Day 10 Encore de Contretemps!

We started the day with a solid plan. We were going to drive from our lodge to the old fortified town of Briançon for lunch and a walk about then drive round to the town of Guillestre on the south side of the Col d'Izoard and ride over the col back into Briançon. From there we would drive home having notched yet another famed col of the Tour de France.

The whole plan fell apart before we even got out of Bourg d'Oisans. We had to gas up our Renault Kangoo so we stopped at a service station and I dutifully figured out which of the nozzles on the pump was unleaded gas. Then I pumped in 34 liters of 'esssence sans plomb' before I noticed the tiny sign on the back of the Renault's 'gas' cap cover that said 'diesel' (gazole in French.) The Renault was so small and ran so quietly it never occurred to me it had a diesel engine. The day was seemingly shot. At least we hadn't started the car and driven it away or filled up 50 miles away from Bourg d'Oisans where we had picked up the car. We called the garage where we had rented the Renault and had them come tow it so they could drain the tank. Then we walked into town for lunch.

But wait! All was not lost. We were at the foot of Alpe d'Huez, had our bicycles and it was early in the afternoon! So after arranging for Ki to get picked up in town we prepared for another ride up Alpe d'Huez. Then Hank figured out he had left his cycling shoes back at the lodge. Even more bad news for Team Clydesdale as Hank was unable to ride from town without his shoes (and he would have been totally out of luck if we had in fact made it to the start of our ride up the Col d'Izoard.) So it was decided that I would ride Alpe d'Huez on my own and Hank would go back to the lodge and do a ride on the back side of the Col d'Ornan.

I started up the famed ride sans

Hank for the first time. It was clear his fans missed him as his name was still painted on the road. It was a beautiful day for the climb. Even a bad day of riding in France is somehow a good day. If anyone ever asks me if I ever have been up Alpe d'Huez I can answer, 'Why yes, many times.' At this point I know the climb fairly well. I went all the way past the top to check out the approach to Lac Besson which lies another 3.5 kilometers and 200 verticle feet above the ski resort at the top of the famous climb.

After satisfying my curiosity I dropped back down into Bourg d'Oisans and did the ride back up the Col d'Ornan to our lodge. My total mileage for the day was 31.5 with 5,752 feet of climbing. Hank had a great ride off the back of the Col d'Ornan, too. Below is a picture from lower down on the climb of the towns of Huez and higher up Alpe d'Huez just below the clouds on the ridge line. And below that a picture of the marker at the finish line for the TDF route up Alpe d'Huez.