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The Tour de France route finishes a further couple of kms up
the village, but the arrival line is the normal cyclo-tourist finish as
it is close to the bars for a well deserved coffee / beer. It was a chilly start down in Bourg D'Oisans, but the arm-warmers only lasted until the first hairpin. To save weight I had only filled one of my bottles as I knew that there was a supply of potable water on the ascent. As it happened, one bottle was enough and I re-filled for my ascent of the Sarenne. |
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This was my only chance of a podium place! Alpe veterans will know that
you can hire timing chips and have a certificate of your ascent. The
cost is 5 Euros, but free for males who beat the hour and females who
beat one hour and ten minutes. I was pleased with my one hour and
seventeen as the last time I rode up the Alpe, I was on my Dawes
Discovery 501 and it took me one hour and fifty five. The Madone's weight saving certainly helped! I bought the "pro" version which is supplied as standard with a 53/39, but I changed this for a compact 50/34. I prefer the colour scheme of the pro to the performance fit. I also fitted a 12-27 rear cassette in place of the standard 11-25 for this trip. |
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The Col du Sarenne is the other road to/from the Alpe other than the
famous 21 virages. It is a summer only road and is a little like road-cyclo
cross, in that certain sections of gravel and culverts are best crossed
by getting off and walking. I was expecting a flattish ride to the 2,000m col, but soon found myself descending 200m before climbing back again. It had warmed up quite considerbaly by now. The descent into Clavens was steep, technical and not the best road surface |
