Today we drove back to Bourg D'Oisans, at the base of Alpe D'Huez climb.
It was all very strange as we were trying to find out if the road from Briancon would be open as it is in a deep ravine & forms part of the course & various websites has conflicting closure times, so we set off with our fingers crossed, at 8.30am. &about 7klms out of Bourg D'Oisans Every square inch was parked in, with people walking kilometres with packs on their backs to reach Bourg D'Oisans. When we arrived in town there was bumper to bumper traffic & wall to wall people & every nook, footpath & spare space was parked in, with congested traffic crawling at about 2k. Things were looking bad & as we were driving down the last 100 metres of the sprint leg of the soon to be closed track, there it was, a gift from GOD, an easily accessible vacant park that seemed invisible to everyone in front of us who was searching. So in we drove, a short walk to the start of the climb. Circus does not begin to describe todays event. It turns out there were over a million people on the mountain today. The noise colour & costumes were overwhelming & I think every bicycle in Europe was there. We walked up the hairpin bends about 4k from where we parked our car, to the steepest part of the ascent & had to step out of the way of the bikes as they passed. At one stage the cyclists were brushing past us. They had just ridden over 100k from Gap & now had to pedal up 16k of 10 degree switchback roads & they were still travelling faster than we do on the flat.To make it even tougher, they had to ride down the other side of the mountain, back down the valley & up the mountain a second time to the finish.
We met two English cyclists from Yorkshire & spent a couple of hours chatting with them, while waiting for the cyclists. An hour or so before the cyclists arrive the caravan comes through, this consists of about 50 various company vehicles throwing out heaps of freeTDF souvineers to the crowds. So we scored a bit of a stash. It was a show, a circus & a street parade all rolled into one. We knew when the bikes were approaching as there were 5 helicopters buzzing around & below us. It was a fantastic day out, with another mountain thunderstorm just missing us.
On return to the car it took us one & a half hours in the worlds worst traffic jam to do the 1k out of town & then through a torrential thunderstorm on the way back.
We got home at 9.30 pm. We were stuffed & happy.
Departing the Alps tomorrow.
It was all very strange as we were trying to find out if the road from Briancon would be open as it is in a deep ravine & forms part of the course & various websites has conflicting closure times, so we set off with our fingers crossed, at 8.30am. &about 7klms out of Bourg D'Oisans Every square inch was parked in, with people walking kilometres with packs on their backs to reach Bourg D'Oisans. When we arrived in town there was bumper to bumper traffic & wall to wall people & every nook, footpath & spare space was parked in, with congested traffic crawling at about 2k. Things were looking bad & as we were driving down the last 100 metres of the sprint leg of the soon to be closed track, there it was, a gift from GOD, an easily accessible vacant park that seemed invisible to everyone in front of us who was searching. So in we drove, a short walk to the start of the climb. Circus does not begin to describe todays event. It turns out there were over a million people on the mountain today. The noise colour & costumes were overwhelming & I think every bicycle in Europe was there. We walked up the hairpin bends about 4k from where we parked our car, to the steepest part of the ascent & had to step out of the way of the bikes as they passed. At one stage the cyclists were brushing past us. They had just ridden over 100k from Gap & now had to pedal up 16k of 10 degree switchback roads & they were still travelling faster than we do on the flat.To make it even tougher, they had to ride down the other side of the mountain, back down the valley & up the mountain a second time to the finish.
We met two English cyclists from Yorkshire & spent a couple of hours chatting with them, while waiting for the cyclists. An hour or so before the cyclists arrive the caravan comes through, this consists of about 50 various company vehicles throwing out heaps of freeTDF souvineers to the crowds. So we scored a bit of a stash. It was a show, a circus & a street parade all rolled into one. We knew when the bikes were approaching as there were 5 helicopters buzzing around & below us. It was a fantastic day out, with another mountain thunderstorm just missing us.
On return to the car it took us one & a half hours in the worlds worst traffic jam to do the 1k out of town & then through a torrential thunderstorm on the way back.
We got home at 9.30 pm. We were stuffed & happy.
Departing the Alps tomorrow.
Might be a little large.....
4k up the mountain & oblivious to the madness around him.
Yvonne waiting for the race with our 2 new Enlish friends, Tim & Peter. (left)
Are they coming yet ??
Part of the pre race caravan.
Trackside, anywhere in the world where are crowds or cities, you will find Australians
Yvonne goose steps to photograph race leader first time up the mountain, Sergio. Paulinho.
Tejay Van Garderen leads on the final ascent past our position, but was beaten 2k from the finish.
Walking down after the action.
Many thousands of cyclists attended.
Waiting patiently for the race.
No bike, but I got the hat.
Passing colour.
