Le Tour Stage 9 and Col de la Colombière

We stopped in Cluses to send some email and then headed up the
Col de la Colombière. From that starting point, its over a 1,000 meters of climb, with an average gradient of about 12% making it a Category 1 climb (the hardest rated).

Late in the climb, we did get caught in a very haeavy downpour, at the altitude we had reached the rain was very cold and generally extreme. Even so we were able to complete the asscent to 1,618 meters above sea level (or 5,308 feet if you prefer).

The Gendemarie Nationale were very helpful and directed us to a place were we could pitch our tent right on the Col (despite it being illigal to camp in the wild or go "camping sauvage" en Francais). They also stopped to check on us after the rain (they new we were up there because they had a road block further down the mountain to stop motor vehicles from going up). The Gendems have been, in general very good they've kept the tour route clear with-out being overly strict and there has been a general feeling that the priority has been making sure people could enjoy Le Tour.

We arrived after dark, and pitched our tent on a grassy knoll above the pass itself. In the moring we found that we had great views from this spot: we could see down the pass for miles with the binoculars.

Being the first major climb of the stage there was a very close sprint for the king-of-the mountain points for the Col-de-Columbier. Helicopters chased the race up the pass, and it was odd to be looking down on them from our high vantage point. After the peleton passed by the crowds thinned out, and managed to watch some of the stragglers from a closer, roadside vantage point.

After the support vehicles had passed by, we got a great photo afterwards of Chris and I stood under the points line with our fully loaded touring bikes. After the race passed through about 13:30 we set of for Chambery; racing down there to catch the depart for the following days stage.Les mer