Albertville

June 5, 2019

Previewing a Little of Stage 20, Tour de France 2019

What a great day. It certainly didn’t go as planned, but it didn’t really matter. We had so much fun, lots of laughs and we have a new appreciation for the Tour de France.

Our first mistake was being self indulgent at breakfast. Our hotel provides one of the better breakfasts we have had in France and we lingered. This wouldn’t have mattered so much if we hadn’t discovered when we got back to the room that my Open Cycles Map layer had disappeared from Guru overnight. We spent some valuable time downloading Komoot on both phones, and then downloading this area. We knew where we were going today as we were following the TdF route, so it was the perfect day to try a new navigation app. By the time we were rolling it was after 11 and we knew Cormet de Roselend was out of reach, so we set our goal as Col du Méraillet and away we went.

Of course we lingered over breakfast. What an appealing setting.

Our second mistake, mine, was looking at the TdF stage distances. From Albertville to Beaufort, where the first climb officially starts is 16.5 km. If you can believe it, the stage is not starting at the Hotel Le Roma. Sheesh. Why didn’t I factor that little detail in? I am sure the hotel would be delighted if they did start here, but they most assuredly do not. So that added unexpected distance to an already late start.

First up was checking yesterday’s bridge closure from the other side. Even though we are experienced at sneaking around a Route Barrée we have to admit this one defeated us.

Then the climbing began as it is an uphill pull to Beaufort. We loved the scenery and had brilliant weather. There aren’t many pictures today as we were focused on riding, but trust me it was a beautiful ride. I spent my time imagining what it would be like to see the Tour go by, imagining the speed they travel at (hint: not mine) and trying to commit to memory anything I might recognize when I watch it at home in July. It is really something to think about. Picture taking wasn’t top of mind.

Then we were in Beaufort. What a great spot. We had our picnic lunch here, and tried to get some Beaufort cheese to add to our lunch. Pierre had told us about it. Well, silly us. It was midday and you know what that means in France. So lunch was without cheese, but we knew we could get some on the way down as this was an out and back route.

Beaufort was a great village. It had such a neat vibe. So many cyclists going up and coming down.

Getting back to our mistakes, we then started on the more serious part of the climb. We both had assumed (never assume, we know this, we just seem to forget) that like the other climbs we have done in France there would be little tombstones or signs giving us information all the way up. There was absolutely nothing.

Except this, which wasn’t very helpful. Not one indication of how far we had to go to Col du Méraillet. There wasn’t another sign as far as we went.

Had we known, we would have had all this information on our phones, but there we were, with a new navigation app, no service so we couldn’t access any information on the internet and no idea how far we were from the top. Komoot gave us elevation, but we hadn’t even made a note of how high Col du Méraillet was so we were clueless. Totally our fault. But even Col de la Machine and Semnoz had tombstones and were brilliantly marked. But never, never assume. Actually, as we went up Ventoux I was struck by its less than stellar signage relatively speaking, but it didn’t really matter as after a certain point you can see the top.

It was a gorgeous ride. Pretty much traffic free after Beaufort.

One of the goofy tracks Komoot wanted to take us on. I don’t think so!

Keith was asking me if I could remember the elevation for Col de Méraillet. Nope. For the record it is 1604 m. We made a decision to continue until 3:30 PM. If we hadn’t reached the summit by then we would turn around. Honestly, I had a fit of the giggles because it made me think of the Everest climbers who almost make it to the top but must turn around...except we weren’t thinking survival, we were thinking pool and dinner.

And then the unbelievable happened. It started to pour. I kid you not. On a day when there was absolutely no precipitation in the forecast we were huddled under a tree and contemplating that we know this about mountain weather. It can change in a heartbeat. When the rain stopped (and it really bucketed) we made the surprisingly difficult but extraordinarily practical decision to turn around. At least this year, unlike last year’s unexpected deluge, the rain didn’t last long and the temperature remained warm, warm, warm.

We felt we needed solace for not achieving the Col.

While I was exploring the cheese shop and Keith was watching the bikes he discovered the cheese vending machine. We could have bought midday cheese! No worries, I emerged with a ridiculously large piece of cheese. We will be eating it for days. I am so glad the Pierres told us about it. It is so delicious.

The ride back was a hoot and went by so quickly. We climbed 1330 m today so it was a good day, but it sure would have been nice to know on the ride how much further we had to go. Totally our fault though. The advantage to bailing when we did was the opportunity to explore Conflans, the medieval city. What a cool spot, with a fantastic view of Albertville.

The clouds are rolling in. A change in the weather is forecast for tomorrow.

We have really enjoyed Albertville and the ride today. Despite our assumptions and lack of planning it was fantastic. Such a great experience. So now, for a change of pace, Komoot statistics.

Despite all the miscues today was a real highlight. To ride part of a TdF stage before it happens was amazing to me. Of course those guys will actually make it to Col du Méraillet, and three more cols after that, finishing in Val Thorens 131 km after they started and at 2365 m. Absolutely mind boggling.

Today's ride: 61 km (38 miles)
Total: 1,867 km (1,159 miles)

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