European Tour starts here...
well actually a few days ago, but the internet connection is up and running now :-) so yes i know ive not updated this blog in such a long time - i of course completed the coast to coast ride where i left off the blog, and since then just been planning and sorting out everything for the tour, didnt realise it would take soooo long and just how man bad used cars are out there - after weeks of searching i settled on one Merc coupe - yeah not the camper van i was looking for eeeeexactly, but everything fits in, and 2 bikes on the bike rack, so there we go.
Ok so here comes the blogs and pics:
Wed the 25th – Day 1
Car packed, just about fitting in. chose to go for the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre – thereby missing out London, and not getting up at some incredible early time to get the 6.30 am ferry – either leaving a friends house at 3.30am or a B&B at Dover at 5.30am….plus the cost of the B&B’s too…. So I added that factor in and the overnight ferry seemed sensible.
Said my goodbyes to parents
5 hours later I arrived at Portsmouth – the TomTom phone navigator doing its job well as I didn’t know Portsmouth too good – but it was well signposted anyway – its suprising how little you start to take in when someone (something) starts to give you directions – suddenly you lose track of signs – roads you are on etc etc. we have lazy brains! J well at least I have….
I got there early – by 3 hours - but there was 1 car ahead of me, and after I faffed around buying water and food I attempted sleep in the car but the noise and bright sunset over the concrete and tarmac car park and buildings that seem to make up ALL ferry terminals (I think they are prefabricated!!!) kept me awake. At 9.30 we started to board – lorries first then us, but there was a delay on the up ramp and everyone stopped and waiting – when we all were signalled to move again it seemed the big articulated lorry in front of us had not put on his handbrake and he rolled back towards us – the 1 guy (an old couple) who was ahead of me took the full impact, his car totally caved in at the front – me I was about to try and drive a sharp right turn but fortunately the lorry driver stopped – for me anyway – the old couples holiday ruined – it was written all over their faces – I felt so sorry for them – I was going to get out and help them but they were clearly ok from the amount of abuse they were giving the foreign truck driver! It played on my mind though as I headed to the ferry, what an awful shame, something so simple could wreck so much – not just metal and plastic, but people hopes – never wish that on anyone.
Once on the ferry I hoped for sleep but the incessant drone of the engine , let alone the snoring from next door AND the constant tannoy announcements left me tossing and turning, still wired from the long drive, the accident and the thoughts of whats to come….
I watched the clock roll by to 3.30 and then I slept till 5.30 – annoyed ay myself for not catching the sleeping bug and feeling so incredibly tired…. A few coffee’s and croissants and I got into the car ready for the 8 hours ahead – not only of foreign right hand driving, but also long and very very boring motorways – split up only by the excitement of toll booths that I would have to get out of my right hand drive car to run around to the left hand side of the car and stick in my VISA card…. The petrol and tolls mounted as did the long hours in the seat – by hour 7 I was ready to quit big time, but then after one more turning we opened up into the Alps – scenic views, big (and I mean BIG) mountains with grass, tree’s and high snow peaks – and chalet’s – like a picture postcard as they say!
The roads turned windy and complex, but Miss Tomtom helped me through although I found myself very distracted by the scenery, the milka swiss moo-cows and the road rider enjoying some serious hill climbs….
The chalet I was staying in was a welcome sight, and inside too was no let down – commanding views of the mountains, but it’s the bed that’s calling me more than anything…..a quick trip to the supermarche and I’m all stocked up with porridge and coffee and bread and Nutella – the warrington/st helens mountainbike club arrive tomorrow morning and the fun begins then, although im sure after driving all night they will just want to crash.
Oops lets not talk about crashing.
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Friday.
Got up Friday morning to coffee and porridge out on the balcony as the sun rose through the mountains , its heat causing the low mist that had settled overnight to begin rising – the air was fresh and I was keen to get out for a ride……heavy dark clouds in the distance rumbled thunder.
Leafing through the MBE EUROPE book (link) and remembering we were starting the PassPorte de Soleil from a town called Avoriaz I TOMTOM’d my way there in the car – a short distance but a 20 min drive due to the mountain roads twisting and winding up. I got there for 10 and the place was dead, not the bustling bike trail centre I thought it would be.
I drove around its distinctive angled buildings (due to some over zealous French architecture in the 80’s) and finally found the Tourist Information, there I asked about trails and they handed me a less than detailed map – a blind man with a broken pencil could have done better – but I then was told of a book of riding all of the area – so I bought that (to be honest the French T/Info woman was so nice I would have bought anything from her!) and went on my merry way looking for the start points of the trails. Nothing really grabbed my eye and I came across the only place looking open – a bike hire shed – so I stopped and asked in Frenchinglis about the area, he was very helpful. Unlike New Zealand or UK these are not specific mountain bike trails , which is what I thought, more like general tracks – bridleways – and you needed a bit of map savvy to figure out where they were – nothing from here he said is any good for the light riding I wanted to do – but he pointed me back up the main road to a cross roads where some trails met. Nice man.
Back up the road life was beginning to stir, fences were ging up with markers for the race on Saturday and Sunday (I was on Sunday) and riders were coming through thick and fast – lots of riders…. I parked up, donned my gear with the rumbling thunder getting closer and simply road up and down a couple of tracks , figuring out the markers to look out for, and ones to ignore, speaking to a few brits on the way – one of which kindly gave me a map. After about an hour of riding I didn’t want to do any of the downhill tracks because I wasn’t sure I wanted to bust a gut coming up – and I was ready for lunch back at the chalet.
Looking through the new book I noticed a ride from the chalet up and around the back – 2 hours, bit of a climb but otherwise should be ok – and indeed it was, nice trails down by the river, then a climb on the road and 4wd track (panting more than usual due to this high altitude!) coming out at a refuge called GRAYDON – along the way I met some Milka cows (go google Milka Chocolate!) being rounded up by the farmer, a small abandoned church, a little café that had just closed (dam you!) and plenty of walkers to say hello. I slippery steep downhill back the chalet finished of the ride – confirming the bike was all ok and the rider still was a bit dodgy with his new brakes J
I stepped out the shower to hear the call that the others had arrived in the Chalet and had unpacked and ready for food. We headed out to the local restaurant ‘Le Petit Coq’ (ooo matron!) ran by 2 English women, and had burgers and fries (yes real FRENCH FRIES – soooo nice!) and some house red. The others were pretty tired from the long drive and I still was feeling it a bit too, so we headed back for an early night.
Saturday
I awoke to find my chalet room buddy had arrived about midnight and we chatted over the coming week and what I had already ridden. We met up with the others for a quick ride in Morzine – where the main centre is for riding and bought our 6 day lift pass for 82€ - not realising it until later that I could have got a season pass for only twice that much – 6 weeks for the price of 2! After fixing a puncture I got on the road ride over we headed to the lifts! Trying not to look like complete newbies we managed to negotiate them ok – for the trails I was simply following the group and no idea what we rode – although at least these were properly numbered trails. Of course the backdrop of the Alps was something to behold, not that we looked up much while riding – it was full on ‘red route’ stuff and slippy and muddy as the overnight rain had not been dried out in the forest sections – lots of bumpy brake ruts, with some Black sections thrown in too, it was getting more intense than I really wanted it to be, but I was fully armoured up, and only had one OTB (over the bars) when my pedal caught a broken tree making it into a lethal hook. The bike and brakes and forks working well. It was a strange feeling at the end , not the exhausted knackering rode-all-day,. Because you had hardly pedalled , but mentally you were tired and the inside of the arms and thumbs were sore!
Showered and getting ready for the race tomorrow – early start as we have to register for 7.30am, so about 6.00ish start.
