Bike Infrastructure study on Copenhagen

A great Bike Infrastructure study on Copenhagen with Data Visualizations on the Guardian recently came out here.

A Couple of Books for My List

Rough Stuff - Cycling in the Alps

The Comeback - The Greg LeMond Story

North Cascades Highway 2018

My annual pilgrimage was successful this year.  I was able to set some personal bests on the way up, and the road was clear for about 22 miles.

Looking down the Skagit river as it wends its way towards Puget Sound.

Back down the plowed highway.

Bike and snowplow.  The last little bit up was only as wide as this plow - about 8 feet.

I kind of wished I had dragged cross country skis up with me.

As it turns out, the DOT ended up connecting the plowed sections the following week, and I got up there for the last weekend it was available.  

Spring and the North Cascades Highway

Here is a handy link to the WA DOT Twitter where they post updates on progress of the plowing of Highway 20.

Exploring the Rhone Valley

https://www.strava.com/activities/644892051

https://www.strava.com/activities/645071483

This was the site of one of the very best meals I have ever had.

Climbing the Col du Tourmalet

This summer saw me fulfill some lifelong dreams, among them getting the chance to climb the legendary, mythical Tourmalet.  My new wife and I rode up from the St Marie de Campan side of the beast, where Eugene Christophe had repaired his fork back in the 1913 tour.  Everywhere in France, it seems, is covered with history.

The day was very hot, and Beth and I climbed at a slow pace, stopping several times, including at the ski area of La Mongie.  The gradient, once underway, is brutally unrelenting, with the road’s km markers always letting you know what you are in for over the next km.  Most of the way up is fairly wooded and covered; however, the forest opens up above La Mongie into Pyrrenean meadows as the road twists and winds its way up.

In the forested section below, the road is mostly straightforward, but higher up and it twists and turns the way good mountain roads so often do.

One can just make out the La Mongie Ski station at the center of the picture.

At the top, there are placards and monuments announcing the history of the place, as well as a souvenir shop selling jerseys and other trinkets.

The Octave Lapize memorial at the top.

The clouds were rolling in as we descended, and a couple of hours later, the area erupted with violent thunderstorms bringing hail the size of sugar cubes.  We were both very glad to be sheltered and eating at a fine restaurant by this time.

Watching the Tour from the Col du Peyresourde

Stage 8 of the Tour promised to be a monster, climbing four cols in the Pyrenees.  We parked in a small village and planned to ride our rented bikes up the final test of the day, the Col de Peyresourde as far as our legs, the fans, and the gendarmerie would let us.

Borderes-Louron.

 We rode up a few miles and the gendarmes stopped us from proceeding further on bicycle, so we walked for a little while and came to a steeply graded section of the route just after a switchback,   which allowed us to look down the mountain to see the riders approaching before they were on our section.   I had never ridden with so many cycling enthusiasts everywhere cheering us on.

The first group winds its way up the Peyresourde.

Sky led the first group containing all the major contenders up the climb.  After seeing the riders whiz by in no time the day before, we were happy to be able to be much closer to the action.

Team Sky leading the peloton, as per usual.

The men in black seemed to be setting a steady pace, not quite setting fire to the group, but putting it on a slow simmering boil.

Eventual winner, Chris Froome, taking a swig from the bidon.

It’s difficult to pick out the individual riders, even at the slower pace of climbing, when they’re in the groups, but looking through the photos afterward reveals who’s in each group.  It was rewarding to see that I got a pretty clear shot at future winner, Chris Froome.  Indeed, it was on the descent from this climb that he took the maillot jaune.

Great French Hope, and eventual second overall, Romain Bardet.

I was also able to get a fairly decent shot of the man who would place second, Romain Bardet.  Unfortunately, not all of the big names are represented in the photos, as they are often behind teammates or other riders.  Such was the case with Quintana, Contador, and Sagan.

Once the first group rode by, riders started appearing at irregular intervals, sometimes in gruppettos but often alone, which offered the chance to see some very distinguished riders whose specialty just isn’t the high mountain stages.

Multiple World Time Trial Champ Tony Martin falling back from the first group.

Multiple World Time Trial Champion Tony Martin was using his signature mouth agape “basking shark” breathing technique to come in just behind the lead group.

The other Great French Hope, Thibault Pinot had been in the early break.

We had heard whispers in the crowd about great French hope Thibaut Pinot being in the early break, but it was apparent the move had not paid dividends for his GC hopes.  He came through to great cheers from the locals in the crowd, though it was clear they were disappointed by his position relative to the others.

Tom Dumoulin looked to be pacing himself.

Vuelta nearly man and Dutch hope for a future grand tour win, Tom Dumoulin, seemed to be pacing himself and not really suffering.  He would go on to win two stages of this Tour.

Maillot Jaune, Greg van Avermaet suffering.

Future Olympic Road Race gold medalist Greg van Avermaet was the bearer of the maillot jaune that day.  He looked to be in a world of hurt while toiling behind one of the groups.  It appeared that he had gone very deep into his reserves to retain the yellow jersey on a day that didn’t really suit him and was now meeting the man with the hammer.  Perhaps the effort on this day helped prepare him to hang with the group on the Olympics course that also wasn’t supposed to favor him.

Spartacus, in his last tour, pacing one of the groups.

Multiple Cycling Monument champion Fabian Cancellara paced up one of the groups containing many riders who weren’t suited for the terrain, on his Spartacus branded Trek.  He, too, would go on to Olympic gold in his preferred discipline, the time trial, and this would be his last Tour as he’s to retire at the end of the season.

A great place to dip one's feet.

Making our way back down the mountain with the hordes of folks driving, walking, and riding down was quite nervous and hair raising, but being on bike was definitely the correct call, as the cars and camper vans were stuck behind At the end of a hot, sunny day of riding and spectating, it was a great relief to dip our feet in the cold mountain river back in town.