Alps to the Mediteranean

June 9, 2011

This morning I set out, after making a breakfast of bacon and eggs of course in the kitchen, to summit the col de la croix de fer (2016m). I figured i would cash in on having a stove to my disposal. One word, amazing. 

The 6km to the top of the col were very challenging as it gained 560m. But, at this point I'm starting to feel like a veteran... My legs don't agree. 

Upon summit I again got some people to snap my picture. I then hit the curvy descent letting gravity do the work. The scenery was beautiful but it was marred by yet another spoke. I tried my best to enjoy my way down and instead of going back to Grenoble I went back to Le Bourg d'Osains which was only about 30ish km from the summit. I got the spoke fixed and called it a day in the campground I stayed in previously. The shop owner who fixed my spoke discussed the issue and decided I needed a new stronger rim with more spoke to relieve the problem. He made some calls and came up with a new one that would cost 300€. I simply was not willing to pay that so I left without a solution. 

Today was the day the climb was going on that I mentioned early on Alpe d'Huez.

June 10, 2011

I took today as a rest day. The only thing to note is that I bought myself a nice little stove which only weighs a couple ounces. It'll be great to cook some meals coming up here. 

June 11, 2011 

I was excited to move south today but again broke a spoke 6km into the ride. I was fed up with this problem and decided I would end it right here and now. I took my gear off the bike and threw it off a nearby cliff. I was taking the bus from now on.

Just kidding. But I felt that way. 

I turned back to town and knew I'd have to find a solution this time. The shop keeper knew I didn't want to spend the money on a new rim so he tried to find a new one off of friends or whoever he could. Eventually, with no success he was about to give up... But thankfully, he ended up getting a rim that should work. I had to pay 120€ for the setup... But it was way better than the previous price.

I set out on my previously planned route of going through Briançon. I summited Col du Lautaret again and dropped into a great descent towards Briançon. With the problems and late start I ended up only covering 60km after finding a campground south of the city. 

The rim stood up with no signs of weakness... But I wasnt getting my hopes up. 

After cooking up some pasta I met a really nice family from Oregon and chatted with them till it was time for bed. 

June 12, 2011

This morning I woke up ready to make a decent start around 10am. However I ended up chatting with the father of the family for over 2 hours. All of a sudden I was leaving after noon. I took the late start in stride but was met with a strong headwind. I only covered around 60km, but I ended up on a really nice like glacier fed lake in Savines-Le-lac. The colour of the water was a bright aqua marine blue and was really nice to look at. I took the evening easy and planned to actually cover some ground the next day. 

June 13, 2011

Today I got a good start and hit the road by 9:30am. My route in the morning continued along the lake which did not cease to impress all the way along. I couldnt get over the colour! 

Once past the southern end of the lake I started a climb to the village of Montclar. From there I had a nice descent into farm land in valley. I stopped at the town Seyne for lunch. Today was a national holiday in France so I was forced to eat out. 
The rest of the day the route went up and down over several cols which kept my legs working. These cols are not near comparable to the ones I completed a couple days ago. Col du Maure peaked at 1346m and Col du Labouret reached it's highest at 1240m. From that point the road was mostly downhill all the way to Digne-Les-Bains. There were several camprounds here but I wanted to cover more ground since it was only 4pm. I continued to head south and added another 30 or so km to my tally landing me in Barrême at 6:30pm for a total of 120km on the day. I passes through the Clue de Chabrières on my way. It was this thin slice through the mountain where the river had cut through. It was really neat to ride through. 

I was super tired from the day so I passed out fast. 

June 14, 2011

When entering town last night I saw a sign that informed me i was only 105km from Cannes. Unfortunately, I missed the movie festival by about a month. I decided I would try my best to make it. I got away from Barrême around 9:30 and quickly was launched into another climb. The climb passed through Clue de Taulanne which was evening more impressive than the previous one. After that point I peaked at Col DES Leques at 1148m. Oh, since Barrême I've also been on the Route Napoléon. It was the route taken by the Emperor on his return from Elba with 1200 men.
After the col I was rewarded with a descent into Castellane. I had a quick bite here and made a photocopy of a route I'm doing in the next couple days once I'm at the ocean. I once again climbed out of the city up to Col du Luens at 1054m. I treated myself to some fresh fruit on the way up to some fruit at a stand. It was delicious. 
I had yet another descent... This up and down was the story of the day. So here's the rest.

Col de Valferrie(1169m)

Pas de Faye (981m) 

At the top of Pas de Faye I got my reward. At nearly the limit of my vision I could see the ocean. With the sight of it I hopped right back in the saddle and descended down into Grasse. I grabbed a new map here and planned a route south to La Napoule. I was also greeted by heavy traffic in the city. I've been spoiled the last while so I had to adjust quickly. I made my way weaving through towns which never seem to end and found my campground which was 500m from the ocean. I was drained. I had covered 120km again today and had some long overdo laundry and chores to do. I know most people would rush to the beach. But that's what my next two days are about. I'll hit the road early and ride the coast. When i find a beach I like, I'll stop and enjoy the day. I'm excited for rest and sun. The weather looks like it's gonna be hot. 
As for Cannes, Nice and Monaco. I'm afraid I won't make it to those places. I'm very close to them. But biking to them would be on very busy roads. I could take transit, but when it comes down to it im really not that interested. In Cannes I want to see the theatre there... But it's nicknamed the 'bunker' from it's appearance so it won't be too interesting. Nice would be nice in it's old town, but I've seen lots of those. And as for monaco I'll skip the craziness and overpriced everything. Minimum bet in the casino is 10€, so there would be none of that. I guess it would be all cool to see and to say I've been there. But when it comes down to it, time is tight and im placing the beaches and ocean over the cities. This is my reasoning for my actions. I hope I haven't offended anyone :)

The campground is nice and the evening is beautiful. Gonna go enjoy myself. 

Bon soirée 

P.S. No problems with the spokes so far!
P.S.S. Thanks for reading whoever is