Sunday morning

We woke up to clear skies and sunshine. It's pretty cool so we'll start with leg and arm warmers until we start the climbs. All the GPS watches are charged up and the energy drinks are refilled. Breakfast was a bit sparse with just toast and cereal and dinner was a moderate portion, so food intake today could be more important.

Shawn and I roomed together last night, and we slept pretty well, other than getting up about every two hours to hit the bathroom - guess I'm hydrated enough! We've got some Frank Sinatra playing on the laptop this morning - Come Fly with Me!

The legs are more tired and sore than I would have hoped. The Madelaine is a top category climb, so we've got a tough day, followed by the Telegraph to get to Valloire. We'll have a great day either way. Off we go......

Saturday Ride Report

Wow. I don't know how else to describe today. This one day of riding was probably the best ride of my life, even if it was painful. I'm not even sure how to communicate how much fun we had today, but I'll try.

Breakfast was early - about 7:30, but since it was cloudy and wet outside, we weren't in a hurry. We hit the road about 9:30, and Shawn had a flat about a block from the hotel. We had decided to re-ride the lake so that Jon and Kevin could see it, and we had a great ride - until we had a couple more flats. Took a long time to get around the bottom of the lake.

The first flat of the day. About 100 feet from the hotel...

How many guys does it take to change a tire?

Most of them! Of course this was our third flat of the morning, and we'd only gone about 10 miles.

Mark, enjoying his morning ride around the lake. This is prior to him blasting up the hills with Dana and Shawn.

We cruised back up the other side of the lake and found our turnoff to the pass. Up we went. It was damp but not raining, but definitely not warm and sunny. We were not REALLY sure of where we were going, after a couple un-signed turns, and so we waited at the top for Michele. He finally arrived and confirmed we were on the correct climb, and off we went. We passed another group of about 20 riders and they eventually grabbed on the back, and we had a pace-line of over 2 dozen. Good riding. We just kept going up, thru little mountain villages, and marveling at the scenery. Almost every house/villa has tons of flowers around every window, and they all have beautiful wood-work.

See the cars? They go by us very fast. Mostly they give us lots of room, as the law says 1.5 metres. Not all of them though, and the big buses don't always have enough room....

About this area is where I blew up. I had tried to keep up with Shawn and Mark and Dana, and did well for awhile, until I pushed the heart rate over 180 and that did it. I struggled the rest of the day to get back on form. Maybe tomorrow...

It's really hard to describe the beauty of these little towns. It's like every single one of them has gone all-out for the next group of tourists, and we're lucky enough to be them! I wish we could spend more time, but the hills beckon. Or mock - I'm not sure which...

Just in case we weren't sure where we were....

By this time I was alone - the group was out ahead, and I was riding my own pace. It was cool, damp, and lonely, but still one of the best places I've ever ridden. And I know they wait at the top for me!

Our guide Michele is great. He stops and waits for us at all the key spots - the top and bottom of the climbs, un-clear intersections, and when we might need food or clothing changes. It's really nice to not have to carry everything you MIGHT need, but just the bare minimums, knowing he'll be there when we need something.

It's a little hard to make out, but above the sign over the pass-thru is a huge bicycle left over from the Tour de France.

This was the town where we started our last big climb. The one that really hurt. Everyone stopped for a 'nature break' and I kept going. For a little while I was in front! Didn't last long though, before the big guns passed me by. Then the rest of the field. Beautiful scenery and the raw adventure of it kept me entertained.

Cycling thru and then above the villages provides a never end spectacular view.

Our food stop with Michele at the top of the Col des Saisies. It was cold, but Michele laid out a feast - bread, meat, FLAN!!!!, and little pastries. We pounded some food, and suited up for a cold descent.

I've been lucky enough in my life to do some really cool things that I won't bore anyone with, but I have to say, descending a mountain pass in the Alps with a group of great readers is something special. We're not racing, but we're really scooting down the hill at 30+, slowing way down for hairpin turns, watching for stuff on the road, making sure we don't run each other over, and just having an absolute blast. While freezing to death. I'm not sure I was this cold when I went to the Arctic last year - my teeth were actually chattering - maybe for the first time in my life.

It gradually got warmer as we descended, and we got into a great pattern of the corners and speed, with all of us, and it felt like our own Tour de France downhill. Unbelievable. I was grinning out loud the whole way down. Once we hit bottom, we had about 15k of wonderful mostly flat roads thru a canyon to Albertville, and we cooked. The strong guys pulled, and the rest of us hung on for a roller-coaster turn-filled blast into town. We met up with Michele at JUST the right spot, and he guided us to the hotel.

The end of the day in front of the Hotel Million.

A lot of tired legs today - our 'reasonably easy' day turned into 'not-so-easy' with 7200' of climbing and about 75 miles. Tomorrow promises to be even tougher with the Col de Madelaine.

I think everyone agrees that it was an incredible day, we were very lucky with the weather, and we're looking forward to tomorrow - kind of....

We had dinner at a nice little restaurant with pasta being the favorite choice. Great beer in BIG glasses, some nice red wine to go with the entree, and a fruitless search for ice cream after dinner rounded out the day. Post the blog, repack the luggage and bags, and head for bed. We hope to hit the road by 0830, so it's time to crash.

Click here for some of Bob's pictures.

Click here for some of Dan's pictures.

Here is the Stage 1 route :

Saturday Morning

Had a great nights sleep to the sounds of the city. Fell asleep in about 10 minutes and was out cold until about 7:30. A breakfast of bread, meats, eggs and cantelope. We're off for our ride pretty quick - about 60 miles around half of the lake, and over two climbs.

The view from our hotel window. Nice hotel with a secure basement for the bikes.

The view along one of the canals as we walked after dinner looking for ice cream or gelati.

Dinner was lamb, with great bread and some fine wine.

Heading to dinner.

Dinner in Annecy

What a great night. We all regrouped and took a walk with our guide Michele. It's just like the mock-up in Vegas, but real! Stone walls, cafes everywhere, little bridges over the canals. People everywhere at 10:00 at night, with their kids.

We had a great dinner at a French (go figure!) restaurant that Dana and Bill knew of. The waiter was typically brusque french, but was really trying not to laugh at our attempts at french, and our ordering of butter for the bread. Good food, good wine, and some good conversation capped off our first night. Can't wait for tomorrow.....

Day 1 - We made it

I guess I can say today was a success - we all made it here, with all our luggage, and got a ride in before dinner. 9 hr flight to Amsterdam, 2 hr layover, 1.5 hr flight to Geneva, 1 hr wait for the Express bus, and a 2 hr bus ride that was seriously NOT the express route.

We followed the Google directions to the hotel, dragging our luggage down the crowded streets of Annecy, and walked a fair distance more than was needed, but we found the Hotel Splendid, and the gang downstairs working on the bikes and chomping at the bit. I doubt it's an exaggeration to say they gave us about 2.5 minutes to check in, unpack, change clothes and get ready for the ride. Of course we made it. And maybe they gave us 5 minutes, but it was worth it - spectacular views!

Annecy is quite beautiful - picture Lake Tahoe surrounded by Leavenworth. High cliffs, clear water, and Tyrolean architecture. We had numerous close calls on the ride trying to get pictures, and one dropped electronic device that somehow survived the bounce at 15mph.

This was our warm up ride. Try the new rental bikes, check our adjustments, warm up the travel-stiff legs. That lasted for about 10 miles. Then Dana and Shawn turned up the heat, Mark pushed with them, and I threw a chain. Right at the start of the only hill of the day. Bad luck, and hopefully I got mine out of the way today. Everyone rode well, and we did pretty good as a group who've never ridden together before for the most part.

We ended the ride back at the hotel, with some slight rain. Bob decided he wanted to go see the church on the hill, so Mark, Bill, and I went along, and rode up to the church. Then it started to rain. The kind where you're standing under a 5 gallon bucket. 3 shortcuts didn't work. Made it back in time for a shower and dinner.

More to come, but we're done. Too may awake hours, and a few glasses of wine makes Dave and Mark go bye-bye. Till tomorrow.... Dave

Here are some pictures that Dana took today during the ride and around town.

The info below is from the Garmin watch I wear - it has the route, the speed, altitude, etc....

We're outa here!

On the plane and heading for Amsterdam! Julie dropped us off at 11:00, and we were lifting off at 1:00. Got one final pic and upload before going to airplane mode...

Biking Heroes at the Tour of Utah

The guy on the left? Bill


The guy on the right? Bob


The guy in the middle? The one, the only, the Bobkey! Bob Role - he's a legend in the bike racing community. You can see him every year commentating the Tour de France.





I'm sure just standing next to him will make Bob and Bill better riders. Or at least make them tougher to be around from now on....

One week to go!

It's Sunday night, and we have one week before the ride starts next Saturday.

I worked today and tomorrow, have Tuesday and Wednesday to organize, pack, and clean up loose ends, then Mark and I fly out on Thursday.

Mark and I fly direct to Amsterdam, and then on to Geneva, Switzeland. We'll probably taxi from there to Annecy and hope to be there by 1pm. The rest of the group are arriving at different times from different airports. We should be able to get our rental bikes, and hope to do a late afternoon spin around the lake to shake out the legs and the bikes.

Then, on Saturday the 28th, we start the real ride with the climbs. Can't wait! With some luck and a lot of pedaling I'll complete all 7 days, 400+ miles, and 40,000+ feet of climbing.

I hope to be able to update this blog several times a day, with pictures, but we'll see if the mobile internet has reached the French Alps! If not, we'll know by Saturday evening.

The girls

Nancy and Julie in Sandy, UT. The boys are riding solo on this trip. Given the schedule and route, the time for sightseeing may be minimal, and limited to the restaurant after the day's ride. We're very lucky to have supportive wives who understand and tolerate our biking behavior!

During our 4 day visit, while Bob and I pushed ourselves up the canyons, the girls enjoyed the local craft shops, met us for meals, and kept Zena the dog happy with endless attention, which she surely deserves! They also put up with us getting up WAY too early in the morning, and coming home tired and sweaty.

So, THANK YOU Nancy, Julie, Ann, and the other wives I haven't met for allowing all of us to go to France and cycle up incredibly steep hills. We love you!

Welcome to the 2010 Tour de Bob!

My friend Bob Austin is turning 50 this year, and he decided he wanted to cycle the Alps.

Yes, the big steep mountains in Europe. The same ones the Tour de France goes over every year with those dramatic pictures of steep climbs and incredible athletes. We will have those same steep climbs and, well, us.

So, follow along as a bunch of well experienced and well aged bikers attack the French countryside and hillsides! I have high hopes with the newest technology to be able to keep this blog updated each night, and hopefully along the way if all goes well. I hope to be able to include pictures and maps, and maybe even some video. We'll see how it goes. Please feel free to leave comments - we can use all the encouragement we can get!

The pages in the right column under 'Home' include more detailed information about the ride, the people, and the training that you might be interested in reading about.

Add your comments and pass along the link to your friends if you like. The more the merrier, even if I'm the only one with the tired legs and sore butt.....