I started the day slowly as my legs were quite sore from yesterday's effort. For those of you who have played contact sport, I can only describe the pain like 2 decent corked thighs that is the result of too much lactic acid being built up in my muscles from a little more climbing than I would normally do. There are a few ways to remedy this such as hot/cold treatment, massage, stretching and the Chemist option (Nurofen Plus) works a treat.
Every Saturday in Le Bourg D'Oisans is market day. They literally block every alley way and there are around 100 stalls selling everything from farm fresh produce, a million cheeses (my wife's heaven), clothing and the usual tourist nick knacks. The photos should give you an idea of the "Le buzz" it generates. I browsed, sampled and ate my way through the retail maze. Now I was ready to cycle.
In the opening line of U2's "I still haven't found what I'm looking for", Bono sings about "I have climbed the highest mountain.....". Well I'm not sure what mountain the Irish lads were referencing, but today I cycled (and climbed) my highest mountain. it is known as the Col du Galibier and it is a colossus by anyone's standards.
Let's me share a few facts about the mountain that has featured in the TDF since 1911 when the race organizer (Henri Desgrange) thought it would be good to throw in a few little hills to spice up the race. He must have been a real "Le Prick" because the racers back then would have been using single speed bikes weighing about 2.5 heavier than what they use today. These guys were the real heroes of the sport, and the road back then was probably not much better than goat track. Is it any winder the French created the "derailleur" gearing to tackle future climbs?
Anyhow each mountain used in the TDF each year is graded by a difficulty scale that goes from 1 - 4. The scale is determined by the length and the % grade of the hill. eg, a small 3 KM hill with a 4% grade would be a 4. The longer the hill and the steeper the grade it goes up to a 1. Now here is where it gets interesting, some of the hills are known as HC (hors categorie).......in my best French this means it can't be rated as it is outside the 1 - 4 scale. In other words if you are facing a ride with a HC summit, then your in for a tough day at the office. Col du Galibier is a HC ride. In this years TDF they ride it twice over 2 days. Once from the side I did today (apparently the easier route), and then for good measure the next day where it will be paired with another HC summit.
So today it took me a little over 5 hours to ride the 96 KM Route. The summit is 2,646 metres high, and the actual climb part is just shy of 43 KM.........you could call that a tough day at the office. Hopefully the pictures capture sone of the amazing scenery along the way.
A final footnote is that while riding up the hill I called into this little town Les Freaux for a quick break and a drink. While initially there just for an ice cold Coke, my pasty detector quickly zoned in on this Blueberry Tart that must have been created by the Rhone Alp pastry Gods. Naturally I ordered a wedge the size if my hand, and thus was as good as it gets. A short crust pastry holding aloft a beautiful plump set of glistening blueberries (must be the mountain water and air) with a perfect balance of sweetness to reign in the tartness of the little fruit. If there is a better Blueberry Tart out there you know of, then point me in the direction and I'll start cycling tomorrow.
Till next time.
Cycling Foodie