Bagged some Cols recently.....pics inside.

[betty swollocks]

Day 1: first major climb after start of ride from Thonon les Bains.

Day 2: 3 Cols.... started from Grand Bournand.

Very wet and cold at the Col de Saisies and scary descending with wet rims.

Lonely and desolate ascending Cormet de Roselend: not another cyclist or anyone seen the whole way.

Day 3: wet ascending from Bourg St Maurice to Val d'Isere, where it dried out for a while.

And then from Val D'Isere to....... Funny face because teeth chattering with cold. Fist clenched with cold too. Murderous descending: ice, fog, rain, wet rims and ffffreezing.
Day 4: Telegraphe and Galibier. Camera conked out so no pics. Decided at Briancon at end of (hard) day 4, that weather too cold and dangerous (this was June!), so hopped on a train and went south and east to Ventoux and the warmth........
Ventoux was a lovely ascent with lots of other cyclists in view the whole time.
I did it twice.

 

[theboytaylor]

Hat (to quote Ned Boulting) !

 

[Aperitif]

Yes - good riding, Betty! Well done.
(Where have you been tbt?- get on a FNRASAP - or see you Sunday, to welcome threefingersJoe to london with a 'Sunday Ride')

 

[TheDoctor]

We're not worthy!!!

I did Colombiere about 10 years back on my Ribble, and Ventoux just over three years ago on the carbon uberbike.
I'd have hated to have done it with luggage though.

'Chapeau!' indeed

 

[raindog]

Nice riding Betty!

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Great stuff - that a Thorn Rohloff, stealth bomber of a bike?

 

[betty swollocks]

Thanks all for your kind comments....and yes it's a Thorn/Rohloff bike in stealth mode. Even more stealthy now I've had the front wheel rebuilt with a rather lovely Hope hub in, ahem, black

Looking to return to the Alps in Sept to complete unfinished business.

 

[fossyant]

Chain's slack.... sort it....

Lucky sod !

 

[theloafer]

hi betty
your post brought back memories of my trip to the alps in 2009 got to watch a stage of the tour as well.. cols that we bagged

 

[betty swollocks]

hi betty
your post brought back memories of my trip to the alps in 2009 got to watch a stage of the tour as well.. cols that we bagged
[attachment=4444MG_2977.JPG]
[attachment=4446MG_2996.JPG]
[attachment=4447MG_3133.JPG]

Very nice: thanks for posting! Looks like you had much warmer weather conditions, excepting perhaps L'Iseran

 

[theloafer]

Very nice: thanks for posting! Looks like you had much warmer weather conditions, excepting perhaps L'Iseran

yes we did on the top of the L'Iseran the wind was about 60+and blow the litter bins about like paper bags as you can tell by the pic we had on evry bit of cycling kit i had with me ...