I took the plunge and accepted the tour leader's suggestion to switch from the Performance group to the Extreme group - on the basis that today's ride would be similar for both groups, with the Extreme group climbing an additional small un-named col en route to the Madeleine (plus, in the back of my mind, the thought that most of the group would be trashed after their big day out yesterday :-).
The top of the Col de la Madeleine.
A great lunch spot - Mt Blanc visible back left.
The un-named col came and went without incident and Alex, our Spanish ride leader for the day, set a good pace of between 30 - 32 kph on the 50 km ride to the base of the Madeleine. We stopped at the bottom for a coffee, to refill water bottles and replenish food supplies before beginning the climb.
According to the rankings of French climbs the Madeleine was to be the most difficult of the climbs on our itinerary. It is 20 km in length and rises over 1,500 metres at a solid average of 8%, with extended sections in excess of 10%. At an average speed of just over 10 kph it was going to take us nearly two hours to the top.
After a while I was in the front group with Alex, Avi (a South African), Raoul (his SA buddy) and Jack, from Sydney, at 21 the youngest person on the tour. We maintained a steady pace, alternating between spinning in the 34 x 30 gear and standing in the 34 x 23 to rest the different muscle groups.
At the 16 km mark there was only Alex, Avi and myself left and the pace gradually increased. I was dropped at the 18 km mark by 30 metres, got back on again for a hundred metres or so and then dropped for a second and final time, arriving at the col a couple of hundred metres back.
There is a cafe at the top with views across to the Italian face of Mt Blanc. We sat in the shade and ordered omelettes while waiting for the rest to arrive.
After a while we all regrouped, replenished supplies again at the Thomson van and began the 25 km descent. This was a blast, although some suffered from hand cramps with all the braking. Once back at the base of the mountain it was another flat and fast 25 km back to Albertville.
We returned the bikes to the bike garage, had an impromptu meal of sandwiches prepared by the brilliant Thomson staff and had the pleasant choice of watching the last 30 km of the Tour over a beer, taking a swim in the pool or a recovery snooze - or all three as it turned out.
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