Stage 8 - Briancon to Jausiers (Col d'Izoard & Col de Vars)

The last day of June and ahead of us lay a relatively short stage of 90kms, but with 2 high mountain passes to contend with: Col d'Izoard (2361m) and Col de Vars (2108m). Stage 7 had proved quite a taxing day and I was in my tent and asleep by around 10pm after yet another wonderful feed, prepared by our culinary experts, Jaap and Astrid. Hats off to the pair of them for making the food both nutritious and interesting. We had enjoyed a sausage and bean casserole that evening which was sumptuous, with many return visits being made by us all, plate in hand, to the stove.

It lashed rain whilst at the campsite in Briancon and this was the first occassion on our trip that it had properly done so. There was a feeling amongst the gang that we might be in for our first wet day on the bike on Wednesday, but thanfully we awoke that morning to blue skies. The lovely climb from Briancon to the Col d'Izoard is 20 km in length and has an average gradient of 5.8%. On paper you think to yourself, ok, that's a workable gradient. But this average gradient business is misleading. Yes, at the beginning of the climb out of Briancon the going is quite easy, but later on in the climb the road ramps up and there are a few really tough kms.  I always remember from watching Le Tour and other races that Izoard is a Hors Categorie climb, which means that it is "beyond categorization", i.e. an incredibly tough climb.  One thing I've learned from cycling in the Alpes is to never trust the average gradient, because it doesn't mean jack at the end of the day and sometimes leads to a false sense of security.  If for instance you are climbing a mountain and half way up you are treated to a downhill of some description (as is the case with Col d'Izoard), you can be shit sure that you are gonna pay back in spades what you've just been given.  These little jewels of respite come back to bite you in the ass and account for the seemingly low average gradient.

En route to the Col d'Izoard

View from Izoard

Nothwitstanding, Izoard was a mountain I really enjoyed.  Compared to what can only be described as foregettable (that afternoon's ride up the Col de Vars), Izoard was really pleasant with a great road surface, some alpine lakes and a generally tranquil vibe.

All I can really remember from the Col de Vars was the little ski town of Vars, a steep gradient out of the village and a few action shots taken from a moving car by Eamon Fitz and Simon from Bicycling Australia.  I felt like a pro for those few brief moments.  I had drained two 800ml bottles of electrolytes in a little over an hour and was worried about dehydration, a very real treat on the bike in the heat of the afternoon.  Good fortune prevailed however and a fresh water spring appeared just after the village of Sainte Marie de Vars - lifesaver!  Damo, Blake and Adrian were all pushing for podium placings and passed me on the way up.  The summit of Vars was quite unlike the others.  It kind of just flattened out and all of a sudden you were at a restaurant.   Mark it down lads, only 1 biggie to go! (actually there were 2, one we weren't really told about until final hour).

 L'eau!!!

 Col de Vars

 Camping @  La Condamine-Châtelard

Our penultimate camping site proved to be a great one!  Up on the hill, as can be seen from the picture above, was some form of Napoleonic fort which looked really cool.  We couldn't figure out how to get up there though.  Before dinner we decided to venture up to the main house where there was a stone oven for cooking pizza and a bar serving Warsteiner fine German bière à la pression (draft).  We vowed to come back after dinner as the stuff was that good and the family who ran the place seemed to be really welcoming (cash starved).  So all of about 20 of us bailed back to the bar and proceeded to drink the place dry, giving no thought to the fact that we weredue to encounter one of our biggest challenges following day with the Col de la Bonette.  The owners shouted us all some weird, highly alcoholic local minty things which looked like green sugar cubes.  When sense finally prevailed, we fell into our tents, full to the gills with sauce. When I woke at 5.30am for the 7am start I think I was still fairly pissed.  Thankfully there are no laws about cycling whilst over the limit in France, that I know of!