Rush raids the Alps

Raid Alpine, 2014: Stage 1 – Thonon-les-Bains to Megeve

AT 8:30 the next morning we roll out behind the two vans for the 2km preamble into Thonon-les-Bains; the formal start point of the Raid Alpine. People expecting to be fast also put their day bags in the black van which will take the lead. My day bag is most definitely with Neil in the silver van which will bring up the rear.

The vans will leapfrog us on the bikes to direct us through important junctions, remind us to have our control cards stamped in the various towns and wait for us with snacks, water and clothing changes at the tops and bottoms of climbs. Luxury.

Photocall complete in the town square by the lake, we set off together uphill. This is the only time we will ride as group.

On leaving the centre of town we pick up part of yesterday’s warm-up route and continue to climb until, after 20 or so minutes we reach a turn off that announces the start of the col proper. The road does not level out, it steps up in hairpins that offer the closest semblance of relief from the relentless incline.

My cadence drops and I stand up, grinding away at about 65 rpm. I emerge from the trees on to the Alpine meadow of the Col de Moises to be greeted by Neil and the silver van with its water, muesili bars, nuts, MandMs, jellies, fresh and dried fruit, all of which are gobbled by a handful of riders doing a good impression of hungry seagulls.

There is 2km descent to get our first control stamp at a village bakery before the short climb up to the Col de Terramont.

I’m 5m behind the van when we enter a 3km section of deep gravel, up over the wheel-rims – roadworks supposedly. It’s scary, slide-through-turn stuff. Unable to stand, I struggle to keep any momentum and am saved by the bell from an ignominious walk when the asphalt returns. But the surface has distracted me from the hill – I crest the col and chat with Neil about which vehicle had less control on the gravel.

“The only civilised way to the tops of these peaks is on electrically powered chairlifts – and here I am on a bike!”

He advises all to don more clothing for the descent. I add only a gilet. As we fly through the trees at 60kmh on the descent it is rapidly apparent this is not enough despite the 22C air temperature. Arms in agony, legs numb and teeth chattering with cold it is another lesson forcibly learned.

Stopped at the base of the descent, as much to get warm than for snacks (which I don’t refuse), I ask, “Where to now?” “Up that way; the Col de la Ramaz.”

Oh. Back uphill. The penny drops. There will be very, very few flat kilometres this week.

This is the first really big climb. What has passed is only the approach. It seems to go on forever although it is just a bit under 10km. It just keeps getting steeper too, with the kilometre road markers stating first 7.5%, then into the 8’s and on to 9.5% before dropping back to a manageable 6.5%.

The last bit is a lie of averages – it kicks up to 13% before gently rolling down into the ski resort of Sommand. The col crests 3km further but these are all safely below 7% – my new established intimidation threshold.

The descent is fast, damp and scary. Long straights between the hairpins allow huge accumulations of speed. It occurs to me that thismust be a real challenge for the groups doing this route south to north (the original direction).

Both my forearms and wheel rims are burning by the time the road flattens near the ski resorts of Les Gets et Morzine. I’m familiar with this area due to the concentration of world class ski centres.

I’ve repeatedly stated that the only civilised way to the tops of these peaks is on an electrically powered chairlifts – and here I am on my bike!

Lunch, a ham panini and coke, is in the bar of a thousand flies, so we get going quickly up the draggy Araches Les Frasses.

The sunny, twisty descent is in contrast to the last and leads to the only flat stretch of the week, 10km along the valley floor, and our first sight of Mont Blanc.

We pause in the town of Sallanches to savour the view with the smallest glasses of beer we’ve seen. A 150ml glass gives about two mouthfuls, but allows us to claim we stopped for a few beers.

The climb to the posh ski town of Megeve 500m higher is more relaxed than I’d expected and I’m relieved to still have something in the tank.

At the end of the day we have covered 113kms and climbed 2750m and all home by six.