Road Cycling: La Chambre-Col de la Madeleine-La Chambre-Col du Glandon-Lac de Verney (French Alps)
Distance/climb: 110k/3200m
Two ultra-classic cols in one day: a memorable ride through sacred cycling terrain and the main target of this year's very brief second foray onto the climbs of the Tour. I left La Chambre in perfect cycling weather - cool and sunny - for the massive 20k climb up the Madeleine. As with my previous cycling trip to the Alps in 2011, it is tremendously exciting to start up one of the iconic Alpine climbs: this is without question the greatest backdrop for any sporting event in the world. And although for me nothing quite matches climbing the peaks themselves, cycling up the cols provides almost equally memorable experiences. I spent the first 5k getting into some kind of rhythm, not easy as the Madeleine is quite tough from the start and does not provide any real respite on this steep southern side: any easing is only very temporary! That said, you can churn away at the 9% slopes and relax a little round the hairpins. Dozens of cyclists go up every day, and it was comforting to be able to overtake quite a few in this first section. Through the curiously named village of Le Planet, the climb eases slightly before kicking up quite sharply through the woods. The views begin to open out: down over the Maurienne valley and upwards to the broad slopes of the Madeleine. The ski resort of Longchamp is an unpleasant and jarring interlude, but it is quickly passed: above lies lovely meadows and a superb sequence of long hairpins to the col. Magnificent stuff, although I took a rather slow 1.40 to get up, mindful of the fact that the mighty Glandon lay in wait on the other side of the valley! The descent was, as expected, stunning. Quite technical and twisting with all the hairpins, but absolutely exhilarating with superb views in front. Through La Chambre then across to St Etienne on the other side of the Maurienne valley for a quick picnic lunch of pizza, ham and cheese, en famille, 1k up the Glandon. Then it was straight onto the second monster climb of the day: the Glandon, with a similar set of vital statistics to the Madeleine (ie over 20k constant climbing, 1600m of ascent!). It was now hot, and the lower section of the climb is only partially wooded. It was a desperate battle to find my rhythm at first, but eventually I got my second wind from the food and ploughed up towards the village and a very welcome 1.5k easy section. This was the only relaxed riding all day: just gently inclining. Then came the finale, up to a dramatic amphitheatre, with the best scenery of the day: a river valley left and towering rock walls and pinnacles above. Stupendous stuff, although marred slightly as I was soon attacked by a swarm of bees. One stung my back through the shirt, not too bad, but another got under my helmet and stung my bald pate. Not very pleasant as it buzzed around angrily below the helmet looking to strike again. However, it gave me the adrenalin surge I needed! Above, the road rears up into the infamous final 2k section of steep hairpins. Kate refused to drive, so I soldiered on in intense heat and a fair amount of discomfort (a combination of throbbing bee stings, tired legs and aching buttocks) to the col. I descended back to drive the family up the col! Then, after enjoying the stunning views back to the pleasingly distant Madeleine, indulged in the truly spectacular descent from the Croix de Fer down towards the amazing Lac de Grand Maison. This was fast and memorable, but leads to a brief climb before a perfect gentle contour above the lake leads to another plummeting and very fast descent. Above lurks an agonisingly painful final climb before another very long descent past Vaujany to Lac de Verney and the more familiar territory of the Oisans valley. Harder than my day over the Izoard and Vars in 2011 - 45k uphill with 11,000 feet of climbing.
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