are pretty quiet and the weather perfect for a brisk afternoon spin.
Next day, the hills are calling. It’s an out and back, or should I say, up and down run of the Ballon d’Alsace. This is a neat climb of about 16km averaging about 5%. I take another run at it two days later as a solo ride but get hit by a thunderstorm on the descent. Ouch! Hail hurts – so I hide under some trees for it to pass. Luckily I’m only 3km from home so getting soaked doesn’t matter too much.
We climb that Ballon from the other (steeper) side after we’ve rolled out on a longer loop of 70km via Servance on Tuesday and an ever larger loop of 100km on Friday. Both are fantastic rides and are a good preparation for the bigger stuff I’m heading for on Saturday.
Map of the 100km loop
Here’s some more impressions (click to zoom the ‘back’ button to return to page):
-
- Aaaah!
-
- Deux cafés
-
- Yours truly lapping it up
-
- Coffee time
-
- Map of the 100km loop
-
- The 70km loop profile
-
- Profile Ballon d’Alsace
-
- Unfortunate spout – fresh water though.
-
- The bustle of lunchtime
-
- Busy town!
-
- The Hills
-
- Valley overview
-
- Well earned rest for the steeds
Let’s try a video from the iPhone:
Hey Nigel,
Great to see everything has come together and you are over there doing the hills thing!
Soooooo wish I was with you. Another “trip of a lifetime” in the years to come I hope.
Really enjoy the photos & stories. Heaps of good luck (retrospectively?) for the big ride last night I guess. I’m sure you rode wisely to survive it.
Cheers Kev.