John's Raid Alps Adventure

Day 7 Barcelonnette – Nice – 171 km – 2 500m D+  "Welcome to the last day of your Raid Alps adventure. The Mediterranean climate of the Var region means more arid terrain as we pedal along the Med. You will confront one of the highest-paved roads in Europe, your legs will face the long but paced Col de la Cayolle rising above 2 000 m in altitude. The rest of the ride has no significant or extremely long difficulties, but the day will be long, but most of the time downhill, as we make our way to Nice on the beautiful French Riviera, otherwise known as the “Côte d’Azur”.  Difficulties:  -Col de la Cayolle (25 km at 4,2 %)  -Col de St.Raphael (7,4 km at 6 %)  -Ascros (4,3 km at 5,4 %) From the 14 cyclists who shared this Raid Alps: “Allez! Alez!” A bittersweet day: relief to have completed the physical challenge of this Raid; sadness, to have a twice-in-a-lifetime adventure draw to a close. Looking ahead to today’s ride, it looks a lot like Day 7 of the...

Day 6 Briançon – Barcelonnette – 113 km – 2 700m D+ "The day begins the Izoard and its “Casse Déserte”, a daunting and barren landscape that takes over in the final kilometers of this demanding climb, the day then concludes with the sporadic percent grades of the Col de Vars, so get ready for a few steep sections as you make your way to the top. “  Difficulties:  -Col d’Izoard (14 km at 7.3 %)  -Col de Vars (19.1 km at 5.5 %) Unfortunately, the biggest challenge of the day was not the extent of the climbs, but the weather: cold and rainy from the start. Our group set out as usual, as a group on the first climb which, though never very extreme in pitch, was wet, and as we climbed  the temperature dropped and the rain continued. It never once stopped, impeding the views, and soaking the cyclists. Once at the Col we found a refuge (cafe) open, and entered one at a time, drawn like iron filings to a magnet to their wood stove. Most ord...

Day 5 Allemont – Briançon – 120 km – 3 100m D+  “Today’s ride is positively the most legendary of your entire Raid Alps cycling challenge. You will be climbing the 21 famous switchbacks of Alpe d’Huez and you will tackle the Lautaret taking you to the Glandon. Tonight, you will definitely deserve a hearty dinner and good night’s rest!” Difficulties:  -Alpe d’Huez (13.8 km at 7.9 %)  -Col du Lautaret (19.2 km at 4.7 %)  -Col du Galibier (8,6km at 6,7%) In map form:  But seeing it in graphic representation is nothing like riding it. You've got the graphic; here's the narrative: Our rollout from the hotel was cool, and along a beautiful bike path alongside a river. “Alongside a river” means: level! Pedaling on the flat is an excellent way to loosen legs still tight and achey from the day previous. We shed our layers and prepared for the 1st climb of the day. The Alpe d’Huez is one of the iconic stages of the Tour de France, such that of the 21 turns from bottom to ...