Although today we covered our shortest distance yet - only 46 miles - it has been a real highlight of the trip and we feel a great sense of achievement.
We started off the day with 2 punctures in quick succession but after this we got some serious cycling done.
Our first climb from Martigny to Verbier was very tough as we rose 1000m in altitude within quite a short space of time - this gradient in the midday sun really got our hearts racing! However we got a good lunch in Verbier to make up for it. Quite expensive though - we didn't want to buy the restaurant, we just wanted a meal!
This climb turned out just to be a warm-up for what was to come.
To reach the Col du Grand Saint Bernard we had to climb from 400m to 2,472m. It seemed never-ending.
Again we saw some staggering scenery (see below) and lots of road works in preparation for the Tour de France. We were grateful for our lights and high-vis vests when we were passing through contraflows in the Grand St Bernard tunnels.
It was freezing cold as we approached the summit this evening - at points there was a metre thickness of snow at the side of the road and we could see our breathe as we neared the top.
We have stopped tonight at the top of the Col du Grand St Bernard and when we arrived there was a group of drunk Swiss people who started laughing and calling dad 'Pantani'. There was a good atmosphere and they were singing in French. We enjoyed our hot chocolates and liqueurs!
We also received word from Picinisco that we appeared today in a local Italian newspaper. The lengthy article discusses both our trip and Dino and Oresto's.
All in all we've had a great day and tomorrow we will arrive in Italy! Almost on the home straight.
(posted 11/07/09 at 00:31)
