I set off this morning on a training ride that consists of the 1st day of our Big Col Tour. This 100km loop takes me approximately 4 hours to ride – with no stops. Despite it only being April at the moment the Oisans have been basking in mid to high 20 degree temperatures. This ride is a tough one and is used in the long distance Alpe d’Huez Triathlon event in July. Starting from Bourg d’Oisans at 780m you drop down to 300 metres before reaching the first climb of the Col de la Morte. The Col de la Morte peaks out at 1350 metres and is one of my favourite climbs. Once over the top of this there are undulating hills before reaching the Col d’Ornon. I reached here at about 1pm and the sun was really beating down on me. The Col d’Ornon reaches the same sort of height as the Col de la Morte but once at the top it is a super fast 15km descent back to Bourg d’Oisans.
