The Other Tour de France

YouTube link

2009-09-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

We took a lot of video clips along the trip. Over the next few weeks, we'll try to upload some of the better ones highlighting the trip. There are a few up now (some of which will disappear as the better ones are uploaded). The link is: youtube.com/chadandliane

Kudos to Dale for the idea and setting it up (also for continuing to upload the videos now that we're back!)

A few more pics...

2009-09-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

On the Combe Laval

The Roman theatre in Vaison-la-Romaine

Atop Mt. Ventoux!

Canyon du Verdon

The end of the road was the beach!

2009-09-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

We completed all 8 stages, through the farmland of the Savoie region with all the cheese and cream sauces, through the Vaison area with Roman runis, Mt. Ventoux, and our only few days of riding through wine grapes, and into southern France and the dramatic canyons and dry ecology associated with the Mediterranean climate, and finally onto the beach!

We augmented several stages from our original plan, but in the end the mileage from Geneva to Nice was around 500 miles - the Ventoux climb added 60 miles and the ride through the Canyon du Verdon (the Grand Canyon of Europe) added another 40 miles. For the most part we had 4 or 5 riders each day and we covered a whopping 2600+ miles as a group. We're going to look up the elevation gain but we're probably a bit shy, as a group, of 20,000 ft. climbed!

Although maybe a bit much miles per day average, this trip was the most amazing experience! This small section of France rewarded us with grand scenery EACH day, around each corner or over each Col was spectacular - more than we ever imagined. From my perspective two other observations: 1) WAY more forest than we expected, we rode through it every day, 2) hardly any vineyards (exception the Vaison area). We feel like we could ride 500 more miles in France and have a completely different experience...maybe we will!

Pictures and videos to follow....

We made it!

2009-09-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

We made it to Nice safe, sound, and tired! We decided to pose for a
group photo in front of the beach, but the French guy we asked to take
the picture lacked photo composition skills or else really likes his
finger, so this is all we have until we can upload other photos to
Brooke's laptop.

The last day was long (over 70 miles) but enjoyable. More later!
Dinner now.

More from the same town

2009-09-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately we've had very limited internet access. We still hope to
provide better updates when we do get it. Enjoy these few pics and
videos in the meantime!

Pont-en-Royans..on the way to the Combe Laval

2009-09-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

No beer at the pass

2009-09-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

More from col de battaille

2009-09-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

One of our best views of the trip so far. We passed by here on Friday.

At the col de battaille

2009-09-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

In vaison-la-romaine (from yesterday)

2009-09-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

Leaving Rencurel - Beautiful

2009-09-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

Day 3 Update

2009-09-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Day 2 Update

2009-09-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

Day 1 Video Update

2009-09-16T07:04:00.000-07:00

A quick rundown...mostly photos

2009-09-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

We're pressed for time because we've enjoyed Annecy way too much and not updated this thing. Unfortunately, we're off tomorrow. The consensus from this group...if you have only one week to visit France and can only pick one place...ANNECY!!! Amazing. Trust us.

The Day 1 ride was fantastic. A good warm up for whats in store. Once out of Geneva we gently climbed through beautiful farmland and small rural towns with centuries old buildings. An mid afternoon lunch in Cruseilles, onto Groisy, and finally Thorens-Giliers and the fromagerie.

Onto to Champagneux tomorrow!!!

A few photos:

Liane headed into La Muraz

Some "moiron" on the side of the road:

Climbing out of Thorens to Avergnoz

Annecy canals

Greta Bay in the chailift atop la Semonoz (outside Annecy):

A Typical Day 1 Photo

2009-09-13T10:04:00.001-07:00

Most of the day was cloudy like this, but still beautiful. We were
surprised by the amazing scenery on just our first day.

A New Land Speed Record?

2009-09-13T10:02:00.001-07:00

Chad's Beer

2009-09-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

On the Road: More From Day 1

2009-09-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Thorens-Glieres (Day 1)

2009-09-13T09:55:00.001-07:00

In Thorens-Glieres. Population 2600. Just before the fromagerie!

A New Leader!

2009-09-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

On the Road: Day 1

2009-09-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

Leaving Geneva...

2009-09-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

Geneva turned out to be a bit disappointing and extremely difficult to
navigate, so we were all looking forward to getting out of town to the
country side. Here we are just before leaving.

The Entire Crew in Geneva

2009-09-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

Our pre-tour meal in Geneva. Ethiopian food, oddly enough.

Santa Monica Group Is on it's Way

2009-09-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

The Larsons are on our way to JFK! See you in Switzerland.

In Geneva..with bikes

2009-09-10T06:26:00.001-07:00

Chad and Liane have arrived in Geneva with our bikes in tow. After a bit of anxious waiting at the oversize baggage claim, out popped our two boxes...relatively unharmed other than a few handold "adjustments" (read a bit ripped). Of course, TSA had to inspect Chad's box...We were glad we spent some extra cash on strapping tape just for them to cut it open and replace it with one piece!

The "bullet" and the "stallion" (our bikes)are back together and look to be ready for the ride on Saturday...or maybe we'll sneak in a prologue on the lakefront tomorrow!

New feature..

2009-09-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

I figured out the MapMyRide feature where I can embed the map link directly to the blog post.From time to time, I'll embed it in the post too, but on the right side there (you can't miss it) is a link to our next stage...in this case, the first day! So y'all can mentally prepare with us for the day to come. Click around on it...you can "drag" the map on this site and go to the actual route link for the detailed route, including elevation and zoom in/out functionality.

Okay, one more dorkiness feature...in the blog posts I'll embed this referencing the day's ride and only keep the next stage in the top right:

Day 1: Geneva, Switzerland to Annecy, France; 41 miles

Almost ready...

2009-09-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

We took the rainy Oregon weekend as a sign we needed a rest from training and focused on mapping and packing. An almost "all-nighter" to get the maps in order...perhaps due to a bit more detailed analness than needed (yes, Chad was in charge of that department)! As you can see we have beautiful color-coded maps with alternate routes just in case we are (or are not) feeling frisky at the end of the day!

We also stocked up on Cliff Shot blocks, Gu, and electrolyte tablets. On that note, we've been trying Nuun recently and it's much better than hauling around plastic cans of dehydrated Gatorade. Our friends Justin & Laila are perhaps to thank since they swore they couldn't find this high performance stuff in Italy. We have enough Cliff Shots for 1 packet per day, enough Nuun for 4 per day and enough Gu for 1 per day. Otherwise, we'll have to deal...

And at the end of the evening, Liane's bike is in the box ready to go! It only took around 2.5 hours to wrap all the frame in pipe insulation, tie everything down with zip ties, tape enough bubble wrap for 2 wedding registries, and stuff it in the box. We were encouraged by a YouTube video that zip ties are your best friend...so I bought 100 and probably need to go back for more for bike #2! Hopefully, we've gotten over the learning curve and Chad's won't be as time consuming.

And note the bear in the box, it's Mr. Sitka's likeness accompanying us on the trip....look for him in upcoming pictures from the road...

Flurry of a last weekend...

2009-09-04T16:50:00.001-07:00

It's Friday, 5:00. One weekend left to get things in order. Still need a box of Cliff Shots and Gu. We'll spend Saturday getting everything together and Sunday we'll do the last training ride out in the Mt. Adams country with Mike, Nicole, Justin, and Laila. We'll get Liane's bike packed up Monday evening and drop mine off for a tune up on Tuesday.

Let's get started....I'm off to REI for some new cleats, a backpack carrier for the pannier, and some Gu.

Wine Country Hills

2009-08-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Chad and Liane wanted to test their mettle on the steep slopes in the wine country in the north Willamette Valley. We had rode some of these roads before but put together a larger loop to include some climbing.

Oregon wine country is pretty spectacular, particular following a few days of unusual cloudiness and random rain showers to clear the air. Although the Pinot Noir grapes are just shy of a month from harvest, their full color is starting to show!

After some climbing among the hilly vineyards with some short steep sections approaching 20% grade (holy cow!), we settled in to climb up to Bald Peak State Park. The first section was around 10% average for the first 2 miles and then "leveled" out to a reasonable 5% over the last several miles to the top. After a snack, we headed down the Laurelwood grade at 18% - that's a steep downhill! We crossed the Valley to Yamhill, had lunch, and headed back over the Chehalem Mountains to our starting point.

All told, probably the hardest ride we've done to date with multiple climbs and some really steep sections. But with scenery this awesome, who can really complain? France is starting to become a reality, but after today, we wondered whether we're ready for the Alps! After 68 miles and 3500 ft of climbing, we rushed home to get Sitka to the park!

Larch Mountain

2009-08-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday (8/22), the PDX 4 decided to put in a long sustained climb and ended up choosing Larch Mountain. Starting at Lewis and Clark State Park we began our ascent. The climb really started about 9 miles into the ride as we turned on Larch Mountain Road. Under a shaded Douglas-fir canopy we climbed for 14 more miles at around 5-6% grade. All told it was a 4000 ft day over 23 miles climbing. Although the view from the top was spectacular with 5 Cascade peaks dominating the horizon (St. Helens, Rainier, Adams, Hood, Jefferson) this novice cycling pack forgot the camera!

Pat donned his new Smartwool arm sleeves and Chad found a McDonald's bag to put inside the jersey for the long, chilly downhill (Liane and Barb went the more conventional route with a jacket!) As always, the ride was polished off with good food (pizza) and beverage (Laurelwood Brewing Company)!

Check out the route : http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/or/portland/887125092099537394

Col du McKenzie

2009-06-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Liane and I headed to central Oregon to ride McKenzie Pass from Sisters while the road was still blocked to auto traffic. We headed out of Sisters amid the Ponderosa pine and sunshine. Just past the gate, the sun decided to duck behind the clouds and give us a nice temperature for the climb. We noticed the wind about Windy Point - somewhat fitting, huh?

We weaved in and out of the eons old lava fields as we made our way on towards the pass. After nearly 2000 ft. of sustained climbing around 4-5%, we topped out at Dee Wright Observatory! The mountains were shrouded by a pretty thick cloud cover but still a worthwhile effort! (The "mapmyride" link: http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/or/sisters/998124563823826546)

After a quick respite in the windbreak of the observatory tower, we began our bone-chilling decent (why haven't I learned that downhill is really cold on the hands?) Back at the gate we did our best to imitate chameleons, soaking up the warmth of pavement in the sun!

All told, a shortish ride of 30 miles, but the most sustained elevation gain we've undertook yet. The ride was fantastic watching the forest and vegetation change quickly as we climbed to higher elevations. It also gave us some hope...this France thing is doable! But we quickly remembered, such a ride is only the morning session each day in the Alps...we better keep this up. Next: Mt. St. Helens!

A few more pics...

The plan

2009-06-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Geneva to Nice
via Annecy, Champagneaux, Rencurel, Chabeuil, Vaison-la-Romaine, Castellane and Sisteron
With side trips, including: Mont Ventoux!
15 days, 13 riding.
Many glasses of Rhone Valley wine.
Dale, Brooke, Greta, Pat, Barbara, Chad and Liane.

Strap on your helmet.
Velcro your shoe "laces."
This is going to be epic.

Follow us here as we "train" and then in-country.