Vaujany Cycle Event 2011

At finish!

With the race starting at 7.30am, about 30mins up the road, it was an early start, up at 6am, tea and porridge, and then off.  Dropped Ian off about 15mins down the road from the start of the race.  He was surprised to meet one of his old colleagues from Whitbread, pulling into the same lay-by to get ready!

I brought the van back to the site, and set about cleaning the “house” and catching up with a few jobs.  We’ll be wild camping at our favourite mountain spot on the Col de Lauteret, so no facilities and a few preparations necessary.  I had a few hours before I needed to set off to meet Ian at the end of the event in the village of Vaujany, so time to catch up with the blogs! 

With Keith Lunn old Whitbread colleague

We’ve booked in at a local hotel to stay overnight next week, as we cycle through Bourg d’Oisan on the Marmotte circuit.  I’m really looking forward to it.  My first big alpine climb up the Col du Galibier, followed by the Col de la Croix de Fer and Col du Telegraphe.  The Marmotte starts and finishes at Bourg d’o, but because we are continuing north, we made the decision to base ourselves at Valloire.  The Marmotte also finishes at Alpe d’Huez, but I know my limits!  There’s no way I’m adding that one to the itinerary again!

Up towards Vaujany

Ian was hard on my heels, as I climbed up to Vaujany village, which was every bit as difficult as the climb yesterday, if a little shorter.  I managed to get a great shot of him going past, with superb mountain views behind him, as he strained up the final km to the village, a glass of water and a beer.  It was extremely hot and getting hotter, about 34deg!  The van being down the valley in Bourg d’Oisan,  we had to cycle back, which was lovely for me, able to enjoy all the mountain scenery, but yet another 11miles for Ian, on top of 69miles and 8000’ climbing, with a mountain-top finish!  So maybe that’ll keep him quiet for a while!  He was chuffed to bits to find that his time of 5hrs 5mins was a gold standard!

Just before the finish at 1500m

Back to a campsite that is beginning to fill up with mad Dutch cyclists.  You can see too much spandex and bib-shorts, so it is time to move on to our favourite piece of solitude up on Col de Lauteret tomorrow.  At 2000m it’ll be a bit cooler as well!