Road Climber

Milan to Venice (M2V) Leg of Grand Tour - Official Start (27/07/2017)

2018-01-02T03:45:00.001-08:00

Today is the official start of the M2V leg of the Grand Tour. It will begin with a function at the Bianchi shop this evening with food and drinks. The riding part of the tour will begin tomorrow.

My bike (in it's Bike Box) is scheduled to arrive this afternoon. The hotel has set aside a large room on the ground floor for us to re-assemble our bikes. The bikes will be locked away in the room once they have been assembled.

I decided to take a walk around Milan following breakfast. However, before heading off on my walk it was necessary to visit a hardware store to buy a new electrical adaptor. Before leaving Australia I had purchased an adaptor at Kathmandu and was assured it would work in both France and Italy. While it worked well in France, it didn't work in Italy.

During my walk around Milan some of the sites viewed were the Duomo (Milan Cathedral) located in Piazza de Duomo (Cathedral Square), La Scala and Sforza Castle. The Duomo is just stunning!

I spent a number of hours walking around what I felt was a vibrant city on yet another very hot day before heading back to the hotel to see if my bike had arrived; it had! After assembling the bike returned to my room to get ready for the evening's function.

While the retail part of the Bianchi shop was about to close when we arrived, staff agreed, after a little pleading, to keep it open for a little longer to allow some fellow riders to make some purchases. I learnt that on the previous year's M2V tour, one of the lady riders had arrived at the function and left with a brand new Bianchi bike she had purchased for the tour. She had supplied Bianchi with her requirements and measurements before leaving Australia. It was a risk as with any new bike there are usually teething problems. Luckily she didn't encounter any problems throughout the tour.

The function went well and allowed us to get to know our fellow riders ahead of the first day of riding tomorrow. Clare, the Managing Director, made a welcoming speech, handed out route directions covering tomorrow's ride (I also have the routes loaded on my Garmin) and took us through the directions.

The first riding day will commence from Como tomorrow.

Duomo

Me in front of Duomo.

Wider view of the Duomo.

Building in Piazza del Duomo.

Statue in Piazza del Duomo.

Building in Piazza del Duomo.

Teatro alla Scala.

Sign one can see between two doors on the left of the Teatro alla Scala.

Street in Milan - Via Daniele Manin.

Sforza Castle.

Fountain in front of Sforza Castle./

Sforza Castle.

Sforza Castle./

Pinocchio sitting in front of shop.

Grand Tour - break between finish of N2A leg and start of M2V leg (26/07/2017)

2017-12-27T02:54:00.000-08:00

The Swiss Alps Bernina Express train leaves from a town called Tirano which is approximately 167kms from Milan. The Tour company is taking us by bus to Tirano.

I left the hotel by taxi at 6am to get to the bus's departure point in Milan. As I was leaving the hotel, the desk clerk handed me a bag containing items for breakfast.

While the tour group contained a wide range of nationalitues, South Americans appeared to have the largest representation.

The bus passed beside Lake Como from where the Milan to Venice leg of the tour will start in two (2) days. Before reaching the restaurant in Tirano where we are having lunch, we stopped at the Basilica Madonna di Tirano. Basilica. The church while not imposing on the outside, it is absolutely beautiful inside with a 14 metre organ that forms a large part of the church centre and seems to be suspended from the ceiling. The Basilica stands on the spot where on 29 September 1504, th Virgin Mary appeared to Mario Degli Omodei. The church is an absolute must see if visiting Tirano.

After lunch the group walked to the railway station to board the "Red" train for the 2 1/2 hour journey to St. Moritz. I had previously heard travelling in the last carriage gives the best views and the tour company had booked this carriage for the trip. I would also add that while their are good views from both sides of the carriage, by far the best are on the left side. Unfortunately, I was on the right side and the people on the left made it difficult to get good photos of some of the spectacular sights. The photos recorded below don't do the justice to what I viewed.

This is one breathtaking trip which starts at an altitude of 429 metres in Tirano, rising to 2,252 metres at Bernina Pass and finishing at an altitude of 1,775 metres in St. Moritz. It is the steepest railway journey in the world. During the journey one sees alpine vistas, picturesque towns in valleys, lakes, snow clad glaciers and big mountains. It is quite spectacular and would highly recommend taking the trip if the opportunity presents. I would also recommend getting online and looking at some videos to get a feel for this awesome trip.

Apparently St. Moritz get 300 days of sunshine per annum. Unfortunately, this was not one of those days. We had about 1 1/2 hours to a look around St. Moritz and the rain made this a bit of a challenge. While I wasn't there long enough to form any real impressions, I will say the town absolutely oozes wealth.

The bus trip back to Milan was uneventful. Although shortly after leaving St. Moritz descended a great mountain that I would love to ride up.

Terrace Farming - viewed from on way to Tirano.

Basilica Madonna di Tirano.

14 metre organ in Basilica.

Inside Basilica.

One of many lead-lights in Basilica.

Inside Basilica.

Self explanatory/..

Outside of Basilica.

Outside of Basilca.

Entrance to Tirano Train Station.

Self explanatory.

Brusio Spiral Viaduct./

View on train trip.

View on train trip/.

View on train trip.

St. Moritz.

ST. Moritz.

St. Moritz.

Grand Tour - break between finish of N2A leg and start of M2V leg (25/07/2017).

2017-09-04T05:27:00.000-07:00

I had a relaxing morning as my train is not scheduled to leave for Milan until 12:47pm. While I had been advised it was necessary to be at the station 20 minutes before the train's departure, I had already decided to arrive well in advance of the departure time in case of any problems which could be compounded by my lack of French language skills. I was to find the platform from which a train is leaving is only communicated 20 minutes before it departs.

I arrived at Grenoble railway station well over an hour before the train was scheduled to leave and noticed with a sinking feeling there was a notice beside my train on the "Departures and Arrivals Board" that indicated it had been cancelled. I went to the Information Desk where it was confirmed my train to Milan had indeed been cancelled. I was informed it would be necessary to catch another train to a place called Montmellan and then catch the Milan train from there. While there seemed to be a number of stops between Grenoble and Montmellan, I was assured there would only be three stops with Montmellan being the third stop. To make matters worse, it was announced the Montmellan train had been delayed.

The train eventually arrived and I alighted at Montmellan. We were directed to another platform across the tracks to catch the Milan train. However, there wasn't any information on when the train was arriving. A train arrived after a short time but it wasn't the Milan train. We finally ascertained the next train to stop at the Platform would be the Milan train. When the train arrived we found the people who had boarded at earlier stops had been told to sit anywhere and were sitting in seats booked for the passengers who had travelled from Grenoble. It was chaotic and resulted in some strained conversations. I found a seat and had an uneventful trip to Milan passing through some of the towns I had ridden through days before.

I was staying at the Andreola Central Hotel. I was told this was just off the square where the railway station was located and where my train would arrive. This proved to be incorrect. While the Milan Central railway station is located in the square, my train, and I assume other trains from France, arrived at Milano P Garibal station which was further away. As the outside of the station wasn't as described, I caught a taxi to the hotel and arrived relatively quickly.

After freshening up, I went for a walk around the area surrounding the hotel and had dinner in one of the restaurants in the square where the Milan Central railway station is located.

Before leaving Australia I had purchased an adapter for use with French and Italian electrical outlets from Kathmandu. While this had worked perfectly in France, I found it did not work with Italian outlets and it'd be necessary to purchase another adapter. I will advise Kathmandu when I get back to Australia.

I will be joining a tour tomorrow that involves taking the Swiss Alps Bernina Express Train to Saint Moritz in Switzerland. I'm really looking forward to this trip having seen it on television showing the spectacular scenery. I have to leave the hotel by 6am tomorrow to join the tour.

Part of Grenoble railway station.

Grand Tour - break between finish of N2A leg and start of M2V leg (24/07/2017)

2017-09-02T05:06:00.000-07:00

While it was raining when we awoke for our last morning in Alpe d'Huez, based on past experience it was likely to clear and this proved to be the case.

Most of us were taking the bus to Grenoble and scattering to our various destinations from that point. Some of the group were taking the 8am bus with most of us, including me, taking the 10:30am bus. Three people not joining the Milan to Venice leg were riding to Grenoble and staying at the same hotel as me. Luckily the weather cleared up for their ride. I would've loved to do this ride but had to have my bike packed away on the Support van for transport to Milan.

I had a leisurely breakfast and was able to have another look at the cycling shops before leaving.

We arrived at Grenoble around midday. My hotel is diagonally across from the train station I will be departing from tomorrow.

After freshening up I joined three of the four other N2A riders who are also staying at the hotel, for lunch. It was yet again another good meal made even better by a delightfully extroverted waitress who just added to the dining experience.

After lunch we walked around Grenoble. While Grenoble is a fairly large city it appeared relatively quite. Later on I went for another walk and checked out the railway station for my departure to Milan tomorrow. I also had dinner while out and did a bit more walking before returning to the hotel.

View from Alpe d'Huez

View from hotel room on morning of 24/07/2017.

Alpe d'Huez street.

Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez.

Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez Tourist Office and point where we caught bus to Grenoble.

A final picture before leaving Alpe d'Huez.

View on way down Alpe d'Huez.

View of one of the hairpins on way down from Alpe d'Huez.

View on way to Grenoble.

Arrival in Grenoble.

View from hotel room.

Grenoble street.

Electric car charging.

Grenoble.

Grenoble

Hotel where staying the night.

Grenoble Tram.

Grenoble

Grenoble.

Fort de la Bastille -19th Century Fort.

Area below the Fort.

Grenoble

N2A - day 14 (23 July 2017):Alpe d'Huez

2017-09-01T06:09:00.001-07:00

Today is the last day of the Nice to Alpe d'Huez leg of the Grand Tour. The majority of the group will start making their way home tomorrow, while five of us, including me, will make our way to Milan for the start of the second and final leg of the Grand Tour on 27 July 2017 which will go from Milan to Venice via the Italian Alps and Dolomites.

It was left to each individual to decide what they wanted to do on this final day - rest, mountain biking, alpine walking trails, sightseeing or go for another road ride.

I decided to have a look at some of the shops in Alpe d'Huez and then ride to the summit of the Col du Sarenne which is not far out of the village and then have a slow ride around the village before disassembling my bike and packing it away in my Bike Box. The tour company will be transporting my Bike Box to Milan.

It was an enjoyable ride up to the summit in good weather and a nice shakeout for the legs.

Back at the hotel I disassembled my bike and packed it away in my Bike Box. My cycling clothes and other clothes not needed over the next few days were also packed into the Bike Box.

The previous night we'd had an enjoyable dinner at a local restaurant and tonight we had a final group dinner in the hotel. After dinner with a slide show of the leg running in the background, those that wanted spoke about their favourite day of the tour. There were some very clever and funny speeches (and songs).

A big thank you to Clare Holdsworth, Managing Director of Wide Open Road Tours and her marvellous crew of Paul (Pepe), Rob ( mechanic extraordinaire), Cazz (magic fingers releaved a lot of sore muscles of fellow riders) and Roofi, who made this first leg such an unforgettable trip of wonder and delight.

It has been a magical tour and a trip of a lifetime for me riding through the wonderful French villages, countryside and, of course, climbing the magnificent mountains in Provence and the Alps. I have felt like a little boy in a toy shop being able to climb such legendary mountains as: Mont Ventoux; Col de la Bonette; Col du Vars; Col de l'Izoard; Col du Lauteret; Col du Galiber; Col du Telegraphe; Col du la Croix de Fer and Alpe d' Huez - God, I just love riding up mountains!

I was also lucky to ride with a great group of people and have a great room mate in Luke when we stayed in hotels.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge the French people for sharing a small part of their wonderful country with me. The warmth, kindness, friendliness, helpfulness and generosity of spirit you have shown a non-French speaking person has been amazing and completely "bowled me over". Thank you!

STATISTICS

Recorded below is the distance ridden and vertical metres climbed in the 13 rides completed between 09 July 2017 and 23 July 2017 inclusive:

Distance ridden: 1,138.4 kilometres.

Vertical metres ridden up: 28,463.

Group at start of ride in Nice on 10 July 2017.


Group at finish of Tour on Alpe d"Huez on 22 July 2017.

Dinner in Alpe d'Huez restaurant on 22 July 2017.

Dinner in Alpe d"Huez restaurant.

View from hotel room on morning of 23 July 2017.

Hotel Le Castillan where we are staying. Was told the Movistar team books out this hotel when TdF encompasses Alpe d'Huez.

Street in Alpe d'Huez.

A view going to Col du Sarenne summit.

Me at Col du Sarenne summit.

A view at Col du Sarenne summit.

People and dogs silhouetted at lookout point on Col du Sarenne summit.

A view at Col du Sarenne summit.

Looking down at Huez village from the road to/from the Col du Sarenne summit.

View from road on return from Col du Sarenne summit.

Building in Alpe d'Huez.

Street in Alpe d'Huez.

Another hotel in Alpe d'Huez.

More buildings plus swimming pool in Alpe d'Huez.

Another building in Alpe d"Huez.

Some additional photos from other days in France.

Rob, mechanic extraordinaire, servicing and cleaning my bike in Briancon. Being supervised by David B the group's food connoisseur (he doesn't like this term- prefers "glutton!")

Start of stage 18 of TdF in Briancon.

Part of the road up to the Alpe d'Huez summit.

Long lunch at French roadside restaurant - Luke, Murray, Adam and me. .

Village in France - me, Pepe, Rob, Dani and Corey.

N2A - day 13: St Jean de Maurienne to Alpe d'Huez.

2017-08-30T06:22:00.001-07:00

Today we ride to the final destination of the first leg of the Grand Tour, climbing up the Col de la Croix de Fer (2,068m) and the legendary Alpe d'Huez (1,815m) with its 21 hairpins.

The Col de la Croix de Fer is 30kms long with an average gradient of 5.1%. The Alpe d'Huez is 13.2kms long with an average gradient of 8.1%.

While it rained hard throughout the night, it had cleared on rising in the morning and it looked like being another great day for riding.

On leaving the camp we went straight into our first climb of the day to the Col de la Croix de Fer summit. I think all of us would prefer to have ridden a few kilometres before starting the climb, however, this just added to the challenge we were facing today. The climb is long and gradual with a short downhill fairly early in the ride and another short downhill section around the midway point. We were riding through Alpine scenery with great views of the Aiguilles d'Arves (see picture) and passing through villages such as St Jean d'Arves and St Sorlin d'Arves. On leaving St Sorlin d'Arves at the 22km mark the climb became steeper with hairpins.

On reaching the Col de la Croix de Fer summit we found it pretty chaotic as a timed cycling event was being run. I had a look around the summit, took some photographs and then decided to descend rather than stopping for something to eat.

About two kilometres from the summit I detoured to the summit of the Col du Glandon (1,924m) to have a look around. I then continued to descend with the aim of stopping for lunch at the town of Bourg d'Oisans at the 68.5km mark of the ride.It was again another great descent and ride through to Bourg d'Oisans, passing a lake and dam at the 38km mark, the villages of Le Rivier D'Allemont (48kms), Allemont (60km) and the Lac du Verney at the the 58km mark.

Nearly all of us had decided to have lunch at Bourg d'Oisans before tackling the the 21 hairpin climb to Alpe d'Huez. Bourg d'Oisans is a mecca for cyclists being at the foot of Alpe d'Huez. It has restaurants, bars, cafes and plenty of cycling shops for souvenir cycling jerseys.

After a nice lunch we mounted our bikes for the climb up the legendary mountain. Some riders had already started up the climb having finished lunch earlier.

The climb up Alpe d'Huez started 1.5kms out of Bourg D'Oisans at the 70km mark. The first two kilometres of the climb are the steepest with an average gradient over 10%. It then eased back to a comfortable 7 to 8% for awhile. There is a sign at every kilometre recording the average gradient for the next kilometre. The climb's 21 hairpins are also named after a Tour de France (TdF) stage winner and numbered from 21 at the bottom to 1 at the top. The stone wall that one sees on television when watching the TdF was on my right and like most of, if not all, the mountains I had climbed, there were names of riders and support messages painted on the road.

There were great views back over Bourg d'Oisans as we rode toward the summit and it was amazing to see the road climb and twist above one. While I have had harder climbs and more picturesque rides, there is something very special about this mountain and I couldn't help reflecting again on how fortunate I was to be riding this mountain and the other great mountains already ridden.

A localised shower started at about the half way mark of the climb and continued on and off for a couple of kilometres. The rain was welcome as it was another hot day and was quite refreshing.

While I would have liked the climb to carry on for a few more kilometres, it was great to find the people who had arrived ahead of us standing in front of a hotel (with refreshments in hand) just before the end to cheer us across the finish line. We then joined them to cheer on the others as they finished, especially the last person across the line.

This has yet again been another a magical day with two further bucket list mountains ticked off. I personally had found the Col de la Croix de Fer the tougher of the two climbs. I don't know if this was because we went straight into the climb, the length or the undulations. I know some riders felt it was harder to get into a rhythm on this climb. Notwithstanding, the Col de la Croix de Fer is, like the Alpe d'Huez, an awesome climb.

We are staying in the Hotel Le Castillan for the next two nights.

STATISTICS

Distance ridden today: 84.5kms. Cumulative total: 1,041.8kms.

Vertical metres climbed today: 3,653. Cumulative total: 25,511m.

View on climb to summit of Col de la Croix de Fer.

View on climb to Col de la Croix de Fer summit.

View of Aiguilles d'Arves on climb to Col de la Croix de Fer summit.

View on climb to Col de la Fer summit.

Village on climb to Col de la Croix de Fer summit.

Me at Col de la Croix de Fer summit.

View at Col de la Croix de Fer summit.

Cafe at Col de la Croix de Fer summit.

Me at Col du Glandon summit

Col du Glandon summit.

Bike at Col du Glandon summit.

Road up to Alpe d'Huez summit.

Looking down from about the half way mark of climb to Alpe d'Huez summit at roads and hairpins ridden with Bourg d'Oisans in distance..

Road up to Alpe d'Huez summit.

Me at Alpe d'Huez summit.

Lake/Dam on descent from Col de la Croix de Fer.

A view of Bourg d'Oisans and first hairpins of Alpe d'Huez.

N2A - day 12: Briancon to St Jean de Maurienne

2017-08-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today takes us to one of the highest mountain passes in the French Alps, the Col du Galibier (2,645m). We also ride up to two other well known peaks in the Col du Lauteret (2,058m) and Col du Telegraphe (1,566m).

After leaving our chalet in Briancon we climbed along a broad valley to the Col du Lauteret passing through the small alpine villages of Le Monetier-les-Bains, Le Casset, Les Boussards and Le Lauzet. This was a gradual climb of 28kms with an average gradient of 3.1% (maximum 6%) and 853m of altitude gain.

I stopped for something to eat on reaching the summit of the Col du Lauteret along with a number of fellow riders. There are numerous cafe/restaurants on the summit along with a souvenir shop. I had a great tasting bowel of tomato soup. However, the coffee still remains poor.

After eating and having a quick look around I mounted my bike for the climb to the summit of the Col du Galibier. This climb is 8.5kms long with an average gradient of 6.9% (maximum 12.8%). This was yet another great climb with magnificent views from the summit. I was advised the Galibier was thought of by Henri Desgrange, founder of the Tour de France (TdF), as the jewel in his tour's crown. Not far from the summit there is a monument to Henri Desgrange.

There was again a feeling of satisfaction on reaching the summit (37.5km mark). A British cyclist took my photo at the summit. There were a lot of people at the summit and one had to be quick to get in front of the summit sign for a photo.

After looking at the views and taking some photographs, I put on my jacket for another great descent into the town of Valloire at the 55km mark of the ride.

From Valloire to the Col du Telegraphe it is an easy 4.8km climb with an average gradient of 3.4%. The approach from Valloire is by far the easiest way to ascend the Telegraphe. Hopefully at sometime in the future I will get the opportunity to do the harder ascent ( I certainly enjoyed descending down it). On reaching the summit and after taking some photographs, I decided to have some lunch at the cafe across the road from the summit sign. The weather was good at this time and I sat outside the restaurant enjoying lunch, watching the world go by and reflecting on how fortunate I was to be on this magical trip.

On finishing lunch there was another great descent into the town of St Michele de Maurienne at the 72km mark. From St Michele I rode along the Maurienne valley to St Jean de Maurienne at the 85km mark ( I had done a few detours today so had done a few more kilometres than 85km) We are camping in the Camping Municipal tonight. It had started raining about a half hour from the end of the ride and this became gradually heavier throughout the evening and the night. Luke and I were thoroughly wet through on returning from dinner in town. This was the first day we had any rain while riding.

Tomorrow is a very big climbing day encompassing the Col de la Croix de Fer and the legendary Alpe d'Huez.

STATISTICS

Distance ridden today: 88.4kms. Cumulative total: 957.3kms.

Vertical metres climbed today: 1,765m. Cumulative total: 21,858m.

Village ridden through on way to summit of Col du Lauteret.

On seeing this tunnel knew we had seen it in previous TdFs. I should have moved closer to take photo.

Summit of Col du Lauteret. Eating stop.

Summit of Col du Lauteret. Cafe where we stopped to eat.

A view at Col du Lauteret summit.

Signposts at Col du Lauteret summit.

A view from Col du Lauteret summit. Just forward of signposts.

A view at Col du Lauteret summit.

Looking back to Col du Lauteret summit from the climb up to Col du Galibier summit.

Looking back to Col du Lauteret on climb to Col du Galibier summit. Sorry about finger!

Road up to Col du Galibier summit.

A view on road up to Col du Galibier summit.

Memorial to Henri Desgrange, founder of TdF, not far from Col du Galibier summit.

Road up to Col du Galibier summit. Col du Lauteret in background.

A view on way up to Col du Galibier summit.

View and road to Col du Galibier summit.

Looking back on some of road ridden on way up to Col du Galibier summit.

A view at Col du Galibier summit.

Col du Galibier summit.

A view from Col du Galibier summit.

A view at Col du Galibier summit.

Me at Col du Galibier summit.

Looking down from Col du Galibier summit on some of the road ridden up

Again looking down on some of the road ridden up.

A view from Col du Galibier summit.

A view at Col du Galibier summit.

Hotel in Valloire.

Col du Telegraphe summit.

Col du Telegraphe summit. Note TdF sign. Tour had just gone over this Col and Col du Galibier two days previously.

View from Col du Telegraphe summit.

My bike at Col du Telegraphe summit.

Me at Col du Telegraphe summit.

Cafe at summit where I had lunch.

Another view from Col du Telegraphe summit.

Building in St Jean de Maurienne.

Old building in St Jean de Maurienne.

Old building in St Jean de Maurienne

St Jean de Maurienne.

Camp ground in St Jean de Maurienne.

Camp site in St Jean de Maurienne.

N2A - day 11: Ad hoc Ride -Briancon-Nevache-Bardonecchia-Oulx-Cesana-Claviere-Montgenevra-Briancon.

2017-08-23T04:55:00.001-07:00

I awoke pretty early and found it was raining hard. I still started preparing for the ride up to the Col de l'Izoard summit. If I was to ride to the summit I needed to be up there before 11am as the road would be closed off after this time and would remain closed until the men arrived late that afternoon. The reason for the early closure was due to the women's La Course race starting at 10am and finishing on the summit of Col de l'Izoard.

I had finished breakfast and was ready to go well before 8am. Unfortunately, it continued to rain heavily and this remained the case when 8am had come and gone. I reluctantly decided to abandon my plan to ride to the summit.

I discussed the situation with Luke who had not been going to ride up to the l'Izoard summit. We decided we would ride into town to watch the start of the women's La Course race and if the weather had improved, take a ride down a valley outside Briancon that Clare had recommended and then return for the start of the 18th Stage of the TdF.

The weather started clearing up after 9am and by the time we arrived at the start of the La Course it was looking like it was going to be another really good day.

After watching the start of the Women's La Course race, we rode out of Briancon and started the ride down the valley Clare had recommended. It was quickly turning into another beautiful day and starting to get quite hot. It was becoming a really enjoyable ride. After riding for awhile we came across a tiny village with a Cafe and decided to stop for morning tea. The food was great and we took our time eating and enjoying the day. When we looked at our watches we realised we wouldn't get back to Briancon to watch the start of Stage 18 of the TdF. This didn't concern us as we were really enjoying the ride and the scenery and wanted to continue on towards Italy which was where the road was leading.

We left the Cafe and continued riding until we arrived at the summit of a Col called Col de l'Echelle (1,762m) where we came across some Dutch people spending their last days in France. We pressed on and found ourselves very high above a valley with a large village in evidence in the distance. It was a stunning sight. There were a lot of switchbacks down to the valley floor and while we knew we had a big day of climbing coming up tomorrow and would have to climb back up, we both agreed we wanted to take on the descent. It was a great descent and not long after we reached the valley floor we entered Italy and the road became worse. We decided we would ride onto the large village we had seem from above. After passing through a smaller village we arrived in the Italian Ski Village of Bardonecchia which hosted the Snowboarding events for the 2006 Winter Olympics,

Bardonecchia was like a ghost town; most of the shops were closed. We had obviously arrived during their "siesta" which generally appears to occur somewhere between 1pm to 4pm. There was a Pizzeria open and we each ordered a pizza. We started talking to a local man at the Pizzeria who turned out to be an old cyclist. He advised that if we kept riding into Italy there was a loop back into Briancon. He advised that while we would still have to do a bit of climbing, it wouldn't be nearly as much as we would have to do if we went back the way we had come. He drew a map for us saying he was certain we would enjoy the ride. We decided to take his advice and thanked him for his help. Before setting out we bought an ice cream from a Cafe behind the Pizzeria, the chocolate was magnificent and nothing like we had ever tasted before. The lady who served us advised it was called "Black Chocolate" - it was, as I said, magnificent!.

As it was starting to get late into the afternoon we took off following the map provided by the old Italian cyclist. We rode deeper into Italy riding through the towns of Oulx, Cesana, Claviere and Montgenevra.. We came across the Orica -Scott womens cycling team who had obviously returned from the La Course race when we stopped for a drink in Cesana. However, they didn't seem very interested in communicating.

As the Italian rider had advised, we were really enjoying the ride with a good mixture of terrain and some really good climbs. Once we passed through Claviere we were back in France. We then went through Montegenevra where boarder guards just waved us through.

We arrived back in Briancon in the late afternoon after having a good conversation with a group of British cyclists just outside of the town.

Luke and I agreed that this had been one of the best rides of the tour (that's saying something!) and were so thankful for the advice given to us by the old Italian cyclist - the fraternity of cyclists, eh! The other members of the group had watched the start of Stage 18 of the TdF and returned to the Chalets to enjoy some refreshments and watch the tour on TV.

The day was completed with a great dinner at the restaurant in Briancon.

Another magic day.

STATISTICS

Distance ridden today: 79.8kms. Cumulative total: 867.9kms.

Vertical metres climbed today: 1,754. Cumulative total: 20,093m.

Start of women's La Course race in Briancon.

Waiting for start of La Course.

Very little village where we stopped for morning tea.

Village where we stopped for morning tea.

My Bike at Col de I'Echelle.

Me at summit of Col de I'Echelle

View after Col de I'Echelle.

Road high above a deep valley.

Looking down the valley. The picture doesn't even begin to show the magnificence of this view.

Some of the switchbacks we would have to descend to valley floor.

Some of the terrain around us before beginning the descent.

Church in the small village before the larger village of Bardonecchia.

Street in Bardonecchia.

Bardonecchia.

Leaving Claviere and re-entering France. Notice how in Italy and France a red diagonal line is put through the name of the town when leaving it.

Sculpture in Montgenevra, France.

View on way back to Briancon.

Pre-dinner drinks.

Street in old town.

Church in old town.

Archways passed through walking back from restaurant.

Another shot of Archway.

Chalet living room. The bench in front of the kitchen can be seen.

Our bedroom in the Chalet.

N2A - day 10: Went to Serre Chevalier to watch end Stage 17 of Tour de France.dFte s

2017-08-22T20:08:00.002-07:00

Four of us determined the previous night we would travel to Serre Chevalier today to watch the end of Stage 17 of the Tour de France (TdF) which commences in La Mure.

While I'm usually up by 5;30am, it was good to have a bit of a lie in knowing we would not be cycling today.We had decided to have a walk around Briancon in the morning then catch a bus to Serre Chevalier, which is just down the road, at about midday. We had been advised to arrive at the finish some hours before the riders to watch all the action that takes before their arrival.

A word on the Chalets in which we are staying, they are well appointed, in a great location with fantastic views over Briancon to the mountains. The previous night people connected with the Chalet provided the catering for a great dinner. Tonight an owner/chef from a restaurant in Briancon, where we will be having dinner tomorrow, will be catering tonight's dinner at the Chalet.

Before catching the bus to Serre Chevalier, I walked around Briancon's old town and spent far too much time trying to find an ATM. The first couple of ATMs found didn't have any money and there were some frustrated tourists around who were also trying to obtain money. As you can imagine, there are a lot of tourists in town because it is the height of summer and the presence of the TdF. Finally saw an ATM inside a Bank and successfully withdrew some money.

The bus dropped us off a little way from the finish of Stage 17 of the TdF. We joined a throng of people moving towards where the race would finish, including cyclists who had ridden from Briancon and other points. The atmosphere was great and the excitement in the air was palpable - the French really love their cycling. We found a grassy spot with a little bit of shade from a tree at about 450m mark from the finish. It was another very hot day. Knowing that we would be spending a number of hours in the sun I had purchased a wide brimmed hat that morning and applied a lot of sun cream and also brought along a long sleeved jumper.

While I knew the TdF was big, being at the finish, seeing the daily interest from people and the blanket television coverage really brought home just how big. In the hours leading up to the arrival, there are sponsors floats and cars which seen to go around in a continual circle throwing out give-aways. It is interesting watching people competing for cheap give-aways. I was handed a couple of sponsors caps. There is also a big trade in souvenirs where one can buy cycling clothing and all sorts of cycling and TdF memorabilia.

The big screens at the finish kept everyone up to date on how the race was progressing. The television coverage kept a never ending stream of commentary. The commentator was unbelievable, he kept up a high level of excitement and never seemed to catch his breath..

Primoz Roglic of LottoNL-Jumbo won the stage to Serre Chevalier, which was his first ever TdF stage win. The riders are moving so fast they flash by in an instant.

We had decided we would walk back to Briancon on a track we had been told existed between the two towns. We had initially been told the distance between the two towns was 4kms and then 7kms. We realised when travelling on the bus it was longer than we had been advised. We eventually found the track and it was a good walk of over 10kms through some nice bush settings back to Briancon. We came across a number of walkers, runners and mountain bikers using the undulating and pretty rough in places track, as we walked back to Briancon'.

It had been another good day, especially being able to experience the atmosphere and excitement of the TdF. In hindsight, I probably should have ridden to Serre Chevalier like a lot of others did. Although, I really didn't want to be worried about my bike. It was probably good to have a rest from cycling, although the legs were given a really good workout on the way back. I'm planning to ride up the Col de l'Izoard tomorrow from the Briancon side (side descended yesterday) to watch the finish of Stage 18 on the summit.

The day finished with another great group dinner.

View from Chalet

View from Chalet.

Some fortification details.

View from fortifications.

Street in the Briancon's old town.

Church in old town.

Street in old town.

Gutter running down street in old town. Street is steep so water flows swiftly.

Part of the fortifications

An entrance in the fortifications.

Position we took up for finish of Stage 17 of TdF.

Floats going through.

Luke at 250m from finish.

Andrew and I watching TdF proceedings.

Crowd watching floats.

Add caption

One of the TdF floats.

Stage 17 finisher.

Scene while walking back to Briancon.

This is one of the Chalets in which we are staying. Sorry about the finger.

Scene while walking back to Briancon.

Riders coming!

N2A - day 9: Jausiers to Briancon

2017-08-22T05:43:00.000-07:00

We have been advised today is an epic day of classic mountain climbs.

It is certainly another big day of climbing as we climb two famous mountain passes of the French Alps - the Col de Vars (2,109m) and Col de l'Izoard (2,361m). Competitors in the 2017 Tour de France will be climbing these mountains in the forthcoming days.

The Col de Vars is 14.1kms long with an average gradient of 5.7%. The Col de l"Izoard is 15.9kms long with an average gradient of 6.9%.

On leaving the camp ground in Jausiers we started the climb to the Col de Vars. Initially the climb is gradual beside the Ubaye river through the village of Condamine L C at the 5km mark and on to St Paul sur Ubaye at the 7.3km mark where the actual climb really begins. The first 9kms of the climb is not too bad with it ramping up to over 12% in sections over the last 5kms.

As the Tour de France will be passing through shortly and roads are closed 24 hours before the Tour's arrival, supporters had positioned their camper vans along the route in preparation for the Tours arrival. The people were sitting outside their Vans talking to others listening to radios, reading, etc. There was a really good atmosphere and the people cheered us on as we were riding up the mountain -"Allez Allez". It gave one a real fill-up. There were also a lot of vans at the summit. It was an enjoyable climb with the summit being reached at the 22km mark. I stopped at the summit to have something to eat.

We had a sweeping fast descent through the ski villages of Les Claus and Vars to Guillestre at the 41 km mark. This was a descent I know many of my fellow riders in Australia would have enjoyed.

The support Van was positioned at the roundabout at Guillestre. I filled up my water bottles and obtained some lollies to eat on the climb. It was another hot day and at this point we were 30kms from the summit of the Col de l'Izoard.

We left Guillestre climbing gradually through the gorges of the Guil river and narrow tunnels. At this point we were riding through the Parc National de Queyras. At about the 57km mark we turned left and started the climb proper up the Col deL'Izoard. If one was to go straight ahead one would end up in Italy.

Initially the climb took us through alpine scenery and small villages. As we moved closer to the top we encountered hairpins and then the famous Casse Deserte with its forbidding and barren scree slops and jutting rock pinnacles. The scenery on the climb and the differences from the start to the summit is stunning. There is a memorial to Fausto Coppi (Tour de France winner 1949 & 1952 ) and Louison Bobet (Tour de France winner 1953, 54 & 55) in the Casse Deserte section. Like on the Col de Vars, Tour de France supporters had taken up positions with their Camper Vans along the route and continued to provide us with support as we rode towards the summit.

The climb ramps up in the last 10kms with a gradient of at least 14% reached. It is one great climb and once again on reaching the summit (72km mark) a great sense of achievement was felt and savored.

There is a snack bar, cycling museum and a shop that sells souvenir jerseys at the summit. After taking some photographs, having a look around and enjoying a can of coke, I readied myself for the magnificent descent into Briancon that went through tunnels on the ways down.

Briancon's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The historical centre is a strongly fortified town built by Vauban (1633-1707) a marshal of France who was the foremost military engineer of his age. Briancon also claims to be the highest town in Europe!

We will be staying in the Chalets "Genepi" over the next three nights and can take in stages 17 and 18 of the Tour de France if we wish.

This has been yet another magical day of riding and climbing and another two bucket list mountains have been ticked off.

STATISTICS

Distance ridden today: 93.8kms. Cumulative total: 788.1kms

Vertical metres climbed today: 3,004. Cumulative total: 18,339m.

Village on way to Col de Vars.

Camper Vans positioned for view of Tour de France on road up to Col de Vars.

View on way up to Col de Vars.

Camper Vans positioned for view of Tour de France on road up to Col de Vars.

View on way up to Col de Vars.

View on Way up to Col de Vars.

Bike at Col de Vars summit.

Cars and Camper Vans at Col de Vars summit.

Me at Col de Vars summit.

Restaurant at Col de Vars summit.

View on descent from Col de Vars.

Roundabout at Guillestre

Col de l'Izoard profile map at start of the climb proper.

Village on way to Col de l'Izoard. Note preparations for Tour at entrance.

Camper vans positioned for Tour de France on ride up to the Col de l'Izoard.

View back down the valley on climb to Col de l'Izoard.

Start of Casse Deserte on the way up to Col de l'Izoard. Stage18 of the Tour finishes on the summit this year.

Casse Deserte.

View on ride up to Col de l'Izoard.

Me at summit of Col de l'Izoard.

View from summit of Col de l'Izoard.

Start of descent from summit of Col de l'Izoard. One magnificent descent!

N2A - day 8: Tallard to Jausiers

2017-08-19T23:16:00.002-07:00

Today is a big day for those of us who will be riding the Col de la Bonette once we reach Jausiers.

Some people will just be doing the 68km ride to Jausiers while others have decided to be taken to the village of Barcelonette at the 58km mark in the Support vehicle before tackling the Col de la Bonette. The latter group have decided to take this approach as day 9 is apparently a tough day encompassing two well known mountains - the Col du Vars and Col de l'Izoard. I will be riding the whole way.

The Col de la Bonette is the highest mountain we will ride at 2,802m. It is 24kms long and has an average gradient of 6.6%. It is also the highest paved through route in the Alps.

We departed Tallard along small weaving roads beside the Durance river before joining a busier road just before the Lac de Serre Poncon. I was advised the lake is one of the largest artificial lakes in western Europe, gathering waters of the Durance and the Ubaye rivers, flowing down to the the Rhone river. The waters are dammed by the the Barrage de Serre-Pocon, a 123m high earth core dam.

We gradually climbed beside the lake then descended into the Ubaye river valley. While there were some small villages along the way we would have needed to detour off the main route to visit them. As we were anxious to complete the 68km ride to Jausiers to start the climb up to the Col de la Bonette, we didn't take this option.

We rode upstream beside the Ubaye river with the mountains beginning to feel more alpine. On reaching the cobble streets of Barcelonette we stopped to refuel before tackling the Col de la Bonette.

By the time I reached Jausiers, I had ridden 68kms and climbed about 1,200m. At the stat of the climb, I lost my easiest gear and was to later to lose my second easiest gear in the last few kilometres of the climb.While I tried resetting at least three times, it was not successful.

We were continually climbing (which was confirmed by the Profile map) with the anti clockwise approach towards the top being over 12% . This was obviously made harder by the lack of my two easiest gears. I was certainly glad when I finally reached the top. As there were steep drop offs into the valleys, one had to concentrate when ascending and doubly so when descending. Obviously there were spectacular views riding both ways and from from the top. Like all the mountains we had ridden and would be riding there were vehicles going up and down the mountain.

There was, like when I reached the top of Mont Ventoux, a real sense of achievement. I spent some time savoring the moment, taking in the views, taking photographs and talking to other cyclists and motor cyclists who had reached the top.While it had been another hot day, it was starting to get cold when I started my descent which was a great ride down.

We were staying in a camping ground for the night in Jausiers. I went through my normal preparations on reaching the camp. I also had the mechanic look at my bike to try and understand why my two easiest gears had been lost. At first, he didn't notice anything then found that my rear skewer had come loose which meant I could have potentially lost my wheel - not a good thought when considering the sheer drop offs. Not sure how this had happened, however, it was a reminder to check before the start of each ride.

Not even a another cranky waiter or having to wait over for over an hour for my meal could put a dampener on what had been a great day of cycling through great scenery and the satisfaction felt. It continues to be a magical journey through a wonderful part of the world.

I have now ticked off two of my bucket list mountains (Mont Ventoux and Col de la Bonette) and have another two to ride tomorrow.

STATISTICS

Distance ridden today: 115.4kms. Cumulative total: 694.3kms.

Vertical metres climbed today: 3,112. Cumulative total: 15,335.

Getting ready for arrival of Tour de France.

Ate our lunch here in Barcelonette.

A view from summit.

Me at summit

Me at summit.

Plaque on summit rock.

View on the way up/down.

View on way to Jausiers

View on way yo Jausiers

Barcelonette.

Jausiers.

Jausiers

Bike at Col de la Bonette summit.

View at summit.

Old disused military facility at approx. 2,600m mark of Col de la Bonette. Apparently it is the Caserne de Restefond and was part of the Maginot defense line.

N2A - day 7: Sault to Tallard

2017-08-19T22:00:00.001-07:00

Following the excitement of yesterday's first major mountain climb up Mont Ventoux, today we ride through rolling countryside, olives, rolling hills and quiet historic villages. While the ride is in excess of 100km, it is apparently relatively straight forward with a couple of climbs to keep people like me happy.

After leaving our hotel in Sault we rode mostly downhill to Montbrun-les-Bains an old hillside village positioned beneath castle ruins which was, apparently, once a popular spa town. On leaving Montain-de-Bains we undertook our first major climb for the day over the Col de Macuegne (1,068m) at the 22km mark and descended into the small village of Sederon. It was from here that anyone who wanted to avoid the second major climb of the day could take another route.

After leaving Sederon at the 27km mark we undertook the second major climb for the day to the Col St. Jean (1,158m) which was reached at the 42km mark and from which we descended to the small villages of Laborel and then Orpierre at the 56km mark. Orpierre is built into a narrow gap surrounded by steep mountains and is apparently popular amongst rock climbers.

At the 72km mark we passed through the larger village of Laragne-Monteglin. This region is apparently the kingdom of air sports and attracts fanatics from around Europe, particularly those into parachuting and paragliding.

We crossed the Durance river at the 85km mark and again at the 102km mark to enter Tallard. The camping ground, Camping Le Chene, where we are staying tonight is a little way out of Tallard. This camping ground has mainly squat toilets much to the dismay of some fellow riders. We have to carry our own toilet paper as the French camp grounds don't supply it which can catch one out at times! The camp ground does have a swimming pool.

After setting up the tent, bed, having afternoon tea, washing clothes and having a shower, headed into Tallard to find a restaurant for dinner. There was a nice little bush track to walk along into the town.

I had my second bad service experience. I joined some fellow riders who had just ordered their meals and warned me about the waitress. She was so bad it was laughable, she just didn't want to there. As we were eating outside, I went inside to order, which I managed to do after being ignored for some time. I asked for an "Orangina" drink and she advised they had none at which point I pointed to a number of cans in the fridge we were standing next to! While the service was poor the food as usual was very good. It really is a pity the French don't know how to make coffee as they do everything else in the food line so well.

It had been another good day's riding in hot weather. The climbs had probably been a little harder than we had expected based on the morning's briefing. I thoroughly enjoyed them.

I take a lot of photos each day and today was no exception. However, for some reason the majority of them seem to have disappeared so will not be putting many up today.

STATISTICS

Distance ridden today: 106.3kms. Cumulative total: 578.9kms.

Vertical metres climber today: 1,663. Cumulative total: 12,223m.

Me at summit of Col de St Jean.

View on the ride.

View on the ride

My bike at summit of Col de Macuegne.

Street in Village passed through.

Church in one of the villages.

View on ride.

N2A - day 6: Gordes to Sault

2017-08-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Today's ride is all about the climb up to the to the summit of Mont Ventoux, the Giant of Provence. Rising to an altitude of 1,909m from the Rhone valley below, this is a legendary mountain that has had an infamous history in the Tour de France.

I have been advised that it is one of the hardest, hottest, and windest mountains that one can climb on a bike. Apparently winds of 320km/h have been recorded at he summit and is the windiest place on earth.

The mistral had not stopped blowing since before we arrived at the camp site and this morning Clare, the organiser, advised winds of 100km/h had been forecast at the top of Mont Ventoux by a reliable forecast group. If this proved correct, we would not be able to ride to the summit which would be a huge disappointment.

Before getting onto the ride one final comment on Gordes. While it is indeed a beautiful village, I wouldn't want to live there based on the wind that has blown since before we arrived. I have been advised the winds do abate.

We did a little bit of climbing after leaving our camp site before descending to the perched city of Venasque. This is another of the "most beautiful" villages in France. We didn't stay long as we were keen to get to Bedoin where the climb would start. We had great views of Mont Ventoux from Venasque and as we rode along the valley. The mountain rises out of the valley and totally dominates it with its desert like top.

When we arrived in Bedoin after 33km. The wind had eased and everything looked good for the ascent. It was in Bedoin that we had our first experience with "squat toilets". One of the ladies on the tour was not impressed!

We refuelled in Bedoin before starting the climb. There are three ways of riding up Mont Ventoux: South from Bedoin, Northwest from Malaucene and East from Sault. Bedoin is the classic way up and reputedly the hardest although there is a view that Malaucene is equally as hard.

The climb to the summit is 22km in length. There is a gradual rise over the initial 4km of the climb followed by 10km through beautiful pine forest, averaging nearly 10%. This section was fairly demanding and it was a relief when it dropped to 8%. At the 15km mark we reached Le Chalet Reynard, where there is a restaurant and bar.

The group I was riding with all decided to push on to the top rather than stopping at Chalet Reynard for something to eat. The final 6km to the summit is totally exposed and desert like. We were fortunate the winds had dropped, allowing a pretty straight forward climb to the top. We passed the memorial to the British cyclist, Tommy Simpson, a few kilometres from the top. I stopped at the memorial on the way down. Tommy Simpson died from a heart attack on Mont Ventoux during a stage of the Tour de France during a blisteringly hot day in July 1967. See the internet for more details.

We all felt a real sense of achievement on reaching the top. The 360 degree views are spectacular. We were told by one of the lolly vendors on the summit the winds had been blowing at 100km/h in the morning, so were fortunate they had dropped as we were making our way from the camp site.

After taking pictures, buying fruit, lollies and looking at cycling wear we made our way back to Chalet Reynard for a well deserved lunch. At the start of the descent Luke and I started down the descent to Malaucene but quickly realised we were going in the wrong direction.

After a having an excellent omelette for lunch, descended to Sault where we were staying in the Hotel Le Signoret for the night.

Distance ridden today: 85.1kms. Cumulative total: 472.6kms.

Vertical metres climbed today: 2,263. Cumulative total: 10,560m.

Clare, Company Director and partner, Paul with cake to celebrate completing Mont Ventoux.

Outdoor restaurant in Sault for celbratory dinner.

A view from Sault.

Me at Tommy Simpson memorial.

Looking up to summit of Mont Ventoux.

Tommy Simpson memorial

A view from Mont Ventoux summit and road leading up.

Another view of Mont Ventoux summit and road leading up

Me at Mont Ventoux summit.

Building on Mont Ventoux summit.

View from Mont Ventoux Summit.

Lollies, etc for sale on Mont Ventoux summit.

A view at Mont Ventoux summit.

A view from Mont Ventoux summit.

A view at Mont Ventoux summit.

A view from Mont Ventoux summit.

Me at Mont Ventoux summit.

Perched village of Venasque.

Road leading up to Venasque.

Road leading into Venasque.

View of Mont Ventoux from below Venasque.

Route notes and Garmin.

N2A - day 5 - Rest day (Gordes).

2017-07-24T14:52:00.002-07:00

In addition to today being a rest day, it is also Bastille Day. Known in France as "La Fete Federale" or "Quartorze Juillet", it celebrates the 1790 Fete de la Federation held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, symbolic for the uprising of the modern nation. I'm told festivities are held all over France to celebrate the day.

The camping ground we are staying in has a very good pool and, in addition to doing some washing and visiting the village and local tourists spots, some of my fellow riders plan to make full use of the pool. It is worth mentioning here that men are required to wear "budgie smugglers", boardies are absolutely not allowed. We were warned about this requirement before leaving Australia. While some didn't believe this could be correct, they found it was most definitely correct when they tried to wear them into the pool - they were "turfed out!" Apparently it has something to do with cleanliness. Boardies can be worn as shorts and not just used for swimming.

I did a bit of washing and then headed for the village to look around. The camping ground is about 2km out of Gordes and we learnt there was a track we could take that would avoid the road. I didn't have a clear route and managed to miss a turn and ended up walking further than necessary on yet another very hot day.

Gordes as stated yesterday is a very beautiful village. I'm told it is one of the most well-known villages in the region, and one of the most beautiful in France. The pictures recorded below will not do the village justice and I suggest you get on the internet to view it.

Gordes is built on the foothills of the Monts of Vaucluse, facing the Luberon. Its houses and buildings of white stone root themselves into the sharp cliff of the mountain, and has a labyrinth of "calcades" (narrow cobblestone streets). A castle and church dominate the village. The castle, rebuilt in 1525 already existed in 1031. It is well preserved and carefully restored and "brings together the architecture of the troubled medieval period with new ways of the Renaissance". My first view of Gordes as I rode up the hill towards it was absolutely breathtaking.

Gordes, as you can imagine, is very much a tourist town - they were everywhere. However, I couldn't find an ATM anywhere. I sought the advice of a kind lady in the local Tabac shop which seem to be everywhere. Tabac shops are licenced to sell tobacco products and also sell newspapers, telephone cards and postage stamps, etc. Even when she gave me directions to where a machine was located it was not very obvious.

After taking a good look around Gordes and having lunch I made my way back to camp for a fairly relaxed afternoon. The walk back to camp was very much uphill. The previous day we had a very long uphill ride into Gordes and up to the camping ground. Turning into the camping ground the road pitched up even more steeply; one of the riders said it was 16% on his device. As you can imagine eveyone just loved this "sting in the tail" after riding in very hot weather and facing the constantly blowing mistral after lunch. Notwithstanding, I thought it had been a fantastic day.

Luke and I walked back into Gordes for dinner and had our first bad experience of service.

Tomorrow is the first of the well known big mountain rides, Mont Ventoux, known as: "The Beast of Provence", "The Giant of Provence" or "The Bald Mountain".

The mistral had not stopped blowing since we encountered it yesterday afternoon and if it is too strong on the mountain, we will not be able to ride it. The last 6 kilometres of the ride are totally exposed. The Mont Ventoux stage of the Tour de France had to be shortened last year due to the fierceness of the wind. That was the stage Chris Froome picked up the bike and ran with it.

Gordes.

Castle in Gordes.

Gordes.

View from Gordes.

View from Camping Ground - part of swimming pool showing.

Gordes.

Castle in Gordes.

Preserved Borrie on the grounds of a relatvely new property in Gordes.

Gordes.

View of Gordes. Picture is poor and doesn't do it justice. Have a look online.

Another poor picture of Gordes that doesn't do it anywhere near justice.

Interim Update

2017-07-24T00:06:00.000-07:00

Due to mainly ongoing problems with blogger, poor internet connections and having time available (usually don't get back from dinner until after 10pm), have not been able update my blog on a daily basis. However, successfully uploaded "Day 4" yesterday and everything worked as expected so hopefully will catch up. In the meantime, the following is a brief update.

In the 11 days of riding up to and including the 22 July 2017, I have ridden 1,041.1 kilometres and climbed 25,511 vertical metres (doesn't include the ride to Italy the day before the tour started).
While we have climbed many mountains, the well known ones that have been conquered are the following:

Mont Ventoux;
Col de la Bonette;
Col du Vars;
Col de l'Izoard;
Col du Lauteret;
Col du Galiber;
Col de Telegraphe;
Col de la Croix de Fer;
Alpe d'Huez.

We completed the last two mentioned mountains on Saturday. A couple of shots of the completion of these rides is recorded below. Others will be included in my blog updates.

Me at summit of Alpe d'Huez.

Me at summit of Col de la Croix de Fer.

N2A - day 4 : Manosque to Gordes.

2017-07-23T05:45:00.000-07:00

Today's ride is approximately 90kms. We have been advised the route is quitessential rural Provence at its best! This proved to be the case as we passed through or by golden hued perched villages, small scale vinyeyards, rolling countryside, lavender fields, wild herbs and hidden valleys. We also passed through three (3) of the 144 officially rated most beautiful villages of France. These being Loumarin, Menerbes & Gordes. We are also scheduled to have a special group lunch at the 53.5km mark at Auberge des Sequins.

After leaving the hotel we passed through a number of small villages: La Bastide D. Jourdans, Peypin d'Aigues, St Martin, La Motte D.A., Cabrieres D'A, Cucuron, Vaugines before arriving in the medieval village of Loumarin that has a renaissance chateau, at the 42km mark.

On leaving Loumarin, we climbed the Combe de Loumarin into the Luberon mountains where we saw beehive shaped bories. These are drystone huts used by peasants in the fields and, I'm advised, are dotted throughout the Provencal countryside. They date to the Bronze Age and apparently 1,610 of them have been counted to date.

We arrived at Auberge des Sequins, as indicated, at the 53.5km mark. The cafe was tucked away in a hidden valley at the end of an approximately 1km unsealed road. It was a truly magical place. The food and service was superb. While we were waiting for lunch one of the staff members walked past with a net full of trout which he had just taken out of the water and would later serve for lunch. We also had the choice of lamb and beef. Lunch started at 1:30pm and we finally re-mounted our bikes at 3:45pm to continue on our way. One unforgettable lunch in an unfogettable place - as I said "magical".

We still had about 40kms and a bit of climbing to do and I think some of my fellow riders would have preferred to finish at this point. As we had been making good time to the scheduled lunch start at 1:30pm, an additional stop was thown in between morning tea and lunch where some of the local alcoholic beverages were sampled and further consumed at lunch.

After lunch we rode through the busy tourist village of Bonnieux. This village was made famous and known internationally as the setting for Peter Mayle's book "A year in Provence".

We are staying at a camp site just outside the beautiful old city of Gordes for the next two nights. Tomorrow is a rest day,

STATISTICS

Distance ridden today: 91.6kms, Cumulative total: 387.5kms

Vertical metres climbed today: 1,596m, Cumulative total: 8,297m.

Restaurant at Auberge des Seguins.

Another picture of area surronding the restaurant.

Village street.

Each village seems to have a fountain. Some you can drink the water, some you can't. This one you could.

Another break for refreshments. Yet another very hot day but not complaining.

Another village street.

And another.

Street in one of the many villages ridden through today.

Looking back up to themain street entrance to one of the many gorgeous old villages passed through today.

Morning tea stop.

Me standing in front of the fountain at the morning tea stop.

N2A - day 3: Castellane to Manosque.

2017-07-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

Today's route is approximately 93kms long. However, we were given the option of doing an aditional 23km circuit with 750 metres of climbing. It was made clear this option would not be supported because of the narrowness of the road. Approximately half of us, including me, decided to do the optional loop and it proved, for me at least, to be the highlight of the ride.
When we left camp we cycled along the Verdon river to Point Sublime from which good views of the Verdon Gorge could be obtained. The Verdon Gorge is about 25kms long and 700 metres deep, formed by the unstoppable force of water known as the River Verdon - so called because of its distinctively emerald hue. The Gorge is France's greatest natural attraction and the world's second largest (after the Grand Canyon).
Just before a place called La Palud sur Verdon we detoured onto the optional loop called the "Routes des Cretes" This route followed the edge of the northern rim of the canyon and offered spectacular views of the gorge. There were some fairly steep sections (15%) with a long and spectacular descent. The road on the descent was narrow and rough and with traffic coming the other way demanded one's full attention if you didn't want to be sailing through the air with a long drop to the bottom. We rejoined the official route at La Palud sur Verdon where we had a very long lunch and filled up our water bottles at the village fountain. While every day to date had been in the high 30s, today was extremely hot with the winds we were to encounter not helping.

After leaving La Palud sur Verdon our next stop was at Mostiers Ste Marie for a drink and fill up our water bottles. Mostiers Ste Marie was founded by monks in AD 433 and is nestled between towering cliffs and is known as the "Etoile de Provence" - Star of Provence. It is a touristy town complete with restaurants, shops etc.

From Moustiers we cycled on small country roads to the Plateau de Valensole, reputedly France's largest lavender fields. The lavender fields go on for kilometre after kilometre and the fragrance permates the air. I'm not sure whether I like the smell or not. We cycled past numerous tourists who were stopping to view the fields. Some of these tourists paid little attention to the fact there were cyclists around - cutting in front of you and opening doors with little regard to what was coming from behind. One enterprising Frnchman had set up a photo booth in one of the fields to take people's photo in the field. There were also many fields with sunflowers and wheat.

From Valensole we descended into the Durance River valley to arrive at Manosque where we were staying at a hotel located in the central old town. Manosque is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However it is not the prefecture of the department which resides in the smaller town of Digne-les-Bains.

As I mentioned earlier, today was an extremely hot day. One of the two guys I was riding with went through so many water bottles I lost count. In one village we went through we were looking for some water when this guy spotted a lady watering some plants in a back road. She not only filled up our water bottles but hosed down my two companions. I didn't fancy riding ringing wet. It was after Moustiers where we encountered the headwinds. However, like every day so far I thoroughly enjoyed the riding and the sights.

STATISTICS

Distance ridden today: 112.8. Cumulative total: 295.9.
Vertical metres climbed today: 2,033. Cumulative total: 6,701.

Point Sublime.

Point Sublime with some people on the tour.

Me at Point Sublime.

A picture of the Verdon Gorge.

Tunnel on Routes de Cretes.

View from Routes de Cretes.

Road tunnel viewed from across the Gorge. Was coming into a haipin when I saw it. Others didn't see it at all.

We descended from the peak yuo can see in the background and we stll had a lot of descending to do.

Lake far below Routes des Cretes.

Moustiers Ste Marie - see towering cliffs in background. Picture doesn't do them justice.

Street in Manosque.

Manosque.

Lavender field.

Newsflash

2017-07-15T15:10:00.001-07:00

While there are details of rides still to be uploaded, wanted to advise I today (15/07/2017) ascended Mont Ventoux which is one of my bucket list mountain rides. Further details will follow as I endeavour to bring my blog update.

N2A: Day 2 - Tourettes sur Loup to Castellane

2017-07-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

This promised to be a lot harder day than yesterday with climbing of around 2 ,000 vertical metres and this proved to be the case, especially with the temperatures being in the high thirties again. However, it didn't help that I got lost in the first few kilometres and rode an extra 8 kilometres. I have all the routes loaded on my Garmin and a very precise daily route map. While I had read the map before taking off, I hadn't taken in point 3 and instead of turning hard right, I turned hard left. While my Garmin indicated I was off course, it had told me this for 30 kilometres the day before when I knew I was definitely on-course. Therefore I choose to ignore its warning initially. When I realised the Garmin was giving me the correct information, I had to back track to the start.

Once I was back on course the was a nice descent to the Pont du Loop then a gradual climb up the Gorges du Loop for 13kms before hooking back for a steeper 7km climb to the beautiful village of Gourdan. Gourdan is perched high above the gorge with views to the coast. It has cafes, restaurants and shops and a 13th century castle. I took some time walking around the village taking photographs. I then found a cafe for lunch and had a really great meal. It was a salad with duck breast and gizzard (not sure of what - duck perhaps?) topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar plus a soft drink. I'm fast becoming addicted to a soft drink called "Orangina". Before leaving the cafe I was asked if I wanted my two 700mm bidons filled with ice cold water out of the tap (same as the beer tap). Obviously I took advantage of the offer and dropped one of my energy tablets into one of the bidons.

From Gourdan there was a climb to the limestone Plateau de Caussols (1,100m). The climb is rocky, exposed and was hot like the whole ride (not complaining though as prefer to the cold). At the top of this climb the terrain became partly forested and gently undulting plateau. The ride continued to the Col de la Sine (1,080m) and descended to the Loup valley before climbing again to the Col de Castellaras (1,248) and upwards (steeply at times) to the Col de Bleine (1,439m) with views over the Faye valley below. I then descended and rode along the Faye river valley to the alpine commune of St. Auban. I stopped here for an "Orangina" and ice-cream. I again had one of my bidons filled with ice cold water by helpful staff.

Next village after St. Auban is Soleihas, another very old village, which is 20km from our camp destination at Castellane. At this point you look up and see cars travelling high above you and realise that's the route that has to be taken. There are a few switchbacks with a climb of about 200 vertical metres in 4kms. After 4kms the final Col of the day was passed over - the Col de St Barnabe. From this point there is a descent into a village called Demandolx and a further descent of 5kms to the Lac de Castillon. This is a fabulous descent which has the magnificent blue waters of the Lac in eyesight all way down. Like a number of descents today there were a number of hairpins to negotiate. At the bottom of the descent I cycled beside the Lac for about 8kms into Castellane (723m) which is situated in the Verdon river valley. Castellane is overshadowed by the clifftop "Chapelle Notre Dame" and is yet another beautiful old village. The campsite we are staying at is called "Camping Notre Dame" and is located close to town. After setting up the tent, showering and washing riding gear it was off to the village for dinner and a look around the town. I should mention that before undertaking these activities, drinks and food is laid on at the finish of each day's ride.

STATISTICS

Distance ridden today: 101.2kms. - Cumulative: 183.1kms.
Vertical metres climbed today: 2,863 - Cumulative: 4,668m.

Road tunnel in Gorges du Loup (sorry abou quality)

Better picture of tunnel - pity about finger!

Gourdan.

Looking down into gorge from Gourdan - from which we climbed.

Looking down into gorge from Gourdan.

Gourdan.

On the way up to Col dela Sine.

Col du Castellaras - my bike & support vehicle.

Col de Bleine.

St. Auban.

Col de St Barnabe.

Lac du Castillon.

Lac du Castillion.

Road beside Lac du Castillion and mountains from which we descended.

Castellane.

Gourdan.

Blogger kept shuffling the Gourdain picture to the bottom. I'm getting heartily sick of its idiosyncrasies.

Nice to Alpe d'Huez (N2A) Tour- Day 1 (10 July 2017) - Nice to Tourrettes Sur Loup

2017-07-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

The start of the big adventure.

We left our hotel in Nice and rode up to the " I love Nice" sign to have a group photo taken. We navigated out of Nice into the hinterland of the Cote d'Azur. The first 10 kms was painfully slow as we took the protected cycle path for 10kms along the Promenade des Anglais to St Laurent du Var. It was very busy with walkers, cyclists and joggers. We were being passed by skaters. Once we left the bike path we started climbing with our first stop for morning tea at a village called Gattiers. After morning tea we continued climbing to a charming old French village called Le Broc for lunch. This village was everything I expected with the narrow streets and old buildings. They even had a group of men sitting outside the cafe "solving world problems" the whole time we were there.

After leaving Le Broc we continued to climb steadily past Bouyon. The landscape is arid and rocky, apparently typical of the region and a far cry from the Mediterranean. We reached the highest altitude for the day at the 53km mark (1,040m). After a short descent we passed the hilltop village of Coursegoles that has an 11th century castle, ruins and a restaurant. We then passed over the first Col of the trip, the Col de Vence from which there were views of the Mediterranean. From here we had 10kms of sweeping descent into Vence a well preserved medieval town with restaurants, shops, boutiques, galleries and bars situated in its pedestrianised streets. I'm told that Vence and the nearby St Paul de Vence are home to many artists, painters and sculptors and have been associated with brush weilding heavyweights such as Matisse, Renoir, Cocteau and Prevert.

I had to stop at Vence to obtain energy tablets to put into my water. I made the mistake of thinking that Gatorade or its equivalent would be everywhere. I'm yet to see one bottle. It was hard even trying to find a supermarket in Nice.

From Vence it was a gentle 5km ride to Tourettes Sur Loup, the 'city of violets'. This is another 11th century hilltop medieval village. It's absolutely magnificent! We were staying at a camping ground 3kms from Tourettes Sur Loup. After setting up our tents, showering and washing our riding gear it was back to Tourettes Sur Loup for a group dinner. There was a market night happening when we arrived back in town. The restaurants were extremely busy and there was an overall great atmosphere. People seemed very happy and were just enjoying life. I took the opportunity to stroll through the narrow laneways - the shops were still open and I had a delicious 3 scoop ice cream.

While today was a relatively easy day, it was most enjoyable and a great introdution to riding in France. I continue to be blown away by the friendliness and helpfulness of the French people.

STATISTICS
Distance 81.9kms.
Vertical metres climbed: 1,805.

Morning tea at Gattiers.

Street in Le Broc.

Me in front of fountain at Le Broc.

Lunch at Le Broc.

View from Le Broc.

Tourettes Sur Loop.

Group dinner Tourettes Sur Loop.

Tourettes Sur Loop.

Home for the night.

2017-07-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted updates on the first two legs of the ride as blogger was not allowing me to view the photos selected and add captions. I finally worked out the problem at 5am this morning. I will fix up the photos on the last blog posted and bring up to date over the next few days. We are riding to Manosque from Castellane today and staying in a hotel after camping out over the last two days. It looks like being anothe hot one today.

Third day in Nice - Pre Tour Ride

2017-07-10T22:56:00.000-07:00

Decided I didn't really want to wait until 2:30pm on 09 July 2017 to have Di2 issue resolved as we wanted to do the relatively short ride to Monaco. Found a combination cafe/bike shop open with very helpful staff who were able to resolve the problem. Luke and I set out for Monaco just before midday. On the way Luke indicated he would like to climb a Col just out of Menton. While we couldn't find the Col (name was wrong), we decided that as Menton is so close to Italy we would press on and cross the border which we did. While it was good to see Monte Carlo, wouldn't want to live there even if I could afford to do so. Beaches are nothing to write home about. However, we had great omelets there. We became lost for a short period in Monte Carlo on the way back because the police had closed off some roads. We had to go through a number of tunnels on the way to & from Monaco. One was very long with a long climb on the way back to Nice. It was pretty hairy and we were expecting Police to pull up at any moment. However, we were advised it was perfectly okay for the bikes to be in the tunnels and the drivers were good. Although we were glad to finally emerge. Because the ride was longer than originally anticipated and Luke had a puncture just outside of Nice, we we're unable to attend the offical briefing session for the Nice to Alpe d'Huez leg that was starting the following day which wasn't good. We obtained all the details later. I was really glad we did the ride and saw sites we would otherwise have not seen. There were some really good photos I took in Monte Carlo that haven't come out for some reason (probably me) which is disappointing. We will be camping on the 10th & 11th which will be a change from the hotel.

Second day in Nice 08 July 2017)

2017-07-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Was unable to complete blog due to an issue with setting up bike (Di2) and a very late dinner. Eventually got to bed at 12:40am. Yesterday we obtained French SIM cards for our phones with wonderful assistance provided by the French sales people. After setting up the new SIMS had a very good lunch at one of the many cafes/restaurants surrounding Garibaldi Square. Luke and I then had a further stroll around Nice,while Steve who had just flown in from Sydney via Frankfurt went back to the hotel to unpack.I was also offered the Frankfurt flight as an option to the Qatar Airways flight. Sounds like I made the right choice based on Steve's comments. We visited two beautiful old churches and some photos of the insides of these churches are recorded below. Note the ferry with tbe Warner Bros cartoons. We arrived back at the hotel in the late afternoon to put our bikes together. Everything went well until it came to connecting three wires in the bike frame to three points on the Di2 battery. One of the wires had to be connected to a specific point. Unfortunately, the marker that had been put on the specific wire had disappeared. As all three wires looked exactly the same we didn't want to take any chances with inserting the wrong wire. Therefore, it looked like I would have to await the arrival of the tour mechanic at 2:30am on 09 July 2017 and forgo a pre-tour ride. Recorded below are pictures of the inside of the churches,laneways,the stones that make up the Nice beach and an Electric Car being charged.

Arrival in Nice

2017-07-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

After a nearly 21 hour flight arrived in Nice via Doha at 1:05pm today. We had at 2 hour 20 minute stop in Doha. It was 31 degrees centigrade when we arrived in Doha at 5:30am and 38 when we boarded the plane for Nice. Big change from the 8 degees in Melbourne when we left last night with a wind chill factor of somewhat less. I looked a bit silly carrying a jumper and jacket around.

After a quick shower we had a bit of walk around Nice, stood in the Mediterranean and had a late lunch. The water was a beautiful temperature and crystal clear. The beach is stone based not sand with Australian style lifeguards. There were also other wonderful sights on the beach.

Nice appears to be a beautiful city. We are staying in the old part. I love the multitude of narrow laneways with outside eating areas everywhere, the architecture and, with one exception, the people seem very helpful and friendly.

Tomorrow we will look to put our bikes together. Have only had about 2 hours sleep since 6am Melbourne time yesterday.

Sign above Nice Beach.

War Memorial on road above Beach.

Part of Beach.

Luke's first food, Nice - mine in foreground.

One of the Squares in Nice.

Fountain in Square.

Laneway in Nice.

Another Laneway

Pre - leaving Preparations

2017-07-05T01:52:00.000-07:00

Bike packed in Bike Box ahead of timorrow's flight to Nice. Thanks to all the support provided by Henry and Rob at TFM Richmond

Bike inside Bike Box.

Bike packed in Bike Box.

Bike being packed in Bike Box.

Bike in Bike Box (2).