Col du Galibier, Again

Because the mountain pass closures of the last two days messed up the itineraries, I had to go over the Col du Tèlègraphe and the Col du Galibier again today. But I'm not complaining; they are worth visiting again and again. The interesting thing is that the road was far less scary the second time I traveled it. I guess when you know you can do something, you're more confident about doing it.

The small parking lot was crowded because there was an amateur bicycle race to the top of the pass. I'm so impressed at the willpower and strength of the French bicyclists. They must like going uphill more than going downhill because I saw several of them loading their bicycles into vans for the ride down. Maybe they think coasting downhill is not enough of a challenge to be interesting.

From the parking area, I climbed up a hill to the top where you can see a 360° panorama. I was surprised that I could see Mont Blanc, albeit faintly.Read more