Day 7-Geneva – Saint Michel de Maurienne
177km
4,274m ascent
I wake up full of enthusiasm for the day ahead- I’ve been looking forward to this since planning the trip. Today would be my first foray into the mountainous terrain of the Alps and my mood was even more enhanced by the fact the sky was blue once again. I check out of the hostel and head to the UN building for the obligatory photo in front of the massive 3 legged chair dominating the plaza. It always strikes me how quiet most cities are compared to London rush hours. There’s a relaxed atmosphere that just doesn’t exist in the pressure cooker of London, where people tend to be in a hurry to be first to the next set of red traffic lights.
I haven’t had breakfast yet and take the first opportunity once over the barely noticeable border into France to have a pastry feast. Sugared up and ready to ride, it doesn’t take long to leave the built up area around Annemasse behind and head towards my first Col. Col d’Aravis. I could see the hill for many km before I got to the beginning and yet I couldn’t make out where it went or even started. After a brief stop at a supermarket and some expert following of signposts, I began to ride the first BIG hill since my time in Canada, when I rode uphill for 2 hours with Ed. At that time I didn’t know such hills existed, being somewhat naive to the scale of the different landscapes around the world. Today I felt much more prepared with copious amounts of time spent riding up the steepest hill I know in London. (Swains Lane in Highgate)
As it was a category 1 climb, Col d’Aravis would be a good warm up to the alps, topping out at 1498m. It started climbing up through a gorge like valley with the road cut into the rock, forming steep rock faces to my left and precipitous drops to my right. The temperature fluctuated as I twisted my way up, with occasional glimpses of the sun warming pockets of air. About an hour in, the landscape flattened out and I was surrounded by meadows, occasionally passing through small alpine villages before reaching a busy town called La Clusaz. By this time the valley I had began from was long out of sight and houses were becoming fewer. I eventually hit the top after 1.5 hours of riding and there was a lot going on! Stalls selling fruit, souvenirs and other bits and pieces. I’m not one for these sorts of things so chomped on a banana before steaming back down to the valley on the south side towards Albertville. So many km of downhill riding was incredible. I was definitely going to enjoy the mountains!
I sped on through Ugain then skirted around Albertville, along the flat base of the valley following a well signposted route towards my next target. Col d’Madelaine. Another infamous climb, that starts with switchback after switchback, with corners formed by huge concrete walls. All of the way up, the names of Tour de France legends are scrawled over the road. Eventually the gradient eases off and the road runs fairly straight along a wide valley with a waterfall way off in the distance at the head of it. It was here I finally encountered another cyclist heading up the hill. He was laying on the wall at the side of the road looking decidedly knackered whilst a man holding an ‘Arete’ (stop) sign controlled traffic. Once allowed, I sped of and didn’t see him again. Eventually a wall of mountain seemed to block any chance of getting up. By this point I was in the clouds and couldn’t see much above me, with the only clue of the roads continuation being the strain of car engines somewhere above my head. The road started switch backing again before I emerged at the top and was surprised to see a car park and a few cafes. Time for an expensive but oh-so-cold coke before descending down to the warmth of the valley. A long ride down a road that was too busy for my liking and due to it’s unrelenting straightness, felt almost more draining than both the hills of the day, finally got me to my finishing point of the day in Sainte Michel de Maurienne. After scouting around for somewhere to bivvy, I relented and checked into a campsite as bivvy spots were pretty limited. It was a great decision as I told the cheery French woman about my adventure and she didn’t want payment! Legend. She also let me charge up my portable battery for the first time of the trip. I found a quiet spot atop an area of grass terraces at the back of the campsite and lay in my bag supping a cold beer watching the walls of the hillside opposite slowly turn pink as the sun set.
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