Ellen: 11 miles, 1,928 feet climbed
Chris: 24 miles, 5,685 feet climbed
After our ride over Col de Sarenne we took a day off to regroup. The next day we drove a short distance from La Grave to the base of Col du Galibier. My ride for the day would be relatively short, just over 5 miles up to the top. Chris wanted to tackle it from both sides of the pass so when we reached the top he descended the other side then climbed back up.
The more popular cols have lots of cyclists, lots of motorbikes, and lots car-siteseers milling about. There are also plenty of non-cycling friends and family providing moral support for their cycling counterparts, so hanging around the top of some cols is a little like being part of an event. While I waited for Chris, a family of (Italians? I could not pick out the language) were anxiously awaiting a rider. When he made it to the top there was a great deal of cheering. Then the wait set in while they watched for one more rider. In the distance, there he was, a mere spec walking his bike uphill. Much peering through binoculars and murmurs of (what sounded liked) concern from the family. Eventually he got back on his bike (queue the murmurs of relief) and finished his ride, arriving at the top to lots of clapping and celebration.
Ride #3: Col de Croix de Fer / Col du Glandon
Ellen: 24 miles, 4,086 feet climbed
Chris: 31 miles, 5,564 feet climbed
If we didn't do it at least once it wouldn't be a vacation. "It" being leaving the camera at the hotel, or discovering that the battery was dead, or some combination thereof. On this day, we had a camera but no battery. We'd charged the battery the night before but forgot to put it in the camera. So there aren't any pictures of this ride, except for the village we started from. How did we manage that? When we finished the ride we remembered that we'd brought the iPad with us (always, for GPS directions), and the iPad takes pictures. So this is our one snap for the day:
Our ride today was a two-for-one special. One ride up the main route, two cols within easy reach of each other at the top. Near the top, the road branched and we first took the fork toward Col de Croix de Fer, just a few hundred feet off the main route. Not to sound repetitious, but Chris wanted to ride down the other side so that he could climb back up. I was happy to oblige and waited in the sun at the top of the pass where I could watch him making his way up the switchbacks.
Next, we returned to the main route and went on another mile to Col du Glandon. A quick look around before riding back to the car.
Dogs of a Feather
It was a beautiful route and unfortunate that we didn't have a camera. The one picture I really would have liked was of a Border Collie guarding his sheep. As we were riding up the road, in the field to our right, there was a flock of sheep grazing at the edge of the road. Near them was a woman reading a book, who was likely the sheep herder, paying not the least bit of attention to her charges. She didn't have to because standing in the middle of the road, head and tail down and with laser-like focus on the sheep, was a Border Collie, practically shaking in anticipation of a sheep stepping foot (or is it hoof?) on the road. The roads are narrow and we came up behind and within a few feet of him, so I expected to see at least a nose or ear twitch in acknowledgment of our presence. Nada. That was one tough Border Collie. He must have read this poster, which explains proper human etiquette around sheep and sheep dogs. You're supposed to keep a wide berth around the sheep, don't look the dog in the eye, and don't raise your hiking stick to it. It was a funny poster.
Back in the town of La Grave there was a Border Collie who was the antithesis of his coworker in the fields. He was more than happy to have someone pet him. He kept glancing around furtively so I got the impression he's really not supposed to 'let himself go' like that. Probably brings shame on his fellow Collies.
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| "who's a good dog?" |
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| "who's a good dog?" |
Then there was this happy fellow at the top of Petit du St. Bernard. Sure, he did his job, but I also saw him slacking off and mingling with civilian dogs when his sheep herder wasn't looking. Here, he's taking his cows across the road to another field.
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