Tour de France: Day 31

Day 31: Courchevel

Today was a stunning day of riding and one many of the team have said is the best to date. Largely due to the beautiful weather and gorgeous views from the top of the col de Madelaine. This is one of the few cols we have had such glorious weather at the top where we have been able to stop and linger, have an ice-cream, view Mt Blanc and appreciate the hard work we have just completed with climbing the Col. The hard core group led by Ralph took a trickier route up the Col with gradient at times bordering 20%. This is serious stuff and deservedly the group that went with Ralph were giving the rest of the team a hard time about the easier approx 20 km route they followed to the top of the Col. We passed through numerous villages but the nature of the villages had changed from the previous ones we have travelled through. They are smaller and more isolated and there is less of a sense of structure as is evident in the hundreds of other villages we have passed through. It is always amazing to see that despite the altitude we reach there are usually numerous other villages at higher altitude dotted in the distance. On the second climb of the day one of the team we were riding with experienced a mechanical problem with his bike which was causing problems. The intense 30 plus degree heat and the gradient of the climb further exacerbated the difficult situation. The good nature of the French was evident when a member of the public stopped to offer a bike pump then when seeing this was not the problem he proceeded to assist with the bike. The good nature of the French people and their insistence on keeping a work/life balance has been impressive during our trip around the country. At the same time we have witnessed inefficiencies and frustrations with service due to customer service not seemingly being important. This was not the case at the Hotel St Georges in Saint Jean De Maurienne where the accommodation was outstanding and the service top notch including service of individual drinks during our breakfast. We truly were spoilt. Similarly, at Corchevel we were spoilt with Les Peupiers. The standard of the food and service was excellent. Everyone was very pleased to arrive at Corchevel after a hot day of riding and a rest day ahead!