Loop d' Loop

Day 6 - Wednesday, June 13
Aosta - Place Moulin Loop & Glacier Loop
54 miles
7,200 feet of climbing

Yet another awesome day of cycling.  We had two route options (both were loop rides), so we did them both.  It was a beautiful and cool morning, mostly sunny.  The forecast called for a chance of rain around noon, so we elected to carry our rain gear.  (I'm thinking there's much less chance it will rain if I carry my rain gear.  Experience has taught me it will most certainly rain if I leave it behind.)  First we did the Moulin loop - a gorgeous 20+ mile climb to Place Moulin.  At the end of the climb is a dam and a lake (Lac du Place Moulin).  It was a challenging climb, with some fairly steep sections.  But most of the climb was on a quiet road with very light traffic.  As per usual, it got chilly as we gained altitude and even felt a few drops of rain, but nothing that required rain gear.  We reached the dam at Place Moulin right around 11:30 - just in time to descend to a little cafe in a small town below for a beverage and a bite to eat.  From there, we descended about ten more miles, at which point we took the turn-off toward Ollomont to do the climb to Glacier.  This was also a steep climb, which my legs let me know continuously by causing me to suffer a little every time I stepped on the proverbial gas pedal.  Nonetheless, we made the six-mile climb to Glacier, and the views were magificent.  On the way, we passed through a couple of cute little towns.  Beautiful mountain views in the backdrop. Although it was a very pretty ride, I must admit I was underwhelmed when we arrived in Glacier.  Not much going on there except the end of the road.  I realize this particular climb was more about the journey than the destination, but a gelato shop or a cold soda machine would have been much appreciated at that juncture.  Just sayin'.  Be that as it may, we began our descent back to Aosta.  The steep sections we met going up the climb made for a very fast 12-mile descent back to Aosta.  We made a quick trip to the local bike shop to buy some chain lube and another quick gelato stop before heading back to our hotel.  What a fun day!  Glad I carried my rain gear.  : ) 

Views on the climb to Place Moulin

The dam at Place Moulin

Views on the way to Glacier

 

Recently retired Art Hewig enjoying a great day on the bike

Italy-Switzerland-Italy

Day 5 - Tuesday, June 12
Grande St. Bernard Loop
45 miles
6,250 feet of climbing

A dramatic and exceptional day of biking.  Our route would take us to the top of Grande St. Bernard, a 20-mile climb that is often part of professional cycling races.  The summit of the climb is on the Italy-Switzerland border (a few days ago, we climbed Petit St. Bernard, the summit of which is on the Italy-France border.)  I had my heart set on doing the climb, even though the weather forecast was iffy in terms of rain.  So, despite a few lingering clouds, off we went toward Grande St. Bernard.  In the parking lot of our hotel we met an Italian cycling club or team of about eight guys who were also going up to Grande St. Bernard.  They had a support van that followed them up the climb, and they all had the same jersey and shorts, which makes me think they were a team rather than a club.  Despite the language barrier, we chit chatted with the guys and even posed for a group photo.  The climb started immediately as we rode out of town, but it was a gentler climb than the climbs we did in the previous days of our tour.  Grades ranged from 4% to 8% with maybe a 9% or 10 % grade here and there.  It was a long climb on a nice road with some very pleasant stretches.  We held on to the sunshine for about half of the climb; for the second half, the sky became gradually more cloudy and it began to sprinkle rain on and off - nothing too bad . . . at first.  I didn’t want to stop and put on any of my rain gear because (1) I was sweating my butt off, and (2) I hate stopping on a climb.  But as I got higher in elevation, the light rain turned into freezing rain, at which point, I reluctantly stopped to put on my rain jacket.  As I climbed higher, the freezing rain turned into snow.  Not long thereafter, it became a full -fledged blizzard - snowing sideways, bitter cold and a chilling wind that penetrated my wimpy rain jacket.  I must add that this climb contained a few of what I call “false summits” - you look up and you think you see the top (the end of the climb), but when you get there, it is not the top.  Because of the false summits, I kept resisting stopping to put on more rain gear, thinking that, “I think the end is just around this corner.”  But it wasn’t.  It just kept snowing  and the wind kept blowing.  There were huge snow banks on the side of the road.  Finally, I came to the conclusion that the end wasn’t “just around the corner,” so when I came to a tunnel, I used the shelter of the tunnel to put on my rain hat, leg warmers, arm warmers, shoe covers and vest - every article of clothing I had with me.  This helped somewhat, but my head was already wet and I was already cold.  Finally, I turned the corner and there was the end of the climb!  I was thrilled to have made it.  I crossed the border into Switzerland.  The support van for the Italian team/club was there at the top, and some of the guys were taking shelter under an overhang of a building there.  They were wonderful to me.  One man took my bike for me and another helped me up the snow-covered steps to the overhang.  They offered me a cup of hot coffee.  I was shivering, so they invited me into their van to get warm, all the while congratulating me for making the climb.  After warming up in their van for about 15 minutes, I thanked them and headed down the decent.  I had to use my fingers to get the snow out of my cleats so I could clip into my pedals.  It was a treacherous descent, mainly because of the snow and wet road, but also because my hands were so cold, I had a difficult time holding in the break levers.  But, I quickly made my way through the blizzard one last time.  I retained a chill that caused me to shiver for the next eight or so miles until I stopped at a café in a small town on the route and had a hot tea.  At that point, I was nicely warmed, hopped back on the bike and had a very pleasant ride for the rest of the descent.  I still had all my rain gear on as I arrived back in Aosta, where the sun was shining and the temperature was about 80 degrees.  I guess you could say the weather at the top of the climb was the "polar"opposite of the weather in town (pun intended).  Anyway, I was so happy to have made it to the summit of this famous climb and, despite the chilly reception, I was equally glad to have visited Switzerland, even if only for a brief visit.  But that’s mountain weather - it’s like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're gonna get.  : )

On the way up - about 5 miles from the summit

Right before I encountered the blizzard

Huge snow banks near the top of the climb

View on the descent

Today, We Go "Up" (again)

Day 4 - June 11, 2012
Arvier to Cogne to Aosta
47 miles
5,366 feet of climbing

The greatest thing about today's ride is that the weather forecast called for a 60% or more chance of rain throughout the day - and it didn't rain at all!  It was an absolutely beautiful day; mostly sunny, calm winds, with  cool temperatures in the morning that warmed up nicely as the day went on.  I love it when the weather people are wrong in my favor.  We had perfect conditions to view the magnificent scenery in the backdrop of our ride today.  Today we left Arvier to travel to a new host town - Aosta - where we'll be staying for three nights.  Instead of riding directly from Arvier to Aosta, which is only about 5 miles, we took a 42-mile side trip up to Cogne and Lillaz.  Great climbing, not many cars and some amazing sights.  The main feature of Lillaz was a gorgeous mountain waterfall.  On the descent, Art & I added another side trip to Ozein, which provided fantastic views of the valley.  Photographic evidence is below.  Enjoy!

Art getting ready for the ride outside our hotel in Arvier

A waterfall on the climb to Cogne - it was so close to the road I was catching spray as I took this picture.

More sights on the climb to Cogne

"Alpine Art"

Waterfall in Lillaz

Our group enjoying lunch in Cogne

Sights on the climb to Ozein

Full disclosure here - although this sign indicates a 20% grade, I cannot say that I encountered a 20% grade anywhere on the climb to Ozien.  My legs certainly would have let me know!

The valley view from Ozein

The Marmot of Notre Dame

Day 3 - Sunday, June 10
Arvier to Rhemes Notre Dame Loop
47 miles
4,914 ft. of climbing

Today's route took us to the top of Rhemes Notre Dame.  We saw a marmot!  It ran ahead of us on the side of the road, as if it were racing us.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get my camera out fast enough to get a picture of it, so it's just my word against the marmot's.  Anyway, it was a spectacular climb in picture-perfect weather.  In fact, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves . . .

Art

Bob & Art taking a well-earned latte break

 

Recently retired Art Hewig reflecting on his many years of NYSTRS service.

Italy - France - Italy

Day 2 - Saturday, June 9
Courmayeur to Arvier
45 miles
5,702 ft. climbing

Woke up to beautiful sunny skies and a crisp 50ish degrees - a substantially better start to the day than yesterday’s clouds and rain.  The improved weather was most welcome today because today we would be traveling to a different host town.  Our final destination today would be Arvier (pronounced “R-V-A”).  There were several route options today ranging from a minimum of 29 miles and 2,700 feet of climbing to 45 miles and 5,700 feet of climbing.  We, of course, chose the latter and had a great day of riding - big climbs with crazy fast descents.   First, we descended out of Courmayeur for about 3 miles, and then began a gentle climb to Thuile.  From Thuile, we chose to continue to climb to the top of Col du Petit St. Bernard - the summit of which was on the Italy-France border.  It was a spectacular climb; the clear skies provided fantastic views of the Alps.  It was about 8 miles to the summit of Petit St. Bernard, with some tough grades and a strong wind that was either a headwind or a tailwind depending on which direction you were going on a switchback.  I could feel the air get chillier as I ascended, but, the climbing kept me sufficiently warm.  Reached the summit (and crossed into France) around noon.  It was very chilly and windy at the summit with patches of snow everywhere.  We stopped at a little café at the summit for a hot drink and a bite to eat.  Art & I shared a big bowl of lentil soup.  Fortunately, I am bilingual to the limited extent that I know how to say "please" and "thank you" in both Italian and French, so I was OK with conversing with the waitress.  We warmed up enough during lunch to get back on the bikes to start the descent back to Tuile, where we would turn-off to do another climb up the Colle San Carlo - a shorter-distance climb than Petit St. Bernard, but steeper.  After the fierce descent from the top of Colle San Carlo, the route became a gentle descent all the way to our hotel in Arvier.  Had dinner as a group at a local family-run restaurant; lemon rice with shrimp, which was as delicious as it was rich. What a great day of riding!  Perfect weather, challenging climbs and magnificent views - who could ask for anything more?

Art & me at the top of Col du Petit St. Bernard

More views from the top of Petit St. Bernard (standing in Italy, taking a picture of France)

Bowl of soup for two

My bike at the top of Colle San Carlo

Uphill . . . Both Ways

Day 1 - Friday, June 9, 2012
Courmayeur Loop to Val Ferret & Courmayeur Loop to Val Veny
32 miles
4,442 feet of climbing

Woke up to a rainy and cloudy day - not a very inspiring way to begin a bicycling vacation.  But we’re nothing if not enthusiastic and hopeful.  So, in the spirit of optimism, Art and I, along with three other members of our group decided to don our rain gear, brave the rain and give today’s two suggested routes a try.  After all, both were loop rides and, since we’re staying in Courmayeur another night, if the weather got really bad, we could just head back to the hotel at any time.  It was a chilly morning  - only about 48 degrees.  Started out looking very spiffy wearing our arm warmers, leg warmers, rain jackets, helmet covers and shoe covers.

Today we had two route options - a 17+ mile loop ride to the top of Val Ferret (pronounced “Feray”) and/or a 14+ mile loop ride in the opposite direction to the top of Val Veny (pronounced “Venie”).  Both were good climbs that promised spectacular views of Mont Blanc.  Unfortunately, because of the clouds, we did not get to actually see the views.  But I'm sure at some point we can find a book with pictures of the views that we missed.   : )  We decided to do the climb up Val Ferret first.  It was a good climb - about 1,800 feet of climbing in just over eight-plus miles.  There were a couple of steep sections of 10 to 14% grades, mainly in the first couple miles and a few at the end.  It rained lightly as we climbed but never so hard that it interfered with our visibility.  Plus, with all the rain gear we had on, we didn't get soaked.  We got to see some very pretty waterfalls in the mountains, along with rushing stream of glacial runoff.  I was able to stay warm while we were climbing, but it was a very chilly 8½-mile descent.  It was sort of a tricky descent; we had to be careful of our speed because our breaking ability is diminished on wet terrain.  At the end of the descent from Val Ferret, we were feeling pretty good and the rain had all but stopped, so we decided to do the other climb. It was shorter in distance, but quite a bit higher in elevation - about 2,700 feet of climbing over seven miles.  As we expected, the terrain up Val Veny was quite a bit steeper.  We encountered grades of 18%, with most grades being in the 12 to 15% range.  It was a very challenging climb, but worth the effort.  Despite the clouds, there was much to see.  The descent was unbelievably fast (because of all the steep sections) and it seemed like we were back down from the top in no time.  We made it back to the hotel by about 1:30 or so.  Our bikes were a mess; because of the rain, they were covered in dirt (as were we).   The hotel didn’t have a hose, so we “sprayed” our bikes down by squirting water from our water bottles. (In addition to being enthusiastic, we’re also amazingly resourceful.)   After we showered and rested, Art & I took a walk around town.  At 7:30, we headed over to a local restaurant for our group dinner, which was absolutely delicious.  Art & I both had the salad with fresh goat cheese and the salmon entrée.  For dessert, Art had the apple cake and I, of course, opted for the chocolate tort.   By the time dinner was over, it was 9:30 and we were both ready to call it a night.  Despite the rain and the clouds, today’s ride was awesome.  It felt great to accomplish those steep climbs.  Besides, it  beat sitting around the hotel all day.  Tomorrow we would be riding to a new location - Arvier.   The weather forecast is calling for sunny skies.  We’ll take it.

Art - ready for the rainy ride

View (or lack thereof) going up Val Ferret

Fellow rider Bob at the top of Val Ferret

View near the top of Val Veny

Recently retired Art Hewig looking very relaxed in Courmayeur

Dinner!  Salmon, smashed potatoes & zucchini flan.

Bicycle Tour of the Italian Alps

Arrival in Courmayeur, Italy
Thursday, June 7, 2012 

Today Art & I arrived in Italy to begin our next adventure - a bicycle tour of the Italian Alps.  Fantastico!  We'd be joining a group of about 16 other people, most of whom are from the west coast; one couple (our group leaders, Julie & Tom) hail from North Carolina and one gentleman is from England. We arrived in Milan around 10:30 a.m., picked up our luggage and bikes and met at the designated spot outside the airport.  Then we all hopped a bus for a 3-hour ride to our hotel in Courmayeur.  We put our bikes together with relative ease and got ourselves settled and ready to ride the next day.  A bunch of us went to a local pizza place - "Tunnel Pizza" - for dinner.  The pizza was excellent and unbelievably inexpensivo.  The weather forecast for tomorrow  calls for rain showers all day.  Fortunately, we are prepared for adverse weather conditions; we brought our rain gear and, most importantly, supplies to wash and maintain our bikes afterward.  Regardless of the weather, I am looking forward to a great tour, which will be a challenging test for my climbing legs.   I hear they have some pretty good hills here in the Alps.  : )