Category: Europe

MENTON, FRANCE

Photos (Clockwise from Upperleft):
1. Kerry and Shona from MSIF at the summit of Col du Lautaret
2. Barry at the summit of Col du Lautaret
3. Barry and Conor
4. Col du Galibier
5. Conor and Barry at a cafe in Sospel, France
6. Barry at the summit of Col du Lautaret
7. Our Cykelnerven riders at Auron, France
8. Barry at the Col de la Bonette

Conor is from Ireland and is battling Primary Progressive M.S. I rode with him on two of our toughest climbs and he thanked me for giving him strength and encouragement to make it. In truth, riding with him gave me inspiration.

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Total Raised: $5429 (5000 Euros)

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Note: On June 4-9, I participated in Cykelnerven, a cycling event that benefits the Multiple Sclerosis International Foundation (MSIF). We took on some of the toughest climbs to be used in this year’s Tour de France.

MENTON, FRANCE

At breakfast, we looked at our route options for the day. Each day we had a route (basic) and a bonus route. My goal coming into this event was to ride to the summit of the Col du Galibier. After that, I did not care.

On Day One, I knew I had to ride the bonus miles because only the bonus included the Galibier. After that, I would take each day at a time although tentatively I thought for Days Two and Three I would not do the longest days as I would listen to my body. But on Day Four I would reassess and perhaps ride the bonus climbs.

The shorter planned route was basically a loop but with a pipestem out and back which was a downhill to a river. Conor and I both looked and said we would do that route but without the descent to the river and the subsequent climb back up. We had a plan.

And just like that the plan changed. There was an automobile rally on the route we had planned so Bo sent out a new route. It would be an out-and-back.

Everyone could ride as much or as little as they wanted to. Go out as far as you want and turn around when you want. This would be the climb of Col de Turini although the summit there was also blocked by the rally.

The route was a 10-mile climb up the Col de Castillon. After the descent to Sospel, the 15-mile climb to Col de Turini began. We were to form two groups on the road and I fell in with the second group. We had plenty of strong young climbers that took to the front group and I no longer fit that definition.

After the water stop in Sospel, I rolled out with Ernie and Conor. I told Conor I would ride with him as far as he wanted to go. I suspected the coaches would not want some stragglers going all the way today but maybe they would. They routinely put in extra miles by going up the mountains, turning around, coming back, and going up again. Maybe it’s all bonus miles for them.

I think my legs would have felt better if the Col du Galibier was the last climb we would do this week. But it was the first and everything was anti-climatic in a sense. My legs were not feeling so good.

Last night I had reserved my flight home from Zürich. It wasn’t optimal because I wanted to watch Stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse and ride the Furka Pass next week. But my conditions were simple.

No British Airways
No Heathrow Airport

I was also using AirMiles on American Airlines and I didn’t want to pay hundreds of dollars in fees, usually by flying through Heathrow. I was searching for something towards the end of the week but the only flight I found that was on American direct from Zürich to Philadelphia was Tuesday morning.

My original flight was ticketed for Tuesday, June 25. I had canceled it and the website stated the points would be returned to my account. This was a pleasant surprise as once before I departed Zürich early when Bormio had snow. It cost me $150 to restore the points and I was expecting to pay the same if not more. Then it was treated as a schedule change.

I had reserved the flight and went to pay for it last night but the system didn’t show that I had enough points even though I did with the canceled flight. The points were showing in my account but weren’t being recognized when I went to use them.

Rather than be on the road today until 5:00 p.m. I wanted to get back and take care of purchasing the ticket for my flight home. For these climbs your mind has to be all in on the road ahead. And my mind would be thinking about the reservation that was pending until I could take care of it.

Also, I wanted to go swimming in the Mediterranean Sea only because I had never done that before. So I never planned to ride a great distance today but would ride with others. I wasn’t going to peel off and be first back.

Ernie, Conor, and I went through the town, and another four kilometers past Sospel when the climb to Col de Turini began. At that point, Conor decided he was done climbing for the day, except for the climb back up to Castillon to get over the mountain and back down to Menton, of course.

When Conor turned around I went with him. “Nobody rides alone.” The water break was also our lunch stop but lunch would not be there until 1:00 p.m. It was noon.

We passed a quaint outdoor cafe and Conor suggested that we grab a drink (coffee, Coke). How fluent in French he is, I don’t know. But Conor asked if we could be seated and we were. I didn’t understand what Conor said in French. Then again I didn’t understand half of what Conor said in English either. 🙂

Conor is from Ireland. At one point I said to someone else that I didn’t understand half the shit he said and Conor retorted, “I don’t understand half the shit I say either.”

On Day Three (yesterday), a group of 10 of us had stopped for a coffee at a cafe on the descent to our pickup point. I sense this is more a European custom or tradition than done in the U.S. However, there are plenty of coffee rides in the U.S. so maybe it’s more that I don’t frequent group rides that make stops for coffee. Well, I don’t frequent many group rides either.

At the stop yesterday we all looked at the bill of €34 and wondered how we would pay since many of us were not carrying cash. It turned out that Conor picked up the check for everyone. So today I insisted was my turn.

As we were ready to leave I told Conor if he got the check or they brought their credit card device to the table that I would pay. He asked and the older of the two waiters we had said they don’t accept credit cards. Not a phone. Not plastic. Only cash.

What to do? Sospel was a small French village. Aside from a number of restaurants, it did not appear to have other commercial ventures. No banks. No ATMs. It does have a hospital though.

I suggested to Conor that we could ride back and see the staff at the lunch stop and hoped that they would have some cash. Kerry and Kathleen (at the time known only as Zach’s Mom), were at the stop. I thought that I could suggest leaving my phone as collateral and Conor and I could ride to the lunch stop and pick up some cash. It was no more than 250 meters away.

We rolled in and Kerry was surprised we were back so soon. We chuckled and told her we’d been back for an hour and all this time had been chilling at a cafe. But we needed cash. Now.

The younger waiter at the restaurant wasn’t concerned at all about the money. A couple of times he said “Don’t panic,” of course, we weren’t. But it wasn’t that big of a deal and it seemed if they had to comp two customers today that they would have. But we rolled back in with cash and settled up.

Lunch today was the same as lunch on Day One. And Day Two. And Day Three. A baguette of ham and cheese or salami and cheese. This is not to diminish the food choice or lack of variety. Each day these were perfect while riding although I could never eat and entire one.

On this day Kerry warned us. We would be chewing forever. And she was right. I don’t know what was in this bread. It wasn’t burnt or stale. Or was it? But it was hard to chew. I made mine an open-faced sandwich by tearing off the top of the sandwich.

Conor and I then began the ascent to Castillon. It wasn’t as steep as on the other side nor as long. The sky had darkened and we had some raindrops, but no real rain to contend with. At the top, we were in the clouds. He told me to lead the way because I had told him that I wanted to stop at two photo points, both to capture the stone arch bridge or viaduct I had seen. I had noted the exact locations by landmark and we began the descent.

I had noticed the bridge or viaduct and wanted to take a closer look. From a distance when we were climbing, I had hoped that we would cross it but as we approached I saw that it was closed. I’m not sure what the purpose of the bridge had been. I assume it was for a railroad* but perhaps it was an aqueduct.

Conor and I made the 10-mile descent back to Menton safely. Barry, from Ireland, would not fare as well. He wasn’t with us but on his ride down he was just one mile from the hotel. He went to transition from the street to a bike path and his tire caught the lip of the transition pavement and he went down hard. His bike was unridable and he had to use a SAG to get back.

I went to my room and checked on my ticket. My roommate was already in the room so I assume he turned around very quickly or didn’t ride at all. I don’t remember seeing him on the road.

On the airline website this time it allowed me to purchase it without telling me I needed more points. I made the transaction and then grabbed a towel. I headed toward the sea.

Across the street from the hotel is the Mediterranean Sea. The area closest to the street had the most sand but was a mixture of sand and rocks. The closer one got to the sea the rockier it got. I found a place to put my towel down and started to walk to the water in bare feet. It hurt my feet so much that I went back and got my flip-flops and wore them to the water’s edge.

The water seemed surprisingly chilly but was probably the same as the Atlantic Ocean in New Jersey- Maryland – Virginia**. There were waves but not violent ones. The sea floor was also very rocky.

Back at the hotel I showered and got ready to tear down my bike and pack it. But first I went for a walk outside the hotel. The back entrance was next to a street, a pedestrian street with shops. I found a store and bought some fresh strawberries. They were OK but did not measure up to the Finnish ones.

It was time to pack. Dinners were also later than I eat. The advice seems to be nothing after 8:00 p.m. yet in France all our dinners were after 8:00. I packed the bike bag and was ready to go. Not anxious to leave but we were leaving in the morning and it was nice to have everything packed.

In the evening we had a celebration. Jens’ had a friend, Lo, join us, and she was very delightful. Ernie’s wife was coming in at midnight.

And dinner next to the sea.

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*This was an abandoned tramway line, the Viaduc du Caramel, that ran from Menton to Sospel. Built between 1908 and 1912 it is now idle.

**The actual temperature was 21℃ / 69.8℉ whereas in Virginia Beach, Va. the water temperature was 22.5℃ / 72.5℉. Plus there’s real sand in Virginia Beach.

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Stage 20 of the 2024 TdF includes the climb from Sospel to Col de Turini. Most of the group went much of the way but the summit was closed today due to a car rally. We were originally scheduled to ride the Col de Braus as well but it was closed.

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Col de Castillon
PJAMM Fiets: 3.2 Distance: 9.2 mi. Elevation: 2250′ Avg. Gradient: 4.6%

Note: On June 4-9, I participated in Cykelnerven, a cycling event that benefits the Multiple Sclerosis International Foundation (MSIF). We took on some of the toughest climbs to be used in this year’s Tour de France.

SAINT EITIENNE, FRANCE

Breakfast at the hotel and we all gathered for a team photo. On paper it looked like we would have a 20-mile downhill leaving the hotel, followed by a 10-mile climb, and followed by another 20-mile descent. Easy, huh?

TEM PHOTO – GOES HERE

With four coaches from Denmark, we broke into two groups to limit exposure on the road. The bonus climb would be the Isola 2000, to be used as the finishing climb on Stage 19 of this year’s Tour de France. I would pass on this climb, thank you very much.

I don’t know if any of our group elected to Isola 2000. In fact, Bo may have taken that option off the table for everyone this morning. I do know it was not going to be an option for me.

Leaving the hotel we had a 20-mile descent. It was glorious. Except for the first five miles from the hotel which I had ridden yesterday, the ride was not technical but rather it was straight with some sweeping curves. The first five miles were more technical with steep ramps and hairpin bends.

When we reached the bottom at Saint Sauveur-Sur-Tinee and the turn to the climb, we all stopped. The instructions were to ride the next 10 miles at your own pace and ENJOY it. Stop. Take photos. It’s not a race.

The climb was a 10-mile climb to the Col de la Couillole. This climb is a narrow country road and will be the mountaintop finish of Stage 20 of this year’s Tour de France.

It wasn’t very far on the climb before I pulled over to take some photos. And then I was last. I am sure that Tu did the same thing as I caught him.

I caught Conor and we rode together for the first 3-4 miles. When we came to a bend and our team car was there I thought he told me that he was stopping to get a SAG to the top of the mountain. I went on.

I had gone about 400 meters when I came to another beautiful photo op and stopped. A French woman was coming down the mountain and I went to take a photo of her. She waved although I missed capturing it.

To my surprise, she stopped. She asked if I wanted a photo with me in the background. I declined. I don’t know why. Probably because I don’t want many photos of me.

We chatted for about five minutes, She was interested in the group and the mission. As she spoke fluent English I finally asked her where her accent was from. She laughed and told me to guess. She told me she lived in Alaska for four years and more recently was involved in something British so she had a mix of American and British.

We were then joined by Klaus. Or Frank. Or Jorgen. Hell, I never knew the coaches’ names other than Bo.

While we were talking Conor came riding by. What? I thought it was catching a SAG. Apparently, he was catching his breath and went on up the road.

I got ready to say goodbye to the French cyclist. She was a lovely person. She had ridden down the mountain and wasn’t sure how much farther she would descend, because she would get to ride back up. I knew she would catch us when she did.

Klaus and I started up and she went down. We would catch and ride with Conor but gapped him a little. He was never far behind us and I was conscious of where he was so we didn’t ride away. We had a good conversation about Jens Voigt and Lance Armstrong among others. (Others would include Allen Lim, Scott Mercier, Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis, and the Brothers Schleck, Fränk and Andy.) The time and miles flew by when our French woman passed us. I knew what Klaus was thinking. “Go chase her and ride with her,” I told him. And he did to no one’s surprise.

I waited for Conor and we came to the top together. We had a 20-mile descent to enjoy but the profile map showed a “bump” around Mile 19. It looked very steep, maybe 10%, but not too long. My legs dreaded that one.

The upper section was a bit technical (steeper with sharper curves). We came to a cafe where we all stopped for coffee. And a coke. Lactic builds up in these old legs and when we were ready to roll another 10 minutes went by. The other Barry and I decided we would roll out ahead but in the end only I went.

I had the course map and wasn’t afraid of getting lost but when they weren’t catching me I went back. They still hadn’t left. LOL.

We came to a canyon of red rocks. Red rocks and lots of tunnels. I never captured the photo that I wanted. We were no longer in the take your time and take photos mode. But I still took a few.

The road got a bit steeper. I love flying down mountains. I also love taking photos. I dropped back with Annaleis. The word was she didn’t have much experience and maybe she didn’t. She was cautious but not slow. She was sensible and not reckless. And what she gave away descending she made up climbing. She was rail thin so had nothing to carry up the mountains.

We brought up the rear and made no apologies for it. There two regrouping spots in the canyon. After leaving the second one my Wahoo said CLIMB! This was the dreaded kick up. In fact, it showed a 10-12% ramp (red) even as we were descending. It was weird. But whatever profile is attached to this road was wrong. We descended the entire way to the meeting point.

Our first three days we rode from hotel to hotel. Today would be to a transfer point and then a bus to Menton. Menton, not only on the Mediterranean Sea, would offer us the best luxury of all. Two nights in one place.

A 20-mile downhill. A 10-mile uphill. And a 20-mile downhill. Transfer to Menton.

Lodging would be Hotel Vendome, Menton. Dinner at Le Grande Large, about 500 meters from the hotel.

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TOUR DE FRANCE 2024 CLIMBS

Col de le Couillole – 1 678 m (5,505′) – 15,7 km @ 7.1%
PJAMM Fiets*: 8.9 – 9.9 miles – 3,756′

Isola 2000 – 2 024m (6,640′) – 16,1 km @ 7.1% (Profile shown on Day 2 – Stage 19)
PJAMM Fiets*: 9.2 – 10.1 miles – 3,795′

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*See PJAMM Cycling for a description of the climb

Note: On June 4-9, I participated in Cykelnerven, a cycling event that benefits the Multiple Sclerosis International Foundation (MSIF). We took on some of the toughest climbs to be used in this year’s Tour de France.

VARS, FRANCE

Is it better to know or not know what lies ahead? I had a general idea but did not study the profile maps. Each night Bo would tell us what we were in store for but if I looked my sleep would be worse than it already was.

Yesterday was brutal. The Col du Galibier was a bucket list climb for me and it was mission accomplished. But the route after lunch was more difficult. My legs were trashed.

The climb to the Col de Vars is a tough one. Twelve miles of switchbacks. About two-thirds of the way up is the town of Vars where we stayed overnight. We initially were to ride the full Col de Vars climb yesterday and then go back down to the hotel but Bo changed the route, maybe when he saw me.

On the menu today was the last third of the climb up Col de Vars, four and one-half miles (7.2 km). Once we regrouped at the top we would have a 13.5-mile (21.7 km) descent. And then …

.. We would begin the climb of the Cine de Le Bonette. I never heard of it. But it is the highest paved road in France. Even before we began the climb we were out of water. Conor had none but I still had a full water bottle on my downtube. I poured my water into his bottle. Bo called for a support car to bring us water.

We started the 15-mile climb and in the first mile, I saw a water fountain alongside the road and pulled over. Once I got restarted I came to our support car with water.

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Bonette

I rode solo for the entire climb. I think it was steep enough that if you were suffering, like I was, you were suffering at your own speed and pace. At one point I came upon the water car again. The occupants, Shona, Kerry, and George, yelled encouragement and asked if I needed anything. As I approached, I yelled, “Gels!, but I’m not stopping.”

George scrambled and grabbed two gels from the car. As I passed. I held my right arm back, palm up, and George made a perfect placement of gels into my hand.

With each kilometer, I would check the sign to see how much pain was ahead. The signs would show how far it was to the summit and the gradient of the next kilometer would be marked. Anything above seven would be met with a bad look. I kept looking for something less than five percent but never saw one.

Peer, the CEO of the Multiple Sclerosis International Foundation (MSIF) came by in his right-hand drive car. As he passed me slowly he asked if I needed anything. I yelled out “A sticky bottle!”

In cycling terms, a sticky bottle is a pass of a bottle from the team car to a rider on the bike. The “sticky” part is that in the brief moment of passing from driver to rider both people hold onto the bottle, thus it must be because it is sticky.

It’s not legal but is accepted so long as it’s not blatant, like more than two seconds. It’s akin to holding onto the car for two seconds. While it looks like it’s the rider who is responsible, remember the handoff is from the driver and it is the driver who has to let go once the bottle has been firmly grasped by the rider. And one needs to make sure it is gripped tightly because if the driver lets go too soon and the rider doesn’t have the bottle it could fall into the spokes of the rider or cause a crash of trailing riders.

Allen Lim, the nutritionist for Team Phonak in 2006 when Floyd Landis rode away, won Stage 17, and appeared to win the Tour de France, told me he thought Floyd’s ride was clean that day. He was fixated on the number of bottles Floyd took from the team car. They had 200 bottles, more than half of which he would pour over his head to help cool him on an extremely hot day (34℃ – 93℉ ). But if each bottle gave a two-second advantage, that would have been worth more than seven minutes. Seven minutes of holding onto the car.

In the end, Floyd’s ride into Morzine gained him 5’42” over Carlos Sastre, the second-place finisher. From the outside looking in, only Floyd, riding alone, had the advantage of the sticky bottle – worth up to seven minutes of holding on. Combine that with his excellent descending skills that he could solo on and no flat sections where the peloton would have an advantage, and one could reasonably conclude that his ride was clean with the main advantage being Mr. Sticky. Of course, Floyd later tested positive for artificial testosterone.

Peer said to me, “I’ve got a bottle but I don’t have any sticky.”

My face showed I was suffering. Inside I was laughing. Spencer handed Peer a bottle and Peer handed it to me. As soon as I took it he let go.

“What is this, this is no sticky bottle. I don’t want this.” I gave it back.

Peer was very confused. I can see him saying, “He asked for a bottle, I gave him one, and he gave it right back. These cyclists are weird.” (Probably)

I was dying laughing inside. Outwardly I was suffering.

It was a fun little diversion to break up the climb. I would not have wanted a pull from someone who did not know what a sticky bottle was and had never practiced the technique.

Yesterday in combining the Col de Vars at the end after the Col du Galibier made a very tough day. And now I was on a tougher and higher climb. Altitude is a problem even if one doesn’t notice. With less oxygen, there are fewer red blood cells being produced and going to your legs. I had no power and the entire way up the climb I was thinking about tomorrow.

Bo, our Cykelnerven Danish coach, defined success for each of us as making it to the end. He didn’t want anyone going so deep on one day or one climb that they couldn’t ride the next day. Left unsaid would also be so fatigued that they would crash. And I was fatigued.

The profile for today included a 15-mile downhill after the summit of La Bonette and a final five-mile climb to the hotel. I have never been SAG’d in any event. Whether stubbornness or pride, I also managed to avoid the broom wagon.

I thought yesterday on the Col de Vars that I might be SAG’d off the course as I was the last finisher. But they let me ride. Today I was pulling the plug. Once I got to the bottom of the next mountain I would join my teammates in taking a ride. It was the thought that the last time I had to pedal uphill was on La Bonette that got me over the climb.

At the summit, I was prepared for the final 500 meters or so when the road really turned up. We came to the top where the team car was but not the summit. Two quick lefts made a U-turn or a 180 back down the mountain. A quick left and quick right was the way to the summit.

There were a number of motorcyclists here milling around. About 50 meters farther the road was still blocked with snow. That was a loop road to the actual summit. We did not make it to the summit and I’m not sure that when the Tour comes here on Stage 19 they will either because it is not a mountaintop finish for them.

Our car was there with our dry bags. These were bags that we packed each day with warmer clothes so that when we reached the summit we could put on warm clothes for the descent.

Peer looked for my bag and said that it must have been in the other car. He offered me his mittens and even his coat. I declined. Everyone else had their warm gear on. In fact, Ian was with me at the summit but didn’t wait for me because he was getting cold. Understandable.

It was cold on the descent. The danger would be in wearing sweaty clothes, and I was sweaty, of getting too cold and going hyperthermic. It happened to me once. That was on the Col du Lautaret in July 2011. One can lose control of the bike when suffering from hyperthermia. On that descent the bike was shaking and I pulled over at almost every hairpin corner to steady myself.

But I went down safely, met the group for lunch, and were joined by others trailing. Most were in front of me but at least three were still behind. We talked strategy for the remainder of the day and decided we would all SAG when we reach the bottom to have something left for tomorrow.

Out of the lunch stop we still had a bit of descending to go. I left last and passed a couple of cautious descenders. That is, more cautious than me.

I always prided myself on being a cautious but fast descender. In 2010 and 2011 I seemed to go much faster on the descents. In 2014 in Italy on the Passo Fedaia, I went 53 mph (84 kph). This year I barely hit 40 mph (64 kph) before touching the brakes.

We came to an intersection and regrouped. Once we were ready to roll I led the way down to town. I thought I was going well when Bo passed me. I thought he caught me to slow me down. But I jumped on his wheel and followed his line. He kept looking back for others and there were none to be found. We came to the town together and waited. For one descent I got to show I could fly.

The sky looked a little dark but I did not sense rain was coming. We would have to wait for the van to come pick us up. Bo looked around and told everyone where we could wait if it started to rain. And he asked who was going to ride to the hotel. Then he looked at me and said “You are,” not a command but sort of sensed I would want to. And I did.

It’s funny. My legs did not feel good on the climb up Col de Vars and were awful on the climb of La Bonette. But when we stopped at Saint-Étienne it wasn’t so much as I wanted to stop as it was that I knew that I could keep going and so I did.

There was one other, Annaleis, who was planning to ride while the other seven stayed behind. Bo told me to go ahead as I had the route on my Wahoo. I hadn’t studied the climb because I hadn’t intended to ride this. While I knew it was only 4.5% grade I also knew I was in trouble when the first couple of miles were quite easy. That meant the last couple would be 8-9% to make that average.

Annaleis and one coach passed me. And the second one too. And it started to rain. It became a steady rain which was more refreshing than annoying although there was some thunder as well. Bo came back to make sure I was still plugging away and rode with me to the finish. For the second consecutive day, I was last finisher. Two days in and already locking up title of Lanterne Rouge.

The hotel was a quaint family-run hotel with a killer view of the Alps off the balconies we each had. Dinner was Lasagna (again), so large that no one at our table of eight could finish theirs.

Yesterday was my toughest day. Today was the toughest climb. And I didn’t SAG. I was exhausted. I knew or thought I would finish but I was not recovering. I started thinking that I should not go to Switzerland for a week and to Finland for the following week. I needed rest. I would look for alternatives and to return home.

Lodging and dinner was the Hotel Le Chastellares, a quaint family-run hotel with beautiful views. And a dog.

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TOUR DE FRANCE 2024 CLIMBS

Col de Vars – 2 109 m (6,919′) – 18,8 km @ 5.7%
PJAMM Fiets*: 7.2 – 11.7 miles – 3,654′

Cime de la Bonette – 2 802 m (9,193′) – 22,9 km @ 6.9%
PJAMM Fiets*: 11.9 – 14.9 miles – 5,202′

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*See PJAMM Cycling for a description of the climb

Note: On June 4-9, I participated in Cykelnerven, a cycling event that benefits the Multiple Sclerosis International Foundation (MSIF). We took on some of the toughest climbs to be used in this year’s Tour de France.

BRIANÇON, FRANCE

This is the day. Or more specifically, This is the day that the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Like many Americans, I started watching the Tour de France in the early 2000s when our TV networks decided a race with an American contender would be worth showing. Thank you Outdoor Life Network!

The names of these climbs were epic and mythical. Alpe d’Huez. Col du Tourmalet. Mont Ventoux. Col du Galibier. In 2010 I signed up for a Trek Travel trip and climbed the Tourmalet. Twice. In 2011 I climbed Alpe d’Huez, and Mont Ventoux on my solo trip to France. I tried to climb the Col du Galibier but was turned back by a blizzard on July 11, 2011.

Surprisingly, I made a good decision on the bike that day. I turned back rather than die on the mountain. Still, it was the coldest I have ever been on a bike. I was slightly disappointed but reasoned it was not meant to be. There would not be a second chance. But yet ..

Here I am in France with Cykelnerven. And today we are to climb the Col du Galibier.

In preparation for this trip our coach, Bo, asked for a self-evaluation as he tried to determine riding groups. Each day we would be presented with a long and a longer (bonus) stage. What is my experience? Am I experienced in the mountains (yes) or am I just enthusiastic about riding in the mountains (also, yes). My self-description is that I love climbing but I am more enthusiastic than talented. That was true in 2010 and is more true 14 years later.

The writing was on the wall. We would have two routes on day one. And only the fastest riders would attempt the Galibier. The basic option would ride from Briançon to Col de Vars, a distance of 34 miles. The bonus would head in the opposite direction, 22 miles to the summit of the Col du Galibier, and then return to Briançon before riding to Col de Vars.

In my comments, I told Bo that my only goal for this trip was to be able to climb the Galibier. Last night at our team meeting Bo told us that he wanted everybody to go up Galibier. Yes! I would do it. If I could do it.

In 10 years from age 40 to 50, I didn’t lose much power. Likewise, from age 50 to 60 I didn’t lose much. But in the last eight years, I have seen a drop-off.

When I built my bike last night both my wheels seemed off. And I thought I had a broken rear derailleur cable as when I tried to shift from the smallest cog nothing would happen. I wondered if the coaches had a cable to fix it. After five minutes I realized I was shifting in the wrong direction. The cable was fine. My mind was showing signs of fatigue, probably from jet lag.

We were supposed to be wheels down at 9:00 a.m. What’s a few minutes among friends? We broke into two groups and our trail group quickly caught the first one when they had a flat tire. Yikes. Not a good start.

I have been on this climb before – in a car. In 2011 I drove in the snowstorm to Galibier. And the next day I drove down the road from the Col du Lautaret to Briançon on my way to watch a stage of the Tour. But I was still cold and decided to drive to Marseille instead and sit by the Sea rather than freeze in the mountains.

The ride up the mountain was familiar. Seventeen miles to Lautaret before the turn and five more miles to the summit of Galibier. I knew there was one snow shed on the way up.

I was right in with the second group when I pulled off for a nature break. We had already split and I was with Group 2A when I saw Group 2B go by. I thought I would catch up to them but never did. They had about 1:00 on me and I never closed it nor did I try to. I rode at my own pace.

At the summit of Lautaret was our snack and water van. I began the climb right behind Conor, a rider with Primary Progressive M.S. from Ireland. As I caught him and slowed to ride with him he told me to go on. I told him “Nobody rides alone” and I rode with him side by side to the summit.

Getting to Galibier was nice. I think that completes my “bike-it” (bucket) list of climbs. I welcome new and different climbs but I don’t see myself making a goal for one in particular.

Getting to Galibier was nicer because I have a stem cap on my bike – I ride for my Daughter. I am on this trip for 25 strangers to raise money to fight MS because of her. My reward was making it to the top but my real reward was looking down every time it got hard and thinking of her.

The Col had just opened to the tunnel last week. In fact when Bo was here with his team and the road was closed at the Lautaret his team, or maybe him, ignored the signs and rode up to see how far they could get. To a policeman was it. A hefty fine and stern warning that he is now on double secret probation and could be imprisoned the next time. Ouch.

The tunnel avoids the true summit as the road to the summit was still being cleared of winter’s snow. Like in any sport, you can only play the schedule they hand you and our schedule had us going as far as the road was open – to the tunnel. I am satisfied.

Conor and I, joined by Bo, descended to Briançon for lunch. We were encouraged last night to think about the long term and that was finishing. We didn’t need to spend all day on the bike and have nothing left.

Although we had just ridden 44 miles, the next 34 would be tough. Tougher. Toughest. Bo said it would take four hours. That didn’t seem right, how about 34 miles in two hours?

It was four hours. Some flat, some climbing including a one-mile stretch of 12%, and an eight-mile climb to the hotel up the Col de Vars.

I wasn’t happy with my bike setup. The front wheel never seemed perfectly seated and I saw a touch of brake pad on the rim when the brakes were in the lock position. I opened the brakes for riding uphill. On the descent from the Galibier I hit a bump and the handlebars dropped down a little. I pulled over and muscled them back into position. Twice more in the last 34 miles I had to stop and adjust the bars. I did not take the time to use a tool and do that properly. That would have to wait until the end of the ride.

After the climb of the 12% wall, we had a two-mile plateau before a two-mile technical descent to the valley. On the descent, we stopped at a hairpin. Bo told us one of our riders crashed out here ahead of us. I’m not sure who it was but it sounds like too much speed and overcooked the turn. It happens to the pros – they’re racing. No need for it to happen here.

We came to Guillestre and stopped to regroup and to search for water. We were all out and had six miles of climbing to Vars, the first five miles would be really tough. We must have water.

In addition to Conor, some of the other riders abandoned on the Col du Vars leaving me as last rider on course. And last finisher. When I arrived the group was outside enjoying beverages and cheered for me. I know it was meant as encouragement but I would have preferred to slip in quietly without notice and fanfare.

I think not coming to Europe early was a big mistake. Fatigue already set in and some of it was certainly caused by jet lag. Essentially I arrived on Tuesday (Milan) for riding on Wednesday.

Last year I arrived one week ahead of the Roosters trip but when my bike didn’t make it until I got to Luxembourg and I was “off” I blamed that on not riding for a week. I need a better plan.

Lodging and dinner was at Le Vieille Auberge Hotel, Col de Vars St. Marie. Dinner was a soup appetizer followed by lasagna.

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TOUR DE FRANCE 2024 CLIMBS

Col du Lautaret – 2 058 m (6,752′) – 26,1 km @ 2.9%
PJAMM Fiets*: 3.3 – 16.2 miles – 2,549′

Col du Galibier – 2 642 m (8,668′) – 23 km @ 5.1%
PJAMM Fiets*: 6.4 – 20.8 miles – 4,182′ (from Briançon) – 3.8
PJAMM Fiets: 5.3 – 5.3 miles – 1,848′ (from Lautaret) – 6.6%
We could not reconcile the climb data listed for the TdF with the data listed in PJAMM Cycling

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*See PJAMM Cycling for a description of the climb