ALPS

I slept in this morning which was good, The reason for the Turin-lyon Border crossing as opposed to the Genova-Antibes or even Mt Blanc border crossings was that I wanted to go to visit the Alpe Du Huez, so I decided that a good sleep in would be in order to get me threw my day.

After I finally got on the road it appeared to me as if Tom Tom was having a lend, it took me off the main road and decided to send me over a couple of mountains in order to get to Bourg De Ossains (the town at the bottom of the Alpe). The going was extremely tough, the Col de Galan, or something like that, which was an incredible time, starting at around 400 metres it ended at 1924 metres in the middle of the clouds, there is nothing quite as fun as driving a 4500 kilo whale along a one lane road up and over the top of a mountain.

The Alps are part of the reason why I love France as much as I do. The scenery (when the clouds burn off) is absolutly increible, we all know I am more a beach man then a mountains man, but the scenery as I came off the top of that mountain and down into Bourg De Ossains was as close too best in show as I have ever seen.

Finally though I got out of the scenic tours business, and down to the serious part of the day. Le Bourg de Ossains is as close to Mecca as can be imagined for a cycling fan. Within around 60 kilometres of the town are probably 5 or 6 outer category climbs, including the Iseran, Roseland, and Galibrier (from this years tour), but the most important climb is the closest, the short and sharp road out of town to the town of Huez, the climb known as Le Alpe De Huez. This is one of the most famous streches of road in cycling, involving no fewer then 20 hairpin turns, basically on top of each other twist their way for 13 kilometres out of the valley up to the peak at Huez, at around 1600 metres. To give you some sort of perspective the Columbeire and Plateau de Belle (which we saw on the Tour De Fear) would struggle to have 12 hairpins between them.

Anyways, I spent an hour or so walking around the small town, checking out the many good cycling stores and lamenting the lack of internet cafes. Then I drove up the mountain, the climb is incredible, 13 kilometres of pure hell. The run upto the first hairpin alone is worse then Mt Hawthorne, which we all know is a terrible climb in its self. The entire time was an incredible trip, every inch of the road offers up a cry of wonder at the pure brutality of the climb. Each hairpin is named for one of the great winners at the top of Alpe, so every other minute your reminded of another great time in the mountains history.

I climbed up and up, the bus shreaking in agony at the strain of hauling itself up the hill, more perspective it took the Messy Dayz Express 17 minutes to get to the top of the hill, in the time trial in 04 one L Armstrong climbed the thing on a bike in around 25. Anyways, I am a bigger cycling fan know then I was before, and if there was every a place that I got the 'I will return' feeling it was here. (Of course its not true Kay you fucking retard- of course he killed his rat brother in law, he caused Sonny's death- only a women would accept that lie on face... serioulsy though, is Brando the greatest actor that ever lived? now for On the Water Front- what a night).

To close, today I saw some of the greatest sections of cycling road in the world. The Iseran and Galibrier in particular, we missed these two mountains on the Tour de Fear, I don't want to point fingers, but we all know it was Dav Rossi's fault. Just as his fingers pointed the way to Geneva, so must the finger of blame be pointed at him. Anyways, Kloss Dogg, when we come back we will have to lock this area in for a more serious visit, and no jew bastards can be allowed to ruin it.