The inaugural King of the Mountains Triathlon (or 'TriKOTM') took place on Wednesday. It was not quite IronMan in size or organisation nor rivaling Kona in number of participants, in fact, there were only 3 of us taking part!

Glenn, in training for Challenge Roth (Iron Man distance triathlon) in a couple of weeks, came up with the idea. His enthusiasm had Guy and readily agreeing and consequently hunting around in the loft for our old tri kit that hasn't seen the light of day since around 2004.

There is a beautiful swimming lake 20km from here so we based the swim, bike and run from there. The idea was to be as sociable as possible, so, with that in mind, the first person to finish each of the 3 disciplines had to turn back and finish that particular leg with the back marker person. It all worked out well with some very relaxed transitions and chat along the way.

The best transition in my opinion was the third - the restaurant stop at the lake where we polished off beer, chips and ice cream - the food of champions!

We really enjoyed our mini triathlon and plan to repeat it very soon. It's even set us to thinking about taking part in the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon in a couple of months....(http://www.alpetriathlon.com/).

Good luck to Glenn on the 10th July, let's hope the TriKOTM has set you up for a good race in Germany!

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Early on Saturday morning 6 riders from King of the Mountains rode the cyclo-randonnee 'Jacob Dubois'.

Claire, Simon, Dan, Glen, Guy and myself all signed up for the middle distance route of 117km (the other choices were 70km or 130km).

The circuit started at the foot of the Vercors mountains, famous for being a stronghold of the French Resistance during the second world war, and then took us all into the heart of the mountains via some amazing roads carved into the rock and following the contours of stunning gorges and rivers.

There was a lot of evidence of the Resistance in monuments, graves and plaques on various buildings that had served as bases for Resistance fighters. The local cycle club who were hosting the event and manning the feed stations were keen to tell us that one of the villages we were due to pass through (Malleval) had been cut off and suffered many casualties during a battle in January 1944, apparently the British came to aid them by parachuting more arms to the Resistance fighters. That's one of the things I love the most about these events; to witness the pride the locals have in their area and its' heritage - not only do you discover new areas and roads to ride, but you often also come away with some gems of local information too.

Knowing that the overall height gain of our ride was due to be around 1250 metres, it was quite disconcerting to ride the first 50km on virtually flat roads and cycle paths along the Isere river. We knew too that the last 15km were all downhill, so that meant only one thing - a big lump in the middle! Not long after the first feed station we found our 'lump' and started clocking up the height gain on the cols du Mont Noir and Romeyere, the road just didn't stop going up! But, as they say, what goes up must come down and we were rewarded with some beautiful descents and areas of plateau.

Guy and I added a small optional loop to the ride which took us over the col de Herbouilly where in winter the road becomes cross country ski pistes. The Vercors is also an area famous for its great cross country ski traditon with a lot of the French team living in the environs.

By the time we got to the finish we were really looking forward to our buffet meal. What we weren't anticipating was to find the rest of 'Team King of the Mountains' loaded down with 2 trophies! Claire and Simon had won one for being the youngest couple riding and the other bit of silverware was for registering the biggest team of the day. We duly drank some sparkling wine from the cup in celebration of 'Team King of the Mountains' being the largest representative group of riders. The organisers seemed delighted and proud to be welcoming riders all the way from the UK, and were ecstatic to find that Glen was from New Zealand - we really should have won a trophy for the furthest traveled team too!

 Helyn

For information on the randonnee visit: Randonnee Dubois Jacob
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

This is a pro bike race, and despite the name, it is actually a week-long stage race, not unlike a mini Tour de France.  And, because the organisers, backed by the larget local newspaper, are bright thinkers and cycling-savvy, they wait until the Tour de France organisers announce their route (in the October prior to the following July) before announcing theirs.  This allows them to then include various key climbs that the big boy's race will use, as well as similar time trial (TT) courses.  The end result is; all the teams and riders who want to do well at the Tour de France turn up at this little race for last minute preparation.  And it's always on our doorstep.

So, having a little gap between guests, we packed up a bit of camping stuff, the bikes and some swimming trunks and headed over to take a look at the TT stage which was due to take place in the (beautiful) countryside east of Valence.  Helyn, organised as ever, had found a great little campsite (with a pool) really close to the route and had printed out maps and times for the riders' passage, as well as  a couple of baby cols for us to ride en route too!

We left home about ten and were at the campste by twelve and one thebikes by one.  Up over the cols du Tourniol ( a beauty) and Limouches (easier) and popped out onto the TT route near a village called Charpey.  The riders were on a slight uphill and really close by too, so we took lots of pics.  Click on the link to have a look:

Criteruim du Dauphine Libere 2009 photos in our web gallery
 
We then rode through stunning scenery back to the campsite, hopped in the pool to cool off, then ate a huge bowl or red pasta and promptly fell asleep.  Luckily, we'd remembered to order croissants and bread which were delivered by a suitably portly baker (it's always reassuring to see people who make food enjoying their own work), so we ate heartily before heading over to take a look at Pont en Royans, a beautiful little town right on the edge of the Vercors, a mass of house perched above a river on rock faces - stunning.  And we saw it at a great time of year - it has "tourist trap" written all over it come July and August!.

Back home to reality via the supermarket.  Good news: we have my favourite cyclo randonee this weekend in the Chartreuse (the BRC it's called) so we'll be back on our bikes soon enough!.

Happy riding

Guy & Helyn

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

That is the motto of the 'Alpe d'HuZez' challenge which took part yesterday. I have not misspelled the name of the famous climb, this is a Dutch play on words as 'zes' means six.

Six was a very significant number to over 1,250 riders yesterday who aimed to ride the Alpe d'Huez up to 6 times in one day. You may ask yourself what on earth would motivate so many people to do such a thing, I know that I'd find it physically and mentally destroying. Their motivation involved the number six again - to raise 6 million Euros for charity in the fight against cancer. Last night the total was a little over 5 million and creeping closer to the target.

We had a team of 8 Dutch riders and 3 supporters here these past few days from 'Team Eneco'. The team of 8 had together raised 40 thousand Euros towards the overall target. What we found the most astonishing about the team was that some members were new to cycling and some were not even regular cyclists at all, most of them had never even seen the Alpe d'Huez before.

An optional 5am start time and a last ascent time of 8pm meant it was a long day for the team of 8; Willy, Anna Loes, Joris, Jorg, Martjin, Remko, Ronald and Freddy.

We headed up in the van mid morning stocked up with oranges, bananas, Coke, water, etc. and watched in awe as the riders came by again, and again and again....all day long.

What amazed us most was amongst the determination and resolve there was a constant cheerfulness and positivity among the riders, pretty much without exception. We were also amazed to see some people choosing to take up the challenge on foot with quite a number of people running. The supporters were equally as energetic, especially on hairpin 7 known as 'Dutch Corner' - there was one big party going on there all day long, even someone dressed in a giant, orange lion suit in 30 degrees C!

From our hairpin 4 vantage point we also got a lesson in excellent event organisation; mechanical assistance on quad bikes, medical assistance on the road, massage at summit and foot of the climb, isotonic drink on tap, kit transport between the top and bottom, bus shuttles for supporters and riders who did not want to descend, motorbike outriders and marshals warning of oncoming traffic, timing chips with live feed to the internet site, the list goes on - it seemed like the number of organisers equaled the riders.

Team Eneco completed 37 ascents in total; 3 x 6 ascents, 1 x 5, 2 x 4 and 2 x 3 and everyone was thrilled with their achievements if a little tired. Well done all!

For more information on the event visit: http://www.opgevenisgeenoptie.nl/over/visieuk.php

And for our photos visit our on-line album: Click here

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk


 


 

the long wait is over - good job too - the pros are due over there in the Dauphine Libere stage race next week!

Guy

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

We all trooped over to the Vercors yesterday for the annual season-opener which is the Challenge Dauphine Libere sportive - a choice of 3 distances (66km, 123 km or 173km) over some of the most beautiful countryside in France.  Whilst not Alpine in terms of it's topography, it's certainly not flat.  The longer course of the three included no less than 9 cols!
We were a group of seven from here - Nick and Vicky, John and Neil training for the Marmotte and Tony, David and myself out for a good day out.  We certainly had that.  We met up with "locals" Russell (of Grenoble Cycling Pages fame) and Ed, who lives very close by in the Vercors.

The start venue was Autrans this year (it alternates between Autrans, Villard de Lans and Lans en Vercors every 2 years) and for the first 40km, all the riders are on the same route.  The race then splits again at around 75km.

I had only ever done the 123km route before, so (despite not riding all that much this year) I plumped for the 173km and rode most of the way with Russell and latterly with Nick too.

The highlights for me were: scenery, weather, route.  The lowlights: pain and suffering, largely on the aptly named col de la Machine. 

Russell, ever the pro, managed to film, ride comfortably within himself and chat happily.  He was on great form.  Respect due - his video diary is online on Vimeo at:
http://www.vimeo.com/4923833  and I feature heavily!

Nick had suffered like me and towed me back to base for the last 30km (I thank you), Vicky had had a tough day too and the wiser group who chose the 123km route were happily back in the refreshments tent drinking wine when we finished.  So they had definitely had a good day. 

More events coming soon  (I'm particularly looking forward to the BRC randonnee on the 13th June (in the ever-beautiful Chartreuse)) and the weekly Alpe d'Huez TTs, so I'd better get out and ride a bit!

Happy summer riding everyone....

Guy

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

...have been busy but exciting here at King of the Mountains. For a start the weather has been glorious, lots of sunny days and great riding temperatures.

We have had many returning guests these past two weeks; Kevin and Brioni, on their 6th visit to us, but this time leaving the bike behind and instead coming on a motorbike. This gave them great freedom to whiz around and catch a few stages of the Giro d'Italia which was passing just near the French/Italian border.

Simon and Sarah re-visited us after a fleeting trip back in 2005. They rode themselves into the ground covering 455 miles and approx. 14,000 metres of climbing in the process, a pretty respectable tally during their week. Being triathletes, they included in amongst this the long-course route of the Alpe d'Huez triathlon which passes our door.

At the same time as Simon and Sarah were here, we had a group of 4 (Cookie, Jon/Marcus, Stan and Ed) who had just ridden the 'Cingles de Ventoux' - that's riding all 3 routes up the Mont Ventoux in a day. We'd assumed that they would want a restful few days after their efforts, but on the contrary; they hit the mountains hard and were 100% enthusiasm and energy for their whole stay.

We've had a good number of people here to train for the Marmotte too taking advantage of the re-opening of most of the Marmotte cols after the snow (the Galibier is only partially open). The 'Challenge Dauphine Libere' cyclosportive yesterday gave them all a good few quality miles and cols in preparation for July's event (more on that in the following post).

In a brief quiet spell, Guy and I spent a great 24hours up on the Col de la Croix de Fer camping and walking. A great excuse to test the 19 Euro tent that I bought from the supermarket (see picture top left). At that price it was either going to be a waste of money or the best 19 Euros that we've ever spent. Just 5 minutes to put up and we were as comfy as could be - money well spent! As I have mentioned in previous posts, the Col de la Croix de Fer is by far my favourite ride in this area, over the many times I have ridden it my curiosity has been mounting to find out what goes on behind those peaks and around those lakes off the beaten track. We had a great circular walk taking in some paths that in winter are ski pistes. There was still a fair amount of residual snow covering north facing slopes over 2,400 metres and even after our recent spell of warm weather some of the lakes up there were only just starting to thaw. Always a bonus to spot Marmottes and on the walk the count was high - we saw around 20 of them basking in the sun.

Yesterday, whilst the rest of the household were taking part in the sportive, I opted to stay at home, catch up with some chores and then slip out for a steady ride. I rode up the valley towards the foot of the Deux Alpes climb and just beyond that turned left for Mizoen and Clavans and eventually the Col de Sarenne. It's a tough climb from that side, the first part an off-putting 14%. The norm' is to descend this road from Alpe d'Huez - I was glad that I was climbing on this occasion as the road has not yet been swept since the thaw and hence is strewn with a lot of geology ranging from gravel to rocks the size of a cow! The summit was bathed in sunshine and that's where I met some lovely cycle tourists from Nottingham on their way via the Glandon and Madeleine to Lake Annecy - they should be there by now enjoying a dip in the lake. But for me it was back home to cook dinner for the tired and hungry riders fresh back from the cyclosportive - for more on that, over to Guy...

For pictures of the last two weeks of May, visit our 'Summer' folder on our Picasaweb site: Click here

Good news.  The col du Glandon officially opened today.

The col du Galibier is, I am afraid, still very much snowbound for the time being though.

Happy days.

Guy & Helyn

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

The call of the Col de la Croix de Fer has been strong since it re-opened last Wednesday. Work and wet weather since then had kept me from thinking too much about the re-opening of my favourite ride in the area.

Yesterday we woke to a beautiful morning. The trees behind the house are now in full leaf and there was just a dusting of fresh snow on the higher peaks contrasting brilliantly against the deep blue sky. It was all so new and fresh, it felt like the first time I ever set eyes upon it here. After the monochrome months of winter, I hanker for the return of colour in the form of foliage and flowers and yesterday was as vibrant as I have ever seen it up in our valley.

Both Guy and I had a full day ahead of us preparing for the arrival of 7 guests on Sunday morning, but it didn't take much to convince Guy to down tools and swap power drill for bicycle, and I was more than happy to quit the ironing board and hoover!

My only reservation was the date, 16th May. Call me superstitious, but not long after we moved here I rode the Col de la Croix de Fer on the very same date and it was without doubt the coldest I have ever been on a ride, and, the only occasion in my life that I have hated being on my bike. Time is apparently a great healer and normally softens the memories of a hard day out in the saddle. However, in the case of 16th May 2005, I can still vividly recall the headwind, rain, sleet becoming snow, snow becoming blizzard that I foolishly rode into. I was badly kitted out too - a tiny rain cape, no overshoes and not much in the way of warm kit. I am not too proud to admit that I cried all the way from the top down to Le Rivier d'Allemont where at last I got 'phone reception and unclenching my hypothermic fingers called Guy for a rescue. I will always be grateful to the owner of the hotel in this little village; he bustled me into his lounge (where, to my surprise, there were two enormous Belgian riders in the same state as me - maybe without the tears!). He sat us all in front of his log fire, took our wet jackets to dry and gave us each a fresh towel and a hot chocolate. He put a cover on the sofa to guard against our wet and muddy chamois and even put the Giro d'Italia on the TV for us. I assumed this level of care and understanding of our state must be borne from the fact that he too was a cyclist - when I asked the question he replied 'you must be joking, I'm not that daft'. He had a point! Exactly a year later we returned (by car) and took him a cake and a bottle of wine as a belated 'thank you'. Not surprisingly he did not need reminding of who I was and that day, and not surprisingly he still had not taken up cycling!

Anyway, that's old news. May 16th 2009 could not have been more different. We were so basked in sun that we took our time at the top, took some photos, chatted to some walkers and other cyclists and then freewheeled down to the summit of the Glandon to take in the views of Mont Blanc and generally enjoy the sun on our backs. There was surprising very little residual snow around, the new grass was dotted with hundreds of colourful flowers and cavorting marmottes and not a snowflake in sight!

For photos of our ride visit our Picasa album (click here)

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Now, this is BIG news.  Despite heavy skepticism on the part of the French towards all things British when it comes to food, Helyn has been asked for a cake recipe by the local baker/patissier.  It was a particularly fine coffee and walnut cake that we proferred to the baker's wife when she was passing the other day!

Acceptance at last......

Guy

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Great news, col baggers.   The col de la Croix de Fer opened for the first time here today (with the col du Glandon remaining closed for the time being). 

This links the Romanche valley with the Maurienne valley, and is the pass used on the first section of the Marmotte cyclosportive.  So, summer is finally here!

Guy & Helyn

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

The transceivers for the 'Timtoo' timing chips have now gone live for 2009 for the Alpe d'Huez climb.

The timing chips are available for hire either at the kiosk in the car park at the foot of the climb itself (just off the roundabout), or from the tourist office in Bourg d'Oisans.

The transceivers detect the passing of a rider with a chip in his or her jersey pocket - they record from the very base of the climb, give a split time level with the Alpe d'Huez tourist office ('vieil Alpe') and a final time at the official tour finish ('mythique'). The times are then registered on the Timtoo website:Timtoo results page link.

King of the Mountains owns a couple of these chips (results for guests using our chips are listed under club name 'King of the Mountains'). Today we sent a couple of willing volunteers up the 21 hairpins to check that our chips are working correctly and we can confirm that - timing chips are GO!

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Yesterday was the second time that we have ridden the 'Randonnée de Belledonne' and it has now established itself as one of my favourite events in our area.

It's a great time of year to ride in the Alps, not only because of the perfect riding conditions (around 17 to 20 degrees C), but also because it's just at that time in spring when everything is at its' best. We were treated to beautiful blossom, flowers, an abundance of green foliage and content looking 'picture postcard' cows grazing in lush pastures.

The route (route map and profile.) gives great views of the plain around Grenoble (surprisingly, the flattest city in France) and also uninterrupted views of the length of the Vercors mountain range.

The only disappointment of the day were the feed stations which had been great last year and always act as my 'carrot on a stick'. Unfortunately this year nothing much was on offer but plates of crumbs - had we missed a passing plague of locusts? Fortunately the second feed station of the day, which was equally as barren as the first, was next to a restaurant with a sunny terrace. An emergency omelette pit stop to fuel us for the final and biggest climb of the day, up to the ski resort of Chamrousse.

This year there was slightly more snow hanging about at this the highest point of the ride (1,700 metres). The climb to the resort (we rode from the south side) is fairly steady averaging 4-5% for the first few kms and then a slightly steeper section of 6-7%. The reward is an exhilarating 18km descent down to Uriage (passing close to the Col de Luitel) on perfectly surfaced roads.

Dan and Will banked a valuable 110kms and 2,300 metres of climbing towards their Marmotte cyclosportive training, and our friend Colette enjoyed her longest ride and first organised cycling event in nearly 4 years. Everyone came back home on a high in time for the Giro d'Italia team time trial and Cavendish pulling on the pink jersey.

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Our first guests of summer 2009 arrived yesterday, Dan and Will. Dan and Will have been our traditional 'season openers' for the last 3 years, and Dan was one of the first arrivals to King of the Mountains just after we set up.

Both are in training for the Marmotte cyclosportive this July, so after their arrival yesterday (and the unveiling of Will's new bike), they set off and took the Villard Reculas 'balcony' road that takes you to the Alpe d'Huez. Today another balcony ride is scheduled and then tomorrow we are all off to ride a cyclorandonne that takes place in the nearby 'Belldonne' mountains. The weather is due to be good and the route spectacular, all good training miles and most importantly hills ahead of July.

This morning Guy and I received our French Cyclosportive licenses. Delivered in a 'drive by' by the effervescent and excitable Roger Gilly. Roger owns a fantastic patisserie/chocolaterie in Bourg d'Oisans and bears the physical signs of a man who appreciates his own work! He loves the bike and is passionate about supporting and promoting road cycling in our area. He heads up the local cyclists union here, and when he's not riding himself he can be found driving support cars and marshaling at local events. He has picked up a bit of English here and there and has the habit of offering unusual cries of support whenever I'm participating: 'I love you' and 'God save the Queen' amongst his favourites!

Earlier this week we knocked off early from the DIY and set off for a walk to a nearby mountain hut. The hut is (in theory) only a 2 hour walk from here but not marked on any map, therefore we had to rely on snippets of local knowledge and our own instinct. All I can say is that it's a good thing that we run cycling holidays and not walking holidays (for more evidence to back this up see 'Lost In France' from back in September '06)! The party of two (Guy and I) split somewhere in the woods (geographically and nearly as a couple!), leaving Guy to eventually navigate his way to the hut, and me almost crag-fast and left with an unseemly scramble back down to the road. We have now located the official path so will attempt a much more direct ascent at a later date.

The morning after the walk and his yomp back down the hill, Guy had really stiff legs and could barely make it down the stairs - not ideal for a 130km, hilly bike ride, but that's exactly what we embarked upon. Along with our neighbour Yves, we rode a lovely randonnee near Vienne amongst blossoming fruit trees and the vineyards that border the river Rhone. Naturally then there was plenty of 'Cotes du Rhone' red flowing at the feed stations and at the post-ride meal - brings a new angle to a recovery drink!

The final bit of news this week is the finale of Guy's mountain bike project (see photo top left). Over the last few weeks Guy has been building up a bike from existing spares, eBay purchases and generous gifts. The bike had her maiden voyage around the trails of Bourg d'Oisans yesterday evening, and after a few 'tweaks' is off road somewhere on the Col d'Ornon as I type...

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

We spent the weekend in Provence, near the foot of Mont Ventoux, to celebrate Guy's birthday (39th). Found a great campsite with the most luxurious and hottest showers I've ever encountered outside of a hotel, marvelous. The shower block itself was about 30 degrees, it was tempting not to abandon our pitch and to sleep in there instead!

On our arrival on Friday evening, the top of the 'Giant of Provence' was veiled in a heavy grey cloud, not promising. The following day the Ventoux summit was clear, but we were surprised to see that there was still a fair bit of snow laying about in pockets. The treeless, white rock summit can sometimes look snowy from a distance even at the height of summer, but this was the real thing! It didn't take long to make the decision not to ride up there on such a chilly and blustery day. We know from past experience that if there's even a light breeze on the flat, at the top of Ventoux that is amplified into howling winds that do their very best to blow you off the bike!

So, we stayed low, Guy found a great area for an explore; the 'Dentelles de Montmirail' (see photo top left). The 'Dentelles' are a chain of rock formations in forested lowland, where the woods are punctuated by lots of neat little vineyards. The road in places was a bit more mountain bike than road bike, but we had a beautiful ride nonetheless (despite the lack of tarmac and the rocky surface we remained puncture free - then back on the main road, ripped a brand new Continental to shreds on a 'discarded' glass bottle, ouch!).

My spirits were lifted after the puncture repair by a much better reason to stop at the side of the road - a 'fruity pit stop' as Guy called it! Local strawberries for sale by the punnet, ripe and warm from the sun and full of flavour - just the thing to keep us fueled up before we rolled back into Malaucene, up and over the lovely little Col de Madeleine and on back to the campsite for a slap-up tea on the camping stove and a boiling hot shower.

Sadly Sunday was a washout, even the local vintage tractor rally looked to have been canceled due to rain. The rival event, the 'asparagus fair', didn't really grab us, so we trundled back home to the village where the rain was clearing up and a beautiful rainbow welcomed us back to the Col d'Ornon.

For some photos of the trip (including mouthwatering strawberries!) see our photo album: Click here.

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Well, sorry everyone for the lack of updates.  It won't be so long next time....

Breaking news:

All the snow in the village has now melted.

The cross country skis have been put away for the season. It was good.  See you next December.

Helyn has been up Alpe d'Huez on her bike and generally riding a fair bit of late (I was away working for a bit so she filled the void!).  I have been taking it steady and not riding SO much but getting back into it gently now.  Lots of flat stuff to ease me in, so to speak.
 
I have fitted a load of new windows on the ground floor (someone appears to have turned down the volume on the stream!).  They look lovely (and actually open and close well too!).

Au Cadre Rouge (our favourite little bike shop here in Bourg d'Oisans) run by our pal Jean-Charles has some new rental bikes (and they're carbon!), whch is good news.  See photo alongside (we had to coax him into posing for us).

We've also been doing a few cyclo randonnees, which have been lovely.  At 7 euros for a beautiful route, 3 feed stations and a slap-up meal on your return, I'd say they are also quite good value!

Helyn has been demo-ing new cakes (the macaroons were, I can assure you, a triumph).  Look out for those coming to your table soon.

I'll do more blog posting - I promise.

Guy

PS: I have been busy putting together a hardtail mountain bike too, so looking forward to doing a bit more of that this summer.  I found an old steel frame and bought a good fork on eBay and am now just cobbling together a few other bits and pieces and I'll be on my way.

PPS: Off to Ventoux this weekend for some sunshine, riding and birthday celebration!

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Here's a little clip taken a while ago while we were riding near Gap. The location is where Beloki fell during stage 9 in the 2003 Tour de France and Armstrong was forced to take evasive action.

Featuring our very own stunt man/action hero, Guy! (Go to YouTube clip)

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Popped into Bourg d'Oisans today to the supermarket. Just a few things needed and nothing too heavy so I decided to ride in.

(Top tip for anyone wanting to ride Alpe d'Huez but needs to lighten their load of kit/rucksack, etc. before they climb: In the entrance to the large Casino supermarket [just before roundabout at foot of climb], there are 20 or so lockers where you can leave your stuff. These lockers take a 2 Euro coin which, on returning to collect your kit, can then be used to buy Coke and cakes!)

It was nice to get outside as the last couple of days have been snowy with gale force winds. Today could not have been more different; the new snowfall had already melted and it was sunny and warm.

I had it in the back of my mind to ride some or all of the Alpe d'Huez climb. It would be the first time this year, in fact, the first time since around October '08.

I am by no means complacent about the climb or about having it on our doorstep, however, over this winter the road snaking up the mountain has just become an impressive backdrop to my trips to Bourg d'Oisans for shopping, etc. Now, approaching on the bike again, I felt a little apprehensive, so much so that at the last moment I swung hard left and did a further few kilometres in the valley kidding myself that it was all good 'warm up'. On my second approach I went for it! Well, sort of.

By hairpin 21 I was painfully (and I mean painfully) aware of the chasm of fitness that needs to be bridged to get me back to last season's form. By hairpin 20 I had already checked 2 or 3 times that I wasn't still in the big ring, it certainly felt like I was. By hairpin 19 I was starting to enjoy myself - but not that much as at hairpin 18 I did a U-turn and enjoyed the descent back to Bourg. Well, it will still be there tomorrow...

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

I have spent all of this morning and early afternoon in the office doing King of the Mountains admin'. All that remained to tie up the paperwork was a quick trip to the Post Office and bank.

Guy has the minibus all day today so my only form of transport was my bike. I don't often need much of an excuse to ride my bike and usually jump at the chance. Today however my ride to Bourg d'Oisans was hampered by very strong and very cold winds. My aerodynamics weren't helped much by my rucksack bulging with letters, parcels and paperwork.

Fortunately by the time I got into town the wind had abated and it was much warmer. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that the bank is always shut on a Monday. Next stop the Post Office. Ah, the Post Office: 'Fermeture Exceptionelle'. Roughly translated this means 'Closed due to exceptional circumstances'. Unluckily for me, these exceptional circumstances had happened only 5 minutes before my arrival at their door.

I really hope that the phrase ''fermeture exceptionelle' is included in every French phrasebook ever printed, because a visitor to France - even on a day trip - is bound to come across it at least once. Customers (or should I say would be customers) are informed of a fermeture exceptionelle by a note taped to the door or window of the establishment. Sometimes these notices are not even printed, just a hastily scribbled couple of lines on the back of an envelope that may as well read 'we fancied the afternoon off'.You may be surprised to find out that the fermeture exceptionelle is not exclusive to small, family run or rural business, no! The fermeture exceptionelle can happen at even the largest of supermarkets, DIY shops, public buildings, sports facilities, etc. etc.

By now I should have become hardened to these little A4 notes, however, each time I see one and my shopping or admin' is thwarted I get just that little bit more up tight and angry. So, today it took a lot for me not to start jumping up and down and pulling at my hair like Basil Fawlty in Bourg d'Oisans high street. Instead, I hopped back on my bike and pedaled furiously to Allemont (just down the valley, after the right turn to the Croix de Fer and Glandon). Unusually, Allemont post office closes at midday every day and does not re-open until 8am the next morning - cue Basil Fawlty.

By this time the sun was out and I decided it was time to salvage my afternoon. I carried on riding (still carrying my backpack of letters) and did a 'tour de barrage'. This is a little loop of the lake at Allemont favoured by our cycling neighbours at this time of year because it's nice and gentle and only a 40km round trip. It was lovely, very peaceful and lots of beautiful primroses and catkins in full bloom. The second time today my heart rate was raised, but this time for good reasons!

Thankfully for my 'anger management', France has lots more in the way of beautiful road riding than it does 'fermeture exceptionelles'!

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

We have just spent 3 days in the 'Ardeche' area.

During our 3 hour journey south, all traces of snow gradually disappeared save for on the very highest mountain peaks. We soon shed our gloves and woolly hats and donned shorts and T-shirts. It was as if we had jumped straight from winter to summer, bypassing spring.

Breakfast on the terrace! Crazy to think that back at home our garden furniture has not yet emerged from the snowdrifts. We had a couple of glorious rides in shorts and short sleeved jerseys - opened up our accounts on the cyclist's silly tan lines and had that great feeling of heat radiating back up at you from the tarmac, 24 degrees C, unimaginable!

Returning home yesterday we found that the good weather had hit the Oisans too. The melt is creeping up the valley towards the village and the waterfalls starting to appear again where there were recently icicles. The snow pile outside the front door has receded to 3ft from 5ft and patches of brown grass are being exposed on the slopes behind the house.

I had a very short ride today - slightly different story to the Ardeche; leggings, long fingered gloves and overshoes (thank goodness the 'Festival of the Black Pudding' was the end of last month as my all-black get up could have me passed as a particularly succulent exhibit [4 kilos gained this winter!]). There are primroses at the foot of Alpe d'Huez, there's a warmth in the air and a generally high level of grinning and waving amongst fellow cyclists on the road.

Spring has sprung, it's official!

Helyn

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Loads of powdery snow fell last night but it's not hanging around for long as the spring sunshine was on us today and temperatures are due to rise throughout the week - hooray!

We put on our snowshoes this afternoon, strapped our cross country skis to our backs and walked the 2km 'off road' to the Col d'Ornon. At the col, we did a quick 5km circuit on the skis (MUCH easier than Sundays' efforts!) and then trotted back home for hot chocolate, bliss!

See photo top left and below.

Helyn & Guy

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk
www.winter.kingofthemountains.co.uk

I would never advise anyone to participate in the 'Marmotte' or a marathon, for example, without being well trained and well prepared. Why then, yesterday did I embark upon the cross country ski equivalent of that scenario? Inexperienced and under trained, it was a given that I may find myself in the tiniest bit of difficulty. Understatement.

The event was the 'Traversee du Vercors'. Basically; get up very early, drive your car to the beautiful Vercors mountains, park, have a shuttle bus take you 50km away from your vehicle and then ski back to it climbing 1,050 metres in the process. No get out, no broom wagon, no escape - the route is, as the name of the event suggests, a traverse across a mountain range. The pistes are created especially for the event (only a few kilometres of public ski pistes are used ) and are wild, remote but very beautiful.

Here are a few things I learned from my 7 hour ordeal yesterday:

-From the gun, skiing up the equivalent of the first two hairpins of Alpe d'Huez has an incredible effect on your heart rate.
-Wearing flashy, 'all the gear and no idea' clothing only makes you look even more inept when you keep falling over.
-To take signs of vomit in the snow as a warning.
-The toppling domino effect of around 15 skiers on a 10% downhill slope is actually quite funny unless you are one of them.
-Under extreme conditions I crave foodstuffs that will blatantly not be available at feed stations (I think it's probably 30 years since I last drank Corona Cherryade and anyway, it would have taken more than cherries to aid me at that point).
-Kilometres on skis pass a lot slower than kilometres on a bike; when you feel like you are nearly at the half way mark you have only actually covered 11km.
-Lycra makes for poor protection of the coccyx.
-Pain and suffering breeds solidarity and you get to meet some lovely people along the way.
-Shouting and swearing at looming hills does not make them go away.
-When at least 5 people have asked you 'Ca va?' (you OK?), you must look as dreadful as you feel.
-When a whippet of a Frenchman says steep, he means STEEP.
-Not to underestimate the terrain.
-Not to overestimate my abilities.
-When Guy says things are a stupid idea he is not often wrong.
-That on this occasion I mean never again.

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk
www.winter.kingofthemountains.co.uk

...but we still have about a metre and a half of snow outside the house.  Still ski-ing, still chopping logs, still lighting log fires BUT you get the feeling this will all break soon and we'll be dusting off the bikes and putting away all things "winter" in a box in the loft.  Watch this space.

Guy

PS: Helyn off doing the 50km Traversee de Vercors XC ski even as I type - look out for a race report shortly.

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Yesterday Helyn got new skis (well, new to her anyway) and a new Hoover.  Not sure which one she likes best.

Guy

I imagine after today's snow and disruption across the UK, the last thing  you may want to read about is more snow...

Fortunately for us, it was a welcome part of the fun yesterday. We, and 7 others from our village took part in a cross country ski race, the 'Valgaude Blanche'. The King of the Mountains minibus took 'Team Ornon' to a stunning valley about an hour and a half from here, just on the perimeter of the Ecrins National Park.

There was a choice of 2 distances; 15km or 30km. Guy and I chose the 30km event, our furthest distance covered on cross country skis yet.

Just after the start, we saw Yves, one of our neighbours and favourite to win the 30km event, heading back towards us against the flow of skiers. Yves had broken his pole and had to head back to the car park at the start line to get a spare. In a surprisingly short amount of time he was overtaking us again and managed to pass all the other back markers eventually finishing in 3rd place overall. Impressive stuff.

Out of our team of 9, we came away with 5 trophies, not a bad haul, so much talent in such a small village! Guy and I came home without silverware, however, if there had been a category for most impressive downhill tumbles, we would have been in contention, Guy being awarded a distinction for incorporating a couple of forward rolls!

Helyn & Guy
http://www.kingofthemountains.co.uk/
http://www.winter.kingofthemountains.co.uk/

In relation to Guy's last post on the blog, I too had my cross country ski race debut the Sunday before (18th January). I did not document it on the blog as it's taken me this long to get over it! The event was the 'Foulee Blanche' (http://www.lafouleeblanche.com/), a pretty well established event in its' 31st year and attracting around 2,500 entrants on the Sunday, not to mention the events for schools and clubs that take place on the Thursday and Friday before.

I opted for the 20km version, the 42km being strictly for the big boys and pros (Agritubel [formerly AG2R] rider, Sylvain Calzati was there proving that this is the winter sport chosen by cyclists).

The 20km choice was the 'fun run' version - loads of people of all different ages and abilities taking part. The circuit was on the plateau of the 'Vercors' mountains and hence only had 100 metres of height gain so was really gentle. The route took skiers through fields, villages and along some roads where snow had been carted in to cover the tarmac for the day!

Once I got out of the starting area without bringing down the other 2,499 competitors like dominoes, my nervousness left me and I really started to enjoy the event. The atmosphere, great marshals and fantastic organisation bore more than a passing resemblance to many cyclosportive events that I have taken part in.

All in all it was a great day out. Even the 'also-rans' like me were made to feel like skiing stars surrounded by an Olympic standard start line and finishing straight, 'Ski Sunday' type bib numbers were issued (see photo top left - very proud!) and your name and time flashed up on a big screen as you crossed the line.

Glutton for punishment, Guy and I are off for more of the same this coming Sunday. We and a group of neighbours are heading to the 'Valguade Blanche', a 30km event in a valley (so hopefully quite flat!) that we have ridden before but never seen in the snow.

Ski Sunday here we come!

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk
http://www.winter.kingofthemountains.co.uk/

I did my first XC ski race today.  The Traversee de Chartreuse.  It was very hard.  I did not fall down but my my lungs were going in and out a lot and it was a cold at the start and foggy in the middle and slippery at the end. And 28km long.  The first hill was 12km long.  I had to stop a lot and pretend to look at the view so the big boys didn't think I was soft or anything.  Next time I will find an easier one.   Guy  (class 2R)

Happy new year!

Without leaving the house yesterday evening we managed to celebrate 3 new year's eves, not a bad effort really! 

All a bit tired from a day ski-ing and a big meal, we and our guests were flagging at around 10:30pm. Realising that we were unlikely to hold out until midnight we did some research and found a country whose time zone suited us, that just happened to be Finland, one hour ahead of France. So, at 11pm our time, midnight in Helsinki, we popped a bottle of champagne and let off a few very tame fireworks to see in 2009 (celebration number 1). Nick became out 'tall dark stranger' and performed the 'first footing' ritual, being the first person crossing our threshold with offerings of flour, firewood, salt and a coin - hopefully bestowing good fortune on us for 2009... 

I doubt it was the excitement of the fireworks, but after that we all got second wind and did in fact manage to stay awake for that extra hour and celebration number 2 at midnight French time, even mustering a rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

By the time Guy and I had cleared away the glasses and done a bit of washing up, it was nearly 1am UK time. I called my Mum and shared the excitable noises of Uckfield in East Sussex seeing in the new year; fireworks, church bells and singing (slurring?) revelers who seemed to have much more energy (and booze by the sounds of it!) than us here in France!

Waking up on the 1st was pretty grey and misty here in Le Rivier d'Ornon, but by 11:30am the mist had lifted and we had a beautiful bright day, not a cloud in the skies. 

According to our neighbour, Yves, a very keen cyclist, the tradition on the first day of the year is to dust down the bike and ride. He tells us that all good/keen cyclist in France do this. It's like opening up your kilometre account for 2009 having set all bike computers to zero (for an expalantion of this habit see 'Bourne Again Cyclist' blog from Dec 2006 click here). I thought it debatable that many people would be donning lycra on a day when the maximum temperature was 5 degrees C, but, to be honest, any excuse to get back on the saddle was fine by me!

Guy sensibly stayed at home, as seemingly did all other cyclists in France - we did not see another soul on the road carrying out this supposedly common ritual ride. 

Despite the temperature, they should have made the effort as it was a glorious day and a beautiful circuit. We took the snowy sting out of the start of the trip by driving over the Col d'Ornon, heading south of all the ski resorts and to an area obviously having had less snow and more melt than us. Given that we still have a good metre of snow outside our door, I was amazed to see grass again just 20km from here. 

Halfway through the ride we stopped above a beautiful aqua marine lake, Monteynard, (see photo top left) to take in the view. If I hadn't know that it was the 1st January, I would have struggled to tell you what season it was; the trees direclty around us were still holding on to the last of their orange/brown autumn leaves, the fields in front of us were grassy and deep green, the lake below us reflecting back the blue sky and sun and all of this backdropped by huge, pure white, snowy mountains. 4 seasons in one view.

We only rode 52km but it was enough to make me feel very energised and excited about being back on the bike again after nearly 2 months and although I was sceptical about this particular French cycling tradition, I did not regret my participation one bit!

We wish you all a happy 2009 full of lots of great riding!

Helyn & Guy
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk
www.winter.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Christmas 2008 here at King of the Mountains was a quiet one, but highly enjoyable nonetheless.  After first expecting to have guests staying here, and then planning on heading to the Ardeche for the day, we ended up finally staying in our own little area, amid the snow, sunshine and high winds.  SO, we decided to make the most of our (relative) youth, freedom and proximity to lots of fun stuff by heading up to Alpe d'Huez for the day.  We opened our pressies, ate a bit of porridge, then demolished a quick bowl of pasta and we were off. 

First on the menu was a bit of a ski - cross-country style - the whole Alpe d'Huez climb on the road was foggy and miserable, until we finally popped out on bend 2, into glorious sunshine and lots of blue sky. It was, however, blowing a gale and felt a bit "Scottish" - sort of damp and harsh and uncomfortable BUT the winds did push us uphill for a good while, which we needed to get us started.  The XC area up there is on an elevated plateau and you reach it by ski-ing uphill for half an hour.  It was just too miserable to get up there though, so when a lady appered (shivering a lot) down the trail and told us it was the worst weather she had ski-ed in in 20 years, we did a U -turn and headed down to the resort, where we brushed up on our technique (largely gathered from YouTube video watching) on the flat there.  The weather calmed and we had a great time.

Next up was a trip to the swimming pool - Alpe d'Huez has two - one indoors and one outdoors - the outdoor pool is an environmentalist's nightmare - 28'C and steaming - but it was fun to bob about in and look up to the glowing peaks around us.  We even did a bit of "who can sit on the pile of snow by the pool for longest" to keep ourselves amused....

Finally, into the sauna - all good til I got a bit too relaxed and nodded off (and began snoring....hmmmm....). Oh well, it sparked a bit of conversation with our fellow sauna-goers!

Hot coffees and back in the van to come home (met at our door by the legendary Yves Berlioux) who gave us our Christmas presents - I got a Daupine-Savoie Champion jersey (he won it ages ago on his MTB) and Helyn a very smart Assos Swiss national jersey donated to him (but sadly too  small for him to wear) by the Swiss ladies team who he had guided around the World Marathon Champs course 2 years ago on a recce of the route which he had devised.  We were charmed.

So, dinner was eventually eaten at about 10pm, but we had earned it!

Now, looking forward to some skiers coming out to stay here tomorrow....

Best wishes to everyone reading.

Guy & Helyn


www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

It's been a fun-packed weekend here and things are starting to get festive; the Christmas tree is up, Father Christmas is coming to Bourg d'Oisans tomorrow and last night some good friends of ours invited us to experience a typical French Christmas meal. As you can imagine, lots of courses, lots of wine and lots of good cheer! The delicious spread included oysters, smoked salmon, foie gras and local chestnuts all rounded off some hours later by a sumptuous Christmas log smothered in chocolate icing, coffee and the regional tipple here, Genepi. Parsnips were certainly not on the menu - not a well known veg' here and definitely not associated with culinary use but more often used as animal feed, what a waste! No crackers either - and hence no corny jokes or paper hats - though that's probably no bad thing!

A good job that we have been out cross country skiing on the Col d'Ornon toady to burn off some of those calories! Our technique is improving slowly. A little like swimming, when your technique gets better it is supposed to become a lot less tiring - a good incentive to keep practicing! The (frequent!) rest stops today gave us a chance to take in our dramatic surroundings. It was a truly stunning winters day - deep blue skies, pure white snow, crystals of hoar frost clinging to the trees and to add to the drama, a huge avalanche rumbling down the mountain opposite us.

We have attached a few photographs (click on paperclip icon below) and above top left - the stuff of Christmas cards! Summer visitors who have ridden the Col d'Ornon may be surprised to see how buried road sign is!

Helyn

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

If you're setting yourself challenges for the coming new year, you may want to consider 'La Marmotte', one of the largest, best know and certainly the hardest cyclosportive held here in the Alps. Covering 174km and including the cols Croix de Fer, Telegraphe, Galibier and finally, the sting in the tail, Alpe d'Huez, riders climb a total of nearly 5,000 metres - quite a day out!

The website for registration is now live for those wanting to sign up:

http://www.sportcommunication.com/GT/index.php?langue=2

If you are planning on riding the event and you would like a recce' of the course beforehand, or, if you just want to see what it's all about, how about coming out for a supported training ride over the route? With the King of the Mountains minibus as support vehicle you can hop in and out and ride as little or as much as you like.

Food for thought for 2009!

Helyn & Guy
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Snow usually signals the end of road riding here in the Alps, however, in previous years I have battled on and ridden anyway. Stubborn. This year however there's just been too much of it to try to ignore and to descend to the valley from here would be tantamount to bobsleigh suicide!

About 3 weeks ago I unenthusiastically set up our turbo trainers in the workshop, they have been gathering dust ever since. Last night, resigned to the fact that road riding really is off limits for now, we kitted up and headed down to our 'turbo den'. One advantage of indoor training is that you get to use all that bad kit that you wouldn't be seen wearing in public - the garish jerseys and the shorts that have gone a little too thin on the backside to be decent!

An added novelty to yesterdays' session was a laptop loaded with a spin coaching DVD (thank you Dan). I was pleasantly surprised when out 45 minute session was over - although it was tough, having something structured made a great change and the time pass fairly quickly. The cheesy coach and 'motivating' music made it as amusing as it was physical!

As if our legs weren't jelly-like enough afterwards, we had to negotiate the stairs up the back of the house which are at present like sheet ice after days of freeze thaw (picture the burglar scene in 'Home Alone')!

Well, even though the wind was not in our hair it was good to be back in the saddle.

Helyn

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

.....but it's still snowing here - like crazy.

I will pop a few photos - about a metre in the garden just now.

And to think in a "normal" winter, we would be getting our first snow around next wek!

Guy & Helyn