The Sun is Out

I rode to the top of the Cormet de Roselend today.  One hundred kilometers (62 miles) roundtrip with over 1800 meters (6000 feet) of elevation gain.  The sun was out, and the view was great.  The only thing bad that happened was when a water bottle (the full one of course) bounced out somewhere on the descent.  By the way, you get down the climb a lot faster.

The weather yesterday was terrible in the morning.  I met the Veloski group at 9 AM with the intention of riding up toward the Cormet de Roselend for an hour or two and then turning around.  Three hours for the first day would be enough.  It started raining about 20 minutes into the climb, so I turned around early.  I ended up riding over the Col du Vorger on the other side of the valley, and it was raining hard when I went over the top.

The Veloski group went on to the top of the Cormet de Roselend, descended to Bourg St. Maurice, and then climbed up to Val d'Isère.  Fortunately, the sun came out on top of the Roselend, as the descent on the other side has a reputation of being particularly nasty.  Just ask Johan Brunyeel.  He went over the edge into a ravine the 1996 Tour de France.  Fortunately, he survived without serious injury.

I have several other small victories to report.

• I purchased a new SIM card for my French cell phone, as the old number expired.  The cost was only 9 euros.
• I managed to find a replacement mount for the Garmin on my bike.  The cost of the cheap plastic part was 12 euros.
• The ATM is right across the street from my hotel.  My debit card works.
• The coin laundry is right around the corner from my hotel.  I plan to try it out tomorrow.