Day 3 - Reliving a Tour stage

After a decent sleep we had to walk (which we are now trying to avoid as much as possible) down to a "classic" French camping dining hall. Slurped some coffee from a bowl (I guess that's how French campers do it), ate the usual delicious bread and cheese and set off to tackle the hardest stage of this year's Tour de France (+15 miles!?!?). After a fast 25 mile peleton rollout led by the pro riders the pain began. My knee started screaming at me less than half way up the Télégraphe but somehow the combination of the "shut up" mantra and a bit of luck it quieted down for most of the ride. I found myself reliving the Tour through much of the ride truly marveling the speed with which those riders dance up the mountains - unbelievable. Cresting the Col du Galibier was quite a rush but not nearly as much as the downhill to follow. After a near death encounter with 2 motorcycles at 40mph and many switchbacks, the ride took us to the base of the famous Alp d'Huez (our backs splattered with French tunnel sweat). 22 switchbacks and 4000 more feet of climbing is not really what we were looking for after 72 miles. Up I went - counting down the famous curves one by one ... the juxtaposition of the surrounding beauty and inner suffering was to a degree that I'm not quite familiar. I found myself trying to waste time by reading the recently painted roads "Go Alberto!" and eventually crested the top of perhaps the most famous climb in cycling. The fatigue is beyond words. Pizza for dinner...