It’s hard to put day 3 into words so this post will be brief. It was the most physically and mentally challenging day I have ever had on a bike. In Morgan’s words, “It was bullshit. Hell on earth.”
(He also said he’d do it again.)
Tag / vacation
Stagecoach 400 – Day 2
Day 2 is co-authored by Morgan; many photos are from him as well
It’s important to begin our recap of day two by starting with night one. While sitting around the hot tub Morgan set our expectations for the next day’s riding – in particular, that there would be about 1,000ft of climbing throughout the ~60mi day. This seemed reasonable since the elevation profile we had seen online went downhill. And since it was the climbing (and uphill push-biking) the day before that was the biggest mood killer, we were banking on day two being better.
Le Tour!
It’s been some time since I’ve had an update worth posting, but the next two weeks should prove to have quite a few.
Tomorrow I fly from Boston to Geneva with three of my cycling teammates. From there we’ll take the train to Grenoble, where we’ll meet two additional teammates before piling into a rented Mercedes sprinter van and heading out to our house midway up the Alpe d’Huez.
On July 18th we’ll spectate as the Tour de France conquers Alpe d’Huez twice in one day. Keep an eye out for us on TV. July 19th we’ll likely head out to see the staging and departure of stage 19 in Bourg-d’Oisans. The rest of the time we’ll be riding, wining, paragliding (maybe), and just generally taking in the views.
This is my first time traveling with a bike, and I have to say I’m a bit nervous. I was able to borrow a sturdy bike box from a good friend, but I’ve heard that while the TSA likes to open the boxes, they don’t seem to like to close them back up exactly the way they found them. So I’ve got my fingers crossed that everything arrives (and returns) as I packed it.
I’ve been in need of a break from Boston for months now, and this trip has given me something to look forward to. To know that in just a few days I’ll be watching the 100th Tour de France on the slope of the most famous Tour mountain is incredible. I can’t wait!
Stay tuned for updates and pictures once we arrive!
Temporary Travels 