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

Winter 2008/9 sees us opening our doors to skiers and winter sports enthusiasts for the first time. We have now created a website outlining what is on offer here and in the local area. One thing's for sure this year, SNOW! Snow is very much on the menu, we have a good couple of foot in the garden just now and more due this week.

Take a look at: http://www.winter.kingofthemountains.co.uk/

Any feedback gratefully received.

Helyn & Guy

Winter has come early.  It's official.  For the past 10 days, it has been either snowing, minus 10'C or both ALL the time.  The snow shoes have been out, as have the cross-country skis (in Alpe d'Huez in a blizzard yesterday!).  Helyn even did a bit of snow cycling on Saturday!    Her tracks in the snow gave her away and she is now on a whole new pedestal of winter madness.

So, come on out.  It's looking like an epic winter season in the making.  Most years we have no real snow until mid December...

A good site for local detailed snow info. is: http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/ColDOrnon/6day/mid 

Guy
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk/

PS: Our neighbour here, Yves Bocquraz (not to be confused with the (legendary) Yves Berlioux, champion cyclist and all-round friend to "the English" as we are known), even let me have a go of his snow blower.  It's a Honda, it's new, red and shiny and it even has a headlamp for nocturnal "blowing" so to speak.

We are about 1/5th of a way through our firewood chopping and stacking and it is true to say that neither of us felt that first warmth that the French talk about (see previous post). It poured solidly while we were working.

So, here's a rare photo (top left), just to prove that it is not always sunny here, there are not always bikes in the basement and we don't wear Lycra all the time! What the photo does not convey is quite how wet and cold we were nor quite how much we are going to enjoy our dinner tonight...

Helyn

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

If you ever wondered what 10 cubic metres (or 10 'stere' as they say here) of wood looks like, see picture top left!

Winter seems intent on coming early here; we have heavy snow forecast for the weekend (there is already a fair amount covering the high peaks) and temperatures are due to plummet. Sunday is predicted to drop to -12 degrees C (10 F) and a brass monkeys -20 degrees C by Thursday (-4 F).

Fortunately for us we had our firewood delivery yesterday. Unfortunately for us, we now have to chop, cart and stack it all before tomorrow......The French always say 'firewood heats you twice - once when you prepare it and then when you burn it', if I had a Euro for every time we've been told that we could probably afford to install the most modern of central heating systems!

Back to 'brass monkeys':

'The origin and true meaning of this phrase is actually totally unrelated to any form of animal or its testicles. Back in time to the period of the Napoleonic War, the great gunships of this time carried many cannons on various gun decks. As an efficient method of storage and delivery of cannon balls to the cannon for firing, a "Monkey" (this term is used to define a table and/ or a rail) made of brass was used to hold the balls. In very cold temperatures the brass would contract or even break thus allowing the cannon balls to roll off the Monkey onto the gun deck. Hence the sailors would say "it is cold enough to freeze the balls off a Brass Monkey".'

So there you have it!

Better go lumberjacking.

Helyn

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

.....well, we were busy on the nights of the 5th and 6th!

We have had a couple of friends from England staying here over the last few evenings, so thought it would be good to celebrate Guy Fawkes night.

Guy, Little that is, not Fawkes, and I have recently been back to the UK where we went to the Newick bonfire in East Sussex on Saturday 1st (www.newickbonfire.com). I think it's the best and most atmospheric bonfire and fireworks display in the area and that's saying something because the county is renowned for its great bonfire tradition.

We tried in our own way to replicate the Newick spectacle last night, but it has to be said that it was on a slightly smaller scale! A couple of our neighbours were invited to witness the very English tradition and they seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. The mulled wine and Devon imported scrumpy cider went down a treat as we set off bangers, rockets and prodded catherine wheels into action. I thought the burning of the Guy Fawkes effigy may seem a bit pagan to our French friends, but they loved it all.

A new fixture on the Le Rivier d'Ornon calendar for 2009?

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

During our recent trip back to the UK, I managed to sneak off to do one of my favourite British "things" - a muddy cyclo cross race on a farm in the Kent countryside.  We had it all, constant drizzle, mud all over the place (even a good dose of slurry!), a great course - but most of all, lots of fun and support from friends.  My friend Steve Blackmore was kind enough (despite being injured himself in a prior cyclo cross accident) to lend me his lovely bike - a beautiful Kinesis Cross Light - perfectly set up for me - and I got to hand it back to him filthy and drove off -like a pampered pro!  Too kind - I really appreciate that Steve.  Paul & Ail (plus campervan and tea!) were all there in the car park (they had to kick us out as we were the last to leave) and it was a smashing day, as ever.  Anything I miss about England?  Mates like them and days like that...

Guy

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Helyn & I have been back in the UK for a few days, mainly visiting friends, family and new babies.  And very nice it was too.  We left France on the 22nd October and got back here today - the 2nd November.  What a difference!  No more leaves on the trees now and there was a 40cm snow fall here on Wednesday!  There is not a lot left now, but there has been serious amounts in the village.  It's now 7 degrees C and raining hard so that should see it off for the time being BUT we might well be in for a big winter if first signs are anything to go by!

Guy & Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Well, as Guy said, I made it. Not in any great style, but that wasn't the point of the day really.

The South Downs were a beautiful place to be on Saturday morning - perfect running weather with a soft autumnal sun. The ground in a few places was wet which was a challenge - heavy Wealden clay over chalk gives a good 'treadmill' effect - I think I was running on the spot for some of the time!

The atmosphere amongst the runners and supporters was buoyant over the whole distance. Despite being cross country, and hence relatively remote in places, it was surprising to see how many supporters there were along the way - even those not connected to the runners offered encouragement; from people walking their dogs to people spilling out of village pubs, pints in hand, to give us a cheer.

There was only one person intent on spoiling everyones' day, I think there's one at every running race I've ever been to, I call them the 'Prophet of Doom' runners. They exist in cycling too but seem to be easier to shake off. The 'Prophet of Doom' is the person who comes up alongside you, asks if it's the first time you've taken part in the event and then, without even waiting for your response, comes out with; 'ooh, it gets harder'. They then proceed with a blow by blow horror story of each hill that you are about to be confronted with, often with incredible and gruesome detail including a helpful prediction of where you may get cramp/hit the wall/get the knock. Unfortunately on Saturday I did not have the puff to accelerate away from the tirade of negativity but dropped back leaving him to jog on ahead and proffer his doom to the next poor victim!

I was cheered up very soon afterwards when I saw Paul, who was also running for 'Run4Joe' and the Myelin Project. It was great to have some cheerful company and to catch up on news of our old triathlon club, White Oak. Unfortunately, forgetting how much more difficult it is to eat whilst running than it is on a bike, I made a pig of myself at one of the feed stations (who can resist a hot cross bun?!) and after 8 or so miles, let Paul speed off at his own pace whilst I had a brief sit down and tried to deal with my digestion!

There's a great advantage to finishing last in a group - it meant that everyone else was there at the finish line and I got the biggest cheer! It was an emotional moment for me seeing all of the mutual friends of Matt, Colette and Joseph gathered together all wearing their Run4Joe t-shirts and all fully behind the cause and fully behind our very great friends.

To date, the group gathered at the Beachy Head Marathon on Saturday (see photo top left of runners and supporters), have raised £2,630 for Run4Joe and the Myelin Project.

A huge thank you to all who sponsored me and to those who came to support me on the day.

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

 

More details to follow soon, but Helyn got round fine yesterday at the Beachy Head Marathon in 5hrs 22mins.

Watch this space!

Guy

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Riding my first Alpine col was a day to remember - the 4th May 2004 to be precise ('May the 4th be with you' - a little joke for Star Wars fans there!). And the col? The Col du Glandon from the Maurienne valley.

During that same week 4 years ago I also rode some other classic Alpine treats; Alpe d'Huez, the Col du Lautaret, the Col du Galibier, and the Col de la Croix de Fer. 

And so my obsession began. The 'cols ridden' spreadsheet was drawn up and maps painstakingly studied and highlighted.

One afternoon, high on a summit (no doubt whilst setting the camera self-timer for the all important summit sign shot), I noticed a sticker on the sign. The sticker said 'Club Des Cent Cols' - '100 Cols Club' - this discovery only added fire to my obsession and more cols to my spreadsheet.

At the end of last week the tally was 98 cols ridden, only 2 away from my 100 target, or so I thought. I had big plans for my century - ideally I had wanted ride the Stelvio to mark the occasion but it's just a bit too far and a bit too cold just now. Instead, I planned something more local and to climb my 100th col on my trusty Giant in the company of my closest cycling companions; Guy, Christian and Yves. Champagne all round at home afterwards, this is France after all!

Today Guy has been doing a bit of an office re-organise and in amongst some papers he found an old routecard from a sportive we did back in June 2007. It was a tough, tough ride in the Chartreuse mountains in a heatwave and I remember being totally knackered afterwards. Obviously too knackered to list the 3 new cols I'd ridden that day! They had utterly slipped my mind until today when there they were on the routecard in black and white, suddenly taking my total up to 101 - a strange way to obtain my 100th col, from the comfort of an office chair! Guy felt a little bit like the bloke who had to knock on Oscar Pereiro's door to deliver Landis' second hand yellow jersey - he knew I'd be happy but feel bit cheated out of a celebration!

I will be sending my spreadsheet list off this week to have it 'verified and accepted by the Secretariat of the "Club des Cent Cols"' (http://www.centcols.org/regle_du_jeu/rules_of_the_game.htm) and hopefully soon after I will receive my membership, a diploma and a medal to prove that I really am a hopeless, col-bagging geek!

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

 

With the onset of autumn and the gloom surrounding the clocks going back, last Saturday Helyn & I thought we'd have a last look at the Marmotte loop for this year on our bikes.  As some of you know, this route crosses the Cols du Croix de Fer, Telegraphe & Galibier, before finishing on Alpe d'Huez.  The Croix de Fer and Galibier are high - over 2,000m  - and both convert to being ski pistes for 6 months of the year.  The roads tend to close mid November and can stay closed until as late as mid June, when the snow cutters go in and give us the roads back.

We set off nice and early (it was about 4 degreees celcius at 7am so we drove down the col d'Ornon to avoid getting frozen from the outset), with the intention of taking it pretty easy and just "having a nice day" - and that's exactly what we did. 

There had been some pretty big rock falls on the Croix de Fer above le Rivier d'Allemont, and the diggers were out clearing that up, but other than that, it was plain sailing.  Never easy, but always stunning - the Galibier in particular looked fantastic (see photo).  We'll have to wait til next  June to see it again. 

All the cafes on the Galibier and Lautaret were shut when we came over there late afternoon, so it was a chilly descent to La Grave for hot chocolate and views over the Meije glaciers - stunning.  We skipped the Alpe d'Huez climb in favour of going round to dinner at our friend's place in nearby le Perier - we were late but Francoise served up big steaks, chips and yummy red wine nonetheless - so we slept like babies.  A good last hurrah.

So, from here on in, it's a world of turbo trainers and cross country ski-ing for us now.  Oh, and Helyn will brave the elements as and when it warms up too.  She also has a cross country marathon run to knock out first though! 

I did catch her looking at some Scarpa electric boot heaters in a bike mag the other day - they were designed for ice climbing and winter mountaineering so I reckon Santa might be getting a call about those for this winter!  Watch this space.

Guy

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

At last some current news!

I have recently swapped my bike for trainers and have been doing some running. My objective has been the 2008 'Beachy Head Marathon'. This is a tough, hilly, cross country marathon whose route takes you over parts of the South Downs including the 'Seven Sisters' chalk cliffs and, as the name suggests, Beachy Head.

I have run (OK, jogged) this event several times before, the most recent occasion being last October 2007. Normally I choose to run every other year as it takes a whole 12 months for me to get over it mentally and to build up the courage to do it again!! This year I have broken with my tradition and will be running it on Saturday 25th October.

The reason I have broken with my tradition and am re-visiting the hilly Downs again so soon is that I am joining with a group of other runners (most of them members of WhiteOak Tri squad) to raise money on behalf of 'The Myelin Project' under the name of 'Run4Joe' www.justgiving.com/helynhiscock

The 'Joe' of the name 'Run4Joe' is Joseph Swift, the son of very good friends of ours Matt and Colette. Matt and Colette now live just outside Grenoble so not far away from us. We first met them in the UK at the White Oak Triathlon club where we trained, raced and socialised together. Matt and Colette since became very involved in cycling and cycle racing, with Colette going on to represent Ireland internationally.

Not long after Joseph was born, he was diagnosed as having a rare genetic condition called 'Leukodystrophy'. This is a class of genetic conditions where the body is unable to produce enough (or destroys) the myelin which surrounds the nerves in the central nervous system. Currently there is no known cure or treatment and the disease is progressive and fatal. The 'Myelin Project' is a charity dedicated to funding the continuing search for a cure into demyelating diseases.

A charity and cause very close to my heart, so hence why I really won't mind pulling on my trainers in a few days time and dragging myself over 26 miles of the countryside.

Joesph and his parents paid us a visit at the weekend to celebrate his 2nd Birthday (see photo top left) and he was full of smiles and giggles, good to see, and something for me to think about when the going gets tough on Saturday!

To sponsor me and help raise money towards the 'Myelin Project' visit www.justgiving.com/helynhiscock
For more information about Joesph, his parents and their fundraising efforts visit tri4joe.com/
For information regarding the Myelin Project visit www.myelinproject.co.uk/

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Another bit of old news from back in August but worth a mention (cue me blowing my own trumpet....):

I shared a podium with Jeannie Longo at her first event on returning from the Beijing Olympics (see photo of me looking like an over-excited geek top left)!

I'd like to leave it there, and I'm sure that over time the truth will be condensed down to just that, the barest facts.

Jeannie Longo is considered one of the most successful cyclists that has ever lived so it was quite an honour. And at 49 years of age and still making the cut for the Olympics she's a bit of inspiration to me pushing 40 (for more facts and figures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannie_Longo

The real truth is that on the last Alpe d'Huez time trial of the season (28th August) Jeannie Longo turned up to race (she lives nearby), she was just back from the Olympics so 'a bit tired'. 'A bit tired', hmmm, not reflected in her time of 46 minutes to the Tourist Office! In second place was another French girl who apparently rides the 'Tour de France Feminin'.

The information that I may filter out over time is that after these two, there was not, to be fair, much other strong competition, some 5 or so other women all on their holidays and out for a bit of fun. As the tides of time turn I may also omit to mention to my grandchildren, as I show them my Alpe d'Huez bronze medal, that I was a full 18 minutes behind Ms Longo! Dream on Helyn.

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

Well, it's been a while since I've posted an article. That's not to say that there's nothing to write about, there's just too much going on here at King of the Mountains to find the time to write! A bit of a late report (well 2 months old to be precise) here about possibly one of the hardest rides I've ever undertaken.....

'The Pantani Challenge' - I have to admit, when I first saw the flyer for this event I was surprised by the difficulty of the route. Someone with good local knowledge must have wanted to come up with a challenging sportive to rival 'La Marmotte' and I was keen to see how it compared.

The date: 24th August. The Stats: 164km with over 4,000 metres of climbing. The route: Starting in Les Deux Alpes, coming over the Col d'Ornon then the little known but incredibly tough Col de Parquetout. After the Parquetout followed the climb up to the ski resort of La Morte that then descends to the Romanche valley. From the valley floor we then took in the 2 balcony roads of Alpe d'Huez (via Villard Reculas joining the Alpe between bends 4 and 5 then from bend 16 across to Auris and on to Freney), the race finishing in Les Deux Alpes again.

Part of my training involved me riding the route in 2 halves over a couple of days. Each half alone was tough and I was left feeling pretty empty and in some doubt as to whether I was capable of joining the two halves to make the whole.

There was a neutralised start from Les Deux Alpes at 8:30am and although the weather was great and warm that day, all descents at that time in the morning are chilly. So, waiting by the 'official timed' start in Freney we all shivered away. It was here where the cold truth hit me too - I was sure I was going to come last, the 'lantern rouge'. The event had received a good bit of coverage and the the flyers were all translated into English, French, Italian and Dutch, I was therefore expecting a good 5-600 riders from all over Europe. The truth was that there were only about 70-80 of us there at the start line (the highest bib number I saw allocated was 92). A lot of the hardest and fastest locals had shown up and, I know you shouldn't judge by appearances, but the rest were fittest looking and best turned out collection of cyclists I had seen since the Tour went by in July.

After the first 5km we were onto the flat valley  bottom where I had planned to find a wheel and get a tow to the bottom of my local col, the Col d'Ornon. The wheel that I would have liked to have been following was now a spec far, far ahead of me and, as I predicted, I was the last rider, at the back of the pack and very alone. I felt a wave of panic - after all, I think we've all had recurring pre-race dreams like this - or is that just me? I calmed myself with the thought that at least I knew the route so couldn't get lost and that I should just enjoy the ride and the scenery and as long as there was the promised post-ride buffet for me at the end I'd be happy. During the climb up to our village I managed to pass 20 or so riders (including some of the more gnarly looking Italian blokes) and felt very buoyed up by the encouraging cheers of Guy, my Dad, some of our guests and neighbours  who had come out so see me by.

From that point on I only passed a few other riders and it was then a case of riding very much solo. I enjoyed it though, loved it in fact. The scenery was tremendous and the riding temperature perfect. There were loads of cheerful, well organised marshals stopping traffic at junctions and the people manning the feed stations were very encouraging of my efforts (I perhaps detected some underlying pity there too!). My only criticism would be that the number of feed stations for a ride that long was very low (only 2), the first being at 84km. Maybe that's unfair criticsim from someone who treats the feed stops very much as a 'carrot on a stick' and a reward for miles ridden. As usual, my back pockets were loaded with sandwiches and treats so fortunately I never suffered as a result.

I managed to break the ride down mentally climb by climb and that way really enjoyed the day. Only on the two balcony roads did I get a bit of stomach cramp (hard not to take on too much cold Coke when it appears like a mirage at kilometre 120), but apart from that the legs were good. I had not however mentally prepared myself for the final climb up to Les Deux Alpes, like Alpe d'Huez in the Marmotte, you get that far and you find what you need. This was the only low point for me so was pretty pleased to see Guy in the minibus hopping from hairpin to hairpin to offer encouragement, beverages and all manner of snacks. Apparently I had the thousand yard/handlebar stare and did not register my pleasure in receiving his encouragement! A coach passed me about 3km from the top and all the passengers waved and shouted encouragement - I found out later that they were members of the Pantani family who had been at the finish (but obviously got bored waiting for the 'also-rans').

When it was finally over I was finished, I had nothing at all left and could not even stand up. I soon got to my feet when I found out that there was a big bowl of spaghetti bolognaise waiting for me and a huge buffet. That made up for the feed stations!

Even when we left the finish at the ski resort, there were still a few people coming up the hill and we also passed a fairly full looking broom wagon. The event was won in 5 hours 57, the top 3 men coming in within seconds of each other. I on the other hand was almost 3 hours behind this in 8 hours 55, 51st our of only 63 finishers, but happy to have survived.

This has been a very long winded build up to the actual question I'd set out to answer; was it harder than the Marmotte? The finishing times say that it is easier and speaking to a couple of other riders they said that they felt less 'finished' the following day. Me personally, I found it harder. I prefer the idea of 4 whopping mountains to get over to the Pantani ride where you have to slog over lots of smaller, steeper climbs.

Maybe this comparison is not worth making and the question not worth posing as with so few riders it is questionable if the ride will take place in 2009. Rumour has it that it certainly stirred up controversy with the locals, the organisers in Les Deux Alpes apparently got more calls complaining that the ride was named after Pantani than they got entries!

If it is run again in 2009 I think I'll save my energy and just say 'been there, done that and got the bandanna'!

For race details visit: http://www.sportcommunication.com/pantani/

Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

If you are interested in some part-baked rumour and heavy conjecture on where the Tour de France route will go in 2009, check out this site:  http://paris.thover.com/story.php?l=en&ID=131

It seems almost every town mayor that has been in negotiation with the Tour de France organisers has been leaking the news....

Guy

www.kingofthemountains.co.uk

We had 5cm of snow on Saturday morning just above the house here and the colours are changing daily - it is a beautiful time to be in the Alps!  But getting chilly for riding, no doubt.  We have been doing a bit of mountain biking and even took a few days off and popped off to the coast for a few days too, then back home via the Gorges de Verdon, which is a spectacular place to ride.  Check out the photo gallery for some recent photos (http://picasaweb.google.fr/kingofthemountainssummer).

We are now in the inter-season phase of the year - a time for DIY and all those other things we don't get time for when we have a  house full of cyclists and the sun is shining!  Including a bit of hiking, running and even swimming.

We are opening for winter guests this year and we'd love to see our summer guests back here for winter, so if you fancy it, get in touch (info@kingofthemountains.co.uk).  We will be offering a flexible option for people to pop over, on a self-drive basis, to come and ski or snowboard in Alpe d'Huez or Les Duex Alpes, cross country ski on the col d'Ornon, do some snow-shoe walking or just lie curled up by a log fire - your choice!

Anyway, keep in touch and pop back for updates as we go!

Guy & Helyn
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk