Now the dust has settled

Packing up Rose at Nice airport

Well, I'm home now but what a way to finish a great adventure! Ventoux was the last of my climbs. From there I went to Nice for a few days before flying home to New Zealand. It was a great end to a fantastic adventure, but I suppose you want to hear about the numbers…

Did it! Mont Ventoux three times in one day

So wow, what a day! One of the big names for mountains to climb, and I did it three times just because the first time was so great. I did get a puncture though, saw the memorial of someone who died climbing the mountain, and more white rocks that you can shake a stick at.

Mont Ventoux three ways!

The mast atop the Mont Ventoux summit which can be seen for miles around

The infamous Mont Ventoux. A mountain that stands by itself in amongst almost flat land. Three roads up from three different towns, all over 20 kilomtres away from the summit. I cycled all three today.

Most metres climbed by a Kiwi....or at least Strava thinks so

Taken at 2pm, but it felt like dusk

Well the weatherman promised it to be light rain and winds last night. Turns out overnight he changed his mind and this morning it was thunderstorms and gale force winds. Not the best weather for climbing mountains. So I stayed in and looked at my Strava data....

Little bit wet today

Well a little bit cold and a little bit wet today – starting to sound like a cracked record with the cold huh! Still, I saw a lot of lavender fields, a very pretty gorge and bumped into a couple of small cols.

Bit of a let down to end the Alps chapter with Bonette closed

Just a random peak with some clouds playing on it

Well today didn’t go as planned, and I have had to miss out on climbing the Bonette which is a real shame but out of my control. However, I did get to ride a big red bike, see some people playing petanque, and saw more of the country today whilst looking for a place to stay. Not as expected today, but certainly not bad.

Almost didn't get to the top

Tough day in the saddle today for the last of the second climb, but got to the top and had a great day. I saw a desert in the hills, the Combi guys again, and some random looking white water rafting guys looking for a way into a gorge.

Recovery ride

Beautiful lake, but no one on it - maybe because it was Monday?

Well today was about some recovery for the legs but I didn't want to be static. A short ride with not too much in the way of climbing allowed me to finish the detour I started yesterday and prepare for the next few days, which will be tough.

The massive detour!

So point A was were I was last night, point B is where I wanted to go. The red skull and cross bones are where the road is closed. The blue lines ended up being the only options. Choices, choices.

Tough day!

Top of the Col de Sarenne

well, a tough old day in the saddle today. I think I had forgotten what it was like to carry 7kgs of additional weight with me and struggled a lot on the climbs. I also saw a big red bike, did Alpe d'Huez one and a quarter times by mistake and saw a big rock and a house. Still, another day of oer 3,500m of climbing and another couple of HC climbs done (HC stands for hors catagorie, which is designated when a climb is "beyond categorisation, as in it is really hard).

Galibier, Galibi-yeah!

An incredible day! Sometimes you get excited about something and when you see/do it will let you down, other times it will exceed expectations. Today was a day of exceeded expectations! I touched some snow, saw some art made out of hay, and saw a town that enjoyed a lot of wooden animal carvings. Ripper day!

Sore feet but a stunning day

High altitude fishing. Unsure what he was trying to catch but the view is worth it!

Such a stunning day weather wise, and a stunning climb to match (with a couple of other good ones as well). I had to give way to cows, saw a man fishing in a pond at 2,000m altitude, and have sore feet from wearing my icebreaker socks.

Surprise snow fall

That gap in the mountains in normally filled with the Madeleine

So the rain I expected to fall yesterday and overnight was delayed unfortunately, and also carried with it a lot of snow. The kind receptionist informed me this morning that snow had fallen to 1,400m overnight. No problem, over breakfast I make a quick change to the plan got dressed and ready. 

Doing up my laces!

Top of the Lacets de Montvernier

Interesting day. Started off amazing with the Lacets de Montvernier, then was OK over the Chaussy and up the Madeleine, then finished off amazing with one of the most fun descents so far. I saw lots of bikes used as decorations, a VW Combi gathering, and saw lots of roads carved into the sides of hills.

Testing the waters after tummy trouble yesterday

Nice day for it!

Well after a day of tummy trouble yesterday and not eating anything all day, today everything seemed fine. Just to make sure I only did a small ride and thankfully all seems well! Had a great day up to the Col du Grand Cucheron, saw Obelix (from Asterix and Obelix fame), and Rose sat in a meadow.

Two climbs to lakes, and sun!

Yesterday I ended after climbing the highest paved mountain pass in Europe (forgot to mention that), and today I have finished surrounded by famous Tour de France climbs. It is all going well! I climbed into clouds again, I saw two lakes, I got smashed by a headwind again, got pulled off a motorway, and raced against to try and beat the rain...again. But it was a great day!

Rain delayed but one of the best climbs to date!

Rain, rain go away...

Well today started out as planned, until it rained just as I was on the road. I waited it out before heading off to see the best dressed stop/go man I have ever seen, saw some famous ski fields (again), got sleeted on (better than rain!) and have a new best ride to date. So all up, after a rubbish start it all turned out aces!

Going to see Bernard's second home

It got a bit wet today

What an awesome day! I was tricked by the weather reports, eat some crepes, saw some random carved animals, met up with St Bernard again, had a hard time against a headwind again, and got drenched on the way home. It was just awesome at the top though and well worth it!

Not the best of days, not the worst of days

Umm, looks like a slight detour may be in order

Well today I was rained on, my front wheel slid out (twice!), was almost blown off by strong winds, had to make a bit off a detour because of a blocked road. I guess sometimes the universe is trying to hint a bit huh, so I cut things short today. But, the top of the Cormet de Roselend was just awesome even if there were no crepes up there!

Back on the road again!

Top of the Colombiere!

Well Rose is back on the road and to prove it she went over four (well, three and a half really) cols (mountain passes) and her new shiny wheel went well too! Today I saw about a million ski fields, a red and white striped bike, had a small nose to tail with a car, and saw a random place to try and sell cow hides. Interesting day!

Took all day but she is ready to go again!

Old

New

Fixed! So an all day affair but all is fixed by way of a new wheel and tyre. Other than that I planned some more today, ate, struggled with the French language, ate, looked around Samoens a bit, slept a bit then eat again. There were also thunder storms today so a good day to not be stuck on a bike.

Slight technical issue stopped things short...

So spokes are supposed to be straight and also all there I assume....

Well today was different! I dodged rain, had a bit of a tiki-tour when I missed a sign post whilst admiring France, saw Mont Blanc, and then my selfie stick fell off my bag and jammed itself in the rear wheel locking it up and breaking some spokes. Still was an amazing day even if this will cause some delay I suspect.

Start of the France chapter of this adventure

Saint Bernard at the top of the Grand St Bernard Pass

So I decided that yesterday's plan was rubbish and so changed everything after "get to the top of Grand St Bernard". I had a great day because of it, although got on the wrong train in the morning, had to go an extra 20kms as Google thought the address for my booked accommodation was different to where it actually was, and the Spot Tracker ran out of batteries. However, I did miss the rain by about 2 minutes so all is well that ends well. And I am now in France!!

A slight oversight in planning

Ivrea - shop shutters all closed as was 1pm

Well a little bit of an "hmmm, oh!" moment last night when planing the next wee while, in that it was logistically harder than previous routing on this trip. So much so that I have taken a day to try and piece together where to from here - and the obligatory look over Rose!

The Switzerland bypass

Lots of horizon all day

Well today was about zig zagging my way from Como over to the Italian side of the Alps, trying to avoid the motorways. It was a day of going around a lot of roundabouts, having a bit of a wonder around Como, and seeing a lot of the horizon due to the flatness of thee land.

Paying homage to the Patron Saint of cycling

La Madonna del Ghisallo - spiritual home of cycling

A quieter day today with only two small climbs, but also a visit to the Patron Saint of Cycling, a cycling museum and grinding up a 25% climb. It was just nice and relaxing cruising around the picturesque Lake Como.

Down from the cold to the warmth of Italy

Met a friend along the way

What a cool day! Started with some downhill, then some uphill, then some horrific headwind past some stunning lakes on the plateau by Saint Moritz, then more downhill, then less headwind into Colico Piano by a lake to take (purely by chance) the last available room in the town. Would have been nicer to finish up a bit earlier but that is the reality of cycling, some days the wind is behind you and some days it is in front of you.

Mentally a tough day today

A lake at the top of Fluela Pass

Today was tough, mentally. It started with a lot of faffing and a late start, a lot of talking to myself to keep going and a lot of reminders to look at thee views. And with that I managed to ticked off the Fuorn and Fluela Passes, my goal for today. I passed into a new country, saw the scenery change from lush green to brown rugged, and took off and put on my warm clothes a million times or so.

I touched the snow!

I'm in the snow!

Well today was a bit different. I saw lots of snow, I think my fingers almost fell off from cold, I got yelled at by an artist, I got confused as to which language I was supposed to speak, and saw a bell tower just sticking out of a lake. All of it very cool!

Waiting for the snow to stop falling in Bormio

Old stuff and mountains in Bormio

Yep “major snowing” up the Stelvio this morning when I checked the weather, so enforced rest day today. Took the chance to try and plan ahead and catch up with the blog (really poor internet in Italy makes it hard and time consuming waiting for a connection most of the time), giving Rose the once over and having a look around Bormio – and rest of course.

Almost touching snow!

Almost at the top of the Gavia

One day I’m worried about the heat, not too many days later and am worried about the snow. My how things change! Short day today, just up and over the Passo Gavia into Bormio. Along the way I took too long taking photos, was hot and cold at the same time, and saw a pink bike. Didn’t do as much as I wanted today, but as this was due to just wanting to take in all of the Gavia it was well worth the shorter distance covered.

Rose shedding kilos

Switchback 11 on Mortirolo and the Pantani Memorial

Two monsters tamed, what an awesome day! The lesser known Monte Padrio followed by infamous Mortirolo, one of the greats. Along the way I said hello to Marco Pantani, got chased by a peloton of flies, and was thankful when the gradient come down to 12% as it meant I could have a rest. Today was a day I would repeat.

Passo del Tonale in rain, thunder and lightening!

This is my "I'm freezing" pose

Well didn’t get quite as far as I expected today due to some heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightening but still got over the Passo del Tonale and have moved back into ski village country.

Bikes on a pole

Bikes on a pole

Been blessed with this sunny weather and it still continued today. Passo Manghen was a lot more worthwhile than I expected, and the downhill was even better. I also met some more singing Italian cyclists, met with more first headwind, and saw some bikes on a pole.

Monte Grappa

Solemn place at the top of Monte Grappa

Well that was a day of two halves! Rose got the all clear from the doctor, Monte Grappa was amazing for the climb and the memorial, but my route from there on was a bit rubbish and more struggles with accommodation. Not complaining, was still more fond memories than forgettable ones.

Day off waiting for a bike shop to open

Bassano del Grappa old town

So a day off today. Didn't intend it but ended up being a nice day looking around an old city.

To the flat lands!

Cruising around Bassano del Grappa

From sharp, rugged peaks to lush green flat (ish) lands gret day! I heard Italian cyclists singing to themselves, have a new best climb, and couldn't find accommodation again. Was still a great day even if the end was a bit frustrating.

Some more Giro classic passes

Well a bit of an easier day, but still three of the Giro classic passes done and am still taken by the scenery. These passes have been around since climbs started in the Giro, unlike ones like Zoncolon which are relatively new to the scene. Today, I also got mistaken for being Italian, Rose developed a knocking sound, and I had to drown myself in a fountain in a town square as I was so hot.

3 Passes 1 Day

Top of Passo Giau

Another great day of sunshine and hills in the Dolomites. Three passes done, all over 2,000m, and 3,000m in total ascended again for the third day on the trot. It seems I never left the ski fields though, or the overbearing rocky peaks, but am positive I saw Alberto Contador so that was a little different.

Big sky riding in the Dolomites

Big mountains and a Rifugio

Wow, another big climbing day for me today but I saw up close and personal the Dolomites, which are very much worth going out of your way for if you like that sort of thing.

Monte Zoncolan, Monte Crostis double.

Zoncolan and Crostis done. At the top of Moonte Crostis (the road anyway) just under 2,000m up

What a day! Two big climbs done in a mixture of rain, mist, wind and sun. Monte Zoncolan lived up to its hype and was a constant 12%+ gradient, but Monte Crostis was a little wolf in sheep's clothes. Still, they were both worth the ride, even with the not so perfect weather.

Maintenance Day

Looking busy...

Day off the bike today here in Villa Santina. Don't know if it was needed but just trying to be prudent as I don't want to spoil this ride with an injury, or overdoing it early on. It did give me some time to plan the route ahead though, do some bits and pieces to the bike (still can't find that squeak in my pedals), and have a little lie down in the afternoon which is always nice.

Finding Italy

Well first time in this country, and it is overdue. Today was a bit different in that my purpose was to relocate near Mont Zoncolan and Crostis which involved some uphills, some downhills, some proper pasta for the first time,  and a lot of trouble finding accommodation which meant going further away and farther down hill than I wanted. But still, there were some great moments of course and an all round superb day again.

Grossglockner Hochalpinstrasse

Looking down on on the road up to the top of the Grossglockner Pass

What a day! Skirting up a valley through small towns, seeing the World Champs for Grass Skiing, watching Austrians go about their business on a sunny Saturday, finally seeing other people wearing helmets, climbing to over 2,500m and being surrounded by behemoth mountains where ever the eye looks. Unforgettable!

Kitzbuheler Horn....done!

The view from the top of Ketzbuheler Horn

Boom, one down! Certainly didn't start out easy on this trip going from New Zealand straight into a Category 1 climb off the bat, but may as well jump in the deep end and see what happens...and I did it! So happy.

And we are underway....

Man, what an awesome day! Today was all about heading south and into the Alps, but it was awesome to actually finally to get going.

Rose fashionably late as always

Yusssss, she has arrived! It took all day but Rose has arrived. Am so happy, there was a point mid afternoon where I started to think of worse case scenario and at what point I would just go out and buy everything new and just get going. Luckily it didn't come to that though! 

Something's missing

Easing into holiday mode in a Beer Garden in Erding

Wie gehts? So after a great start to the trip and two good 12 hour flights I arrived into Munich this afternoon. Unfortunately, Rose did not. Delays in getting into LA meant there was not enough time to go through customs, retrieve luggage, recheck luggage, go through customs again and have Rose make it to the plane's hold. It was a close call for me too - you know you are cutting it fine when you start to hear your name being called on the loud speaker. Oh well, what can you do?

It's business time!

Today is the day! Everything all packed into the cardboard bike box nice and snuggly with copious amounts of bubble wrap and the whole thing weighed in at a measly 11kgs - awesome. Flew through check-in with no additional fees for the oversize box, so that was a weight off my shoulders too (many thanks Air NZ). So now it is waiting to board, and fingers crossed the two hour connection in LA is long enough to recheck my bike box in time for my connecting flight to Munich.

It's getting real!

A little bit of New Zealand travelling with me

One day before I go, things are getting real! Today was a relaxing day of spending time with Holly, saying goodbye to people, and creating some sunny Auckland memories.