Happy 43rd Birthday Treb

Sorry, no pictures, can't download them until I get back.

Today was like a fantasy come true. Our expectations were very high for today, and they were easily exceeded. Thompson Tours is an A+ operation. The route was great. We viewed today's first mountain stage only 300m from the top of the Columbiere. They had the Tour (in english) on TV, just as promised at our vantage point. It was absolutely crazy on the mountain. I felt absolutely great today, and was able to keep up with the front guys on all the climbs (basically the LSC crew, led by Painman).

We left at 9AM with 3 climbs on order prior to reaching our vantage point. The first was the Col D Aravis. Right at the bottom, one of the riders started pushing the pace. We let him go, but then early in the climb, there was a short descent, and I bridged up to him. He is from New York, and has a British accent. He knows Matt Henry. He said to say hi from Phil from Sids Matt. I followed him all the way to the top. We pressed harder than I wanted to, but I just couldn't contain myself (big surprise). We knew we had a 30K descent after the climb, so I wasn't to worried. We summit ed just a couple minutes in front of the rest of the LSC clan.

The descent off the Aravis was fun. Our guide Eric led us down at a fast pace, hitting the switchbacks with a lot of speed. Once the road opened up, I asked Eric if I could go ahead, and he obliged. It was amazing. I was careful, but definitely tested my descending. My tires are gripping very well, and I had a great feel for the brakes. Baker was about the only one who would follow.

Next up was Mount Saxxonex, and it was tough. 10-12% all most of the way up, plus most of us ran out of water. Painman and a couple others set a torrid pace, that I could barely sustain. At the top, a nice frenchman filled our bottles from his home. What a great place. The drivers are exceptionally considerate of cyclists, and do a very good job of sharing the narrow, and sometimes busy roads. I don't know that I could be that patient.

We descended of Mount Saxxonex to the beginning of the Col De Columbiere. Treb, Painman, Baker, and I rode with a couple others at a very reasonable pace most of the climb. Every kilometer got a little more crowded, and lots of people cheered us as we climbed. Towards the top, it felt like you were riding in the tour yourself, with tons of people lining both sides of the narrow mountain road. I arrived at the Vantage point exhausted, just in front of the others. I wanted to stop, but the ladies motivated me saying "You're almost at the top." I remounted and went all the way up. I could barely move at the top. The entire road was filled with spectators.

I went back down to the vantage point to join the others. We ate and drank till it hurt. After a little while the publicity caravan started rolling through, and started tossing schwag. I got some cool stuff.

It was great people watching. People of all kinds were up there. A couple guys dressed like Elvis, the Germans with their tight lycra shorts, etc. Finally, about 2 hours after we got there, the race arrived. The first 6 riders each came by solo, then a pretty large group with all the GC favorites. I got some great pictures and video.

The decent off the Columbiere was challenging. Everyone is coming down off the mountain, and picking your way through the pedestrians, cars, and slower bikers is an exercise in patience. Our ride leader showed us how it was done, without taking any dumb risks. Once we got down into the finish town, it was wall-to-wall cars. The bike (or walking) was definitely the way to go. We continued to pick our way through traffic, and made our way back to the Col D Aravis, which we had to climb back over to get home. We took it very easy, and enjoyed the casual ride up.

The descent off the Aravis was my favorite. Lots of switchbacks, plus we had to work our way through a few cars, which is actually pretty fun (especially, since they expect you to come through them). Once again, Baker and I slipped away from the rest, mostly because it is tricky to stay together since it's easy to get stuck behind the cars, when the guys up front make it through.

What an incredible day. Red Lantern joins us tomorrow at our vantage point on the Cormet De Roseland. Our route is from Megeve, over 4 mountains, to our next hotel in Meribel, near Corcheval. Can't wait.