After a day of rest, sightseeing and a tiny bit of rain, we headed off to cycle Col de la Madeleine (2000m elev.) which has been on the tour de france 24 times!
We waited for a bit more sun to enter the valley and then headed out at 9:30am temperature around 15C I think .. a little chilly but we brought a panier full of stuff!
The first 15km was along the Maurienne valley and then we entered the quaint town of La Chambre. It would be a nice place to stay some other time! They had their banners still riding high across the streets and there was a real festive feeling in the air!
... then a quick right turn and the climb began. 20km to the top averaging 8% grade all the way with a few 10% and 6% thrown in to make things interesting!
At the half way point it was 13C and sunny and we stopped for a 10 minute break .. Then it was all the way to the top.
The route takes you through ski villages and past ski lifts as it opens up into green pastures above 1400m. There were a number of cyclists heading up with us and the traffic was generally light which was great!
At the top there was a party going on with at least two chalets offering food, coffee and beer. Lots of motorcyclists at the top and more cyclists arriving from the north!
We found a sunny warm spot out of the wind and pulled out our sandwiches and had a picnic and enjoyed the views! Must have been 11 or 12C but the sun was warm if you got out of the wind!
The ride back to the bottom was a great descent with lots of braking at the switchback hairpin turns! We both really enjoyed the swooping turns and straightaways and the way down!
Lots of pics and a great day!
Tomorrow we take the train to Grenoble and do some sightseeing before we head to Sault ... probably through the Vercor region.
