Tour de France stage 14 [Col du Granier: 7/13]

I made the climb up in about an hour and 45min, getting to the summit in plenty of time to wander around the massive crowds and take in the spectacle of a true Tour climb. Fans everywhere, some dressed up in funny costumes, waving flags, milling around with picnics and wine while we all awaited the racers. Super good vibes up here at 1240meters, and the scenery wasn't bad either!

Col du Granier summit- the second Category 1 climb of today's stage

I made friends with a group of local French cyclists who invited me to share their in food & wine- one guy in particular spoke pretty good English and we had a nice time talking about cycling, the Alpes, and how pitiful my French pronunciation is.

A fellow Cadel Evans fan was more dedicated to the cause than myself:

Finally the racers tore up the hill like it was a false-flat with a tailwind... they were seriously moving! Here's the breakaway with my hometown team Garmin's David Millar in the mix- he would go on to win the stage today:

And my favorite Cadel Evans back towards the front of the main group. He's riding ok but not in contention for the Podium this year, certainly not a repeat of his victory last year...

Yep folks, perhaps the fans are more entertaining than the racers:

Being fairly far into the today's stage and being the second hard climb, the racers were pretty spread out by the time they passed us and it took a good 25 minutes for them all to go by. Much better bang for the buck up at the top of the Col!

After it all wound down, I made a screaming descent down the route that the racers had ascended and followed the rollers all the way into Grenoble. It's a neat city flanked on all sides by towering mountains and has a really good energy. No camping nearby, however, so I pedaled 15mi northeast of town for the night and the next day into Le Bourg de Oisans.... at the foot of the legendary Alpe d'Huez- ready to tackle the serious climbing to come.

Le Bourg de Oisans.... a French cycling mecca