After starting the day with a huge breakfast, we gathered behind the hotel and set off at 8:30 for the Col des Mosses. A tough climb out of Montreux, at 8-10% grade for about 10 km, was followed by a stretch through beautiful Swiss countryside, complete with Chalets, herds of cattle (and the sound, really, of cowbells everywhere) and the Alps as a breathtaking backdrop. The sun was out, it was approaching 70 degrees and it was turning into a really beautiful day.
After about 35 km of riding, we joined the actual Tour course in Bulle, and rode another 40 km on course and up the Cat. 2 climb of the Col des Mosses. Not a particularly hard climb, steeper at the bottom, but never much more than 6-8% grade ever. Our support vans were passing us checking to see if we needed water, food or a pickup, and finally after 75 km of riding we reached our tents and vans about 1.5 km from the top of the Col.
I rode up to cross the Col, and then turned around to ride back to the tents, where we spent about 3 hours having a big picnic lunch, sitting in the sun beside the road, and enjoying the spectacle. The publicity caravan came by, and it went on and on for nearly an hour. We had no idea what was going on with the riders until after 3:00 when an official car drove by, loudspeakers blaring, and I could make out that there was an escape of 8 riders that was less than 5 km behind, and a few names of who was in the break. The excitement built as we peered down the road and waited. Finally the riders appeared, impossibly small and riding impossibly fast. They were by in a flash, followed by a line of team cars. It was all over in less than a minute.
About 4 or 5 minutes later, another huge group of motorcycles and cars appeared, followed by the entire peloton. They also rode by in a flash (although a longer flash), quiet and intense. The only sounds were clapping and the whir of pedals. A much longer line of team cars, double-file, followed and then it was all over.
Not long after than another official car came by announcing that three riders were still to come, but by then spectators were already streaming down the mountain on bikes. Eventually 2 riders passed, and a very long time after that a lone Skil-Shimano rider followed by the broomwagon.
We left almost immediately to follow the peloton over the Col des Mosses and then down the thrilling descent to Aigle. At first, our guide, one of the young riders and I outpaced everyone else, and three of us tore down the mountain ahead of everybody, zooming around the big sweeping turns, and slowing to bank hard into the hairpins. Here's a
map & route data from the Garmin of today's ride. I forgot to turn in back on after the peleton passed, so it didn't record the long descent of the Col des Mosses.
Eventually, the whole group had to stop briefly where the police had a roadblock, so the rest of the descent was somewhat slower and in much heavier traffic. The Tour continued to Verbier but we turned towards Montreaux, finishing the last hour or more in a fast paceline on a beautiful bikepath that wound along rivers, past fields of corn and wheat and through cool, dark woods. Altogether we clocked about 110 km. I had some issues with my GPS so I didn't record the whole ride, but did get the climbs. Will try to post a link to that later.
8 of us met for drinks and then walked along the lake to a nice Italian restaurant, where we feasted and relived the events of the day, as the sun set (at 9:30!) over Lake Geneva. It was altogther a perfect day.
After starting the day with a huge breakfast, we gathered behind the hotel and set off at 8:30 for the Col des Mosses. A tough climb out of Montreux, at 8-10% grade for about 10 km, was followed by a stretch through beautiful Swiss countryside, complete with Chalets, herds of cattle (and the sound, really, of cowbells everywhere) and the Alps as a breathtaking backdrop. The sun was out, it was approaching 70 degrees and it was turning into a really beautiful day.
After about 35 km of riding, we joined the actual Tour course in Bulle, and rode another 40 km on course and up the Cat. 2 climb of the Col des Mosses. Not a particularly hard climb, steeper at the bottom, but never much more than 6-8% grade ever. Our support vans were passing us checking to see if we needed water, food or a pickup, and finally after 75 km of riding we reached our tents and vans about 1.5 km from the top of the Col.
I rode up to cross the Col, and then turned around to ride back to the tents, where we spent about 3 hours having a big picnic lunch, sitting in the sun beside the road, and enjoying the spectacle. The publicity caravan came by, and it went on and on for nearly an hour. We had no idea what was going on with the riders until after 3:00 when an official car drove by, loudspeakers blaring, and I could make out that there was an escape of 8 riders that was less than 5 km behind, and a few names of who was in the break. The excitement built as we peered down the road and waited. Finally the riders appeared, impossibly small and riding impossibly fast. They were by in a flash, followed by a line of team cars. It was all over in less than a minute.
Not long after than another official car came by announcing that three riders were still to come, but by then spectators were already streaming down the mountain on bikes. Eventually 2 riders passed, and a very long time after that a lone Skil-Shimano rider followed by the broomwagon.
We left almost immediately to follow the peloton over the Col des Mosses and then down the thrilling descent to Aigle. At first, our guide, one of the young riders and I outpaced everyone else, and three of us tore down the mountain ahead of everybody, zooming around the big sweeping turns, and slowing to bank hard into the hairpins. Here's a map & route data from the Garmin of today's ride. I forgot to turn in back on after the peleton passed, so it didn't record the long descent of the Col des Mosses.
Eventually, the whole group had to stop briefly where the police had a roadblock, so the rest of the descent was somewhat slower and in much heavier traffic. The Tour continued to Verbier but we turned towards Montreaux, finishing the last hour or more in a fast paceline on a beautiful bikepath that wound along rivers, past fields of corn and wheat and through cool, dark woods. Altogether we clocked about 110 km. I had some issues with my GPS so I didn't record the whole ride, but did get the climbs. Will try to post a link to that later.
8 of us met for drinks and then walked along the lake to a nice Italian restaurant, where we feasted and relived the events of the day, as the sun set (at 9:30!) over Lake Geneva. It was altogther a perfect day.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY from your colleagues at Adams and Reese.
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