For the last several seasons I've been lucky enough to enjoy a week or so's pass-storming in the Alps with one or both of my sons. Maggie had always been careful to stay clear of these 'Boys Own Tours', on a variety of grounds, but the particular being that a tandem in the Alps would be hard work. However, this year things were a bit different. The boys are now embarked on careers and leave is too precious to waste, and Maggie and I have done quite well on the tandem in Provence and Mont Ventoux. So she was prepared to reconsider.
The rules of the game were to be one pass a day, a decent hotel and a good lunch - all of which seemed fair enough. The passes were the Col des Saisies, Petit St Bernard, Iseran, Galibier and Alpe d'Huez - all ones that I know well and which are Tour de France classics. We took our Cannondale tandem, which has twin big discs and a SRAM XX based gearset that I had set up for the Alps and it all worked out very well. The tandem was fine, the weather mostly very good - a shower on Alpe d'Huez but that was all - and all of the passes were within our compass. We found Alpe d'Huez to be the hardest, probably because it was the last of the week, and the Petit St Bernard was quite a pull, too. But we had a good time and next year, who knows, maybe the Pyrenees ...
Mark
Mark and Magie. Oh how I envy you both what a great time you must have had together. Well done. It reminds me of my first and only cycling visit to the Alps in 1963 the year I gate crashed my wife Barbara's 21st Birthday party on 4 July and then went on to a cycling holiday with 4 club mates from my then club Long Eaton Paragon. The five of us did 650 miles in two weeks surmounting the Grand St Bernard, the Petite St Bernard, Col De Mosas, Furka, Simplon and others, not necessarily in that order, not on fixed but on 10 speed Campag with heavy saddle bags Mafac centre pull breaks and big head me was first over all of them. They were the days at the age of 22yrs. What a difference 46 years makes!
ReplyDeleteMargaret & Mark what beautiful scenery & marvellous memories you will have. Reminds Ron & me of our 3 tours before we were married. In 1953(Ron & I 23 & 21)our 580 mile tour(door to door)included the Croix de Fer,Glandon,Galibier & Iseran passes.In 1954 our 709 miles included the Gerlos, Grossglockner(French kids having a snowball fight at the top)Falzerego,Pordoi & Brenner passes.(Ron rode a 12hr next day) In 1955 our 646 miles went over the San Bernardino, Fluela, Resia, Stelvio (49 hairpins on ascent side)& Bernina passes. Ron had 4 gears, 64 down to 29.I had a 4-speed wide ratio Sturmey hub & a 3 cog block. Trips like this give you memories that last a lifetime.
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