April 2008 Issue - Cycling Utah

APRIL 2008 cycling utah.com 25On Holy Ground -Continued from page 13restaurant where we had a deliciousbowl of soup and hot chocolate.While the weather was temperate, atthis time of year these high elevationsare always cool, especially inthe breezes that are usually blowingabout. And being tired fromclimbing, a food and hot beveragebreak in the cafés which one almostalways finds at these summits is awelcome respite.We then returned to the car anddrove back to the top. As I lovedescending, and as descents are anecessary evil from Elliot’s perspective,he agreed to drive the car toLuz St. Sauveur while I rode therefrom the top of the Tourmalet. Thisis a great road for descending andI arrived more than five minutesbefore Elliot. When he did show up,we found a spot to park the car andbegan our ascent to the ski resort ofLuz Ardiden.I have a special affinity for thisclimb. It was in 2003 that LanceArmstrong, looking extremely vulnerable,took a tenuous 17 secondlead over Jan Ulrich onto this slope.It was here that his infamous hookingof a young fan’s swag bag andresulting fall precipitated a blisteringattack which saw him blowpast Ullrich on his was to the top ofthis climb to win the stage, regainhis grasp on the Tour, and virtuallyinsure his victory.And I was there. Preceding thearrival of the Tour, I had riddento within a kilometer of the topbefore being stopped by the FrenchGendarmerie, i.e. police, because theroad was now closed (even thoughthe race, and the publicity caravanwere still a couple of hours away).So the two times I have been back,I have made it a point to do thisclimb. Besides, it is a tough andchallenging climb, and the viewfrom the top of the switchbackssnaking up the side of this massivecirque is incredible. By the timeElliot and I made the top, we hadamassed 2257 meters (7405 feet) ofelevation gain, the most of any oneday of this trip.It is a winding, twisting 13 kilometersfrom Luz St. Sauveur to LuzArdiden, and so the descent is fast,technical and exciting. I arrivednearly ten minutes ahead of Elliot.These downhill victories helpedassuage my bruised ego from thebattering administered by Elliot onthe way up. After his arrival, wedecided to ride up the road about akilometer to the Pont Napoléon, abeautiful bridge crossing the gorgeand the canyon creek far below.As Elliot started out, he fell, whileshifting gears, right in front of a carapproaching from behind. His fourthand final fall of this trip, he wasunhurt except for a slightly bruisedand somewhat embarrassed ego.That night, we walked to NotreDame de Lourdes and watched, froma vantage point atop the front of thecathedral, the nightly procession ofCyclingutah.comfor trails,eventlinks, photos, backissues, links, andmore!and service for visiting pilgrims.It is a humbling sight to watchthese hundreds, if not thousands, ofpeople, prayer candles in hand, asthey follow behind the statue of theVirgin Mary up the long oval pathand back to the front doors of thecathedral where the service is held. Iam touched by their devotion. Theyseem to possess a faith that I longfor.The morning of the next day wasa sad day, our last of this marveloustrip. Naturally, we saved one of thebest for last, the climb up the westside of the Col d’Aubisque. To reachthe start of this ride, we drove fromLourdes, up the Aubisque from theeast, then down the other side toLarens.The climb back up was, asexpected, and especially after thenine previous days of climbing, areal chore. Still, I have been amazedon these two trips at how, despitealways feeling fatigued beforethe start of each ride, I am able toquickly slip into a good rhythmfor the day’s climbs. Undoubtedly,with a couple of days off, I wouldprobably feel fresher and climbera little faster. But time is preciouswhen you have come this far, andI always want to do as many of thefamous climbs as I can. So we takeno breaks.This, as are all the climbs, wasbeautiful. As Elliot said, every tenfeet is a photo opportunity. Whileriding through the town of EauxBonnes, I managed to miss a turnand ended up taking a side roadto a dead end. This was actually aserendipitous error as I found anexquisitely scenic little corner of thistown containing a beautiful old butwell kept home nestled into the canyonslope and a bright green, mosscoveredcreek.After correcting my route, Icontinued up to the resort town ofGourette, and then the final fivekilometers to the summit. Theseare the same slopes that saw LeviLeipheimer, in this last Tour,battle Cadel Evans and MichaelRasmussen to the top, with Evansdropping off, and Rasmussen finallyputting a few meters between himselfand Leipheimer to win the stage.Of course, it was also right after thisstage that Rasmussen’s team pulledhim and his yellow jersey from theTour.As you do these climbs, it isincredible to look back down andoften see your starting point waybelow in the distance. I am alwaysamazed at how high my bike and Ican climb. Our bodies and their synergywith the bicycle are a wonderindeed.After another exhilaratingdescent, we cruised from Larensto Bielle, where we turned left tohead up our final slope of this trip,the Col de Marie-Blanque. The firstpart of this climb was quite steep.I knew the total elevation gain onthis col, and quickly realized wewere gaining most of it in these firstfew kilometers. Sure enough, I sooncame over a rise and onto a plateauthat extended for several kilometersbefore the final two kilometersrose up to the top of the climb. Itwas now late afternoon. We restedbriefly, surveying what was apparentlya film crew at work, and thenturned and headed back down. Thetemperature was comfortable andthe air fresh, and while riding backto Larens, we watched the sunshinedisappearing up the slopes of the Picde Ger, a huge, barren and beautifulmountain peak towering over theCol d’Aubisque, as the sun set onthis day and our exciting trip.We made the drive back toLourdes to visit the actual grottowhere Bernadette saw the VirginMary, and upon which Notre Damede Lourdes is built. We then stoppedon the walk back to our car for afinal serving of “frites” (authenticfrench fries) before embarking on agrueling 36-hour return home. Wefirst drove to Toulouse, where wewere to catch our flight, checkedinto a hotel upon our arrival at 11:30p.m., and spent the next two hourspacking our suitcases and bikes. Wewere finally able to sleep a couplehours of sleep before being awakenedat 3:30 a.m. to drive to the airport,return the car, check in, catchour flight at 6:30 a.m. and spend thenext 20 hours flying back home.PostscriptWriting an article on one’s experiencesobviously involves a lot ofrecollection and reflection. Thisarticle was no exception and as aresult I want to share some generalobservations and comments.First, in trying to describe theseclimbs, it is hard to distinguishthem. They are all beautiful in theirnatural mountain settings, and yeteach is unique in its particulars. Ican visualize each one. However,space, and the challenge of actuallytrying to articulate their differences,makes an attempt to do so in anarticle such as this unfeasible. Thisarticle is probably too long as it is.For a trip of this nature, though, itis the experience and awareness ofwhat is happening around you atthat particular moment, along withthe innate beauty of the setting,that makes each ride memorableand unique. As such, I have tried toavoid too much repetition regardingthe natural splendor, and rather havefocused on the particular circumstancesand events to express theunique experience each ride brought.Second, I find these Frenchmountain roads fun to ride. They areusually narrow, but almost alwayswell paved and maintained. Theyseem to wind and undulate in aSculpture at the top of the Col d'Aubisque. It symbolizes the mountainjersey leading the way at the top with the yellow jersey right on its wheel,and the green sprinter's jersey a greater distance behind.way our roads, particularly here inthe west, do not. Additionally, youregularly pass through small, quaintvillages resting in the valleys and onthe hillsides along the way. Nearlyall the climbs in the Pyrenees havesignposts every kilometer denotingthe remaining distance to the top,the current altitude, and the slope forthe next kilometer. The Alps do not,though the climb up l’Alpe d’Huezdoes have a sign at the corner ofeach switchback with the name ofa winner of the Alpe d’Huez stage.Finally, almost every pass has arestaurant at or near the top, a nicereward for a strenuous climb.Third, this represents my preferredmethod of vacationing. Thatis, I like to rent a car, preferablyduring the off-season, and go myown way. I have been on organizedtours, and in particular circumstances,that is the way to travel. Idefinitely appreciated them the twoyears my wife and I went to watchthe Tour. But having a car and followingyour own itinerary givesyou a flexibility to alter and adaptto maximize the enjoyment of yourtrip. Going in the off-season alleviatesthe fear of full hotels, though itdoes help to arrive before midnightwhen they have mostly all closed.Of course, in my case, speakingFrench is a big help with my independenttravels in France.Fourth, I am a slow climber.Always have been. But I find climbingsatisfying. It feels good to getinto a rhythm, be able to hold it fora long time, and feel the synergybetween the bike and me and ourcombined ability to ascend steeproads. Of course, nothing is moreexhilarating than flying down sucha road with a smooth, steady andsmart-handling bike beneath me.Indeed, descending is one of the primaryperks of all those hours spentstruggling up steep slopes. Andnowhere is descending more funthan on these French roads.Finally, I love the Tour de Franceand its lore. I relish the stories offamous cyclists who have labored upthese legendary climbs. They haveindeed made this ground holy. Andthat, above all, is why I so enjoygoing to France: To ride these great,mythical climbs, and thereby payhomage to those who have madethem famous.