Cycling Journal - 8/17/05
Bourg d'Oisans
Breakfast time! I mean, le petit dejeuner. I'm very tired. I moved my alarm back an hour this morning. Hopefully I can get out of town by ten. I'm a little sore, especially my hands, but I think I'll try Galibier.
I'm starting to understand little bits of French, but only because I know what to expect them to say. Oooh I have breakfast in front of me, short break.
Ok, I'm just about finished. It's amazing how much bread one can eat. A quarter of a baguette with cheese, a quarter with butter, a quarter with honey, a croissant with jam...it's all so good though. Fortunately I have a little time before I get on my bike.
8:30 PM Valloire
Christ what a day. I hurt, I'm tired, and I'm still only on schedule to make Grenoble in two more days. I might get up early (sure) and if I make Croix de Fer (about sixty km away) at a reasonable time it's sevently km of downhill after that.
If I can climb Galibier, I can certainly finish this trip. That is if you really call it climbing. It was so difficult. Up for the vast majority of forty km, and the finish was just ridiculous. For most of it I was in a constant state of pain, and it was just a matter of willpower.
Sometimes my will did fade, and it took almost ten hours start to finish to make sixty-three kilometers, but I made it.
Still everyone I meet has been incredibly friendly, and I've managed well with my French. When I've failed (two people today asked about my trip) they knew English. We all took turns taking pictures of each other at Col du Galibier.
The bugs are starting to get to me and I could use the extra sleep. I think I'll try to do some maintenance on my bike and then go to bed early. Tomorrow could be a long day.
Breakfast time! I mean, le petit dejeuner. I'm very tired. I moved my alarm back an hour this morning. Hopefully I can get out of town by ten. I'm a little sore, especially my hands, but I think I'll try Galibier.
I'm starting to understand little bits of French, but only because I know what to expect them to say. Oooh I have breakfast in front of me, short break.
Ok, I'm just about finished. It's amazing how much bread one can eat. A quarter of a baguette with cheese, a quarter with butter, a quarter with honey, a croissant with jam...it's all so good though. Fortunately I have a little time before I get on my bike.
8:30 PM Valloire
Christ what a day. I hurt, I'm tired, and I'm still only on schedule to make Grenoble in two more days. I might get up early (sure) and if I make Croix de Fer (about sixty km away) at a reasonable time it's sevently km of downhill after that.
If I can climb Galibier, I can certainly finish this trip. That is if you really call it climbing. It was so difficult. Up for the vast majority of forty km, and the finish was just ridiculous. For most of it I was in a constant state of pain, and it was just a matter of willpower.
Sometimes my will did fade, and it took almost ten hours start to finish to make sixty-three kilometers, but I made it.
Still everyone I meet has been incredibly friendly, and I've managed well with my French. When I've failed (two people today asked about my trip) they knew English. We all took turns taking pictures of each other at Col du Galibier.
The bugs are starting to get to me and I could use the extra sleep. I think I'll try to do some maintenance on my bike and then go to bed early. Tomorrow could be a long day.
posted by dave hiller at 5:34 PM
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