Le Col de la Faucille n'est pas facile

(Geneva, Switz.) - I started out the day with the plan to take the 1.5 hour train ride to St. Gervais and then do some hiking from there. If got inspired I was going to take the cog train up to the foot of Mt. Blanc and head up until it was time to head down. The alarm started screaming painfully early and "Lazy Peter" tried to talk "Motivated Peter" out of the day's plans for 10 minutes. Finally the impasse was broken with "Motivated Peter" offering to make coffee and the promise to sleep on the train, which was sneaky, but did the trick and we were on our way.

Despite it being 7:00-ish(early for me), the sun was still coming up as I rode my bike across town to arrive at Gare des Eux-Vives. Milling around on the platform were a bunch of other early morning travelers, border cops, and the most energetic and poorly trained police dog I have ever seen. I nodded my "Bonne Matins" around....No other hiker looking types, I think the civilians were mostly the clubbing crowd heading home to France after a "big night" in the "big city". Then the train arrival time came and went. And went. And went. The border guards went home and everyone else left. A 1/2 hour went by and so I was left by myself wondering what happened. I walked out front.

My French is good enough now that if I make an effort I can read all the signs with no problem, but I am pretty much immune if I don't try. The hand written note that I had ignored on my way in that said something or other about workers with social contracts and unreliable service on Friday and Saturday. Ugghh... a strike. What about me? What about my needs?

So I sat down and ate my sandwichs that I had packed for lunch. The next train was 11:30, but who knows if it would come and that was really not going to give me enough time in the mtns. I didnt feel like hanging around either. So I went to work. For a little while. Then I went home and went for a ride.

And I did my first real "Col" today. What does that mean? Read on.

Bundled up against the chill of the day and headed north to attack the gap in the ridge of the Jura mtns that rise above Geneva N. side. Rode across the Rhone river flats, and then through CERN, into France and before reaching the town of Gex started climbing up. And up. And up. They like to name things over here and this particurally thing - this climb - is called the Col de la Faucille. As it turns out this was on the Tour route last year (on the day that Armstrong chased down Simeoni), and was the last big climb of the years race. Although the name is kinda funny, it really was a haul to get my hulk to the top. Comparatively speaking it is not a super big one... only a Cat 2... but good enough. I got to get out more. The hand painted "Virenque Allez!", "Armstrong dopage EPO", and crude syringe drawings still cover the road the whole way up.

It is a nice easy 6.5% most of the way that winds up through the village of Gex and then into pine forests. Halfway up there is a fountain coming out of the hill with the stone engraved saying that it had been placed by Napolean's troops in 1805. Cool. Actually cold, as last week's snow still started poking out of the trees as I neared the top. It will not be much longer till the sad little ski area at the pass actually has some people coming up to see it.

A few minutes sight seeing and then the opportunity to freeze myself stiff on the way down, and happy that although I felt overdressed when I started out, I had those extra layers, full tights, jacket, and booties. It was late in the day and all the puddles of water in the ski area parking lot were frozen over. I took it down pretty easy until about half way on account of the possibility of black ice. It'll be nice to come back in summer and let 'er rip in the corners. Lit up by the last ray of sun were amazing views of Mt. Blanc across the Rhone valley on the way down. A lot of the mtns. in Geneva are obscured by fog much of the time, but when you get up high the Alps stand out like a wall of white as far as you can see... and Mt. Blanc seems like it takes up half of it. Wow. I tell myself at times like these that "Physics is good".

Anyway... got back to my place just before dark. Pretty cool that I could do a Cat. 2 climb from a Tour stage in a 2.5 hour ride from my place. Another day saved from near disaster.

Happy birthday Mom.