05-08-2014     Les Ougiers – Bardonecchia     110 km

By now the training phase is over, it is time for 'harvesting'. Breakfast at 7:30, I wanted to stretch the day a bit. "How would you like your eggs?" "Umm . . . ?" Well, I have them scrambled. Apart from the girl serving I'm having a solitary breakfast. When around 8 the others start coming in I'm almost ready to get going, and I want to get going: outside a sky that consists for at least 80 % of blue is awaiting me.

2014: Le Tour des Chiens

Highly recommended by me!

Easy start along the Vénéon

However, a chat here, a chat there cause a half an hour delay. The Vénéon leads me back to the Romanche – or rather the slight inclination of the road does. The N91 is busy again, like yesterday evening, and also like in 2001, when after the rude ride up to the Barrage du Chambon I decided never in my life attack the Galibier from this side (and eleven years later I did it anyway (and it appeared quite okay)). That bit to the dam is a bit of a struggle. I alternately enjoy the good weather and the great vistas (e.g. the vista up to Villard Notre-Dame which I never noticed before) and am annoyed by the many cars that speed by, and the elevation gain to the Lac du Chambon isn't easily gained either. There's even a car that's following two cyclists that go hardly faster than me, causing bad smelling queues behind them (in front of me!).

Busy N91.   Take care indeed!

Gorgeous surroundings!

Another kind of selfie

Trying to ignore the cars

End of tough "phase 1"

To my chagrin the road doesn't become significantly quieter after the two exits to Les Deux-Alpes and Besse. The slope gets easier for a (long) while, and that's nice. I enter the département des Hautes-Alpes in t-shirt and wearing sunglasses. After the Tunnel du Grand Clôt (with 670 m not even the longest on the road to the Lautaret) the first glaciers high up on the south side present themselves. This year I won't make it to the Lautaret in one stroke. I have a sunny break in La Grave, on a bench in front of la poste, from which position I both catch the sun and catch a great view of the glacier of La Meije. I munch away some bread and cheese from yesterday with a large bottle of coca cola – I pay € 2,30 for 1.5 litre, where 0.5 litre would have cost me € 2,-, in the same shop; ridiculous!

	Lac du Chambon		First glimpse of glaciers
	Full view from "break point" in La Grave		Just after La Grave (Les Terrasses?)
	Glacier de La Meije . . . .		. . . . avec moi

Shortly after two other tunnels – I decide to have my rear light on the whole time – I'm overtaken by a dad from Kapelle (so I guess from the text on his cycling shirt) and his 16 year old son who has just (!?) started cycling on a racing bike purchased two weeks ago. Well, yes, to me it seems he should use much lower gears. Dear son is being 'prepared' for the Mont-Ventoux next week, I learn when I hitch on a while. Dad is indeed coaching/encouraging son all the time. I will not overexert myself, so I soon let them go ahead. But when after a while the distance between us is not growing anymore I'm enticed to put a little more pressure on the pedals and indeed eventually I pass them and leave them way behind me.
Around the top (i.e. the Col du Lautaret) I take in the nice sights all around, especially the road up to the Col du Galibier, always impressive! The first half of the descent to Briançon is almost straight, and there can be a heavy gale from the west (I had hoped for it today, but alas), and I do overtake quite a few others, to be overtaken again when I stop for photos, e.g. from the glacier(s) of the Barre des Écrins.

	The guys from Kapelle . . . .		. . . . are running out on me . . . .
	. . . . but then I come back;-)		The final phase

	Col du Lauteret		The road to the Galibier
	Quite straight descent		With glittering side views: Barre des Écrins

In the second half of the descent, several villages Serre-Chevalier follow each other. In one of them, the one with the village of Le Bez, where I spent nights in 1986 and in 1989 in the youth hostel that I haven't any memory of, but which still exists, I arrive just in time to buy some pastry – the boss and his help were already leaving for lunch, but they turn on the lights again for me – and have a sunny break (whereas the tables in the shade still look wet). I finish both my book and the large bottle of coca cola. With my helmet on I continue till and through Briançon – too much through, I don't risk the possible shortcut around it – it's busy, warm, stuffy, ouch! This is all in accordance with the memories I have of this city.

Busy Briançon

The fort of Briançon

Approaching that road

Side view:   Vallée de la Clarée

I pass the Fort, and from a distance notice the serpentine road against the mountains up to Montgenèvre, quite discernible with all the cars and even lorries! These last make this climb traffic wise even worse than the climb to the Lautaret! I decide I will never in my life climb it again (on a bike) (but how else?). The gradient is also more demanding than that of the Lautaret. However, by just taking my time, and also while taking in all the great views back to Briançon, the fort, and the valley behind it, and the views into the Vallée de la Clarée – while trying to ignore the heavy traffic! – it's still a positive experience.

	View up . . . .		. . . . view down (to Briançon)
	Another view up . . . .		. . . . and another one down (to Val-des-Prés)
	All kinds of activities . . . .		. . . . around the pass

I eventually reach the touristic twin towns Montgenèvre and Clavière around the pass (if there is a sign for it, I haven't seen it). Souvenir shops, golf courses, summer bob sleigh, fun parks, I'm horrified. I'm also horrified by the descent. "Atenzione lavori stradali", that's what's announced at the beginning. The view down is rightdown spectacular: the half open tunnels ("gallerie"), the curly part deep down, the serpentine road to Sestriere further on, it's really great. But to rush through such a tunnel at a speed of 60 km/h and be overtaken by motorists, that's terrifying!

	Start of a scary descent into Italy		"gallerie"
	Woww!		What a look down!
	Having survived the scariest part		And west again on the strade di stato 335

Nevertheless, when I arrive alive in Cesana Torinese, I notice that my top speed is now 65 km/h. From Cesana it's still slowly downhill to Oulx/Bardonecchia, but the wind from the north cancels any positive effect on the speed. In Oulx I finish the remainder of the bread and cheese in my panniers – with these high temperatures Roquefort cheese definitely deteriorates more quickly. From there it's 13 km to Bardonecchia, over the SS335, mostly along the railway, so mostly flat. High up there's the autostrada A32 leading to the Tunnel du Fréjus. I reckon would I have trouble finding accommodation in this town I might go back to the Vallée de la Clarée, like I did in '89, as I will have an early arrival: around 17:15 I'll be in Bardonecchia. I will have time for it, but will I also have enough energy left? On my way to the tourist office I ask an Italian on a racing bike whether he knows a suitable place, and indeed he does, he sends me to a sympathetic bed & breakfast, Pensione Bianca.

Nice pensione

Time for a . . . .

. . . .

Two friendly English run the place, I get a decent room for € 40,-, and it's only fifty meters from the road to the Colle della Scala. I enjoy the shower, there is some overdue shaving to be done, and I build in a horizontal half hour on my bed, from where I also book two nights in Méolans (Gîte "Les Terres Blanches"). After these refreshments I go into town for a new pen (!), a drink and a meal. A lot of people are walking up and down main street – typically Italian – but alas I don't spot an appropriate candidate to share any of these (last two) activities with.   When I return – ice cream in hand – it's past nine and dark.