July 20 -- L'Alpe d'Huez

Yesterday we drove from Marseille to our hotel near the base of L'Alpe d'Huez and the usual hilarity ensued. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to drive around in an area that refuses to post street signs. We did about 3 hours on the highway and that was fine but then we had to take little windy roads up into the Alps. April got a little carsick-- actually I'm not sure if it was all carsickness or a combination of that and nervousness from what was awaiting me the next day.

Our hotel was in a place called Allemont about 6 miles from the base of L'Alpe d'Huez. Alpe d'Huez is one of the famous climbs the pros climb during the Tour de France. Our hotel was pretty nice, it had a waterfall out back. However, by 8:30 everything was closed and we were still hungry because dinner at the hotel wasn't enough (this may only apply to Tom).

We got up early today to go rent bikes and were starting the climb just before 10 AM. The climb was really tough-- especially considering the fact that the only exercise we did over the past two weeks was a lot of walking and the bike ride around the grounds of Versailles which wasn't much-- and Tom's knee was bothering him ever since because those bikes were kind of crappy.

The climb was 8 miles long and 3700 feet of elevation gain. There are 21 switchbacks which thank god are numbered so you can keep track of how much pain is left. Luckily the ride is shaded for a good portion and clouds did the rest so it wasn't too hot. It took Tom a little over an hour and a half and April about 10 minutes longer. Even though we rode apart, there were plenty of flies to keep us company. We were going so slow, I think they thought we were ready to die. I do remember seeing some vultures skulking about come to think of it.

At the top there was a cozy little village with a street market, We grabbed some drinks and rested before we heading back down the treacherous descent. We stopped every so often because our rims were heating up due to the constant braking to slow us down. At some point Tom got a flat and we had to put on a spare inner tube. It actually went pretty well, but the hand pump wasn't very effective. Not to mention, only 2 bikers out of at least a dozen asked if we needed help. Poor form!

We were happy to make it down safely and decided that we'd see if we could find a place to stay in town since we didn't have a hotel for tonight and didn't feel like sticking with the original plan and heading to Lyon or Grenoble. Luckily there was a hotel right downtown with an available room, so here we rest our heads tonight. Tomorrow it's off to Interlaken, Switzerland for 3 days.