Around 2ft of snow fell here yesterday and there's more on the way...

A popularly held belief is that the Inuit or Eskimo have a word for every different type of snow, I however have one alone: horrible!

Guy embraces snow, loves the stark seasonality of winters here, for him the novelty has not yet worn off even in this our 7th winter in the Alps. For me the novelty never really arrived. I am just not a winter person, never have been (see photo top left not exactly loving it!). It is not my natural environment, I lose feeling in my fingers at the mere thought of making a snowman or snowball and as for sledging...

I'm wondering if back in the UK the novelty of 'Frozen Britain' has worn off yet? Though having a legitimate excuse not to have to go into work is a bonus I suppose. The trouble with the French Alps is that nothing stops for snow, or rarely, you just have to get out and get on with it (how does the snow plough driver get to work?).

French people are very keen to have a pop at British weather and believe we live under constant rain, 'cats and dogs'. Well, I'd rather good old cats and dogs than penguins and polar bears or whatever the equivalent quantitative term is for snow.

For a start rain tends to run away and does not have to be shoveled away like snow. Rain is warmer than snow. Rain washes away dog poo (a blight of some French towns) unlike snow which preserves it as an unpleasant spring 'time capsule'. Rain is an honest wet unlike snow that sits on you, inert, until you get back into the warm and then soaks you. Rain brings rainbows, green grass, flowers and does not erase the colour of your surroundings. Rain washes the car not buries it.

I know I'm a grumpy old git. I should not complain as I do benefit from snow too - I love cross country ski-ing and those blue sky days when it's all twinkly can be stunning. And, after all, I did choose to live in the Alps so it would be ridiculous of me to expect anything else in January.

I suppose I am just going through 'the winter blues'. The fact that a chionophobe (came over all Stephen Fry then) like me puts up with this for 4-5 months of the year is just testament to how amazing it is here in spring and summer. All that shoveling, shivering and falling over is forgotten the minute I see those green shoots, buds and flowers of spring in our valley!

Helyn

We ended 2009 with a marathon fortnight of socialising, eating, drinking and French culture. We spent both Christmas and new years eve in the company of some very good French friends and their families. We could not have been made to feel more welcome and have certainly learned a few things about French customs, revelry and gastronomy!

Christmas in France is typically celebrated on the evening of 24th December when all gather for an evening meal, to open gifts, etc. We started with aperitifs at around 7:30pm which included 'champagne soup' - a dangerously refreshing cocktail of cognac, cointreau and champagne. Fortunately it was not far to the dinner table where I soon lost count of courses, though I do remember; oysters, smoked salmon, foie gras, escargots, frogs legs, beef, yule log, chocolate mousse and a different wine for almost every course...we waddled away from the table at about 2am, marvelous! New years eve was much the same and started with another champagne soup concoction - no wonder we all found ourselves dancing in the kitchen until the small hours!

Whilst we did have a white Christmas, snow has been pretty scant thus far this December, intermittent rain has meant that there is much less about than this time last year. Bad for ski resorts but it has allowed us to have a few unexpected bike rides.

Last Sunday I rode along the Tarentaise valley in the Savoie region. Although there was snow on the high peaks, I stayed low and south facing so enjoyed sun for most of the morning. I rode among vineyards for the good part of the ride - it was like a ride along the shelves of Oddbins; Chignin to Chateauneuf. After the vineyards I continued on from Albertville on a beautiful cycle path, along the 'Olympic Valley', past some of the sites of the '92 winter Olympics, past the foot of the col du Madeleine and on to Moutiers. At this point I had lost the sun and it had started snowing so I was glad to meet up with my knight in a shining minibus, Guy, who whisked me away for a hot chocolate and to be reunited with my new Christmas gift of a down filled jacket!

Our new year was spent in the south of France, near St Tropez. By the time we had driven through Gap we had left the snow behind and on our arrival at the coast it was a good + 10'C more than it has been here. Despite packing overshoes, skull cap and windproof leggings, these did not get an airing as we were able to ride in shorts. What a novelty in December; sea, sand, boats and harbours. Like my last ride there were some more vineyards (Cotes de Provence) but unlike my last ride I was not the only cyclist on the road and there was not a snowflake in sight!

2010 - I have certainly started as I'd like to go on; friends, family, fun, food and cycling!

Happy new year to you all from us.

Helyn & Guy

We hope you all have a great time over the next few days.

Seems like it will be a white Christmas for a lot of you in the UK too!

We are off out for a traditional French Christmas this evening with some friends - apparently we are to expect a feast and plenty of revelry!

Merry Christmas to you all,

Helyn & Guy

Alpe d'Huez is known as l' île au soleil, the island in the sun, and today it lived up to it's name.

We set off from the village here yesterday afternoon to cross country ski at Alpe d'Huez. We wrapped up well as it was foggy, grey and cold. Driving up the 21 hairpins was a very different scene to the last time I was there in summer - unrecognisable in it's shroud of cloud, the cliff faces hanging with icicles. Just as we neared the resort at around 1,850 metres, we popped out of the cloud and into bright sunshine and blue sky, there was still a chill in the air but it was so uplifiting to feel the sun on our faces.

As we neared the highest point on the cross country pistes (around 2,050 metres), we got a spectacular viewpoint towards our valley. It was apparent then how far above the clouds we were as we were looking down on them like a lake filling the valley. See photo top left and below.

Being my first outing on the skis this winter it was good to have the views to distract me from the feelings of exhaustion and burn that came with ski-ing uphill at altitude!

After a good couple of hours we dropped back down into the wintry blanket of clouds and made our way back to the comfort of the log burner where we spent the rest of the evening decorating the Christmas tree.

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

 

The organisers of 'La Marmotte', Sportcommunication, will start taking on-line entries for the 2010 event on Tuesday 15th December.

The website: http://www.sportcommunication.info/GT/index.php?langue=2

1.On home page, click on 'GRAND TROPHEE/CYCLING EVENTS'.
2.You can choose language by clicking on flag, top right.
3.Go to 'REGISTRATIONS' on the toolbar and choose how you would like to enter event (ON LINE or MAIL).
4.You will be asked for an ID number and/or your name and surname. If you have not participated in a Sportcommunications event before and do not have an ID number just enter your name. After entering your name and clicking SEARCH, click on MY NAME IS NOT ON THE FOLLOWING DATABASE.
5.Tick the box for The Marmotte (and any other events you wish to enter in the Grand Trophee series).If you need insurance for the race, tick the box corresponding to the insurance that you wish to take out.
6. If you would like a timing chip for the event, select the first option: JE NE POSSEDE PAS DE BRACELETTE DE CHRONOMETRAGE ET JE VERSE LA CAUTION OBLIGATIORE 10€. This will give you a timing chip for the Marmotte and any other Sportcommunication events that you take part in during 2010. This will cost an extra 10€ which is refunded on returning the chip at the end of the race/s.
7.Enter your personal details.
8. If you have a racing licence, choose the type of licence you hold from the drop-down list.
9. If you do not have a racing licence you must have a medical certificate from your doctor stating that you are fit to participate in cyclosportives. This needs to be signed by your GP. Otherwise, use the on-line form and give this to your GP to complete on your examination:http://www.la-marmotte.info/GT/certificatgb.pdf
10. Send a scan of your certificate or licence to: info@sportcommunication.com or by post:Top Club, BP 24025, 69615 Villeurbanne CEDEX, France. Don't forget to write your Sportcommunications ID number on this.
11. Read and select/agree to the last 3 statements of race rules and regulations.
12. Click 'VALIDER' to take you onto payment stage.
13. You will normally be sent a confirmation E-mail and a letter with your ID details will be available to you on-line. On the day that you collect your race number and timing chip it is helpful to have a copy of this letter from Sportcommunications as well as a copy of your race licence or medical certificate.

Be patient! The site will be very busy and can sometimes crash due to traffic. And remember, the earlier you enter, the lower the race number you are issued and the nearer to the front and earlier you get to start on the day.

Good luck!
 

Saturday was a day of firsts for us; Guy's first cross country ski of this winter and my first ever running race in the snow.

Fortunately it would seem that the ski-ing is like riding a bike and that you never forget how! Starting again after some 8 or 9 months off is a great time to address any bad habits that you may have picked up last year and nip them in the bud for this season. Guy skied first at Autrans (where I was running) and on Sunday headed up to Alpe d'Huez where it was less sunny and warm, but snow conditions good.

The run that I took part in on Saturday was a small affair, some 150 participants. It followed a similar format to many cycling events; a choice of circuits (12km or 20km), feed stations, friendly marshals and a pasta party meal at the finish.

The sign-on and start in Autrans was in the pretty town square. We didn't need the digital thermometer there to tell us that it was minus 10 degrees C - the shivering masses waiting at the start line were a clear clue. 150 heads bobbing up and down on the spot to keep warm, I wouldn't be surprised if something  had registered on the Richter scale! I was relieved when the starter (Dawa Dachhiri, a cross country ski Olympian) waved the flag for us to set off. What I did not realise as I jogged off enjoying the easy pace was that this was merely a practice run around the block for the benefit of the gathered press and TV. Sadly the pace for the 'real thing' was quite a bit quicker!

As is my need for a top-up of suffering when the bike is not available, I opted for the 20km route. The total height gain during the 20km was 770 metres. Most of the 770 metres seemed to all come at the start when we made our way to the top of a ski jump slope as used in the '68 Olympics, it's a long way up there (hats off to you Eddie the Eagle)!

The course was beautiful and varied. A lot of tracks through fields, following streams, through villages and on forest fire roads. A skidoo had gone on ahead of us and left a small trail of compact snow to run on, but since I was one of the back markers there were already some good tracks to run in, an advantage over those who came in first. The snow conditions were just about perfect, not too wet and slushy. In some spots the snow was powdery like running on sand, frozen pine cones are surprising hazards - like little hand grenades waiting to slip you up, and farmyards were always a good source of sheet ice!

When running on snow, your feet are fairly stable points whilst there's a commotion going on in the torso area and for the most part your arms are out at your sides like a tightrope walker! I reckon even Paula Radcliffe would have looked like she was running for the last bus at closing time! The best part of snow versus tarmac/off-road is that the next day you feel so much better and hardly beaten up or stiff at all, snow seems to be the greatest of shock absorbers, and your trainers come back pristine!

For more info' regarding this and other similar running events:
http://www.festitrail-autrans.com/
http://www.trailserrechevalier.com/trail_blanc/index.html#
http://www.capvercors.com/capvercors6.0.html

It's here - we opened the curtains this morning and it's looking pretty deep and crisp and even out there.....

So, the bikes will now get a service, the skis will come out and we'll hole up til spring.

Nothing like living with the seasons, is there?

Guy

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

PS: Helyn will now need to be prised from her bed.....until March!

It's probably no surprise that after preparing all of this winter's firewood Guy now has a bad back. Two nights ago he visited a local physio' for some massage and a bit of hip re-alignment.

A few things we had planned for the weekend have now been canned as a result - no mountain bike randonnee on Sunday for a start.

Fortunately gentle swimming is one thing that won't further aggravate the muscles, so tonight we headed to the lovely indoor pool in Vaujany for a few gentle stretches and a bit of light breastroke. While I was doing the gentle stretching and breastroke, Guy descended the flume for most of the evening working on his speed technique with each descent!

Little surprise then that he returned home in a slightly worsened state.

Something unique occurred this summer.  Someone took something from us without asking.  Let's not call it theft.  Just a misunderstanding.  Or an oversight, maybe.  But the one and only bit of blue Park Tool genius that I've ever owned - my gloriously effective cable cutters - disappeared from the bike workshop without trace.  And they had been a birthday present too, from Helyn.  It just came as a shock; everyone who comes to us is just so fantastically honest and friendly.

So, anyone who has information relating to the whereabouts of said cutters (like these ones: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Park_Tools_Professional_Cable_And_Housing_Cutter/5360008671/), will be rewarded not only in heaven but also with copious cake and gratitude here at King of the Mountains!

Guy

PS: There is also a side-reward (largely chocolate-based) for anyone who can track down a chap called Pim, who I gave a wheel to on the Galibier last year during the Marmotte and has not returned it!  He could be Belgian or Dutch.  Not exactly Crimewatch levels of forensic data to go with there, I know.  

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Since our previous blog post we have at last concluded the annual ritual that is firewood. We have 2 sheds full of the stuff now as well as a giant 'Jenga' stack next to the house. I was excused from lumberjacking duties after only 2 days to take up a new post in the office - end of year accounts - don't really know who got the worst deal there; Guy wielding a chainsaw or me squinting at spreadsheets?

So, the wood is ready, the garden furniture in storage, chimneys swept, new snow stoppers on the roof (to stop large slabs of snow sliding onto your head and to keep snow in place for insulation), snow shovels and ice axes in position and snow tyres fitted on the van. We have been in the loft and hunted down hats, gloves, boots and various winter 'toys' too; cross country skis, snowboard, downhill skis, snow shoes and sledges all at the ready. We have never been more prepared for winter. As soon as we'd done this however the weather made an abrupt change and the snow receded back up the mountains!

This time last year we had heavy snowfall, a good few feet that stayed on the ground here in the village until mid April. Yesterday could not have provided more contrast; the sun was shining, the sky blue and temperatures that felt like a summers day. We were quick to push the winter kit to one side and get the bikes out again. We had not anticipated being able to road ride again until spring so this was a gift, a real 'Brucey Bonus'. Heading over the Col d'Ornon, we made our way to the 'Trieves' area and by the time we got to the village of Mens it was 22 degrees C and we were stripped down to summer kit, shorts and short sleeved jerseys. We stayed lowish to make the most of the warmth and rode a great little circuit taking in 3 fairly low cols the highest, the Col de Mens at 1,117 metres. Even at dusk the air was so warm that all we needed were armwarmers. The Col de Mens is a great little col, very rural, very quiet and offering some of the most expansive mountain views around, it's a big favourite of ours and is the halfway point in the ride that some of our guests may know as 'the lollypop ride'.

Today we have had another warm day but a few showers. I spent a several hours in the garden and workshop giving my bike a very thorough (and well overdue) clean and service ready for 'mothballing' until spring. Looking at the forecast for next week however there could be more reports of sunny rides to come - put those skis back in the shed Guy!

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

We have had our first snow (see picture top left).

About 4-5cm fell in the village here but soon disappeared as snow turned to rain and then slush. There's still a good covering on the mountains behind the house to about 1,500 metres. Sadly the cols Croix de Fer, Galibier and Glandon are now all shut as a result, an end to high altitude cycling for the time being. Still, it's good news for those coming to ski with us this winter.

As usual at this time of year we are busy moving, chopping and stacking firewood. We have 15 square metres of the stuff to shift before the snow really arrives in earnest, somehow it seems to take a lot of the romance away from the idea of a crackling log fire!

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

On Monday we spent the evening at the 'Palais des Sports' velodrome to watch the 5th night of the 'Grenoble 6 Day'. The velodrome is an amazing facility, though incredibly outside of this event is shut for the other 359 days of the year. It used to be open in the evenings to local cycle clubs which, in this snowy part of the world, must have been great for winter training. I know I'd be down there like a shot if it ever re-opened its doors.

Despite both of us having ridden the track once many moons ago (http://www.calshot.com/cycle.html), we have never seen the pros in action.

The evening opened with juniors and women and then moved on to the men's' teams. There were some big names present; Gregory Bauge and Kevin Sirea to name a couple as well as Bernard Thevenet in the audience.

The speed and handling was incredible, at times in excess of 65 km/hr, there were moments when I expected the centrifugal force to fling a rider out of the apex and into our laps! The Madison had us in awe and confused in equal measure; so many riders weaving around one another with so much speed it seemed miraculous that there were no crashes. Despite a big screen and commentary, we were still none the wiser as to who was actually winning - it requires some dizzying deep concentration that we could only maintain up to about 11pm - we could have stayed on 'till the early hours, you certainly get value for money with a 7 hour programme each evening.

France is famous for its cheese, between the races on Monday we were subjected to a different kind of French cheese - the cabaret! Think early 1970's badly choreographed Strictly Come Dancing meets Zippos Circus and you may be part the way to imagining how dreadful it was. The 'Paris Follies' were a low-light - topless dancers in this day and age (not so dreadful I hear some of you saying)! Still, it was a new French experience, just a shame that the cycling seemed to take second place for a good part of the evening.

Helyn
(Sorry, no photos of the Paris Follies available!)

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

At the end of October I spent a week in the UK visiting friends and family.

It's been a year since I was there last and I was amazed to see how, in 12 months, cycling still seems to be on the increase as a participation sport and as a mode of transport.

My first stop was Eastbourne to the TriStore where I was very kindly lent a bike for my own transport during my stay (thank you Sarah http://sarahlovelock.blogspot.com/). On my 18 mile trip back from the shop I was pleasantly surprised by how well UK motorists treated me. We hear so many stories to the contrary so it was nice to feel so safe and to have such a positive experience.

I'm from East Sussex but left there at 18. It was after this that I took up cycling so unusually I have never really ridden the roads and lanes of my own home county. I have surprisingly never ridden the 35 mile round trip from my former home up and over the much talked about Ditchling Beacon. Ditchling Beacon, known and dreaded by those thousands of riders who take part in the annual British Heart Foundation London to Brighton bike ride.

Making an early morning start I set off via the quiet country lanes; Isfield, Barcombe, Plumpton...Ditchling. Approaching the foot of the Beacon I had the same sensation as the first time I ever rode Alpe d'Huez; a rushing recall of all the horror stories I'd ever heard about the climb and how once I heard it called 'the green monster of the South Downs'... The climb is roughly 1km at around 12% and I have to say that it was not easy at all. After about 7 minutes I eased off anticipating the sighting of the resident ice cream van only to find that it was a false summit...on and up again... To my disappointment I was too early for a 99, the Whippy van was not yet there, I did however get the reward of an amazing view of the sunrise over the sea, beautiful.

My experience was that I found the climb very close to an Alpine ascent in terms of its unrelentless gradient, it was tough. We are very often asked by newcomers to riding in the Alps how to train for the climbs here and what to expect. Our response is that the most difficult thing to replicate when training in the UK is the sheer length of Alpine climbs. This is true of Ditchling Beacon, too short to really resemble an Alpine climb, however...hill reps on Ditchling Beacon would have you getting a good feel for the riding out here. There's an idea for all you masochists out there!

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

It's been a while since we 'blogged'. The irony of blog posts is that the more you have to write about, the less time you have to write it!

Our summer season 2009 ended at the beginning of October, time for our own holiday! Our trip did not take us too far from home; some light cycle touring from here and around the island of Corsica. Using saddle bags that attached to our seat posts we whittled our kit down to a mere 3-4 kg each, handles off toothbrushes, the works! The lightweight nature of our kit depended on good weather (no longs, just shorts and jerseys and only flip-flops and shorts for after ride wear) and us not camping but staying in various B&Bs along the way. Thankfully we had great weather (average daytime temperatures 25-30 degrees C) and always found somewhere good and friendly to get our heads down of an evening.

We had no firm plans as to route or accommodation but our neighbour, Yves, who has cycled the island several times, gave us great route advice. One bit of advice we did not take however was to book a sleeper cabin for the 10 hour, overnight ferry crossing. Error! Instead we attempted sleep on aeroplane style seats arranged cinema fashion, surrounded by a few hundred others also fighting insomnia brought about by the regular and loud announcements on the ferry intercom system!

Traveling as foot passengers we were the first off the ferry and pedaled immediately north to complete a loop of the top of the island 'Cap Corse'.

The coastline we touched upon around the north and west of the island was magnificent; a contrast between rocky, plunging cliffs and soft white sandy beaches, kilometres long. One bit of 'luxury' kit squeezed into our packs were our swimming costumes and they got a good bit of use each day.

The interior of the island was arid and had a real Mediterranean meets wild west feel with amazing flowers and trees (unusually including lots of well established Eucalyptus trees) and some hostile looking cacti. A novelty too were the free roaming animals; goats, sheep, cows and pigs - on one particular descent we go a very close look at the flanks of a cow who was very reluctant to move! The pigs were especially entertaining, foraging for the island's famous chestnuts and trying their luck at sharing our cereal bars too!

The riding was undulating at all times, much gentler undulations than here though! Climbs were generally gentle gradients and with very few switchbacked climbs. The opportunity to cross dozens of cols on a ride was big, most cols were fairly low, between 400 - 600 metres. Wherever possible the coastal roads were just that, hugging the coast giving great sea views. The road surfaces were pretty good, though inland there was some deterioration with some long stretches that felt a bit 'Paris Roubaix'!

My favourite col was the highest on the island, the Col de Vergio (1,477m). I know I am about to lay myself bare as an utter col geek and purist, but I loved that we climbed its' full height from sea level - in fact, we started riding fresh from a dip in the sea at Porto, it doesn't get much better than that. I can vouch for the ascent from Porto being tough but truly stunning rising from the sea to high mountains to beautiful pine forests. The descent into Calacuccia, well, that I can't tell you much about as we did it in the dark! Arriving at the summit a little before 7pm it was already dusk. Our minimal packing only included one rear light... Punctures - an inconvenience in any circumstance, especially repairing them by the light of a mobile phone! Now with no daylight left at all and entering a pitch black forested section we had to resort to the most basic of navigational systems - ride on the white line in the middle of the road! The aforementioned roaming livestock was also a concern so we had to make as much noise as possible to hopefully shoo them from our path - somewhere in Corsica is a pig who is still probably deeply traumatised by my nocturnal singing!

When, at 9pm, we eventually arrived at our accommodation we were doubtful as to whether we would get any food as all around seemed to be closing up for the night. Still dirty from our ride and adjusting our eyes to the glare of light again we entered a small restaurant which was thankfully still serving fabulous traditional Corsican food and well earned beer too (Pietra).

We are already looking forward to next years' visit to the south of the island which we did not get time to explore on this trip - and this time we'll pack lights!

If you are interested in seeing photos of our trip visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/kingofthemountainssummer/CorsicaCyleTouring02#

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

June 12th 2010 is the day....should be a good indicator of form ahead of the Tour de France....

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2010-dauphine-to-visit-lalpe-dhuez

Guy

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

http://www.training4cyclists.com/how-much-time-does-extra-weight-cost-on-alpe-dhuez/

Guy
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

As a twist on the usual Alpe d'Huez hill climbs, a group of us from the chalet did the inaugural hill climb event from Bourg d'Oisans to Maronne yesterday - an 11km climb, taking in the first 5 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez to La Garde, then right towards the balcony road, followed by a sharp left from Armentier le Haut to Maronne, a beautiful, secluded spot that links to the Alpe d'Huez ski area in winter - a real hidden gem!

Our guest Greg was on the podium and Helyn was first lady too!  James too, was doing his first ever Alpine event and enjoyed his day thoroughly. I was deep in mid-table obscurity as usual but very happy to see somewhere new! 

See pics attached.

Guy
PS: Alpe d'Huez triathlon takes place tomorrow (long course) and Thursday (sprint) so that should be fun.
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

We had a few super-versatile journalists here to stay for one night only the other night.  Stu Bowers and Hannah Reynolds from Cycling Weekly and Ben Smith from MBR, along with freelance photographer Rupert Fowler.  They had all been out for the Megavalanche race in Alpe d'Huez (from the top of the glacier to the valley (including the snowy bits)) and had all done well there (and avoided serious injury) and were just tacking on a little "Road v MTB downhill" feature, using the Alpe d'Huez, les Deux Alpes and our local hill, the col d'Ornon.

These guys are some of the most versatile cyclists I know.  Stu in particular competes nationally on a XC mountain bike and a cyclocross bike, did a 7 hour Marmotte time last year and is also happy lining up for downhill races like the Megavalanche!

The challenge was to race a road bike (on the road of course), ridden by Stu, against a downhill MTB (on trails).  The feature will be in MBR at some point in the future.  "Roo" got some great snaps (see panel) too. 

We look forward to seeing them here again soon.

Guy
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

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