Cyclopaat, an alter ego with a twist
As expected, despite the fatigue, the ride up the Madeleine from La Léchère was easier than the one from La Chambre on Monday.
The altitude gain is about the same, but you have some 5 kilometers more to conquer that.
Too bad the weather was not really cooperating – it would frequently drizzle just enough to soak all clothes, but the temperature was not unpleasant…
This time, both restaurants at the summit were open and I had a good omelette at ‘Les Deux Mazots’.
Silly me. When I plotted this – originally 185 kilometer long – course, I was like ‘Oh, that’s 60 to 70 kilometers downhill after the Iseran – easy, peasy’…
So, I was confident I would bring this ‘Queen’s Stage’ to a good end – I guess I more or less did, but once again, my mildly disturbing optimism regarding my abilities, almost got the better of me.
Anyway, the Iseran itself was not all that interesting up to Val d’Isère, although the views passing the Lac du Chevril were already much better.
