What a brilliant piece of luck/judgement that we chose to overnight where we did yesterday, the reasoning being that the two cols, Télégraphe & Galibier, would look so much better in the morning sun. So it proved. There cannot be many September days as beautiful as today turned out.
Breakfast was late, and we did not even depart until 1020. Two hours saw us over the Télégraphe, down into Valloire, and then back up again onto the Col du Galibier taking photographs. Crystal clear would be a pretty good description, and the bonus was that the pass was also surprisingly quiet. The majority of the traffic was two-wheeled, both with motor and without. More luck.
Going over in the car certainly gave us a real, practical perspective about what level of col-bagging we might wish to tackle later, on the road bikes. Many of those testing themselves today looked to be right on the limit, and some beyond. Others, the racing snakes with less fat than a greasy chip, were dancing up effortlessly. I know which group I am likely to fit into.
On descending we arrived at busy, compact and attractive Briançon, with the fortified, walled old town perched at the very top. We will stay near here awhile (in Vallouise); it's time to do some riding. It is, after all, what we are here for. A quick weather check suggests that we might be in for some more luck.
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