Alpine Cycling Adventures. Day 1

This is a series of posts on my daily rides and other events on our holiday in Bourg d’Oisan in the French Alps. I started to write an account of each ride individually and then thought that I was missing some interesting stuff either side of those rides and thought I would add it for your reading pleasure. It’s a daily diary if you will.

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Three Years of Exile

Every time that the Alpe D’Huez stage is included in the itinerary of Tour de France we make sure we are there. Every November, when the Tour route is released we are eagerly waiting to see if it is included. On average, every other year seems to be the norm and that has been the case since the late 90’s when we first ventured down there. Unusually, it has been a three year gap from the last D’Huez stage in 2015 when Thibaut Pinot won in style and we were there cheering him on. So after three years of exile we were finally going back.

The Reunion

The added excitement was for a reunion with a few different groups of friends, some we had not seen in two years. We were all colleagues in a school in Thailand but have all gone our separate ways since. We had a family in the UK, a family that have stayed in the same school in Thailand, a family in Kazakhstan, a family in Malaysia and our family based in Romania. We even had two no-shows; because of moving commitments and an operation, based in Peru and Prague, which was a real shame but could not be helped.

Book, Book, Book!

We book the same campsite every time. It’s a beautiful campsite at the very start of the climb to Alpe D’Huez and it’s a wonderful position for the mountain, the Tour de France stages and cycling any routes in the area. As you can imagine the place during the TDF is fully booked, so as soon as the dates are released we book our stay.

Loaded Up and Ready to Roll

We left from Bristol very early on the bus to London Victoria. We have a reasonable amount of luggage between Jayne, Jaime and myself. One large suitcase and two hand luggage size suitcases plus a rucksack each. Not too bad I hear you say, well, add to that my bike in its travel box and it starts to get awkward to get around and to store it anywhere.

What the Hell is That?

We flagged down a taxi because there was no way we were traveling across London with all that. Taxi complete and £25 lighter we trundled into St Pancras. The place was heaving and the Eurostar train that we were booked on was delayed by an hour which was a pain, but it gave us time to sit down in Pret A Manger and eat some food. It always amuses me when people walk past the bike box and stare at it not having the first clue what it could be. Time for the train, so we head over, find a great space for the bike box and the other items of less importance :) and sit down. We have a trouble free 2 hour journey to Lille and then we pick up a hire car at the station and start the journey to Reims where we have a room at the Ibis Budget booked. We were up reasonably early, after all we are on holiday, and set of for Bourg d’Oisans.

Definitely Not Like UK Service Stations

Driving in France is an absolute pleasure if a little pricey! You have to pay at the tolls of all the different regions and it can get expensive. I would say about 75 euros to go from Lille to Grenoble on the motorway. What you do get is trouble free driving, super fast and efficient, very little hold up and some breathtaking views that are up there with anything I have witnessed on my travels. The service stations are pretty good too and if you have experienced the UK service stations you will appreciate the difference.

I'll Drive! No, I'll Drive!

We hit Grenoble in great time, switching drivers every two hours which is a habit that Jayne and myself have got into over the years. It cuts out a lot of the fatigue of driving and keeps you fresh. The problem that we both have is that we both want to do the drive from Grenoble to Bourg d’Oisans. It is the best part of an already picturesque and beautiful drive taking in the start of the Titans that are the Alps. The waterfall in this picture is typical of the surrounding. In 20 years of visiting this place I have never once got tired or bored of seeing the magnificent views.

The picture underneath is of the Valley to Bourg as it opens up. We enter from the background of the shot and then head left.

Beauty Overload

It can get a little busier here around tour time but we don’t really mind too much. The road gradually climbs and snakes through this alpine gateway, running alongside and sometimes crossing incredible rivers and mountain streams. Then you drop down and take a very deliberate bend to the right and this opens up into the valley that is home to Bourg d’Oisans as well as the mountain climbs of Alpe D’Huez as well as the Col d’Ornon, Oulles and Villard Notre Dame. The drive along this valley takes 10 beautiful and exciting minutes until you enter the little village of Bourg d’Oisans. It is a thriving little town in the epicenter of the cycling world. There are countless bike shops, bars, restaurants and patiseries. There is even a big Casino supermarket that caters for everyone. My Mum and Dad in Bourg d'Oisans

Ahhh! La Rencontre

The campsite is just outside of the town and right at the base of D’Huez. It is less than 5 minutes by car from the center and we were pulling into the car park of La Rencontre Du Soleil. We check in with the owners who we have known now for nearly twenty years and then move into our chalet that will be our home for the next two weeks. The picture to the right is the Montana chalet that we stay in. Bliss!

My first rides are always the same couple of routes when I hit the alps. There are two smaller rides in the area that are going to hurt slightly less than the others. These two are Oulles and Col d’Ornon.

Day 1 Setup ride. Oulles

This is my set up ride to make sure everything on the bike is working properly and I have no glaring issues. So I removed my bike from its travel box started to build it back up. To build it I have to replace the stem on the headset and tighten it up, replace the seat sleeve and saddle and fit the front and back wheels and pedals. The girls were happy to unpack and to get a little shopping in while I went out to test the bike (and myself).

From the village of Bourg d’Oisans to the peak of the climb and back is 22 km. The maximum gradient on this little climb is 10% over 7 km and total ascent is 768 meters. The highest point is 1400 meters and Bourg is at 720 meters.

I'm Home

After putting the bike back together I set off for Oulles on my own. I’m still buzzing from being back in one of my favourite places on this planet. Every time I come back here it feels like I’m coming home. I deliberately cycle through the village to take in the sights and to soak up a little of the Tour de France atmosphere that is building. The Alpe D’Huez stage and the Stage Depart from the village are Thursday and Friday. The place looks amazing, as always, people buzzing around, decorations for the coming tour and cyclist as far as the eye can see. I happily spin through the throng and exit the other side towards my destination.

Here Comes the Pain

It takes about 5 minutes to get to the base of the mountain which is actually the start of both Oulles and The Col d’Ornon. You pedal up about 3 km and then you peel off right for Oulles or remain on the road for Col d’Ornon. The pain which was slightly present already really kicked in at this point. The first climb in the alps will hurt, It always does. It’s kind of unavoidable unless you live in a mountain terrain and you are practising regularly. I live in Bucharest and it is flat and not particularly conducive towards cyclists, so my training (or lack of it) was just about to show.

At Least the Bike Feels Good

Even though the stats are similar, the big difference between the two climbs is that The Ornon stretches out a little further away and Oulles has lots of hairpins and seems to go straight up. 7 km to go to the summit, if I get that far! At least the bike was feeling good but the same could not be said for my legs. I pulled the plug on the ride after doing about 3 km of the 7, not because I couldn’t do any more or that it hurt (which it did) but more protecting myself from over doing it. I also had a calf strain which I have been nursing for a few weeks, so it made sense to stop whilst I was ahead.

Now For the Descent!

When you turn around on a climb or go over the top of a climb the relief is hard to describe. It is almost like somebody has turned the pressure tap off and the pain subsides instantly. So now I’m rolling down hill. This, for me, is a reward for every millimeter that you ascend. I love descending and I love descending fast. Of course, unlike the TDF guys, us amatures have to beware of cars coming up the mountain in the opposite direction. If it’s taken me 45 minutes of climbing to this point, it’s taken me about 5 minutes to get back down. I was feeling a little cautious on this one as it was my first downhill of the trip. I only hit 60 km per hour which is very steady and a bit pedestrian for me. Still, safe to descend another day.

Bread, Cheese and Wine

With the momentum from the descent and the lactic acid in my calves now gone I cruise home. This time I use the bypass instead of the village and arrive back at the campsite. Jayne and Jaime had already gone shopping at the local Casino Supermarket and picked up some bread, cheese and wine, the second great reason to be in France.

Next post: Rides 2 and 3 and Some friends arrive.

Thanks for reading.

Gaz