Winnershsaint
Guru
Day 6 - Rain, rain go away! No really rain. GO AWAY!! RAIN..... F**K-OFF!!!!!
Title sums it up really. What fell on Wednesday afternoon was still falling on Thursday for most of the day. It was all getting a bit tedious and we'd exhausted all that Bourg d'Oisans had to offer.
After his shortened day R2 set off early and went solo to the Lauteret and back. Impressive riding in dirty weather while T and N went one better and continued all they way to the top of the Galibier. Chapeau to all of them. D had a day off. Not surprising after his double Alpe exploits while the rest of us sat around and twiddled our thumbs. P weakened first and did one of his lost to history rides. I think he went to Oz-en-Oisans and somewhere else and both J and R1 went eventually out towards La Bararde. That left A who eventually duplicated what J had done the previous day and got cold and wet on Les Deux Alpes, and me. In truth the weather although wet would have been no problem with the right kit. I put on everything I had: base layer, arm and leg warmers, my thickest of the thin bibs and top I had brought with me and topped it off with my lightweight sort of watery/windy proof pac-a -jacket and full fingered gloves. I was wet in double quick time as I headed towards the D530 turn to St Christophe-en-Oisans intending to go as least as far as Venosc. The road heads into a rocky cleft that wouldn't be out of place in Middle Earth. In reality it is far less prosaic than that with all the quarry wagons joining me on the road, at odds with the wild and beautiful scenery. I wasn't exactly climbing, but it was a nagging false flat with slightly steeper interludes. The rain was falling heavily by now not only was I wet I was cold as well. My feet in particular. How I wished I'd brought my waterproof softshell jacket and overshoes with me, unfortunately they were in a drawer in Berkshire, over a 1100km away. Eventually I was cold enough to consider going back. I was half an hour from base and the weather wasn't improving in any way shape or form. My mind was made up when first J went past me on the opposite direction and then R1. I double backed and got on R1's wheel and followed him down what was now a thoroughly miserable, albeit gentlish descent. Back on the flat I ignored the turn for home and went as far as the turn to Allemont and then decided that I was utterly fed up having cold feet and went back.
Another somewhat wasted day came to a close with then promise of better weather for our last riding day. I'd decided on Les Deux Alpes.
Title sums it up really. What fell on Wednesday afternoon was still falling on Thursday for most of the day. It was all getting a bit tedious and we'd exhausted all that Bourg d'Oisans had to offer.
After his shortened day R2 set off early and went solo to the Lauteret and back. Impressive riding in dirty weather while T and N went one better and continued all they way to the top of the Galibier. Chapeau to all of them. D had a day off. Not surprising after his double Alpe exploits while the rest of us sat around and twiddled our thumbs. P weakened first and did one of his lost to history rides. I think he went to Oz-en-Oisans and somewhere else and both J and R1 went eventually out towards La Bararde. That left A who eventually duplicated what J had done the previous day and got cold and wet on Les Deux Alpes, and me. In truth the weather although wet would have been no problem with the right kit. I put on everything I had: base layer, arm and leg warmers, my thickest of the thin bibs and top I had brought with me and topped it off with my lightweight sort of watery/windy proof pac-a -jacket and full fingered gloves. I was wet in double quick time as I headed towards the D530 turn to St Christophe-en-Oisans intending to go as least as far as Venosc. The road heads into a rocky cleft that wouldn't be out of place in Middle Earth. In reality it is far less prosaic than that with all the quarry wagons joining me on the road, at odds with the wild and beautiful scenery. I wasn't exactly climbing, but it was a nagging false flat with slightly steeper interludes. The rain was falling heavily by now not only was I wet I was cold as well. My feet in particular. How I wished I'd brought my waterproof softshell jacket and overshoes with me, unfortunately they were in a drawer in Berkshire, over a 1100km away. Eventually I was cold enough to consider going back. I was half an hour from base and the weather wasn't improving in any way shape or form. My mind was made up when first J went past me on the opposite direction and then R1. I double backed and got on R1's wheel and followed him down what was now a thoroughly miserable, albeit gentlish descent. Back on the flat I ignored the turn for home and went as far as the turn to Allemont and then decided that I was utterly fed up having cold feet and went back.
Another somewhat wasted day came to a close with then promise of better weather for our last riding day. I'd decided on Les Deux Alpes.