Day 9-Tour de France Stage 11, COL DU TÉLÉGRAPHE

 It was a Tour de France Day for us, so that means we were up, dressed, and in our car by 4:45 PM.  The drive to where we hope to watch the race is always filled with tension.  Will be be able to find an open boulangerie so early?  Will there be some surprise road closures?  Will be be able to find a good viewing spot?  

 We found an open boulangerie where we purchased croissants for breakfast and ham and cheese sandwich on a baguette.   The road was open, and we found a good viewing spot with plenty of space, less than ¼ mile from the summit of the Col du Telegraphe.  We couldn't be happier.

All these other campers were here before us.

 

It was 6:30 AM and the riders weren’t due until 2:45 PM, so we now had lots of time to put together our 36 euro tent, enjoy the mountain scenery, and watch the continuous parade of spectators who share our love for the Tour de France.

France has been in a continuous heat wave since we arrived; daily temps in the 90’s with the Alpes no exception, so we were ecstatic to have our 36 Euro  tent which provided us with all the shade we needed.  Our tent was very flimsy; what can you expect for that price, so fortunately the wind never picked up too much.

Wout van Aert leading all racers.

The yellow jersey of the overall leader after 10 stages, Tadej Pogačar, from Slovenia.  Pogačar ending up cracking on the final climb of this stage.  He came in more than two minutes behind Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard. 

Peter Sagan, the stripes on his sleeves indicating he was a world champion. Sadly he has not regained that form.

The first riders passed us at 2:57 pm, and the last rider, who is referred to as the Lanterne Rouge, came by at 3:15 pm.  Caleb Ewen, one of the best sprinters in the Tour, enjoyed that designation.  Sprinters have no expectations of a stage victory in the mountains.  They just want to finish within the designated cut-off time so they continue to race another day.  

 

Once the Lantern Rouge passed us, the exodus down the mountain begins for spectators.  This same mountain pass is being used on  tomorrow’s stage 12, although the riders will be going in the opposite directions, so many of spectators were remaining.  The spectators in the campervans who follow the Tour for multiple stages are referred to as “The Schluge”.  

 

The drive back to Grenoble was an easy one with none of the normal traffic jams that you encounter when leaving a mountain stage of the Tour.  We hot, sweaty, and tired, but he had enough time to relax, and shower before walking to our 8:00 pm dinner reservation.

 

We dined at Ardoise, a restaurant that features typical Savoyard cuisine.  Joni and I both had escargots, a leg of lamb with Lyonnaise potatoes, and dessert.  The potatoes were so good they could have been a meal in themselves.  Lastly we accompanied our meal with a fine red Bordeaux from Médoc.

 

Sleep came quickly on Day 9.