Day 2 - Tuesday, July 22nd - The Climbing Begins! Les Deux Alpes
Today's ride had everything the mountains can offer...beautiful views, tough climbs, clean air, narrow roads, steep drop-offs, and tunnels. We climbed Les Deux Alpes, a medium length (only about 6 miles of climbing!) steep road that winds its way up to a small, quaint ski resort town. A wonderful husband and wife team served up a hearty pasta lunch that restored our energy and we headed back across the "balcony road" between Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d'Huez. The French don't fool around with such nonsense as guard rails or wide lanes for passing...you're pretty much relying on good riding sense and gracious drivers to share the road safely. This day was breathtaking, and we returned to Alpe d'Huez as some of the early fans were already painting the road in anticipation of the Tour de France stage on the mountain tomorrow.
The Trip Begins! Monday, July 21st
We met the rest of the group at 10 a.m. at the Grenoble train station. It's a real mix -- retirees, father & son, small groups of friends. Our bus takes us to Bourg D' Oisans, the gateway to the Alps. There we are fitted to our bikes -- the Trek Madone 5.2, an excellent carbon bike well-suited to climbing mountains. This was the model that Lance rode.
We began our ride that afternoon through a valley to "warm up."
But we also got a taste of climbing in the French Alps and had a great warm-up for the next few days of uphill riding.
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