Up in the air, Chamrousse style

Chamrousse, 1750 m -- 5,741 ft.
(21 km climb, 80 km for the day)

Quote du jour: "Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self—reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood."-Susan B. Anthony

 Today I took on the magnificent Chamrousse. My ride was truly one of the most exciting and empowering biking experiences I've ever had.

Chamrousse is a mountain and ski resort town located 30 km southeast of Grenoble. There are two lightly-trafficked roads up the mountain from the town of Uriage-les-Bains, so most people drive or bike up one side and coast down the other. Chamrousse has been and will continue to be used as part of a Tour de France stage race. On July 19th, 2001, Lance won the ITT up the western side of Chamrousse. He completed the race (Grenoble to the top) in 49 minutes. Just about as long as it took me...

After spending a solid 15k taking wrong turns out of Grenoble, I somehow managed to find route D5 which could take me to either Alpe-d'Huez or Chamrousse. I woke up with the intention of climbing the famous Alpe-d'Huez, but after wasting too much time getting lost, I decided to stay closer to Grenoble and tackle Chamrousse instead. I know riding up Alpe-d'Huez would have been amazing, not to mention nearly impossible with its 21 hairpin turns, but I didn't want to risk riding too far from from my hostel so late in the morning. I'll save Alpe-d'Huez for the next time I'm in Grenoble.

I approached the mountain from the northern side, first hitting the town of St. Martin less than a quarter of the way up. I pedaled at a slow, but constant clip, taking only one hazelnut chocolate bar break about 10k up. I easily worked my way into a steady rhythm while listening to my motivational music, and I didn't really ever feel the need to completely stop until the top where I took some pics and added a few layers. There were several altitude signs along the way, so I always had a fair sense of how many more vertical meters I had to endure. The switchbacks on my map were not 100% accurate, so I couldn't rely on them to help me determine my exact location. I was biking alongside patches of snow for the last 5km of the ascent, and I could definitely feel the drop in temperature. When I rounded the last corner and saw ski lifts, buildings, and "Chamrousse (Le Recoin) 1650 m" I was ecstatic! I stood up and powered to the sign ahead. At this point, I still had another 100 vertical meters to the real top, "Chamrousse (Roche-Beranger) 1750 m", but I knew I'd have no trouble summiting after coming this far.

At the top, I prepared for the greatest descent of all times (for me anyway) by licking nutella (I know, I didn't fuel my body too healthfully today) out of a packet that I took from breakfast and by putting on my fleece zip-up, gloves, and a neck warmer. My route down consisted of a million, seemingly never ending switchbacks. I'm a pretty conservative downhill rider, so I'm sure my rear break pads are a little thinner than they were this morning. At one point when I thought I was flying as fast as any pro-racer, another rider zipped by me, and within seconds he was out of sight around the next bend. That reminded me of every time I ride down a hill with my Dad (who does everything in his power to go as fast as he possibly can). I'm always left in the dust, so I'm used to that.

Another day of intense riding has once again left me invigorated and thoroughly exhausted. Time for some zzzzzz. I hoped to walk around Grenoble this evening, but I just don't think my quads are up to it.  I think I just experienced the best of what the area has to offer anyways.

Future plans: Tomorrow, I'll ride to Lyon rain or shine. Someday, I'll move to Grenoble.

Statistics:
Base town: Uriage
Starting altitude: 410 meters, 1,345 ft.
Distance: 21 km (total mileage for the day: 80 km)
Vertical climb:1330 meters, 4363 ft.
Gradient: 6.5% average - 10% maximum


Picture and info from: http://www.grenoblecycling.com/Col-Chamrousse.htm>

Webcam action: http://www.chamrousse.com/www-webcam-33-HIVER-FR-CHAMROUSSE_2.html

Pizzeria, Gelatoria, Spagettoria, Patiseria...

Erin here. I've met up in Milan with my friend Libby from high school.  She made it in very early this morning and I was so so happy to see her!

Yesterday the weather was beautiful and I had the whole day to kill by myself.  After a leisurely breakfast I did a little track workout on a dirt track with some Italian high schoolers who had to run during gym class (they loved it).  I then took the Metro into the center of Milan to the Duomo (a large church with a thousands of spires, as Libby said, 'If I fell from the sky I would not want to fall on that).   Supposedly at the Duomo Metro stop there was a tourism office, however this simply turned out to be an information office for the Metro and proved unhelpful for getting a map/locating the hotel.  I bought a map, sat outside the Duomo and ate some lunch, and then attempted to locate the hotel on the map.  The hotel adress 'via G. Prati' was not located on the map's street index, but 'via G. Prevati' was, I assumed I had made a mistake in writing down the adress and started walking in the direction of the hotel. 

Milan is an old, European city.  It's kind of dirty and not too pretty, but it has old cobblestone streets and ancient little trolly trams for public transportation.  The guys do ride mopeds everywhere, just like in the movies.  The town is famous for its shopping.  I felt really out of place as I walked down streets selling Rollex, Lacoste, stillettos, cashmire sweaters, and diamond crusted boots while I wore my jeans and grungy gray sweatshirt and carried my dirty, mud-speckled pannier in my arms like it was my baby.

After about an hour of peaceful, meditative, and observant walking I approaced via G. Prevati, at which point I thought to myself, 'via g. prevati is pretty different from via g. prati, I don't usually make big mistakes like that.'  I walked down the entire road to where number 6 should have been, but right between number 4 and number 8 was just a gap with a metal fence.  Great.  I thought either I was scammed or G. Prevati was not the right road.  I kicked myself for giving all these directions to Libby for finding the hotel, but didn't write them down for myself.

So, what did I do?  I searched for a McDonalds, sat down, and attempted to get on their free wifi with my iTouch.  My iTouch didn't pick up their signal however, and I was getting a little nervous.  I scanned the map and luckily my eye caught a tiny little road called 'via G. Prati'.  I was so relieved, it wasn't too far away either.  It took me about 20 more minutes to walk there, and when I turned the corner onto the street and saw the hotel sign I was so happy!

Today Libby and I explored more of the city, saw the ancient fortress that is an entrance to the old city and ate Gelato in a Gelatoria.  I like how it's so easy to tell what every shop here sells because you just add 'oria' to the item that's sold.  Italy is great because they have real donuts (none of those fake donuts they sell in France) as well as tons of cheeses and breads and fresh fruits and vegetables.  Tonight we're going to enjoy a true Italian meal (on Italian time of course) and then head out early early tomorrow morning to take a train to Venice.  We'll spend a day in Venice and then Libby will head back to Berlin (where she is studying with the Stanford program) and I'll head to Lausanne.  I'll pick up my bike and meet McKayla on Monday and bike with her the rest of the way to Marseille!

Annecy to Grenoble (133 km)

Friday, October 22

Quote du jour: "Bicycles have no walls." -- Paul Cornish

I've made it to Grenoble...and I'm ready for bed. If my sentences don't make much sense, it's because I can barely keep my eyes open. I arrived at the hostel just before dark (7:15), and now I'm sitting on a comfy leather couch, elevating my lactic acid filled legs on a chair, while I wait to order my dinner in the hostel bar/restaurant.

My ride was once again incredibly scenic. I really could not believe my eyes most of the time. Looking out at the alps never gets old. I had some route variety today as I used both strict cycling paths as well as secondary driving roads. It took me until 1pm to reach Chambery where I ate lunch in a sunny outdoor plaza. Afterwards, I stopped by the tourism office to see if they knew of the best cycling route to Grenoble. I learned about the "voie verte," or green lanes for biking that are located throughout the region. I attained a biking map, and easily navigated my way out of town to the bike route "Avenue Verte Sud." So many recreational riders were taking advantage of the beautiful weather today! Everyone was so friendly and helpful, saying, "bonjour, ca va?" as they passed. I got a bit lost at one point, and a rider stopped and gave me detailed directions. We talked in French for a few minutes, and he said he had visited New York and Bangor, ME.

I struggled to find the cyclable route into Grenoble (the city is HUGE), but I eventually made my way into the centre ville via a riverside bike trail. I loved the feel of riding on paths with tons of joggers and bike commuters. I felt like I fit right into this sporty city. I repeatedly checked the city maps at bus stops to make sure I was heading in the right direction of my hostel, and after what seemed like eternity, I found it!

I'm about to research my options for tomorrow.  I'm thinking about either riding to Lyon, or staying in the Grenoble area to do a mountain pass loop.

Lutry, Switz. to Annecy, France (128 km)

Quote du jour:  "It is no longer a beast of steel…no it is a friend . . it is a faithful and powerful ally against one's worst enemies. It is stronger than anxiety, stronger than sadness. It has all the power of hope." -Maurice Leblanc
I (McKayla) left beautiful Lutry this morning at the reasonable hour of 9am. My traveling buddies left quite a bit earlier (3 and 5am) to catch their respective trains and planes. Erin and Amie are spending the weekend with friends (Amie in Amsterdam, and Erin in Milan), and I have decided to continue biking towards southern France. After a week of our solo journeys, we will meet back up in Marseille on Wed. Oct. 27. From there, we will continue biking along the southern coast of France into Spain. I already miss their wonderful company and smiling faces, but I'm sure we will have many great stories to exchange when we reunite next week. I have the laptop with me, so I'll probably have the easiest time posting blogs, but hopefully they will find a way to get online and fill you in on their whereabouts!

I could not have asked for better weather for my first day of solo riding. The first section of my ride was effortless as a tailwind practically pushed me all the way to Geneva. I rode along the north side of lake Leman and had crystal clear views of the Alps the whole way. In Geneva, I ate a warm ham and cheese sandwich inside a Starbucks cafe where I was comforted by the voice of Norah Jones on the stereo system. After fueling up, I took on the daunting task of navigating my way out of Geneva. It was a challenge to say the least, but I eventually made it through the last of the suburbs and hopped on a direct route (D1201) to Annecy. The second half of my ride was as equally beautiful as the first. I could see the snow-covered Mont Blanc off and on as I dipped in and out of the valleys. Time and kilometers flew by. I reached Annecy without even peaking down at my bike computer to check on my stats....that rarely happens.

It took me an average amount of time to locate my hostel. I'd say 5k of searching...haha. Like usual, I was so relieved when I finally saw the good old youth hostel symbol (a one door house next to a tree). I checked in, ate all of my snack food for dinner because I didn't want to bother biking downhill 3k to town, and I looked at my maps to plan out my route for tomorrow. I'm shooting for Grenoble! I'm mentally preparing for a hilly ride. Wish me luck!

Ciao

This weekend we are all embarking on solo excursions. Amie and I (Erin) are taking a break from biking, while McKayla is pushing herself to new biking extremes (she is biking from Lutry to Marseille). Amie is visiting her friend Sara in Amsterdam and I am visiting my friend Libby in Milan, Italy.

I started my day at 4:45am, although I can't complain because Amie started her day at 2:45am... On the train to Milan I stopped and walked around Stresa, a cute, touristy lake town with great views of the Italian Alps. I looked for a disposable camera, but they don't appear to have them here. After walking around for an hour I got lonely and bored so I continued to Milan. I navigated the metro and found the hostel. I am definitely more anxious being in an Italian city alone, but the hostel is very safe so I stayed in for the afternoon. Tomorrow I'll venture into the city proper, chech into a hotel, and wait for Libby to arrive! Although I'm lonely the hardest part of being alone is feeling like I can't take advantage of exploring Italy without feeling uncomfortable. So I'm reading in Italy, which is still pretty cool, haha!

Lutry to Evian

Monday, October 18

We are back in Lutry for a few days while we relax and prepare for the next parts of our trip. Yesterday, we started the day off with another insanity workout in the picturesque lakeside park right down the road from my (McKayla) grandparents apartment. We all felt a little more sluggish than usual because I think we were still recovering from our long hike/bike rides in Interlaken.

We had a few minutes to spare back in the apartment before we biked over to IMD (the university where my Grandma works) to join her for a yoga class and lunch. The campus is located in Ouchy, right down the hill from the Lausanne city center. We meet up with her and walked through the campus to the sports center only to discover that the yoga teacher was out sick. I think we were all just as happy to have an earlier lunch after having already done our insanity workout. The IMD cafeteria served the most delicious gourmet food. The buffet selections included fig and onion glazed veal, pumpkin risotto, calamari, fresh and steamed vegetables, and an incredibly decadent array of desserts. You can be sure we all had second helpings and then some...without question one of the best meals of our trip. We even got to take containers to go. After a satisfying lunch, my grandma led us over to the university library, so we could all do some research on computers. She told the woman at the front desk that we were her graduate students working on a special project. We figured we would fit right in wearing our biking tights and reflector jackets. We had a productive 2 hours booking hostels, trains, and researching routes.

Afterwards, Amie decided to bike back to Lutry for a hot bath, while Erin and I walked up the hill to Lausanne to do some errands. I mailed 2 postcards, bought 2 maps, and finally purchased a new pair of long spandex after having worn a softball size hole in my old pair. We walked back down to Ouchy where we picked up our bikes and headed back to Lutry. The ride back along the lake was absolutely beautiful. We were both thankful for the crisp fall weather after having endured harsh winter-like conditions in Interlaken. The sky was blends of pink and red, and we had the most gorgeous view of the French alps across the lake.

Tuesday, October 19
Lutry to Evian-les-Bains (67km)

Quote of the day: "You always know when you’re going to arrive. If you go by car, you don’t. Apart from anything else,I prefer cycling. It puts you in a good mood, I find."-- Playwright Alan Bennett, Boston Globe, June 2006
 The sun was shining in Lutry, so we (McKayla and Erin) decided to bike to Evian (the French town directly across the lake). We had amazing views of the French Alps with their newly snow-covered peaks as we cruised down the north-east side of the lake. However, when we rounded the bend to the south side of the lake, the sun disappeared along with the breathtaking views, and we were left with narrow busy roads that led us into France. When we arrived in Evian, we thawed our toes in a little cafe. The town was surprisingly dead, and on this cold October day Evian didn't have too much going for it besides it's famous water. We decided to take the next ferry back to Lausanne because we couldn't stand the cold any longer. We eventually made it back to Lutry where we warmed up with a nice pot of tea.

Meanwhile, while we were having our biking fun time, Amie was making her own fun. She walked along the lake to Lausanne and ate lunch at a dog park (Amie wishes she could bring a dog in her pannier).

New Pictures and 2 new blogs below

New pics from Interlaken: http://picasaweb.google.com/111756067304857775012/InterlakenExcursions
If you are interested in reading more about what we did in Interlaken, I (McKayla) posted 2 new blogs today. Read below.

Interlaken to Grindelwald and beyond (50km)

Saturday, October 16

We woke up to more cold and dreary weather this morning, but that didn't stop any of us from wanting to explore more of what the Jungfrau region had to offer. Erin and Amie went hiking (they will fill you in later), and I decided to bike up to Grindelwald.

After bundling up in practically all of the clothes I packed, I headed up the mountain. The first half of the ride was pretty gradual, and I barely noticed the rain pouring down. Although the air temp was probably about 2 degrees Celsius, my body was working hard enough to stay warm. The road carried me alongside the beautiful glacial waters of the Lutschine river, and I occasionally crossed paths with the train tracks that lead up to Grindelwald. I reached the town at about 20k and proceeded to follow a narrow winding road beyond town. About 5k later, the rain turned to snow! I could see the snow accumulating on the hills above me, and I realized I better bike down into Grindelwald before I became hypothermic.

Back in town, I found a cafe where I warmed up with a few cups of hot tea and warm milk. After thawing my extremities and warming my belly for about 30 min., I headed out for the 20 km descent back to Interlaken. I had to constantly wiggle and blow on my fingers to keep them from freezing. I stood up and pumped as hard as I could on the relatively flat sections, so that my body could stay warm. The ride literally flew by (compared to riding up), but I would say the descent was much more of a challenge than the climb. I guess I'll have to come back here some day to do the ride when it's 65 F and sunny.


Once I made it safely to the hostel, I headed straight for a nice long warm shower! Erin and Amie had already returned from their hike, and we all spent the rest of the day relaxing, eating, and trying to stay warm.
As I mentioned in the last post, we are headed for Lutry today, and we will spend tomorrow planning the next few segments of our trip.


"My love for the bike remains as strong now as it was in the days when I first discovered it. I am convinced that long after I have stopped riding as a professional I will be riding my bicycle. I never want to abandon my bike. I see my grandfather, now in his seventies and riding around everywhere. To me that is beautiful. And the bike must always remain a part of my life." -Stephen Roche

I love this quote because I too hope to be riding my bike (and x-c skiing) around when I'm in my seventies just like my granddad :)

The Interlaken adventures continue...

Hi all, It's McKayla bloggin' today. Hope you are all staying warm wherever you are. It's been quite chilly up in these parts. Today (Sunday) is our last morning in Interlaken, and we will soon depart for Lutry.

Here is an update of what Erin and I did on Friday!

Yesterday (Friday) morning Erin and I started the day off with a bike ride up to Lauterburnnen, a small mountain town south of Interlaken. Amie woke up with a minor cold, so she decided to rest back at the hostel for the day. The route up to Lauterburnnen was fairly gradual, and we didn't have our panniers weighing us down, so we had an easier than expected climb up to the cute Swiss town. The Balmer's hostel receptionist, Celie, told us to ride all the way through town to the enormous waterfall, Staubbachfall. It was easy to spot from the main road as it poured a straight stream of water 297 meters down the cliff (see pics soon to come).

We had a fast ride back to Interlaken where we quickly transitioned into our paragliding attire...yep, you read that right, paragliding! The company picked us up at the hostel, and drove us up Beatenberg Mountain, 4400ft. Before we knew it, we were both soaring back and forth above Interlaken and Thunesse Lake. The ride was surprising very comfortable and both of felt like we were almost floating, rather than screaming through the sky. As we approached our landing field we got to experience a bit more turbulence when our paragliding guides picked up speed and whipped us in u-turns until we were about 200ft from the field. The actual landing was quite easy for us passengers. We simply had to straighten out our legs, and we smoothly landed on our feet. Although we didn't have crystal clear views of the alps (only the tip of Jungfrau stuck out of the clouds) the whole experience was still spectacular and unlike anything I've ever done before! I had my digital camera with me, and Erin bought pictures, so we will be posting them soon!