At Villars-Colmars: Col des Champs / Rest day

June 9, 2015

The original concept for today was to use it as a rest day from the bikes and just take a hike. We've been biking eleven straight days now and I was sure that we'd need a day off the saddle somewhere, but actually we are doing fine. It's been sufficient to have a few shorter and easier days mixed in, so we decided to make the most of our few hours of predicted dry skies by riding to the top of nearby Col des Champs and back.

The forecast is for thunderstorms to arrive by mid morning and then hang around all day so we planned as early a start as possible. It was beautiful outside this morning when we woke up - sunny, cool, perfect for cycling. Unfortunately our hotel didn't serve breakfast until 8 and we didn't have any of our own food cached away, so we didn't hit the road until 9. By then, a few clouds were already starting to develop.

Parenthetically, this reminds me of another difference about bike touring now over twenty years ago. We used to rely on local newspapers for weather forecasts, and almost daily we would check out a stray paper in the hotel or bar and look for the forecast. We have generally lousy language skills, but we did our best to interpret what the weather section was saying. This of course was much less current, localized or accurately understood than tapping on the weather icon, and I can recall mornings looking out the window, seeing fine skies out, and taking our time getting out the door and wasting the only few dry hours of the day.

Col des Champs tops out at over 6800', a bit higher than Mont Ventoux. We're starting from a 4000' base camp though, so it's not a terrible climb - 7 miles, average grade 7%, with a 9% maximum. It's a refreshing morning for a climb - coolish, in the high 50's, no wind. The ascent is almost totally in the shade because we're in the trees and on the west side of the col. There's not a lot of visibility out to the valley, so with little reason to stop for photos we ride it straight through to the top and arrive around 10. There's not much to see until about a half mile from the summit, and then suddenly we're in the clear and can see forever.

Our reward for our early start is that it is still mostly sunny, and stunningly beautiful. It is a lovely, broad, open summit with a half mile or so of almost flat road that is wonderful to cruise back and forth along, taking in the views from multiple directions, taking in the same views highlighted differently under the changing cloud patterns. On the east side of the road a broad meadow slopes gently downhill, and is blanketed in buttercups. It's really a special place, and we feel lucky to be here.

Here's a video clip, and here's another, of cruising along at the summit of the pass.

Beginning our out-and-back climb to Col des Champs. We started a bit after 9 while it was still sunny and before the threatened thunderstorms.

We held around for about a half hour, but then decided not to push our luck with the weather and headed back down. As we left the summit it was already significantly darkening and we wondered if we'd make it down dry. The descent was surprisingly difficult - the road constantly switchbacks all the way down and the road surface is pretty poor, so we worked the brakes pretty hard the whole way. Our hands are pretty well wrecked from the grip and the road shock by the time we make it down to town.

As Rachael begins the descent back to the valley, the skies start threatening rain.

Colmars-les-Alpes, at the base of the northern approach to Col des Champs

It's still sunny though, so we decided to head back to the hotel to pick up the spare camera battery (mine died at the summit, frustratingly), change our clothes, and then bike to the next village for lunch. We even thought we might take in a short hike after lunch if these conditions persisted long enough. While we were in the hotel though it began very lightly misting. We started biking anyway, but after about two blocks Rachael reminded me of how great the ravioli was at the village cafe yesterday and that I was sorry to not have tried their myrtle tart. So, after this short three block workout we pulled off the road, parked our bikes, and headed to the cafe.

Don't forget your wallet, Rachael reminds me. Too late - it's already been forgotten, and is still in the hotel. We thanked the rain for stopping us here so that I don't discover it in the next village instead, an then Rachael went to secure a table while I walked back to the room in the rapidly worsening weather. By the time I step out of the hotel again it is hailing hard, and by the time I arrive at the restaurant it has turned into a complete deluge.

So, back to the original plan - rest day, after all. We enjoyed a great lunch (the myrtle tart was sold out though), made it back to the hotel in a break of weather, and camped out in our room for the day. It didn't stop raining again until early evening.

We ate lunch again at this small restaurant near our hotel, after quickly scrapping plans to bike to the neighboring town because of the sudden onset of a hail and rainstorm.

Within five minutes of sitting down for lunch it looked like this outside. It poured like this for about a half hour before backing off, but it continued to thunder and rain intermittently all afternoon.

He's baaak! Our lunch buddy from yesterday waddled over as soon as we sat down, and stayed put for the duration - my reward, I suppose, for dropping a few crumbs of bread to him yesterday.

Lunch went down well accompanied by a half liter of Grimbergen Rouge. In the right light it was even redder than this image indicates - almost cerise.

An awesome tiramisu - a great end to lunch and segue to an afternoon nap.

Today's ride: 21 miles (34 km)
Total: 776 miles (1,249 km)

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