Thanks to all. We never made it to Ventoux but instead went further north and did a nice little tour of the Ecrins area including a few famous cols and some not so famous.
The first base was at St Jean de Maurienne, a town with a mix of tourism and industry and a very civilised municipal campsite with helpful staff. It is the home of the Opinel
We did a modest circuit the first day, climbing La Toussuire (a ski village) and the Col du Mollard the descent from which had more hairpins than Nora Batty.
Next day the Col de Madeleine was our goal. The D213 from la Chambre looked a bit boring so I took the back road from Hermillon, taking in the Col de Chaussy and Lac de Loup en route. It was a lovely, quiet and windy route that turned into a rough track some way before the main road. Harder but definitely recommended even for road bikes.
Having tested our legs we then set off on a circular tour, first heading for Valloire, a fairly short and very steep day's ride taking in a rough track shortly before the town. It was definitely not for road bikes and on leaving the track there is a warning not to stop lest rocks fall on your head.. thanks guys.
Valloire is another ski town with a perfectly good if bland campsite.
The next day we planned to cross the col de Galibier. It started off cloudy and as we climbed, the low cloud turned to drizzle then sleet and finally driving snow. It's not a col to be trifled with.
By the time I reached the top I was pretty soaked if not cold and took a hasty photo before diving towards the cafe just beyond, before I froze.
It was full of strangely dry cyclists who had been driven up in order to cycle down. They missed the fun bit! 2 cups of chocolate later I emerged still soaked but a little warmer to make the very long 35 km descent to Briancon. It was hard not to shiver at first but soon the air warmed, the sun broke through and by the outskirts of Briancon I felt nearly dry again.
The attractions of Briancon are not obvious but the camp site was ok. On arrival I found the army were searching it which was off-putting but they soon left, apparently empty handed. Drugs? Anarchists with bombs? Just an exercise? Who knows.
According to our guide, the next day was so easy it was a 'rest day'. Someone was having a laugh, although not as testing as the Galibier it had its fair share of climbing, much of it in full sun.
Our campsite in Embrun was very much a static caravan site with scant provision for tents. Hindsight says had we searched further we could have done better but the heat and the town's hills did not encourage exploration.
Next days route followed the 2013 TdF time trial from Embrun. A long climb up pleasant almost deserted roads with fine views over Europe's largest artificial lake. After Chorges was another long and steep climb took us over the col de Moissiere then down into St Bonnet for the night. They breed very fine mosquitos at St Bonnet..
Spurred on by these beasties we made an early start next day on pleasant roads over the Col de Parquetout
towards le Bourg d'Oisans via the Col d'Ornon. At this point the road was no longer deserted and there was a sudden influx of other cyclists of all nationalities. It became quite a party and being on a laden tourer I was constantly overtaken by carbon fibre all the way to the top. A kind American lady in a support vehicle offered me a choice of refreshments en route and the summit was a mass of bicycles by the time I got there. The descent into le Bourg it a very fine one although it can be spoiled by slow motorists!
On arrival it was clear that Le Bourg was a cyclists' town. More cycle shops than you can imagine and no need to feel conspicuous in lycra as nearly everyone seemed to be wearing it this year. Plenty of camp sites although all were busy.
As a slight diversion we had intended to climb the Alpe d'Huez next day but the rain fell and the clouds were low. It was very disappointing as we could have left our baggage at the camp site and climbed unladen but there was no sign of a let up so we stayed put. After this, and the poor visibility on the Galibier, we surely deserved better weather for our next ascent, of the Col du Glandon and the Col de la Croix de Fer.
Our wishes were granted: the sun shone and there was a light breeze next day. Perfect weather for a very long climb in beautiful scenery:
After that it was all down hill: 29 km back to our vehicle at St Jean de Maurienne.
The tour was over. Maybe we'll try Ventoux next year..