Pre season trip to Majorca has a sting in the tail.

This year we decided to take a break in Majorca after the Ski Hame winter season. It is an ideal time for us to get away with Aiden on school holidays and we can get back to France in good time to prepare for the Summer cycle season. It also means I can get in a few kilometres on the bike, that is nearly impossible to do at all in the main part of the ski season.

 This year we decided to stay in Alcudia on the Northern end of the island. 2 years earlier we had stayed in s'Arenal and I really enjoyed that, I was not sure if the Northern end would have the same appeal. The island delivered however, it was just as nice and to be honest I have decided I would be happy in most of the coastal resorts in Majorca.

 On the day we arrived it was raining and when the coach pulled into Alcudia the roads were flooded. WTF? It didn't do this last time we were here! Fortunately it did start to clear in the late afternoon and the rest of the holiday the weather was fine, some days had mixed cloud and at times we were looking for a bit of shelter from the wind but generally it was somewhere between very good and excellent. The roads were as I remembered them, mostly fantastic and cycle friendly. I think I am lucky to live in an amazing cycling area but I rate Majorca just as highly, certainly at this time of the year. In the Winter I will assume it is far superior to the French Alps , you can ride outside at least, I am not sure how they compare in the height of Summer, I guess the island must get very busy.

 I did not spend a great deal of time in the hills, I don't really feel a need to bother on Majorca, there are no shortage of climbs where we are based in the Alps. Most days I would cycle through the middle of the island, a couple of times ending up in s'Arenal for a coffee before making my way back. Other days I would end up in the East of the island. I would set off quite early so I could be back to spend the afternoon with Anne, Aiden and her mum. I did venture up into the hills a few times, twice up to the tunnel on Puig Major, that is a nice ride. The mountains are a World heritage site, and it is easy to see why when you are riding up them. I would be on the road before the crowds but faced them on the way down. I swear that road is busier than Alpe d'Huez in July!

On the last day I decided to do the climb from Pollenca, carry on over Puig Major to Soller and back over the coll de Soller before heading back to the hotel. It should be a great ride to finish on but I really wish I hadn't bothered. Making my way down the Col de Soller I was descending relatively slowly, people that have ridden the col will tell you that there are a lot of hairpins with short straights and a shallow descent. I was in no mood to put in any real effort but of course I still came off the bike. There was water across the road, I had even backed off for that but all of a sudden the wheels were off the road and I was on it - what a tit. The fall winded me pretty bad but I managed to stand up, pick the bike up and a few other bits scattered about before moving to the side of the road. I could see a bit of grazing on my right leg but felt quite lucky that I had got away without too much damage, I had landed on my side but was certain no ribs had been broken - lucky. I felt a bit dizzy but recovered. When I walked back to collect the water bottle lying in the middle of the road I put my hand to my collarbone and realized that it had completely snapped - unlucky! Now I felt really dizzy and was sure I was going to faint. It passed and I managed to sit down against a rock with not a clue what to do next. A number of people cycled by, some were asking if I was okay, most rode by. I was trying to contact Anne with my phone but she did not have hers with her. Thankfully the sun was warm, so as much as could be expected I was surprisingly comfortable. In the end I dialled 112 and an ambulance was sent to collect me. The last few days of my stay on the island were spent in a private hospital in Palma. I was fortunate to have a very good surgeon, he is a competitive triathlete and will be taking part in the Majorca ironman this weekend. As a cyclist I felt he gave me special attention. It turns out the bone was completely broken in 2 places, so it was in 3 parts. It meant it had to be reconstructed and pinned together, and he is telling me I should be able to ride the bike in 2-3 weeks. Get in you beauty, collarbone completely broken in 2 places and right now I feel like the luckiest person alive!

The accident happened on Monday and by Thursday I was back at home looking forward to the Summer season.

A final thanks to the people from Pro Cycle Hire for making the trip to the hospital to collect the bike I had used, there was no fuss and it was nice to have in a friendly face in a foreign place.

2012 road bike season done

The last of our 2012 Summer cyclists left on the weekend.

In the end there were only 2 guests for the final trip of the season but we had a great week. There was rain on 2 mornings otherwise we enjoyed superb weather, the mornings were cool and daytime temperatures in the mid 20's.

Simon arrived on the Saturday and we were able to ride up to the Valmorel ski area then back up to Meribel. This is not a road we would normally use but Simon stayed with us in 2011 and it was nice to show him a route he hasn't been on before. In the afternoon I picked up Andrew from Geneva airport.

We got to ride a number of our classic climbs including Col de la Madeleine, Cormet de Roselend and Col du Petit St Bernard.

Ben and Simon climbing the Madeline with Mont Blanc in the background.

'Due caffee machiatto per favore'. Coffee stop in Italy at the top of the Petit St Bernard. The cans of coke are a different shape, why is that? 

The highlight of the week for Simon and Andrew was the ride from the Maurienne Valley  over the Col de Telegraph, Col du Galibier before the final climb up Alpe d'Huez. Despite it being less than 100km in distance this is a big day on a bike with over 3000m height gain across the 3 climbs. Both Andrew and Simon were able to ride well for the whole day and finished strong on Alpe d'Huez. I also had local rider Ben helping us for the day and he had a ride managing the climb up the Alpe in under 56mins. On Alpe d'Huez you can choose between the Tourist arrival or continue on the established Tour de France finish, Ben's time was to the TdF finish, not bad after having climbed the Galibier already
.

Is that Bradley Wiggins at the top of the Galibier?

Top of Alpe d'Huez - chapeau.

So that is the 2012 season over for Cycle Hame. We are working on our 2013 trips, we have posted details for the Tour de France Alps week and the Marmotte sportive week and have already taken bookings for both of these trips. Keep an eye on our 2013 Calendar as we will be adding more dates over the next few weeks.  

ALI RAINBACK CHALLENGE V4

I really do enjoy the road biking here in the French Alps at this time of the year, is it the tail end of the Summer or the early Autumn?
Yesterday we had one of those perfect days waking up to clear blue skies, very fortunate as it was the day of the 4th edition of the  Ali Rainback challenge. As the title suggests the ride is organised in memory of Ali Rainback who ,sadly, passed away in 2008 as the result of a brain tumour. Many of us had met Ali as one of the founding directors of Ski New Generation ski school. The proceeds from this years entries went to the  Huck Cancer Foundation with just over 1000euros collected.

As I have already said, and as you can see in the photo below, the weather was ideal for the more than 60 riders who arrived in Annecy for the 9.30ish start.

The day started as it was intended to go on, everyone was relaxed, while the main organisers of the event Matt and Jeanette collected entries and handed out numbers. There was the full spectrum of riders, from those sporting complete matching lycra to baggy shorts and trainers, from sub 7 kg road bikes to the dusted off mountain bike that was sitting in the back of the shed. Most of the group are people based around here, a mixture of Brits, Irish, Aussies, Kiwis, there were possibly even French riders there, I am not sure. Some of us had met Ali, it was not important, everybody had a smile on their face, for some it appeared to be a nervous smile, but a smile nonetheless.

LE GRAND DEPART 

Matt gave us a quick rundown of the day then we were on our way, riding along the cycle path that follows the side of  Lake Annecy. The cycle paths in this country are fantastic and the Annecy path is no exception, however by mid morning on a Sunday in late Summer(or early Autumn) it does start to get quite a few people on it and if you are in a peloton of around 60 riders you do have to stay alert. As we got further away from Annecy it thinned out and we could start to relax bit more. 

COL DE TAMIE

The ride offered 2 options to the riders, either climbing the Col de Tamie from Faverges, or not. I opted to do the climb, the Tamie is a popular local climb and one that I enjoy. The climb from Faverge is 10km and with a gradient of just under 4% it is the easiest of the roads up to the col. Nick and Ben went flying off the front from near the bottom of the climb, and the rest of us, ... well ..... we didn't. So after this effort, some of us rightly decided we deserved a coffee stop at the top. Rob, who helps us out with our road bike guiding here at Cycle Hame  in the Summer,  rightly decided he deserved a red wine stop at the top - it was after 11am after all. For future reference anyone else thinking a coffee stop at the top of the Tamie is a good idea, don't bother. Honestly, the coffee was okay but it was expensive, you would have thought you were in a Courchevel mountain restaurant and the staff so rude it bordered on comical. Still the sun was shining.

After the col it was a quick descent down to Albertville and on to the first feed stop. The  cakes, cookies and flapjacks were spot on for the occasion. 

By now the peloton had fragmented for the ride to Moutiers, I set off with Sam, a guide for Alps Cycles in the Summer and ski instructor for Ski New Generation in the Winter. This part of the ride is okay, largely flat with a few short climbs along the way, notably the foot of the Col de la Madeleine. This pinch only lasts a few minutes which encourages you to push a bit harder, as you get to the top you are forced to do that thing where you try to make it look as though you are breathing normally when in reality you are blowing out your arse but you have to make it look easy because there are always people standing around at the top.

THE FINAL ASCENT

There was another feed stop in the Super U carpark at the foot of the days final climb and another excuse for further procrastination, apart from Charlie and Rob of course desperate to get to Brides les Bains and a quick Cognac. Oh yes, Nick and Ben, did anyone see those 2 after the Tamie? 

The final ride is from Super U up to Courchevel Le Praz, this is the new name of the village we always new as Courchevel Le Praz. This part of the road is 13km and serious enough climbing up to 1300m altitude. Riders made their way up at their own pace and nearly all made it to the Drop Inn at the top. For myself it was a pleasant ride up with John Thomas from Alpine Cadence. All the riders we saw along the way seemed to be in good spirits, we certainly couldn't have asked for better conditions for the climb.

Finally we all descended on, NO finally we all ascended on the Drop Inn in Le Praz for the BBQ. It was a great afternoon after a great 100km ride in the late Summer sun, I have decided it was too warm to be called the early Autumn sun. The post ride BBQ really was very good and I will be looking forward to more of the same in 2013. 

Finally, thanks to Matt and Jeanette, the bakers, the support drivers, the staff at the Drop Inn, and anyone else who helped to organise a great day out.