Day 2 Macmillan Alps Challenge

Today we left the comfort of Albertville at 8am for the destination of Valloire.

The weather was horrendous and I didn't envy them at all they get my thumbs up for sure... it was cold and WET!!

The Cols they were to conquer today were Col de la Madeleine and Col du Telegraphe!

I went to the top of Madeleine armed with water and tracker bars, thankfully there was also a cafe at the top where a stop for warm drinks was necessary and well received. Driving up as I got nearer and nearer the top, visibility got worse and worse and less and less! When I got to the top it was just thick mist... with a silver car I seriously thought they wouldn't see me and I would just blend into the current scenery! As the first ones arrived... the words go for a coffee its very nice and WARM flowed and after photos had been taken next to the Madeleine sign posts one by one the tired and cold riders disappeared to get a much deserved cup of coffee (which the French do very well!) the stark reality was however... they still had a descent, lunch and one col to go!

Once most had filtered through, had coffee and started their descent I left J who had turned up to wait for the last ones and made my own descent down to the lunch stop! OH MY! I nearly had a moment that meant I needed a change of underwear!!! I was making my descent in Henry which you think would be a piece of cake in a car and no where near as hairy than a bicycle BUT with horrendous visibility I nearly missed a corner which had I, I would have been lucky to be alive and would have found myself careering towards a ski chalet! I can't even use speed as a factor because it was impossible to at any great speed... well you'd have to be a complete loon to have done it at speed!!! Thankfully my reactions are quite spot on and I managed to avoid a situation... good job there wasn't anything coming on the other side of the road though!

I was very glad to be get to the lunch stop I have to say!

The second col to be completed was telegraph and all the official bods could tell me in directions was to follow the orange spray paint markers the riders were using... not as easy in the car, subsequently I missed my turn and I ended up heading for Turin! So having taken a 10 mile detour I turned to Wendy the Sat Nav and thankfully she had Telegraph as a point of interest and got me on the right path again. Alas the weather was still horrendous and visibility was again shocking. I got a call on the hands free kit and although it was hands free I felt the need to pull in at a car park. It was M the challenge leader wanting me down at the nights hotel. I'd said to him I thought I was somewhere near the top of the Col what I hadn't realised because of the visibility was that I WAS at the top of the Col! I miss T another of the official bods completely who was up there with refreshments simply because I couldn't see him!

Once down in Valloire which was the first ski resort we stayed in, which was quite cool we got it sorted and got people sorted bikes in the store rooms, bags to owners and riders to hotel room. I managed to be on my own which I was to be honest glad of although we'd sorted S with ear plugs the night before and she'd had a good nights sleep I didn't sleep as I worried about keeping her awake.

The meal on this night was a bit disappointing too many flies around and A LOT of cheese... which I knew would bite back, but it was between eating and not eating and there wasn't a choice on the menu.

(this is my 150th blip whooop whooop!)