Briancon Day 4 - Mission Galibier aborted

Today saw us taking a ride in the direction of Grenoble - the next town we head to in a few days and up the Col du Lautaret to the base of the Col du Galibier, the days feature climb. Overall the ride will see us climbing for approximately 36kms straight although the gradients are relatively tame most of the way up.

With the Col du Galibier only being opened a mere 7 days ago and being cancelled from the Giro due to snow just last month, we knew it was going to be a cold one but we didn't expect it to be quite as bad as it turned out to be. 

The first climb for the day was the Col du Lautaret, a long (18.8km) but relatively tame climb at an average gradient of 3.3% reaching a total altitude of 2,058m. The climb proceeds along the national route 91 which is the main road connecting through to Grenoble. From the second we reached the base of the climb the rain began and it was a very wet and miserable ascent to the top. By the time we reached the top we were all pretty much frozen solid and made the decision to have some lunch in the local cafe at the top and try and defrost.

While sitting in the cafe the weather conditions continued to worsen and it quickly became clear that Galibier was not going to happen today. We saw a couple of brave riders come down from the mountain looking very purple and shaking uncontrollably, not something we were to keen to experience. The photos below show the worsening conditions and were taken a matter of seconds after each other. One second you can see Galibier in the background. A few seconds later the mountain has disappeared behind the cloud cover. A good example of just how quickly the conditions can change up in the mountains.

With it looking more and more unlikely that Galibier was going to happen, we decided to call it a day and began the descent back down into Briancon so we could watch the opening stage of Le Tour. The descent was not a lot of fun with very icy and slippery roads making for some very sketchy conditions so we decided to take it fairly easy. It was a shame as the descent would have been super fast if the conditions were dry.

Today we head to the Col de Granon which looks set to be one of the hardest, if not the hardest, climb we will do on the trip. 

Briancon Day 3 - Ride across to Italy to climb Colle Sestriers

Day three saw significantly improved weather from yesterday with the sun out and beaming much to our delight. Todays ride was a slightly longer one with a 70km ride across the italian border with the feature of the day being the Colle di Sestriere. First up for the day was a trip along the scenic Route d'Italie with some spectacular views back down into Briancon. Without a doubt one of the most scenic sections of road we have travelled to date.

The first of three major climbs for the day was the Col de Montgenevre, a category 2 climb approximately 11kms in length reaching a total altitude of 1,860. The climb was fairly steady with an average gradient of 4.7% and never really kicked up allowing us to get into a nice rhythm. The climb proved to be a good leg loosener for the rest of the days climbing.

 

From the top of Col de Montgenevre we continued over the top and began the descent over the the other side. The descent was rather unique with several passes through tunnels and some nice big sweeping corners and spectacular views down into the valley overlooking the small town of Cesana.

The descent also included crossing the Italian border where we took the opportunity for a quick photo before continuing our way down into the valley.

From there it was onto the main feature of the day being the Colle di Sestriere, a climb which has featured in both the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. Most recently, the climb was meant to be included in this years Giro d'Italia a mere month ago but had to be cancelled due to significant snow on the pass. The climb is 11.5km in length at an average of 5.9% with the summit finishing in the 2006 olympic village town of Sestriere. Again this climb was fairly steady and never really kicked up however at an altitude of 2,036m the temperature was again extremely cold at the top.

The decent back into Cesana was fast with some nice sweeping corners and not as many tight hairpins as some of the other descents we have done to date. A couple of the boys even managed to crack the top 10 overall for the strava segment. Once back in Cesana it was time for a well deserved lunch and we managed to find a nice cafe up one of the cobblestone roads in the town where we were treated with some very friendly service from the locals.

After a well earned lunch and a quick shot of coffee, the batteries were recharged and it was onto the final climb of the day up the other side of the Col de Montgenevre before descending back down into Briancon. The climb was an 8.5km climb at an average gradient of 5.7% with the start of the climb being quite steep with sections above 8% and finally easing as we approached the summit. With the final climb down it was onto the decent back into Briancon with the downhill run home much appreciated by all.

Tomorrow sees us taking on the Col du Galibier which only opened 7 days ago due to snow and should feature some nice snow walls at the summit of the climb. 

Briancon Day 2 - Col d'Izoard

Day 2 in Briancon began much like the first day with more issues with our bikes. As a result we decided to change plan to do just Col d'Izoard and move Col du Granon to a different day due to a lack of time. As it turns out this was probably a smart move as we quickly realised these climbs are significantly harder than anything you can find back home.

The Col d'Izoard is the first of many hors categorie climbs for the trip and we ascended the climb from Briancon which features a 20km climb at an average gradient of 5.8% reaching a total elevation of 2,360m. The first 10kms or so of the climb were relatively comfortable with the gradient sticking around the 5% level allowing us to punch out a nice rhythm up the climb.

 

This quickly changed for the last 7 kms with long stretches of road averaging around the mid 8% gradients with plenty of nice hairpin turns as we made our way up the mountain. As we approached the summit of the climb, large patches of snow began to appear on the side of the road indicating that the temperature was beginning to drop. Thanks to the relatively steep road, the body temperature was thankfully nice and high and it wasn't until we stopped at the summit that we began to realise just how cold it was. 

Just as we were about to begin our decent back into Briancon, the weather took an unexpected turn for the worst and before we knew it, it had begun to snow. This made for a rather interesting and unpleasant descent. By about the half way mark of the descent we were being hit by large stones of ice which felt like needles. It was by far the coldest I have ever been in my life and before we knew it the top of our legs had gone completely purple and all feeling in our fingers was lost. Our bodies were shaking to the point that it was becoming difficult just to keep the bike straight, not something that you want on the icy roads we were descending. At this point we decided we would stop at a small coffee shop in one of the little towns we were passing through and try to warm up until the weather improved. 

Naturally the second we got back on the road the snow returned but thankfully it wasn't long before we got past it and onto some dry roads to enjoy the last little bit of the descent before heading back into Briancon for a short cruise through the town and back to the hotel. Safe to say there was a fight for the hot shower when we got back.

Tomorrow we venture along the route d'italie and across the border into Italy to take on the colle di sestriere.

Briancon Day 1

Today saw our first day in the mountain town of Briancon (The highest town in Europe sitting at an altitude of 1,326m). First impressions of this place are good with insanely good views of the alps surrounding us in every direction.

The start of the day saw us frantically scrambling to find a live stream of the state of origin game two to watch the mighty maroons level the series at 1-1. Looking forward to watching another series win in Grenoble in a few weeks time.

After the game it was time to start unpacking our bikes and building them up for the weeks riding. We got of to a bit of a false start with several chain and derailleur issues and even a cracked frame stalling our intentions to get out on the bikes. After a trip to the local bike shop for some parts and some self learning in bike mechanics we were finally up and running.

With time running short we decided we would go for a quick ride around the town to familiarise ourselves with the main routes out of town which we would be taking over the next few days here. Initially it took a bit of getting used to sticking to the right hand side of the road, particularly at round a bouts but you get used to it pretty quickly. 

After getting a grip on the town we took a little taste tester up the Col d'Izoard which sits at a peak of 2,361m. While we only went a short way up it is easy to see how these climbs will take a toll on the body with the climb being approx 20kms in length. The air is also noticeably thinner and breathing is definitely a lot harder then what we are used to. 

Up next we took a trip up to the top part of town which included a few little kickers with gradients > 15%. At the top we found the route d'italie which is the main road to the Italian border and we will be taking this road up to some of the Italian climbs in the coming days. We road a little way down the road and got our first taste of the views which we will be looking at in the coming days.

All in all, after a bit of a false start, the day ended on a positive note and a little taste of what we are in for over the rest of the trip. Up tomorrow is the Col d'Izoard and the Col du Granon