Stage 19 of Le TdF

We drove up the Col de Montgenevre to watch Wednesday's stage.  The weather was slightly unpredictable with heavy clouds and cold in the morning and beautiful sunshine in the afternoon.

Have lots of pictures to share from today's stage as we're camping at the very top.  I'll tell you one thing: it's friggin' cold beyond belief.

I beat that mountain's ass.

(if you prefer video to reading, scroll to the bottom of this post :))

I woke up this morning hoping I wouldn't have to ride my bike because the weather would be too shitty.  I was wrong.  I peered out of my side of the tent and saw the sun shining.  Crap.

After I returned from the grocery store with our morning pains au chocolat,  I saw my bike resting against the car, all ready and tuned for our ride.  What ride exactly, I wasn't sure.

After a few moments of debating, I told Ged I was only going to ride up the Col du Telegraphe, then bid him farewell as he pushed on to the Col du Galibier.  I figured a 12 km climb averaging 7.3% would be a good enough workout.

I left the campsite 20 mintues before Ged, so that we could reach the top of the Telegraphe around the same time.

Try not to be too jealous of my socks.

The morning was quite chilly despite the sunshine, hence the layers.  I also had a windproof jacket tucked into my jersey.

The ride up the Col du Telegraphe was a good one:  not too difficult that I had to use the triple, not too easy that my legs and lungs weren't laboring.

My legs were super stiff when I reached the top and got off the bike for pictures.  I'm not sure why they felt so tight, but I had to stop and stretch for a while to feel normal again.

Photo opp!

Then came decision time.  Would I A) Drop back down to the campsite and probably fall asleep or would I B) Follow Ged on to the Galibier.  Let me say that I really didn't want to do option B.  The tightness in my legs freaked me out a little and plus, it's a fricken' long way to ride a bike uphill.

Well, I rode on with Ged.  I would've felt a little guilty for making him do it by himself and I didn't have anything else to do.

The road dropped down 5km into Valloire then it was up, up, up.  Ged gave me a 30-minute head start this time.

Honestly, the first 2/3 of the ride wasn't bad.  Pretty gentle gradient and nice temperature.

The hellish part came when I was 5km out and started to struggle with the gradient.  My legs just wouldn't turn as easily as they were before.  In the last few km I was able to see the top, and seeing those switchbacks up to the finish took a toll on my sanity.

All I could think was "This is total shit" and "This looks way more than 3km to the top."  I even let out a few curse words which the Dutch guys passing me giggled at and nodded in agreement.

After cursing the heavens for a whole kilometer, I finally saw Ged 1km from the top.  I passed him and he quickly caught up to me to shout words of encouragement.

Once I reached the top, I silently vowed never to do this evil climb again.  At least, not this year.  Breathing was really difficult for me because we were so high up and there wasn't a lot of oxygen.  After I cried and drank some water, it was time for pictures and hot chocolate.

The descent was absolutely freezing.  Couldn't feel my fingers, which made me nervous about braking.

We made a quick stop in Valloire to visit the HAY PEOPLE (and to get baked goods at the boulangerie).

Here's the video as promised:

Now safe and sound (and showered) back in Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne.  I see a big bowl of pasta in my future...

Forced rest day

I'm in France now, and it feels nice despite the cold rain.

Ged and I were supposed to ride the Galibier today (a 34km climb averaging 5.5%) but alas, it is raining and 13* C (56*F).  I'm so upset...NOT.

It has been raining since morning, which gave Ged an excuse to try out his newest addition to our pile of camping stuffs:  tarp shelter thing.

Originally purchased to keep us cool during the hottest hours of the day.  Today, it was used to keep me dry while cooking.

Anyway, we made a short video previewing a small part of stage 19 of Le Tour.

Final weekend in Italy

Yes, my time in Italy is coming to a close as we prepare for our trip to France for Le Tour.

So for the last time this summer, Ged and I rode to Quarrata.

Oh, and here's a video of our ride, complete with my rendition of "Eye of the tiger."  Enjoy.

All in all a good ride.  80 km in total in the hot hot sun.

Check this space in a few days time as we head to France on July 15.  Ciao.

Farm #2

I've just spent a whole week on a different farm as part of my WWOOFing adventure.

This is the second farm I've worked on and I must say, it's completely different from my first experience.

I'm going to be honest about the first farm:  I didn't feel welcome or included there.  Maybe it just wasn't a good fit for me.  No one really talked to me and I couldn't even understand dinner table conversations (which were in Italian) because they mumbled and spoke quickly.

This second farm seems to have a much better atmosphere.  The house is made of stone, the family barely uses electricity and most everything is done by hand or very simple machines (unlike the five giant tractors that the other farm had...and barely used).

The husband and wife are so incredibly nice and always make sure that I and the other WWOOFer understand what they're saying, whether it be in Italian, French or Spanish (they don't speak English).

Not to mention a litter of adorable kittens.

And it's nice to have company in my room.  Meet Andrianne, a WWOOFer from Quebec.

I'm in Florence for the weekend, which is the only way I can update this blog because the Internet on the farm is not very reliable.  Fine with me, I don't need it.