2010 Summer Tour!! Cycle the Grande Traversee des Alpes!!

2010 Summer Tour- Cycle the Grande Traversee des Alpes with GrandeTours!!

2010 Summer Tour!! Cycle the Pyrenees!

2010 Summer Tour-Cycle through the Pyrenees with GrandeTours!!

Well, look at the picture, we are spending our last night, 20 kilometers from Nice, the climbing is complete. Five hundred miles, 75,000 to 100,000 feet of climbing. We all had a great time and I will take comments from the group.

Will post more later.

We are now in the village of Bourg St Maurice. Today we did our first big pass, the Cormet de Roseland, elevation 1967 meters. Even though we completed a total of just under 7,000 feet of climbing, Martin decided to complete it again. So he and Sang took off from Bourg back up to the top of Cormet de Roseland. Everyone has been doing really good; maybe Leroy Cruton needs a bit more rest. Here are some more pics.

Robin and Toby at the top of the climb.

The team at the top of Cormet de Roseland

These pictures show the dangers of trying to eat your way across France. Way too many dinners, lunches, breakfasts, and way too much wine!!!!

Look at the decent, 3,600 feet down. Martin got over 50 mph on his second blast down off the Col.

Tomorrow we go for the Col de l'iseran.

Today, we had a fun and easy ride from Geneva to Thonon les Bain. Below are some pictures. It was all pretty much flat and we cycled through a number of midieval villages. The weather has been a little iffy with rain last night. Tomorrow we start the first day of climbing with a total of 1170 meters. We spend tomorrow night in a village named, La Clusaz.

Day One with the Team

Yesterday and today we all finally arrived in La Turbie to see the Tour de France. Day one, Saturday, started with lunch and wine. After lunch, with the assistance of Bill in Seattle, we tried to find Shelley's bike. It did not arrive with her and we have been looking for it ever since. British Airways did not have a record of ever seeing the bike!!!

Finally decided to walk down and watch the first day of the Tour which started in Monaco and was a time trial. Robin is seen here giving Lance some tips on his technique.

Today, under the leadership of Martin we impressed the Europeans with our sophistication.

The Beginning

All you! Bonjour! This first entry is really only a test run --- a "taste" for those who will join us here in France this summer.....and a temptation for those who might in the future. All is lovely --- the countryside; the old cities, towns and hamlets dotting the country; and the people (who are warmed + humored by our attempts at their complicated language nuances). OK, French language school, truly, proves to be a challenge. In fact, a guy in Toby's class said it so well yesterday when he noted, just when you hope that the information will come trickling out they open up the fire hydrant and you get blown away......and so we are. C'est la vie!