Very Bad Trip: Cols de Telegraf and du Galibier

davidof

Mike and I cycled up to the Col du Galibier today, the first day of opening for the summer 2013 season. Already a lot of Dutch on the roads. Torrential rain for a lot of the climb to the Col de Telegraph including lightening strikes. I only took pics when the rain eased off. As we hoped the rain stopped for the descent to Valloire which let us dry off a bit. We then hit a major headwind up to Plan Lachat which began to turn on the climb from Lachat to the Tunnel so not so bad then died completely up to the Col where we were hit by the foehn wind again. Very poor conditions on the Lauteret side.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6GKMOgb0Og

We didn't hang around too long, Mike arrived the better part of 10 minutes ahead of me at the Col having dropping me on the steep sections. There is not too much snow on the last bits of the climb, probably all the mega snow clearing could have waited for the natural spring melt. We had lunch at the chalet du Plan Lachet, very good service and value and a chance to warm up in front of the stove - it was sleeting at the col. Then down to Valloire and the reclimb to the Tele where - it was raining again but nowhere near as heavily as earlier. Back at the car we just had time to put the bikes in the back and change before a mega storm hit. We had a lot of luck but not everyone would have escaped as lightly as us.

Probably several hundred on the ride that we saw.