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.

So the day started out all right. The rain came and ended early so I left with wet roads but not wet body. I headed for small Col du Corbier and the town Morzine, which iis the start of the Col de Joux Plane. The plan was then to assess and she if I felt like doing the Colombiere today as well. As I started cycling I felt like just cruising today, taking my time, and taking in the new country I had entered.

The Corbier was was a minor col, and not famous by any means but it was a nice road that meandered through French villages. I was amazed that even on this unknown climb there were signs showing how far to the top and the percentage gradient. I think France is quite into cycling!

From there I arrived in the ski village Morzine, and found myself drawn to the info board on the Col de Joux Plane - although this is a lot more famous climb I was still amazed that they had invested so much into cycling. I had decided to attack Joux Plane from Morzine because it was the obvious route in which I was traveling, but it is known as the easier side of the two. I was eager to find out.

Off I went following the signs pointing to Joux Plane, and counting down the cycling signs every kilometre that state the distance to go and the gradient. I was taken in by the surroundings as I cycled on, only the think after a while that it was odd how there were no more kilometre signs. I had turned the route in Mr Garmin off a while back as after trying to take me down the wrong way of a one way street, down a gravel road, and then down some stairs I had lost faith in its direction finding trustworthiness. So I turned Mr Garmin's route back on only to find I was miles off course. Whoops. Oh well, back down the hill I had been climbing and start again on the right hill.

Once on the right road the climb kicks straight in at 10-12% just to wake you up. I don't recall that in my research! I managed to keep my heart rate down though and just plug away at it. Unlike yesterday where I didn't once use the granny gear, today I was immediately there and stayed all the way up the hill pretty much. It only stays there for a couple kilometres though before it comes down to 7% where it stays for most of the remaining climb. It's not all bad though as there were also some flatter bits to get your breath back.

It is a quiet road as it goes up, but I think I found the reason why after climbing four fifths of it...

I had seen some random signs about a kilometre back but they didn't make immediate sense so I forgot about them. I had a look forward on the road and saw nothing wrong, and I saw a gap big enough to get around the road block so I just cracked on - worst case is I have to come back down right! After a while I then came across the problem which was no problem for bikes, bad news for cars.

So around I went and carried on for the remaining couple of kilometres until I started seeing glimpses of a huge snow covered mountain in the distance. Mont Blanc! The clouds had all but gone, except some crowding her 4,800m high summit. I stopped for some photos and continued on.

Zoomed in view

At the top there is a nice lake, a restaurant, and a sign in which pictures must be taken of. The climb itself was nice, and one of those ones that on paper seems easier than it is in reality. The views at the top are worth it alone!

After an omelette at the restaurant I made my way down hill. The road was amazing rubbish and very bumpy! I was taking things slow. Then after one corner about 2kms into the descent a heard a noise as if something was in the spokes, and then the wheel locked up. As I was stopping I looked back to see some black things bouncing off the road and for some reason immediately thought that rear triangle of the frame had busted. Just before stopping the rear wheel also popped as it had been locked up for so long and was worn through. Once stopped I saw the issue and thankfully it was not the frame; in fact the frame withstood it very well. What I saw was the selfie stick, which normally lives on the rear bag, pretty much text book through the spokes of the back wheel from one side of the wheel to the other.

The stick obviously stopped moving when it hit the seat stays (the tubes from the back wheel to the saddle) and so the next weakest link broke, which was the spokes until it broke three of them and then locked up the rear wheel.

So, not being able to do anything to get the bike back ridable I started the 10km walk down the hill to the nearest town (thankfully it was a town, not a village!). After about only 5 minutes I heard a car, put out my thumb and they stopped and picked me up. I spoke no French, they no English, but I could tell it was the middle aged woman who was in charge in that relationship and thankfully she told her husband they were taking me to Samoens. She also assisted him by directing him how to do the quick route which was incidentally not inline with the many street signs leading to the town. Am very, very grateful though that they picked me up, I don't even know if they were going that way or anything so tried my best to thank them profusely.

So now I am in Samoens, and thankfully as I meandered the streets looking for a place to stay I saw a couple of bike shops so that is awesome for tomorrow as well. Hopefully they can fix Rose up quickly!

Even with that slight mechanical difficulty today was an awesome day of taking in France and seeing some amazing sights. Well pleased!

Fingers crossed things get fixed fast tomorrow (not hopeful) and then I will be on my way again.

Highlight: Eating an omelette overlooking the views to Mont Blanc.
Lowlight: Well the mechanical issue lists quite high in this genre I think!
Lesson Learned: The selfie stick has lived on the back bag for three weeks without issue, never a concern. A few minutes before the incident though I had a feeling to check it for some reason, and I thought I would do it at the bottom of the hill. Lesson is listen to the gut, huh!