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Day 2 in Barcalonette.....

 

Still suffering from my Stomach bug I had planned a large loop ride taking in 3 Col’s of the area, but as soon as I got on the bike I knew that was not possible. So I cut it back just to the Col De Cayolle at 30-odd K’s…. My legs did not have that empty feeling, just my body and mind. Despite drinking a lot of carbs the night before and on the bike I had no real punch, and indeed I kept getting off to pee!  It was a shame as it was a magnificent ride, taking in a narrow road on a 31k climb through the National Park of the area. Marmots, crickets, birds, butterflies all scattering as I pedalled through the lovely sun and surrounded by mountains and forest. I was wearing my TEAM SKODA top, and it was ok, the difference in temperature between the sun and the shade of the mountains was significant now, sending serious chills through the body before suddenly getting too hot. 

 

At the top of the Col, I was disappointed in my effort, but knew the reasons why, I don’t think I was absorbing any water I was putting in, just going right through – I was constantly thirsty yet nothing I did could change it, and I just end up peeing every hour – very frustrating – concerned it was killing my riding effort....

 

I headed back to the Hotel and enjoyed an afternoon on the balcony, reading in the evening sun with views of the mountains and the smells of the pine forests….

 

Day 3 - Final Ride

So today was my final ride of the holiday – A combination of factors cutting my stay here short by a day, 1 wanting to get this infection sorted out, 2 my travel and overseas breakdown cover was up, 3 the temperature was dropping right down to 15 degrees over the next few days, I was already chilly in the shade, and up high it was freezing…I would need some proper winter gear to stay for a while longer, and 4 the ferry price across the channel was 50% cheaper on Friday than Saturday!

 

So with a heavy heart I went out on a little ride through some French villages on a minor back road, not looking for climbs or speed, just to potter – and indeed that’s what I did- again a nice sunny day, and magnificent views of the mountains and the valley – I took some pictures, and quite sad – with lots of memories flooding back from the past few months - I made my way back to pack and grab some lunch and pack.   

 

Tomorrow was a 10 hour drive to Le Havre , ferry crossing overnight, than 4 hours on the UK motorways. I called in at the local store to stock up on driving food- diet cokes, biscuits, crisps and chocolate, oh yeah and petrol ;-)

 

I’ll put up a post later about my holiday reflections, after I return and process it all …. Its been a fantastic time……

 

Col De Bonette

 

This one would be a monster – straight out from the hotel door would be a 23k climb, with a massive profile – and I wasn’t exactly at 100%…. I was hoping it would be raining when I awoke, a good excuse, but it was bright and sunny, so, and perhaps secretly happy, I prepared – porridge and honey first, then clothing, then the bike, it needed some attention – the headset needed cleaning and re-oiling, but I would do that later, instead I changed the now worn rear tyre for a new Continental GP4000S with sticky chilli compound… it went on easy… as I did that on the balcony I noticed plenty of cloud coming over, so quickly rushed to get ready….

 

Out on the road I had planned a 20min ride along a flat road away from the climb to warm up, and then back , and then into the climb, but the clouds and knowing what was ahead wouldn’t be pretty in the wet, I headed straight up.

 

There were signs every K’m as per the usual French way, telling you distance left, % upwards and what you were riding (as if you’d make some kind of mistake!) . The road surface was unbelievable – totally smooth, as you’d expect from a recent Tour climb, but that didn’t help with the incline.   The sun though when it broke through was nice and warm, and I ploughed on up at 12k an hour, drinking as much as I could as I knew I had not drank water in a while.

 

I met a French rider riding up on a mountain bike on thin road tyres – we chatted for a while and I left him behind to fight his own battle with this monster.    The road increased in incline, as well as the wind, barrelling down the valley, hitting you on one side of a twist – making you freezing cold, then helping you on the other as you turned your back on it. The brake levers were already freezing cold, as were my knees and fingers…. On a relatively ‘flat’ section I put on some long fingered gloves and that helped, my core nice and warm from the Rapha Winter jersey…. If it were a woman I’d marry it!   At half way I was pleased with my speed, 12k’s an hour average, but trying to keep that meant I was getting a stitch as % grades went as high as 9% consistently K after K.

 

Only a few cars passed me, mostly it was motorcyclists, who amazingly waved at me – and as I passed some roadworkers, they too waved and cheered – how I loved the French attitude – in the UK I would be jeered and picked at.

 

Even with the fantastic views and the amazing snow filled barren landscape - I mentally left the road and thought of other things to take my mind off the effort, the pain in my stomach and the pain from my left knee…. It worked for a while, enough to get me to the 5K to go sign, which really pushed me on.  The wind getting stronger so I put in more effort, looking at the time, I could perhaps still make it all within 2hours!  I pushed hard ignoring the stiches in my stomach.

 

As you headed to the top, there was a shortcut you could take to drop down the other side, but it wasn’t the ‘real’ top, so I pounded up the last 900m at about 13% incline onto the circular tarmac road littered with snow and fallen rocks – but it was worth it, done inside 2hours!!!  The monument of the ‘point’ surrounded by fantastic landscapes and views – and of course a few cars and dutch motorcyclists!   I took the pictures, put on the windproof coat for the descent and headed down.

 

In a matter of seconds I was off the bike and changing the rear tube after a puncture, only my second in over 3 months of riding in Europe – and indeed before that, I could not remember ….  The French rider on the bike checked to make sure all was ok, and we chatted about the view – as I went back to the tyre as he headed down, a driver stopped and asked if I was ok. Nice.

 

I headed down, freezing cold, despite my coat, and my windproof overshoes and my gloves, everything was frozen – the icy blast from the wind as well as your speed of over 70k’s an hour at places also froze your cheeks, face, and scalp…. But , slowly as you headed into the valley it warmed up a little.

 

I rode straight into the hotel room and into a hot bath…. 2hours up, 30 mins down – 46k’s done. Not much in terms of time / K’s but so much in terms of up.

 

Big lunch – then I headed into Barcelonette for a mooch around – but it was all totally closed, seems Tuesday in this town was its day off. So I stopped at a piazza for a coffee and chocolate mousse then headed back in the lovely afternoon sun….

 

I decided to head out for a flat recovery ride, and it was pretty nice, just on a flattish road for a round trip in the sun of another 45K. It was rush hour traffic, but in this area of the woods, that meant few cars, a few trucks, and plenty of respect.  The ride passed quickly and thoughts were already on what to ride tomorrow as I tucked into a big pasta meal back at the Hotel, along with some nice Corsican Wine that I traded for my Tent – I wondered what adventures that tent would have – hopefully treated better by its new owners than how I had.

 

I also noted on the news the weather forecast for Corsican area – ooooohhh nasty – I was glad I had left when I had. Glad to be back in the alps / mountains – glad to be back in real France….

1st pics is the description of Col de Bonette as per an article in a cycling magazine rating the top 50 climbs of the world (of which i had done about 7 now i think, maybe 8...mmmm maybe 9 will have to check...

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Pictures of the Ride:

Genoa

Up early – I packed and paid the bill at the hotel, bargain and money well spent for the amount of food and coffee I ate there, and its fantastic location and views…

 

I was on the road heading for Genoa (Genova) to catch the ferry to Corsica. I booked it on the web for the Italian ferry company ‘MOBY FERRIES’… but with its early sail time it meant I had to stay over in Genova, well actually up a mountainside at a village rather than in the City.  On the way there the Dolomites was covered in thick grey clouds, but the sun peaked through and planted its rays in spots across the mountainsides and valleys – making for a nice initially start to the journey. I was sad to leave the Dolomites and thought about staying longer, but I wanted to see Corsica and hopefully enjoy better weather….

 

After the mountains disappeared the views were of farmland and dilapidated buildings, and back of cars and lorries cutting me up on the autobahn’s… the road cutting through major farmland and through swarms of flies, splattering the window – I hoped the 3 quid washer fluid would work its magic, but it seemed to clean just the same as before….

 

I had to stop a few times for pee’s, my bladder still giving me grief, despite me cutting back on water intake….

 

I made good time, so decided to headed straight into Genova and find the ferry port and check my online booking was ok. OOOoomistake,  chaos chaos chaos – I almost ended up boarding a Ferry to Tunisia after getting lost around the massive port area…. Finally I found the service desk, everything was fine… and now I knew where it was for the morning….so I headed to the village and the hotel room.

 

When I say hotel, it was basically rooms in someone’s house, but it was pretty nice and ensuite bathroom and everything inside was brand new. The village was pretty basic, but next door was restaurant and I headed down for a quiet pasta meal…. As I entered there were a few people already there, Tatayana an adopted Russian to the Italian Owner and her friends, including a funny guy called Serjey – who, using an iPhone and Google translator made great conversation…. Over beer’s and then invited to their family meal, we talked about the usual – Moto GP, Football, drinking, cars etc… a great time – he showed me his Fiat 500 Arbarth and took me for a spin with the stereo blasting – a fantastic car, and it loved the twisty tight roads much better than my more sedate Merc!

 

Saying goodnight to everyone in broken Italian and terrible Russian, I collected email addresses and Facebook details and slept well until 6am when the alarm went off.

 

 

2 ferry’s, 2 country’s, 2 days….

A quick dash to the ferry port, I queued up and checked in, trying to calm down a little from the frightening thunderstorm that had dumped so much water onto the Italian roads that the car was swimming most of the way…. Still I was glad it was so early as to avoid most of the traffic.

 

The ferry was bloody awful, lots of dodgy people via foot passengers, smelling of booze (at 8am!!) crowding the alleyways and seating areas. Most of the decks closed now in the off season sailing but still enough people packed into what was left open to make it uncomfortable.  I had numerous arguments with the staff behind the coffee counter. You had to order at the till first, get a bill and then show it to someone else before you got your food/drink….First the Latte I was given had no coffee in it and was cold, so he dumped an espresso shot in it…I pushed it back towards him and in broken Italian made sure he knew I wanted a proper HOT latte – was it too much to ask… then when I went back later to order a sandwich, he just plonked it on the counter to the nearest person and walked away – as it happened it was one of those bums!!! And he was about to walk off with it, I collered him and dragged it away from his prying hands – the guy was English and said ‘ooo sorry mate wondered why I got a free butty’ – I turned to the guy behind the counter and held up my ticket and told him to bloody well check them before giving out food….

 

As the Ferry began to pull into Corsica – the town of Bastia – the rain started – the town looked pretty nice as I drove through it, using the sat nav I had plotted a route around the back of the city to avoid the ferry traffic – some sides of the town not so nice, but I ended up where I wanted to be, on a mountain pass road, cutting about 30 mins off the main-road-route – that was surely chocca full of campers and cars off the Ferry.

 

I was heading to Calvi on the other side of the Island – despite the rain the coastline and sea looked fantastic, the traffic heavy once I had returned to the main road. I was feeling extremely rough by the time the 2 hour journey was over, just generally rough all over – I got to the 3* campsite, to be quite disappointed by it. A sandy based site, with a funny standing water smell, and quite full (as they had closed half of it for the off-season) most with old caravans that had been there a while, occupied by less than savoury characters – I found a spot that was not underwater, and quickly put up the tent in the drizzle. The tent by now had seen better days, and packing it away wet last time, meant there was plenty of mould and dodgy smells in it. It turned my stomach a little.  I unpacked and the rain eased for the evening so I headed into Calvi as a glimmer of sun broke through as I walked the sort distance across the beach. Calvi was ok, a little harbour with boats, and then 3 streets of tourist shops and/or bar’s – food here was super expensive! I texted my sister to hopefully use the net to find some better accomo – but most were expensive – even in the off season – there are only so many Hotels on Corsica!

 

I headed back to the tent just as the rain started again and not feeling very hungry, tried to sleep as more and more people crowded into the site, and the disco’s that lined the main street behind the site began to pound out the beat – at 2am I got to sleep.

 

The morning was bright and sunny and so I headed into Calvi again on the beach for coffee – as my coffee plunger had broken – at 3quid for a coffee it was pretty expensive, but it was dam nice, so I had 2 , and a croissant, even though I was not hungry.

 

I prep’ed the bike for a long ride and headed off – the sun shining – and the ambient temperature much hotter than the Alps/Dolomites. I was still pee’ing for too often, and now it seemed it had spread to the more solid (or now less solid!) area’s of the latrine use…. Ughhhh  

 

The ride gave fantastic views as I spent 3 hours climbing out of the seaside campsite up to the mountains through little quiet villages – the roads though were pretty rough, sand washed out from side streets and houses across them, water filled potholes, rough patchy tarmac – and I was not in the best of shape on the bike either – not drinking, not thirsty etc… but the roads were pretty quiet and I enjoyed the morning on the bike – even if I didn’t pound out the ‘K’s’

 

I decided to take in a drive in the afternoon to see the rest of the island. The weather forecast was for thunder and heavy rain over the next few days, and indeed it was raining now, and so I wanted to see if it was worth staying around in the tent , moving to another part of the island (again in the tent as accomo was expensive) or leaving the island all together.  

As much as the island was pretty, the landscape was quiet barren and mostly sandy scrub land, with only the mountain area giving forest and diversity, yet the roads were pretty poor.

 

Back at the tent I decided I would leave the island. If I was going to ride in the rain, I would want to ride on decent roads, and I didn’t really want to move around the island from one campsite to the next in the rain either – yes maybe it would not rain all the time, but Corsica was pretty much an outdoor place – beach, riding, or walking, and so when it rained there was nothing much else to do, but sit in the tent or some bar…plus I was feeling dog rough and didn’t enjoy being in a tent when sick….

 

I booked the next ferry out, (8am from Bastia) and some accommodation – a studio room in a castle for 5 nights above the Cote D; Azur – near some great riding locations, for half the price of a Corsican hotel - and as I packed everything away a dutch couple pulled into the pitch next to me, surveying the water logged site from the windows of their campervan.

 

I thought about how I could pack the wet sandy tent away – in the morning at 5am or tonight and sleep in the car. As I would probably not use it again (it was a tent that got very cold very quickly and was essentially too big for just me, and yes… It was mouldy and smelled), I had an idea… I said hello to the couple next to me and explained the tent and the situation, saying that I was not going to use it again. The guy was keen to take it and would take it down after I had left in the morning – he said he would clean it up and get rid of the mould and give it to his 2 sons who wanted to tour around next year. Perfect – I would sleep in it tonight and just leave it up tomorrow – as I sat and read my book the guy came back over with a bottle of wine and insisted I take it in exchange for the tent. Very nice of him. A bottle of Corsican Red! Lovely

 

Trying to push my earplugs further into my ears to block out the disco music and get some sleep between pee’ing I thought about what was next after I got back to the UK….trying to make a mental note of things to do, options and plans…..

 

4am the next morning I got up and quietly as I could, washed up and headed out – the roads quiet apart from the noise of thunder in the distance. I got to Bastia quite early, and parked up near the Ferry terminal – which was clear and easy to find this time – and walked around the promenade and the streets – it was a nice town and a café on the corner near the terminal was open – the croissants were fresh out of the oven, and the coffee ground fresh and from a proper machine – and it was cheap – it perked me up in time for the Ferry arrival, which coincided with the arrival of the rain from the thunderstorms.

 

This Ferry was French, and you could tell, its interior was decked out like you imagine cruise ferries to be , gold beams, wooden decks, nice lighting – and all the shops and café’s were open – serving fantastic food, cooked, breakfast and coffee, all at cheap prices – lounges with big screen TV’s and piped music kept everyone relaxed, staff in suits collecting rubbish and trays - and it was much more an enjoyable experience.  I still didn’t feel like food, and just had more coffee and a yoghurt.

 

As the 5 hours went by I felt more and more rough, stomach ache and headache too, I decided to grab more food as the restaurant opened for lunch, as I wouldn’t get chance to eat on the journey to the hotel. The frites and pork chops was pretty nice and I also had a full sugar coke. It didn’t really help my mood, and neither did the twix bar and final coffee before setting off. The ferry docking into Nice, and the view of the coastline was impressive, Monte Carlo on the horizon, but also I never realised that it was so mountainous – yet heavily built on.

 

Nice was packed, top to bottom left to right packed! I plotted a sat-nav route through the city then back onto the coast-line road to see what it was like. Nice was impressive, bring grand buildings and churches, and also similar on the coastal road, although this was a 6 line highway of chaos, people trying to park, change lanes, come out of parking places, scooters everywhere – the building getting slowly more and more touristy the further you went away from nice – but in all cases there was plenty of shops and bar’s to take your money. The actual sea-side of the highway looked ok, a cycle lane for ‘city’ bikes , but also running on, as well as the long stretch of golden sand…. 

 

The route to the hotel was nice and lifted me no end, as I saw the oncoming mountains and into the typical gorges roads and then climbing on a road etched into the mountain side… the 2 hour journey going quickly, so I headed to the local tourist info office in Barcelonette before the hotel, to pick up the details on the 7 big mountain passes (Cols) to ride – 2 of the biggest names in the Tour de France – Col de Lombarde and the Col de Bonette – the highest road pass in Europe (although every country seems to claim that one ! – scroll back to see Austia’s – the GrossGlockner, and Switzerland too…) . I had driven oven it to get to the town, and it was an utter monster – at 2860m and on a single track steep road into baron un-hospitable mountains – sounds great!!!

 

Barcelonette was a real French town, on the outskirts large 3 story mansion’s once (and perhaps some still) owned by the French aristocracy, now mostly offices and museums, and then into the town with the high 4-5 story terrace houses, little bars and markets, and central square with a  fountain , the WWI and WWII memorials and farmers and workers rubbing shoulders with pretty women with small dogs. I took to it immediately!

 

The hotel was a huge castle, although that only houses a restaurant, the out buildings held the studios that I was in, at 200E for 5 nights with 2 floors, 2 bedrooms, and a fully equipped kitchen it was a major bargain, and with fantastic views of the Valleys –this region being known as the Ubaye Valley.

 

Fairly exhausted now and feeling the effects of my food / water poisoning I had a simple meal (porridge and honey) and headed to bed, thinking of that Col de Bonette and hoping for sun tomorrow.

 

   

A day in the City – Bolzano

So with the car requiring a service I had to drive the 30k’s into Bolzano to drop it off, despite it being 6am in the morning the traffic was busy, but at least this time moving… I got to the dealership without breakfast or coffee, so as you can imagine, not in the best of spirits… again no one bothered to queue, so I get to the reception, and they tell me the courtesy car will cost 60euro’s. I tell them I was told it was free when I booked it in – ‘a problem in communication, not for your car, for new car’ – after 30mins of arguing I get it for less than half price and lodge a formal complaint.

 

The car of course was left-hand-drive, so everything was different, looking in the rear view mirror took effort – but not as near enough effort as driving the 8k’s into the city center – rain, Italian drivers, rush hour, chaos. I got stressed very quickly…. Diving into the nearest city car park (at least I could reach the ticket machine without having to get out and walk round the car) I was grateful for the parking sensors on this model (It’s a B class Mercedes, and the second time I have driven one of these, big, spacious, economical, well equipped, I quite like them!).

 

I emerged into the light to walk around the old city of Bolzano, it was a nice car free area, with plenty of café’s – I accidentally passed by the tourist info, so quickly dropped in for a map and a really friendly chat with the assistant behind the counter, her welcoming smile lifting me a little – but not nearly as much as the 2 croissants and 2 excellent coffee’s at the nearest café.  I opted for a less sophisticated one off the main plaza – as they were full of business men and women. 

 

I was keen to see the ICE MAN exhibition, (more on him later) but the queue outside was long and full of college students, so with the rain temporarily easing I walked up the riverside to the castle on the hill. A pleasant quiet 30min walk to relieve the stress of the morning… The castle was impressive and amazingly, an English guide leaflet was available!!!   That took a few hours, and the walk back was nice – the queue to the ICE MAN was lower now and I grabbed an ice cream and coke and joined it….

 

The ICE MAN is basically a guy from early bronze-age man who was found high up on a mountain pass by explorers a few years back (1992) completely intact – mummified by the low temperatures and ice… his clothes and tools and backpack were all intact, and they had determined he had been shot by an arrow and fallen, and then obviously died….  The exhibition was quite informative (again in English) with video’s and artefacts as well as history on the variety of mummification techniques and their use in history / across countries.

 

I stood in line to peek through the thick plasti-glass of the sci-fi looking sealed metal room that contained his perfectly preserved body, small for his age (46) about the size of a teenager, his dark brown skin, shining from its long-scientifically-sounding-preservation coating….An embarrassing moment was my phone going off while peeking through the glass!

 

After all that history my brain needed more coffee and food, so I took a late lunch, and then decided to head back to the dealer, before rush hour kicked in once more…quickly taking in a local church before the drive back.

 

I picked up the car, choking at the price of filling the water-reserve tank (3 quid!) as well as the overall bill, and headed back in the rain to the hotel.

 

After another lovely evening meal, I picked out a riding route for the next day – a short 55k loop taking in 2 climbs, one I had done already – but from the other side, as it looked pretty good on the descent…

 

Final Ride in the Dolomites.

 

So it would be my final ride today, a 55k loop, and the day started brightly with the sun burning away the early mist. My bladder was giving me a little pain today as I prepared for then ride, and drove to the start point. Indeed it almost led to a very embarrassing moment at the Map store, until I managed to find the public WC’s… dam I had picked up a bladder infection – most probably from not cleaning out my camelback bottles correctly… they were great bottles but the drinking spout was difficult to clean and collected mould…

 

I headed out in the warm sun, not needing my think riding jersey today, the snow at the lower levels had melted and the roads were clear of water and of drivers.  The ride was amazing, as usual, after the first climb it turned and skirted the valley staying quite high so giving great views…  Having to stop to pee every hour though was concerning….

 

On the way back to the Hotel I stopped at a bike store, I really needed a long sleeved jersey for September riding to complement my Rapha winter jersey (as that would have to get a wash at some point)  but was not keen on getting the usual branded jerseys that everyone in France seemed to wear…. Except one was on special, 70% off, the last one,my size, so I payed the 40euros and am now a member of TEAM SKODA!

 

clikky here for linky YouTube account

Monday was a day of rain - and lots of rain - with the forecast also for rain over the next few days and dropping temperatures I was concerned the 'Summer Sun' I had been enjoying for months was now over.... I took the car into the nearest City to book it in for its service, a 20K journey descending into Choas on the rain hit streets - taking 2 hours in, 2 hours at the dealer, 2 hours out.... I hoped for a break in the rain in the afternoon, but got none and simply surfed and watched tv....

Tuesday
I awoke early, 7.30 and opened the curtains - like a kid at Christmas i was excited, the sun was shining , it was a glorious morning, and on the tops of the mountains, snow !!! Dashing down i had an early and quick breakfast, and got ready - this time taking my Rapha winter long sleeved thick top, and rain-proof shorts to cover my riding shorts.

I drove the 20mins through the early morning rising sun to the start point of the 4 passes (2 of which i had already done) - traffic quiet - the countryside peacful.

I got out - feeling pretty chilly, and quickly got ready and hit the climbs.... the roads were wet , and in the car i had thought which way i should ride this loop, i decided on anti clockwise, getting in 2 of the biggest climbs in the shade, hopefully descending in the sun (and dry roads) and then climbing the other side with the sun higher in the sky keeping me warm.... the southern passes were a little off the beaten track too, so should be quieter, the northern side being a main road, and i didnt want to hit that just yet either.

So anti clockwise i began, with the green valley making way for snowy hills and even snowier mountains, making for superb views.... the sun though started to be covered by clouds and i was worried the weather might turn for the worse... i pushed hard , wanting to get the 2 big climbs out of the way in case of rain / snow!!!!

the first peak, PASSO SELLA , that I had already done, came pretty quick, i was impressed my legs were in good shape....the descent down the other side took its toll on my exposed fingers, but the Rahpa top held onto the warmth i gathered on the way up.... the road was indeed damp and slippy, the sun not able to dry it out yet.....

Bang right into the second climb, by this time more camper vans , motorbikes and touring cyclists and hit the road.... I chatted on the way up to 2 americans touring the Dolomites, then as the sun came out from behind the clouds it lit up the craggy peaks, on every corner a fantastic photo opp. that befited a better camera than my mobile phone.

The second peak - the highest PASSO PORDIO (2239m) and the coldest - down to 6C according to a digital sign outside the Bar, every where you looked, amazing views..... the descent was easier on this side, a wider road, dried a little and less twisty, so speed was good onto the turn off back towards the northern climbs....

At the junction the traffic was noticably heavier, trucks etc, now climbed this road, but they gace good space and i had no issues.   The road was in good shape for the climb, the sun out but the clouds gathering.....

I crested the 3rd pass, PASSO CAMPOLONGO, and keen to head down and hopefully miss out on any rain that was up in the big clouds.....descending was a little more sketchy, a very wet and slippery road, with lots of traffic.#

Legs still good, i pushed hard up to the final pass (that i had climbed from the other side in the previous ride)...much twistier and steeper this side, and longer. Still no real issues... so PASSO GARDENA we meet again... ;-)  not pausing here much apart from trying to take a good picture of the twisty climb out of the valley, i headed down and back to the car....wondering about doing a 2nd loop...but decided to leave on a high.... totally elated from 3h15m in the saddle on a truly great great ride.

pics below.

I wish i was talking about Lake como - but no chance - for sure a fantastic location, some nice villages, but on a friday afternoon after battling traffic all the way into and out of Milan, almost getting rear ended 3 times, and cut off a 1000 times, witnessing a motorbike accident on the road around the Lake, then seeing a truck almost wipe out a cyclist and then take off a wing mirror of a parked car, after all that, i got the 'Classic Italian' hotel, to find it utter rubbish and i was getting totally and utterly ripped off.

The room over the lake, taken, despite me saying that was the room i had booked, with its photograph next to the 'BOOK NOW' button, instead i got a room overlooking a clapped out Terrace, tiny, no hot water....and smelly!!!!
I was here for 4 days , half board too, as the fantastic restaurant was well renowned in the vicinty - what for - utter crap food that i got served, plain bonney fish with a side plate of bland spinach,  manufactured ice cream....dumped without a smile or word onto the table.... ugh.. i was not the only one to look dissapointed, a young couple who checked-in like me - looked bewildered - i hope it was not thier main holiday!!!

i took a walk south, as i was at the very north of the Lake (thinking it would be quieter and easier to ride), but the constant road noise and jamming of brakes and horns, exhaust fumes , distracted somewhat for the lovely Lake View, look back though along the shore to see a lot of dodgy people selling you stuff and campsited crammed with even more dodgy caravans and tents.... and i MEAN CRAMMED.

I think i had made 2 mistakes, 1. booking at the north end, instead of in 1 of the lovely southern towns, 2. not leaving the hotel straight away and searching for something at the southern end.

Completley deflated I looked online for alternatives and could find nothing around the Lake that was reasonable or willing to take a chance on, and anyway, did i really want to ride on these roads??? at the weekend?? Was i really all that bothered and taking some pics of old churches and expensive houses....not enough to stay....

After some advice from my all knowing sis about places in Italy, i decided to head to the Dolomites for the next day... 4 nights half boardat SportHotel Platz - with some great customer reviews and centrally located in some great countryside and road-passes prime for riding....i could not believe the price for full board in a Hotel with 2 swimming pools and sauna's.... crossing fingers i booked it online.

I hardly slept with the road noise - and the morning sun was a welcome sight as i packed the car and took a few pics of the sunrise, perhaps i had made a mistake in leaving soon, but as i waited some 5 or 6mins just to cross the road at 7.30am i decided nope, not a chance....

Breakfast at the 'hotel' was bread-ends and butter and jam.... yes the couple from before also looked at me in disgust. The fantastic coffee machine at the bar went unused as a push button machine was used for our coffee, as a local came in , he got the machine....

i got up and told them i was leaving- thier shocked faces made me shocked - you really think this is a good place to stay people!!!!!

I hit the road and was keen to leave as quickly as possible.  Still , instead of taking the autoroute roads i decided to stick to the backroads, a full hour added to the journey, but i would get to see towns and italy, rather than autobahns...
(pics below)

The journey was my now typical italian road experience, and the towns a mass of concrete and choas.....

...only until i got out into the countryside did things change, traffic calmed, spaces opened, mountains rose up, and meadows and little villages twisted and turned into view.  i sighed relief......

I found the Hotel, it was up out of the Valley from Ortisei, a 5km steep climb - 15% in places - offically in Bulla. A fantastic location, set in forest but with panoramic views wherever your eyes would look, a small village and a lovely church.  Outside it was a picture postcard alpine lodge, like many in the area, Inside it had a large and welcoming bar, and nice friendly staff - despite me turning up early and them having a private function for a funeral of the owners uncle, they made sure i knew everything - including a cycle route out the back of the hotel, where the pools and sauna's were and meal times.

The room was small, but double doors and a balcony extended it out to the valleys and mountains beyond. The pillows and matress comfortable and the shower was dam hot. just as i like it.

As the funeral posse made its way into the church i sat down at the bar to a fantastic coffee (hot black coffee in 1 little jug and hot milk in another, just like the way Hotel Post made it in Austria!) and fresh sandwich - despite the kitchen being closed.  They also offered to put the bikes away but assured me crime was not an issue.

I was unsure weather to speak german , austrian or italian!!!!

I headed down into the village for ice creams and a stroll,filled with older generation german and austrians, the town was pristine, selling expensive clothing and various local items, Wooden sculptures seeming to be the in thing.... so so nice..... I checked out the Tourist info and bought a few road maps for the rides i wanted to do..... more on that tomorrow....

The meal at the night time was an all you can eat buffet salad,... tomato soup with as much bread as you can muster,  slow roasted pork leg and roasted vedgies and potato's....and then creamcaramal for afters, plus wine throughout, and views to die for.... superb in every sense.

Despite the local church bells every 15 mins i slept very very well....

Sunday - Just across, eastwards from where i was staying were 4 famous passes used in the  'Maratona dles Dolomites' course and the Giro D'Italia - it would be a big effort to do all 4, and i prepared to do them all, but the forecast of heavy rain and the sluggishness to my legs ...and the distance to get there - all up hill, that i didnt realise - put paid to that idea (oh and the Italian GP on TV too at 2pm!!) ...

To get there was a main road,but wasnt too busy in the morning, the buffet breakfast of museli, yoguty, fruit and coco-pops giving me some good energy, but my legs tired, despite 2 days off the bike... i think riding on Paracetamol and the big climb up the back of the Alpe D'Huez had taken its toll.   

After 18k's of climbing I got the actual climbs, and more riders to ride with... the road was in excellent condition but the air very cool, as the sun was blocked by clouds and the fact it was still only 10o clock too...  motorcyclists did thier usual 'pass anywhere' but cars and coaches gave good respect....

The climbs were steep and hard, superb views though as the pics will show....i had done 2 out of the 4, and will do the other 2 tomorrow / another day.  At the top of the passes were the usual cafe's and parking area's filled with motorcyclists....

Road cyclists and mountainbikers alike all signal each other here, which is nice, bit of a change from stuffy French riders....

I headed back down, getting really cold, even in my windprood top and shoe covers!!!  i think i will need a bit of a clothing upgrade soon to cope with these temperatures..

I descended into the valley road,only then remembering the 4/5k steep climb back to the hotel, gulp.... it came and went ok, just cruised.  3hours on the bike and 61ks of climbing....will post up a map/profile later.

In the bar, free wireless internet with a beer and crisps, chatting to the barman about F1.....

pics below.

Another 2 days at the Chalet, and another 2 days riding. Both are recommended to me by the American couple staying at the chalet - they seem to enjoy the same kind of riding as me - big hills and even bigger views !

The achey flu symptoms are persisting but i'm not letting that stop me riding. A few paracetamol to get rid of the headache - and the stuffy head seems to go a little when out on the bike.

So - the first ride is a Balcony ride - taking in the old mountain roads that are cut into the mountains either side of the Alpe D'Huez main climb.

1 - Western Side balcony climb
This was a flat stretch on a main road before heading up a well surfaced and slightly steep incline through little villages and giving great views, on yet another sunny day. I wasnt feeling too strong, so the 'granny gear' up front got plenty of use today. Still, progress was good - the road narrowed quite considerably the close to the main Huez climb... once there you descended down the main road and branched off right before climbing again on the Eastern side of the Heuz - before circling around and down the valley back onto the main road.... the descent was a little scetchy on the patchwork quilt of a road, but once onto the main road it was fine ... a cruisy finish to cool down the legs and take in the last of the evening sun, which was warm and nice....

2 - Higher Balcony Ride - Col de Serenne (2000m) and Alpe D'Huez (yes again!!)

Today, the day after the ride above, i was still feeling a little rough, so spent the morning recharging and taking a little more paracetamol to dull the flu symptoms. I wasnt keen on riding on pain killers as they can mask problems, but i have had no aches or pains for a while so it would be ok.  I didnt set out until well after 1pm, after exchanging emails and saying good bye to the nice American couple who were heading into Switzerland (so jealous!!! I love Switzerland) and letting lunch go down a little....I'd overdosed a bit on coffee too - so was good to let that buzz calm a little before tackling this climb.... and indeed what a climb, right from the offset, i guess it had to be to  reach those heights.  The road again was a patchwork mess, but not too bad to climb, with a few short steep sections on the way up. The views were stunning and the traffic quiet, and yes, once again the sun shone, making it a perfect riding day....

The Col came up quicker than I thought although with no sign or indication that it had been reached. Not too cold up at these altitudes today but a slight breeze kept you nice and cool. The views from here were truly stunning and the plateau at the top covered in a brown scrub like vedgitation - I mooched around the bike shop at the top of Alpe d'Huez and had a coffee, before setting off down. Feeling much better after the ride, and more like myself - in other words ... I WAS HUNGRY!!! :-)    Back at the the Chalet all was quiet, most people out, so i tucked into the free pasta and coffee....  The owner is cooking a real Indian Curry tonight - what a bloody perfect day!!!!!

Tomorrow I move onto Lake Como.... I'm hoping for some nice flat 'round the lake rides' and plenty of italian pasta, coffee and ice cream!!!!! yum!

Alpe D'Huez

A week here in a catered Chalet at a reasonable rate has been quite an experience. Its in the heart of Tour De France climbing country and i have done as many of them as i can, while also taking in some local sights and sounds.

All the climbs have been hard, but offered great views and passed some great little villages, churches and monuments on the way.

Day 1 - Alpe D'Huez Climb

Packing up the tent and heading down here was quick enough, i managed to get the tent down and packed before the rain started, and had resigned myself to the fact it would rain all day. The Journey was 4 hours in the heavy rain on the back roads of France and up and over twisty passes (that i would later climb)   I was pleased i was heading into a catered chalet that i had found on google, and negotiated a good rate, no putting the tent up in the rain / wind for me.

On arrival i dropped off the bikes into thier shed and gear into the room and headed into the main town Bourg D'Osians , it was a bustling french town, with a few nice cafe's and bike shops especially, but i wouldnt say anything to write home about.

The weather though was clearing as i ate my lunch, in an old art deco bar of a Hotel - so i headed back to the Chalet and prepared to ride up the Alpe D'Huez climb....along with hundreds of other riders that had also waited for the rain to clear.

It was a short ride, a bit of a slog at the bottom, but then leveled into a nice gradient at the top. Cool conditions made it quite nice.Near the top you had your picture taken and can but it online via interwebby technology. cool. Stunnig views of the major peaks and valleys as you would expect from this height.

A good feed at the Chalet in the evening and nice chatting to a few brits and other couples there, riding also. A really nice atmosphere.

Day 2 - Col de Galibier (via Col de Lautaret)

I fancied a nice long ride today, and although this was on a major road with tunnels, the final section up to the top of the pass was on a really quiet nice section. Post breakfast i headed out and the day was getting hot , although as soon as you hit shadow it was quite cool, that ambient summer-heat taking a drop now september was here.

The road to the first Col was nasty - busy - not in good shape, and some climbing and rolling hills then a major 20k climb to its top, where there were plenty of cafe's at the top of this peak leading to the Galibier, once of the Tours famour climbs. a coffee and croissant was in order as was more water in the bottles.

The Galibier road was quiet apart from the Motorbikes, but the road itself was narrow and had the most Tour de France graffitti on it i had ever seen - it ache'd history. A steep but fantastically enjoyable climb to the top - with great views as always. The ride back was again nasty, but at least mostly downhill and could bounce over the rotten tarmac and through the stuffy tunnels.

Day 3 - Rest and Recovery

I took in some local markets and local scenic roads - ate plenty of food, drank plenty of water. More people into the Chalet, dutch couple who were hiking and a nice American couple, cycling!

Day 4 - col de glandon and croix de fer and col de mollard

Another major day in the saddle today, starting with a 1 hour drive to get to a place to make this a big loop. taking in 3 major climbs, 2 again major Tour de France routes.  It was a lovelly ride, the Col De Glandon through a narrow pass in the valley and on an even narrower road (1 car wide) with some major major major steep sections, then down and onto a really nice wide road for the Croix and scooting down through the closed ski resorts into the valleys for a final wonderful climb through some lovelly villages and back roads to Mollard, before descending onto a slightly busy main road to head back to the car.  Looong day, but great one.

Day 5 - Mountain biking

The Chalet owner and his friend  kindly took me out for a local ride, pretty steep and technical - too much for me, and an early fall damaged my gears, but towards the bottom in flattened out into a nice wooded trail, similar to NZ riding, and i zipped along with no problems, although starting to feel a little rough and hot , coming down with a bit of a cold, caught perhaps from someone in the Chalet.

.......................

Not sure where to head to next, Northern Italy - the lakes, as the weather will be hopefully good still, or forget those, head to south of france for some riding and then into Corsica....still planning....but a few more rides to do here yet, as long as this cold of mine holds off.....

So i had one thing in mind today - a big ride - after a rest day yesterday the legs seemed good (they should with all the good food they had been getting!! roast chicken, etc etc) - there was a ride south of here that took in 2 major mountain climbs (Col De L'iseran 2770m - my biggest yet, and Col De Mt Cenis 2100m) - the only issue it wasnt a loop, so the first one climbed would also have to be done in reverse - my little book on local climbs had the reverse as the hardest side to ascent, but shorter - 13k instead of 17k - but with 9% climbs rather than 6-8%.... and inbetween the 2 mountain climbs was a 33K of hilly road....  still it would be my last ride here in bourg st maurice area before moving on and these were 2 famous Tour climbs as well as having some fantastic scenery....

I drove to the closest town and headed off, fully loaded, 2 bottles, plenty of food... the road was bad, quite bad for french roads, lots of patchwork done - and not very well, and the scenery was nice, the more you climbed up though the more barren it got, almost LUNAR like.... similar to Tongariro in New Zealand - the volcanic platau's ....

Anyway, it was indeed a big climb - i'd started a few k's before where i should and that was a little climb too... the worries of my left leg were gone as it was good today, and i was pretty fresh - as always, great views of valleys, snowpeaks and glaciers......awesome!....so charging down the other side (and passing careful cycle tourists who couldnt take the bends as fast as me) i headed on to the next one - this was on a major road though so i had to be careful....

The hilly road section had indeed a bit of climb inbetween, and although fresh i charged up it, i was concerned about it on the way back.... the second mountain pass came quickly enough, mainly due to a nice tailwind (another concern for the way back) and there was no need to worry about the traffic, hardly anyone around just after 1pm as they were all still on the French 2 hour lunch ;-).   I estimated a 3h target time to the top, and was keen not to go over that, so pushed hard, very hard.....  The top therefore came quicker than i thought but as i looked at my computer it was indeed 3hours, time for food.

As with all mountain passes a nice bar was at the top, i had a really well made coffee, orangina, and the chefs soup, which came with croutons and cheese slices , for you to break up and add in.... it was bloody lovely. 
The wind was picking up as i left , trying to get the legs into gear from sitting for 20mins, and big grey clouds were covering the warm sun, it was chilly.... i put on the rain coat just as the heavens opened, and i headed down although careful on the wet road - so not going to fast... still i waved i past many touring cyclists coming up and down... most of them didnt want to chat !! :(  .... the shower thankfully passed and the warm sun met me as i hit the bottom of the Valley

My worries about the hilly road section were right.... indeed as bad as i thought it would be, i pushed hard once again, head down in the wind, the soup hanging heavy inside, but the legs were still pretty good at this point.... I hit the reverse of the big climb to Iseran pretty exhuasted.... i knew i had 14-15k of really steep uphill....and a thought entered my mind, somehow i could do the return leg quicker than the out-leg (3hours) - wouldnt that be something, but - i would have to really charge...and so i did....but it was unrelenting, each K an absoulte grind in the bottom gear, or a few gears up, standing up....the last 3k's up the hill were an absolute horror - everything was gone.... but i could still do it, so i gritted my teeth and carried on up..... the altitutude and/or soup and/or pushing hard, really made me feel sick, and i was thankful to see the tops of the flags that were around the Mountain top pass sign....it gave me a boost and i was up but timings were close, so just a quick stop of a reverse photo of the when i came up and headed down, really really focused on the descent....picking dry lines, avoiding potholes, cutting cornes when traffic allowed, braking late and hard.....

Got back to the car 5h45mins...... AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! fantastic....!!!!!!!!!!!

Heater on full to defrost the feet and calf's i headed back to camp - for junk food, and lots of it....  pics on the link below