Au revoir...for now

Last Friday, our little French cycling adventure came to a conclusion. Luckily, we were able to check the bikes in early at the airport before before being dropped off at the hotel and saying au revoir to Lance and Rob, who were off to Italy. I must say, the door-to-door service was much appreciated considering the surprising amount of luggage we had! I certainly hope their next group of cyclists have as much fun (and awesome weather) next week in the Dolomites as we had in Provence.

After checking in at the hotel, we had a tasty lunch at a nearby Lebanese cafe. Then we spent a few hours wandering around Geneva on foot. It seemed like such a slow way to see things after spending two weeks riding from town to town taking in everything at 18 miles per hour. We had a good laugh as tried to determine the slope of the hill leading up to the big church overlooking the lake. We decided we could easily ride up it; it's probably only 8%! All that climbing has obviously changed the way we'll look at hills from now on.

We found a nice little French bistro for dinner near the hotel. It was starting to rain, so we didn't want to wander too far. Over l'entrecôte and a bottle of chateauneuf du pape, we discussed the highs (Mont Ventoux, L'Alpe d'Huez) and the low (Rob's "crash") of the 300+ miles we pedaled and 30,000+ feet we climbed around France. Lance did an awesome job finding charming places to stay. The ride selections were terrific. I was surprised how well both Rob and Lance knew the way around the back roads Provence. Almost like locals! And we couldn't have asked for better weather. Especially considering the heat wave that hit Washington, DC the day we left!

The  riding was why we signed up for the trip. Mont Ventoux and L'Alpe d'Huez were certainly the biggest accomplishments and memorable in their own way, but they weren't my favorite rides. Three rides stand out. The second ride up to St Hubert was a breakthrough ride for me. I felt fast up climb ("fast" being relative) and was confident I wouldn't blow up before reaching the old farm house at the top.

Ferme Auberge St Hubert

The descent through the Gorges de la Nesque that day was also exhilarating as Paul and I took it at speed (again, relative!).

Paul heading into one of the tunnels
in the Gorges de la Nesque

A little video of Gorge de la Nesque

My second favorite ride was the climb up to Notre Dame du Pre. It's a teeny village at the top of mountain road with an average grade of 7.6% and 26 switchbacks (L'Alpe d'Huez is a bit steeper at 7.7% but only has 21 switchbacks). We were the only cyclists on the road that day. It was our secret ride. And I like to think LeTour avoids Notre Dame du Pre because the extra switchbacks make it beyond HC!

Centre ville in Norte Dame du Pre

The "3 Cols Ride" was the third fun ride because of the quick climbs and short twisty descents. Climbing three named cols gave it a true Tour de France feel, too.

The valley below Col du Suzette

#1: Col de Suzette

#2: Col de la Chaine

#3: Col de la Madeleine

Unfortunately, it was on our last ride in Provence that I was sort of getting the hang of those descents.

Having never really traveled with the bikes before, we didn't really know what to expect about the rides or how the day would be organized, for that matter. But now knowing what I do, there are only a thing or two I'll do differently next time. I'll get started earlier in the day. No leisurely morning next times. Since towns seem to shut down at 2 pm, start riding at 8 am so we can be back by 1 pm and still have time to get a quick bite to eat before everything closes. Then we, too, can "shut down" and enjoy a leisurely afternoon around the pool or touring a vineyard. It's also cooler in the morning. The Provence sun can get pretty hot! And if we can't get back before 2, there's always Lancewiches to look forward to!! A no-lose situation.

The second thing I'd do differently is limit the number and length of stops (this rule does not apply to HC climbs or rides through Monieux, our favorite little hillside town where we stopped every time we passed through). Save the café and biere for the end of the ride and only stop for eau potable. Staying hydrated is important, if for no other reason than to see the wide variety of really cool public water fountains (the US could learn from this!).

Eau potable in Notre Dame du Pre

Following the Tour de France the last two days was also a highlight of the trip. Having bikes made it really easy to get to a good spot on the course. We could zoom ahead of all the walkers. Watching the Tour on TV doesn't give an accurate impression of how fast the riders really climb those mountains or how much they really suffer! The downside to seeing it live is you don't have Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin calling the action!



I'm sure it will take a few more weeks for the whole experience to fully sink in. I can't thank Lance and Rob enough for opening up a new portion of the cycling world to me. Their experience cycling in France made it really easy to just show up and ride. They took us on routes that were safe and challenging at the same time. They encouraged us when we needed it and left us alone when we were obviously having a blast on our own (or needed "alone time" up Mont Ventoux). I certainly won't look at long climbs the same way again. Lance's annual trips to Colorado and Austin are looking pretty enticing right now.