Pictorial of Stage 15:
This is a stage that I rather familiar with and have taken several pictures and so I figured I would give my own description of the stage.
Stage 15 of the Tour starts in the town of Gap. We watched the stage start from Gap in '03. This was the day after Beloki crashed on Bastille Day as he tried to chase down Vinokourov on the descent of the Col de la Rochette(?). I have some pictures of Gap but nothing that distinguishes it from any other average sized town in France. What I recall from Gap is that I was very tired from the 3 previous days of riding and the temperatures were hot. Standing around in the sun while waiting and watching the riders filter into the start was rough. I was woozy more than once and began searching from some shade.
The other thing I recall was Garthe charging one of the caravan vehicles that were getting ready to roll out of town like a crazed American and begging one of the hotties inside for a Saeco cycling cap. He scored the cap, so I congratulate him.
After about 50km after leaving Gap, you reach the town of Guillestre which begins the lead up to the Col d'Izoard. Our hotel was located about 3kms outside of Guillestre. The night before our bus driver tried to drive through town at about 10pm. The place was in full Bastille Day Eve party mode with streets blocked, etc. The Centre Ville (center of town) was completely blocked with tables, chairs and mingling revelers. We spent what seemed like 30 minutes trying to negotiate our full-sized bus through side streets the size of a Mini Cooper. The bus driver earned his money that night, and the whole trip really. My other memory of Guillestre was the Beloki crash. We had finished watch the Tour go by and we rolled into town. The five of us from St Louis ordered a couple pizzas from a shack like they sell sno-cones here. We were gathered around a little black and white TV with some older French gentlemen. The viewing was less than ideal and we could understand hardly a word of the French commentators but it was a lot of fun and a great memory.
Shortly after leaving Guillestre you pass through 2 or 3 short tunnels built into the hillside and then follow along river valley. This valley is the definition of false flat. Very gradually you gain elevation but when I rode this section it actually looked downhill. Very deceptive. After several km's the road turns left off the main road. These are the early slopes of the Izoard.
This is a wide open area and the road rises at a reasonable rate to start but you know you are climbing.
As you approach the small town of Arvieux you suddenly start to realize that the pedalling has begun to get much more difficult. This road is very un-mountainlike. It is just a long, straight road heading right at the heart of the mountain.
About a km beyond Arvieux, the road bends right and you begin snake up the mountain through a series of curves and switchbacks. The road is rather wooded but along the way you can catch an occasional look down at the town of Arvieux and the road you just rode up.
Eventually, you come around a right-hand bend and the road tilts downward. An unsuspecting rider might think this was the summit. Instead you enter the area on top of the mountain known as the Casse Desert. This is a rather stark, rocky but very dramatic landscape.
After a short downhill which flattens out for a short while the road points upward again for a few km's for about 6 switchbacks until you reach the true summit of the Izoard.
Down you go to the town of Briancon and almost immediately began the long 27-28km ascent of the Col du Lauteret. From the top of the Lauteret and much of its descent you can see the beautiful Meije glacier off to your left.
The descent of the Lauteret is even longer than the ascent. It is not a very technical descent with most of the turns being gradual. The road was pretty choppy last year. My guess is they may have resurfaced the road for this year's race. The descent flattens for a little bit before coming to Bourg d'Oisans, the gateway to Alpe d'Huez. Bourg d'Oisans is a small town and you roll through it in a matter of minutes. You make a left hand turn and suddenly you are climbing 10% grade for the next couple km's. When you reach the first switchback and look back you get an idea of how the early slopes of Alpe d'Huez hits you.
Then you look up the road and what lies ahead is not any easier. But, once you get past those hard early km's the mountain eases up a little and you can settle into more of a rhythm instead of fighting the steepness of the road.
Past halfway you reach the famous little church where the Dutch hang out.
Somewhere between hairpins 11 & 12 I rode near the edge of the road looked down and saw a good view of the road below. Even further below, down in the valley, is Bourg d'Oisans.
With less than 1km to go you are in the heart of the mountaintop resort. The road goes down for a short while, around a roundabout and then a left hand turn. You can really get some good speed here in advance of the last little bit of climbing.
After the left turn, down by the buildings in the distance, you climb this last uphill section to the finish line, where this photo was taken.
This is a stage that I rather familiar with and have taken several pictures and so I figured I would give my own description of the stage.
Stage 15 of the Tour starts in the town of Gap. We watched the stage start from Gap in '03. This was the day after Beloki crashed on Bastille Day as he tried to chase down Vinokourov on the descent of the Col de la Rochette(?). I have some pictures of Gap but nothing that distinguishes it from any other average sized town in France. What I recall from Gap is that I was very tired from the 3 previous days of riding and the temperatures were hot. Standing around in the sun while waiting and watching the riders filter into the start was rough. I was woozy more than once and began searching from some shade.
The other thing I recall was Garthe charging one of the caravan vehicles that were getting ready to roll out of town like a crazed American and begging one of the hotties inside for a Saeco cycling cap. He scored the cap, so I congratulate him.
After about 50km after leaving Gap, you reach the town of Guillestre which begins the lead up to the Col d'Izoard. Our hotel was located about 3kms outside of Guillestre. The night before our bus driver tried to drive through town at about 10pm. The place was in full Bastille Day Eve party mode with streets blocked, etc. The Centre Ville (center of town) was completely blocked with tables, chairs and mingling revelers. We spent what seemed like 30 minutes trying to negotiate our full-sized bus through side streets the size of a Mini Cooper. The bus driver earned his money that night, and the whole trip really. My other memory of Guillestre was the Beloki crash. We had finished watch the Tour go by and we rolled into town. The five of us from St Louis ordered a couple pizzas from a shack like they sell sno-cones here. We were gathered around a little black and white TV with some older French gentlemen. The viewing was less than ideal and we could understand hardly a word of the French commentators but it was a lot of fun and a great memory.
Shortly after leaving Guillestre you pass through 2 or 3 short tunnels built into the hillside and then follow along river valley. This valley is the definition of false flat. Very gradually you gain elevation but when I rode this section it actually looked downhill. Very deceptive. After several km's the road turns left off the main road. These are the early slopes of the Izoard.
This is a wide open area and the road rises at a reasonable rate to start but you know you are climbing.
As you approach the small town of Arvieux you suddenly start to realize that the pedalling has begun to get much more difficult. This road is very un-mountainlike. It is just a long, straight road heading right at the heart of the mountain.
About a km beyond Arvieux, the road bends right and you begin snake up the mountain through a series of curves and switchbacks. The road is rather wooded but along the way you can catch an occasional look down at the town of Arvieux and the road you just rode up.
Eventually, you come around a right-hand bend and the road tilts downward. An unsuspecting rider might think this was the summit. Instead you enter the area on top of the mountain known as the Casse Desert. This is a rather stark, rocky but very dramatic landscape.
After a short downhill which flattens out for a short while the road points upward again for a few km's for about 6 switchbacks until you reach the true summit of the Izoard.
Down you go to the town of Briancon and almost immediately began the long 27-28km ascent of the Col du Lauteret. From the top of the Lauteret and much of its descent you can see the beautiful Meije glacier off to your left.
The descent of the Lauteret is even longer than the ascent. It is not a very technical descent with most of the turns being gradual. The road was pretty choppy last year. My guess is they may have resurfaced the road for this year's race. The descent flattens for a little bit before coming to Bourg d'Oisans, the gateway to Alpe d'Huez. Bourg d'Oisans is a small town and you roll through it in a matter of minutes. You make a left hand turn and suddenly you are climbing 10% grade for the next couple km's. When you reach the first switchback and look back you get an idea of how the early slopes of Alpe d'Huez hits you.
Then you look up the road and what lies ahead is not any easier. But, once you get past those hard early km's the mountain eases up a little and you can settle into more of a rhythm instead of fighting the steepness of the road.
Past halfway you reach the famous little church where the Dutch hang out.
Somewhere between hairpins 11 & 12 I rode near the edge of the road looked down and saw a good view of the road below. Even further below, down in the valley, is Bourg d'Oisans.
With less than 1km to go you are in the heart of the mountaintop resort. The road goes down for a short while, around a roundabout and then a left hand turn. You can really get some good speed here in advance of the last little bit of climbing.
After the left turn, down by the buildings in the distance, you climb this last uphill section to the finish line, where this photo was taken.
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