Stage Nineteen done
That was a tough day. The mountains don't come much harder tha L'Isferan at 2,750 metres. The final climb up this beast of the Alps was 19km.
Now in a nice hotel in Tignes - a little bit of luxury. Looking forward to my dinner and it is probably ok now to have a drink with just one day to go.
Despite the heat, it looks like we have been blessed with sunny weather for our entire tour which has made some aspects much easier e.g. drying kit at night, not getting soaked during the day and struggling to dry our shoes.
Scenery today was stunning especially of mountains and right across the alps. Mont Blanc was splendid, towering above them all. Some of the climbs this Tour are very challenging and today's was no exception. A long slow grind to the top with a fresh breeze as we approached the summit. It was so cold at 2,800 metres that I quickly donned more clothes and popped into a cafe for a hot chocolate.
What did fascinate me today was portable milking parlours being used by some farmers. I saw a small herd form an orderly line ready to be milked and a tractor was towing a trailer with a bulk tank on it for storage and transporting the milk. Hay making was in full swing - round bales seemed to be the preference.
The roads were also busy today meaning extra caution when riding. No kit washing tonight - 2 days left and 4 sets of clean gear. Whether I dare wear an orange top with my orange bike - I am not sure. Maybe for Paris. It looks like I have been tangoed.
Right, I need sleep. See you later.
Now in a nice hotel in Tignes - a little bit of luxury. Looking forward to my dinner and it is probably ok now to have a drink with just one day to go.
Despite the heat, it looks like we have been blessed with sunny weather for our entire tour which has made some aspects much easier e.g. drying kit at night, not getting soaked during the day and struggling to dry our shoes.
Scenery today was stunning especially of mountains and right across the alps. Mont Blanc was splendid, towering above them all. Some of the climbs this Tour are very challenging and today's was no exception. A long slow grind to the top with a fresh breeze as we approached the summit. It was so cold at 2,800 metres that I quickly donned more clothes and popped into a cafe for a hot chocolate.
What did fascinate me today was portable milking parlours being used by some farmers. I saw a small herd form an orderly line ready to be milked and a tractor was towing a trailer with a bulk tank on it for storage and transporting the milk. Hay making was in full swing - round bales seemed to be the preference.
The roads were also busy today meaning extra caution when riding. No kit washing tonight - 2 days left and 4 sets of clean gear. Whether I dare wear an orange top with my orange bike - I am not sure. Maybe for Paris. It looks like I have been tangoed.
Right, I need sleep. See you later.
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