Today we cycled the Swiss ‘Three Lake Tour’. Starting from Bulle, we passed Lake Gruyère and ride back down to Lake Geneva. After the strenuous days in the Alps, today was a pleasant change with only 62km of riding and not too much climbing.
Today we cycled the Swiss ‘Three Lake Tour’. Starting from Bulle, we passed Lake Gruyère and ride back down to Lake Geneva. After the strenuous days in the Alps, today was a pleasant change with only 62km of riding and not too much climbing.
The passes are now getting smaller by the day as the tour makes it’s way to Switzerland – we join Tui and Bruce again as they provide us with an account of their time on TDF2014 from the beautiful spa town of Evian to Bulle in Switzerland where they will spend three days.
A rest day today is a welcomed opportunity to stay off the bike! We’re in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie regions who claim to have some of the best cheeses of France.
Our destination today is one of the worlds’ most exclusive ski resorts. Our ride links the Arc Valley with the Isere Valley over the 2000 m high Col de La Madelaine. During the middle stage of the day, we’ll negotiate our way through the very busy valley floor of the Isere Valley. The Savoie and Haute-Savoie regions feature one of the highest densities of ski areas anywhere in the world, with roads shooting up into the mountain everywhere. We will find a nice place for lunch in Brides-les-Bains, a spa resort at the foot of our last climb. Our final ascent is to Courchevel 2000 (its altitude in metres); the highest of the 3 ski stations that make up Courchevel. It’s a tough challenge, and we’ll have well and truly earned our rest day tomorrow.
Today’s challenge was the Col du Galibier, 2700 m above sea level. The day was not arduous however — there were plenty of opportunities to explore, and to stop at alpine hotels and cafes. At the Col du Lautaret (an offshoot of the Col du Galibier), the University of Grenoble has a very fine alpine botanic garden, which is just off our route. At the Lautaret, the road forks and we turned right. However, some of us had the crazy idea to cycle the 55 km to the top of the most well-known of all TDF climbs: the ascent to the Alpe d’Huez (@90 km).
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