Chapter...I can't remember, but I am sure it is too much: Are we there yet??

The descent from Galibier to Lautaret is a little technical, but not the worst ever. No, there are no guard rails and no, traffic was NOT closed for this descent (it adds to the excitement!)

After bundling up at the top of Galibier and refilling my water bottles, I was set to go, but there was one thing missing...the desire to eat!! I had lost all motivation to eat and was feeling rather ill. So, I figured "I have carbo-pro in my bottles and it is a descent, so I will be fine till Bourg d'Oisans and then eat" As you can tell, I was totally, 100% coherent and thinking straight (with the altitude and effort, Galibier is like putting a few glasses of wine into me....not that you would have to force it:)

So down I went; 8 km to Col du Lautaret...however, at km 2, my tummy decided it was time to "go". Not sure if it was the nerves, the fatigue or stress of descending 12% hairpins in a raging thunderstorm. Regardless, I was really hammering those last 6 km to get to a toilet. Lets just say that it was the quickest bike-to-run-to-toilet transition I ever had. The biggest struggle was finding my 20 euro cents in my back pocket to get into the washroom (yes, they make you pay in Europe). With my business taken care of I hopped back on my bike and even bypassed the Nougat roadside stand/store to get back on the road; I was ready for this ride to be over!

After Lautaret, the descent is pretty wide-open; there are steep parts, flat parts that you need to pedal on, and even some hills. Mostly though, it was long...it seemed to go on forever!! The biggest concern about this descent is not how technical or steep it is, but the wind, and today, it was autrocious!! Thankfully, there were a number of packs that had formed that you could hop onto that would block some of the wind. About 1/3 of the way down, it had warmed up and I was boiling in my jacket. So I made the wise decision to abandon my "pack" and pull over to reomove my gear; and then hopped onto the next "pack" that came along.

Then you hit the tunnels. The tunnels are the most surreal things ever, especially when you are riding with a bunch of other cyclists. You REALLY need to pay attention. Going from daylight into a tunnel with sunglasses on puts the tune "I wear my sun glasses at night" into my head. I am grooving to my own tunes, when, bam!! all of a sudden you hear a bunch of yelling!

"ARRET, STOP, HALT, THE WORD STOP IN OTHER LANGUAGES!" and at the same time brakes locking up, screetching... Thankfully, my "paranoid descending" comes in handy at these times and had no problem stopping. Turns out there had been a huge accident at the end of the tunnel "car vs. bike" and you can imagine who won. We were all held up by the police and medics until they could clear the poor guy. Definitely shook me up.

Then if seeing the bloody mess wasn't bad enough, right out of the tunnel is a steep incline (I think the guy tried to shift and swerved into oncoming traffic or had a mechanical that caused him to cross the middle line). I was in NO mood to have my legs climb a hill after 45 minutes of descent..even if it was a LITTLE one. But, it's not like I can change that, can I? so I start pedaling up the base of the hill in the big ring and try to shift to my small and "CLANK, CLANK, CLANK" DAMMIT!! I had dropped the chain. No big deal, just get off the bike and put the chaing back on, right?? well, yes, but when you are tired, cranky and low on sugar it is the WORST thing ever...or at least it seemed though at the time. So I cursed, and cursed and cursed as I put the chain back on and climbed the hill. All the guys around me must have thought that I was not being to "Lady Like" LOL But, because I am so smart about my nutrition and when I am bonking (NOT...poor Gregory gets bitched at a lot when I am hungry but refuse to acknowledge it) I decided to eat another chocolate bar...or at least have a bite before descending again. that surely was enough to fuel me to the end of the descent, I was SURE of it (yes, I was delusional)

The rest of the descent was pretty uneventful; there was one more 3 km section of climbing, a steep descent, more wind, extreme heat, and more hunger....lovely!

So when we finally entered the last 5 km stretch to Bourg D'Oisans I was extremely happy! This is a strech of road I do on the days when I have a "flattish" ride, and it is also very windy. Maybe it was my eagerness to stop and eat or the relief that all the descents were over, but I was cruising...along with 20 other men sucking my wheels. I mean, c'mon, at least one guy had to be faster than me?? No one decided to take a pull, so I threw snot rockets. Another lady-like move, I know! So, I pulled the guys in to the aid stop and fell off my bike when I unclipped, not a good sign....

So, before I continue, with the final and last chapter of this "journey" I have to explain the title of this one. With about 15 minutes left to go in descent, there is a big sign put up by the race-organizers indicating that there is 20 km left to go to the finish. But, the sign makes it sound so easy....it would be like the kids in the back of the car asking "are we there yet" and you would say, yes, in 10 minutes!! Not this 20km!! I had to laugh and cry at the same time, because I knew what lay ahead. You see, although I covered 7 of those 20 km in 15 minutes, it would take me 1 hr and 25 minutes to cover the final 13...

Welcome to Hell kid!