Dutch Wheelman Bicycle Tours

Thursday we left Gap for another ride to cover more than 100 miles. After a few miles along a highway we went westward on route 942, which brought us another day of beautiful landscape. The ride would eventually take us to the famed Mont Ventoux, by many considered as one of the toughest mountain tops to ride to. The first sighting of the mountain gave us some shivers as it sticks out way above any other mountain in that area. Luckily with the approach that we had and the direction coming in, the climb was easier than expected. We will be back at it onSaturday from a different direction that will make it much harder.

On Wednesday we started with a long downhill of Alpe d’Huez, which made us concentrate and be on the brakes all the time, because of all the hairpin turns. But we got right back to businss by climbing the Col d’Ornon. The scenery up and down this mountain was just breathtaking, with waterfalls coming down and passing thru villages that are hundreds of years old. It’s all hard to describe in words. Even from all the picures we see on television during the tour, you have to be here to appreciate it all.

Hi everyone and thank you for all your interest. It’s to late to even think straight and we are all very tired after 110 miles in the saddle. I will be updating all the news to you tomorrow. Good night from Carpentras.

We all knew that climbing three of the highest rated climbs in the Tour de France in one day would make this a really hard day of cycling, and we were not disappointed. We started with the Col de Madelaine, a 15-mile climb. After a very difficult descent, we started the next climb of the Col de Croix de Fer, which is 18 miles and just as challenging. This would have been enough for most people, but we decided to do one more, and many questioned our sanity. The last climb was the famous Alpe d’Huez climb, which is 21 hairpin turns up a steep cliff. All this put us in the saddle for close to 10 hours and gave us a deeper appreciation of the Tour de France riders. Altogether we climbed over 15,000 feet and a total distance of 45 miles of climbing. Some of us burned up to 10,000 calories. An exhausting but exhilarating day that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Today we headed towards the Alps.Leaving Geneva we headed South…destination Albertville,which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1996. Our ride took us by beautiful Lake Annecy which was packed with everyone soaking up the French sun. There were lots of motorboats, para sailers, and sunbathers. Getting closer to Albertville, the mountains began to appear. What a GORGEOUS site. Gluttons for punishment, Glen, Stev e, and Thor challenged themselves by climbing Col de Les Saisies. It was a little more than they bargained for.

Sunday: We had a great trip to Geneva. The flights were good and almost on time. Packing the 15 bike boxes into the bus and checking them in was the biggest part. We arrived at the hotel around noon, put the bikes together and checked into the rooms. There are double rooms and one triple.
Since it was still really early several of us went on a short ride to the lake. The bike paths are nice, but not relaxing. You constantly have to watch for cars parked alongside, people walking, or bikes coming the other way,… Glen had the first flat.
For dinner we took the train downtown. We split into several groups. I ended up eating in a restaurant on the lake. They had the most expensive burgers I have seen (28sfr), I had a good salad for only 23 suisse francs. On this first day we needed Suisse francs, after that it will be all Euros. On the way back we had some good Movenpick ice cream. The light in the room only works when you put your card into a box at the door. It took us a while to figure that out.
Monday: After a pretty good night in our 3-bed room (a two person room with an additional bed, that took up all of the remaining floor space), we had a great breakfast with lots of coffee, cereal, cheese, rolls, croissants, juice,… It is beautiful weather and we are all excited and nervous about the first day riding.

On Sunday about 15 of us braved the rain and set out to tackle Jonestown Mountain one more time before takeoff. This climb has been a mainstay in our training program. The toughness of it’s 10-12 % grade has given us an idea about the climbs that are ahead of us on our Alps trip. We are all very anxious but apprehensive about the task ahead, since a lot of the climbs are going to be about 10 miles in length, compared to the 1 1/2 of Jonestown.
We’ll keep you informed as we go.
Thank you for your support.

We are just over a week away from our departure and the excitement is brewing. The long training process has been finished and right now we are trying to rest the body for the work that’s ahead.

August 7-19, 2010

Our 2010 tour will include a climb over the famed Alpe D'Huez.

Members of the Dutch Wheelman cycling club are finishing up their last training rides and packing their bags for the tour of a lifetime as they retrace many of the stages from the 2010 Tour de France with the addition of Mt. Ventoux and Provence.

Towns include: Albertville, Alpe D’huez, Gap, Carpentras and Briancon.

Climbs include: Col De Madeleine, Croix De Fer, Alpe D’Huez, Ventoux, Col D’Isoard, Sestriere and the Galibier, among others.

Visit us often as we post tales of our trip and images each day of the tour.