Day 7 Snow

Day 7, Sunday, June 20th, the day before the summer solstice, and we awoke to snow on the hillside above the King of the Mountains Lodge. There was no snow on the ground at the lodge, we were below the freeze line, but it was clear that there would be snow and rough weather near the top of all the major climbs. So we took the day off and drove the Renault into Bourg d'Oisans for a leisurely lunch.

The forecast was and is for steadily improving weather and we have another six days to ride, so a rest day was not a bad thing. A group of four very good riders from Wales that were also staying at the lodge tried to ride the Col de la Croix de Fer. It was their last full day to ride and they were understandably keen to make the most of it. The four of them made it to within three kilometers of the top of the col before they were beaten back by freezing sleet. They really suffered on their descent and took shelter in the same bistro in Rivier d'Allemond where we had had lunch on our two Col de la Croix de Fer. The Welshmen were quite happy to get back to the lodge.

Tomorrow is another day and we have big plans!