Today's ride took us from the alpine resort town of Montgenevre, France to Susa, Italy. Absolutely stunning scenery in the Alps. We descended from Mongenevre into the town of Cesena Torinese, and then climbed 12km to the mountain-top ski resort on the Colle del Sestriere. You may recall the 2006 winter Olympics where many of the apline skiing events were held at the Sestriere ski resort.
The climb to Sestriere was enjoyable in that it was less steep than Alpe d'Huez, for example, but still a challenge with an average gradient of 6% and steeps over 10% in several places. The legs were a little tired at first, but were firing on all cylinders by the time I finished the climb. The climb ended at about 2000m elevation, slightly less than tomorrow's climb up Col d'Izoard.
From Sestriere we descended back to Cesena Torinese, then rode a nice approx. 20 km's to the Italian village of Susa. Mostly downhill, but with a strong headwind. A group of 7 riders, including me, rode a fast pace thanks to Bikestyle tour guide Spencer Kearney in the lead. Spencer is one of the better bike mechanics around, and as we observed today, is also a very strong rider. Spencer is from Brisbane, Australia.
Tomorrow we catch up with Le Tour -- we climb from the city of Briancon, France to the top of the Col d'Izoard before the TdF riders arrive, and then watch them go by before descending back to Briancon. Watch for L & I if watching on TV.
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