Day 47 - Alpe d'Huez!! 19 miles

Very different day to what I thought today would be! Rather than a 6 hour train journey it was a stunning 5 hour drive through the French Alps followed by a quick climb on the bike upto the iconic Alpe d'Huez ski resort with its 21 hairpins that snake up the mountain from Bourg d'Oisans.

I say quick but didn't feel like that. The hairpins come thick and fast with upto 12% climbs inbetween and with two false tops as you climb it feels like it's never ending. Eventually I reached the ski resort in definitely a quicker time than I would have done 6 weeks ago and the place was buzzing. There had been a lot of activity on the road with people out writing messages on the road and support tents and vehicles all the way up. Turns out 4,000 Dutch riders will be climbing the route tomorrow for charity! The event has apperently grown year on year and now over a million euros is raised each year. If you google 'Alpe d'Huez Dutch corner' you get some idea how much they love this place.

No sooner had I reached the top than the heavens opened so I quickly started my descent and didn't take long to clear the rain and find dry road to really go for it. Can't beat flying down the mountain to the point you can smell your discs breaks from all the sharp breaking for each hairpin.

Great box ticking day. Onto Grenoble for the evening which is not the prettiest of French towns but good place to lie the head before heading north on the bike tomorrow towards Switzerland.Read more