A big ride

I did a big ride yesterday with some expats and locals, organized by Russell, the guy behind www.grenoblecycling.com.  It was some of the most beautiful and empty countryside I have ridden in.  It always amazes me how sparsely populated some of these areas are despite being a short drive from Grenoble.  We spent most of the time in the Trieves, winding through small roads and a few familiar places like Mens.  The English guys would sprint for almost every town sign, with me usually getting dropped, but I got a few of them at the top of climbs (after the strong climber herd had been thinned a bit!).  There were options for 100, 130 and 150 km (a bit over 90 miles) and it took a lot of motivation to keep choosing the harder option, particularly because my legs felt like lead weights after around 90km.  The last half was pretty intense, with a group of three of us alternatively running out of gas and then getting some new power and contesting town lines.

Along the way, they had feed zones, where the organizers had set up stands with water, juice, oranges, cakes, bread, and of course wine.  They seemed very surprised to see so many English guys, and even more surprised to see an American!  At each feed zone, you get a stamp (above) on your card.

It started raining pretty hard in the last 10 or so km, so we were totally soaked by the end, but the mild discomfort of the rain was eclipsed by the leg cramps.

All told, a great day in a beautiful area.  150km and 3000 meters of gain.  Best of all, no debilitating knee pain, like my last big ride.