Day thirteen began with us feeling incredibly grateful to not have to sleep in the car again. We were sore, freezing and wanting nothing more than a shower, but such luxuries were not a part of the day’s plan. We drove back to where the road was closed the previous day, expecting it would be open and we could find a place to park and watch the tour, but the road was not reopened and we were informed that if we wanted to get to the top we’d have to walk. So we parked the car precariously on the side of the mountain with the wheels just millimetres off the road, packed some food to take along and started the 8km ascent. We made the tough decision not to take the camera with us, as we didn’t want to risk it getting damaged if we had to do any proper mountain climbing but Brendan had his iPhone for a few snaps along the way.
looking back to the 8km mark
some patriotic Tour graffiti
almost there!
I have to say, it’s tiring walking up a mountain at such a high altitude, but we kept powering on with the hundreds of other eager Tour spectators. We stopped a couple of times; once to buy some cheese from a wooden hut; I’m pretty sure the cows roaming in the distance produced the milk for the stinky, delicious cheese we bought! We also stopped right near the top to warm up in the restaurant with a coffee before making our way to the Tour route to find a position. We got a great front-row spot about 800m from the finish line, with a view below us as well as directly in front.
our view down Col du Galibier
The people who were sitting around us were great; lots of fun and really respectful of everyone’s personal space, which was totally different to the city stages we’d watched. I guess anyone at the top of Galibier really wanted to be there or they wouldn’t have hiked 8km, so there weren’t any random passers-by who just wanted to score some free Caravane loot. It was a long, cold wait – it even started snowing at one point – so we sat huddled in our blankets willing the sun to come out.
probably the most stylish attire ever!
I have to say; the hike and the wait were worth it for this stage; it was so good to be able to see the riders coming from such a distance and to see them going more slowly than on the flat stages. We saw Andy Schleck as he powered up to the finish a few minutes ahead of the rest, we watched Contador (who is a tiny man, by the way) struggling up the last kilometre, and we even saw some technical difficulties in action. As Rigoberto Uran from Team Sky was climbing the mountain his rear derailleur snapped off as he was directly in front of us, and it was amazing to see him on a brand new bike in less than a minute! It was a great stage to watch and it was, in my opinion, the stage that won Cadel Evans the Tour, as he fought to gain back time on Andy Schleck, carrying some of the big names with him:
photo by Mike Hone
The above photo is by professional photographer Mike Hone (my links aren’t working – again – but check out Mike’s website: portfolio.mikehone.com)
After the rush of seeing the riders up close and personal, and on such a famous mountain climb, it was inevitable that I would hit a low point; unfortunately this coincided with the exit to the mountain being blocked for half an hour whilst all of the official Tour vehicles departed. By the time the police let the thousands of spectators exit, we had about half an hour to climb down the mountain that took us 2 hours to ascend, and drive to our accommodation before it closed for the evening. It was a quick and slippery descent – it had started to rain and we took the shortcut down the step grassy fields rather than the long & winding road, and after about 10 falls and lots of swearing we made it to the bottom relatively unscathed, muddy, and very glad that we hadn’t taken the camera! Somehow, miraculously, we managed to get to Valmeinier and check in (slightly late) before heading to San Marco pizza in Valmeinier village for a delicious, hot, cheesy pizza. I’ve never been so grateful for a hot meal, a long shower and a comfortable bed!!
Thanks for the photo credits from the TDF.