We decided to try a less-traveled road on our approach to Chambéry, where Stage 9 of the Tour de France will end in two days. We reviewed our extremely helpful Michelin maps and even used Rick’s computer to gauge the elevation profile for the ~70km day. Rick was heading back to the airport today so we were on our own! There was a bit of a climb but it didn’t look steep on Google. 

Wrong!

The start of the ride was beautiful, and headed straight towards the mountains. The road was absolutely packed with cyclists, which is usually a good sign, but we noticed none of them had touring bags. We then saw signs that the road would be closed later in July for a different stage of the Tour – awesome!, we thought, until we saw our Tour magazine guide described the stage as “A Classic in the Alps.” Uh oh. 

Soon after it’s dawning on us that we have a big climb ahead of us, Rick surprises us in his car and tells us of elevation gradients that average to 11% for a km ahead. He takes pity on us and takes our heavy bags to the other side of the brutal section. We’re not sure we would have made it otherwise! We also had help from a Trek Cycling tour guide who gave us ice-cold water from their support van and provided encouragement. Huge help as well. It’s funny how quickly company tour guides associate with touring cyclists and go out of their way to help. 

After we left Rick (for real this time), the grades “lessened” to ~7-8% up to Col du Glandon. Mercifully there was a restaurant near the top of the col which allowed us to recoup after a beautiful but very tough ascent. 

The descent was stunning. There was hardly any traffic – car, bike, or otherwise – and the road had broad corners which didn’t require sharp turns at speed. We descended all the way to our lodging in Le Chambre. At our hotel we met Mike, a solo touring cyclist from San Diego. We grabbed dinner together and traded touring stories and recommend places to visit. 

​