Mountain biking in below freezing, sunny weather. Best ride of the year (so far)! #cycling

Over 30 years ago, for my 2nd date with my future wife, I brought a VHS tape of The Princess Bride to watch together at her apartment. Best date ever, and I have been very happily married for 28 years. I have always been grateful to the legend Rob Reiner #RIP

Above the clouds #cycling

Nice Day #cycling

//INRNG: 2026 Tour de France route stage-by-stage guide inrng.com/2025/10/2026...

A pot of gold currently at Col de la Croisette! Note: The Mont Salève cliff face (left side of photo) was climbed by the Frankenstein monster in Mary Shelley’s 1818 book.

#moo #cycling

Moo

Marco Pantani monuments. 1. Colle Fauniera summit. 2. Col du Galibier north side. 3. Mortirolo 11th hairpin.

Bob Marley wisdom: "If you get down & you quarrel everyday You're saying prayers to the devils, I say Why not help one another on the way? Make it much easier, yeah, yeah (just a little bit easier) Say you just can't live that negative way If you know what I mean Make way for the positive day"

One of the fun things about the finish & the Portes du Soleil linked ski stations: One can ski in France and Switzerland -crossing the border up high on skis (no passport required) :-) 12 stations: 3 in Switzerland, 9 in France including Morzine, Avoriaz (above Morzine) and the finish town Châtel.

Final climb. It's been quite a few years since I cycled Col du Corbier. Memories: Nice hairpins near summit (forget which side), I saw a Chamoix once, and it can be ridden in a fun 6 col loop (lots unpaved).

I cannot believe how quickly they just descended that big climb. Wow

Why truly gigantic crowds at that one spot? Clearly they let people use the chairlift. Smart.

AfterJoux Plane the route is briefly quite flat until Col du Ranfolly, then the FAST descent begins. in 2015 there was a small landslide just below Ranfolly that kept the road closed for a long time. Great for cyclists as passable, but impossible for cars.

Col de Joux Plane. Joux = local word -> forested mountain region. Plane = relatively flat area. The road summit is 1691m. Sign claims 1700m. Geographic col is at 1715m roughly 1/2 km away. 1st photo is at Geographic col. Flat area is the tiny lake, and road is left to right at building.

A quick French lesson. As the peloton passes Samoëns. In French, the umlaut accent (two dots over a letter) generally just means that you should pronounce both syllables separately/distinctly . Think Noël. So SAM-Ō-EN = Samoëns

At Samoëns, the start of today's big climb to Col de Joux Plane, begins another huge climb perhaps even more difficult to Samoëns 1600 (Plateau des Saix).

At bottom of this descent is the Chartreuse de Melan a 13th century Carthusian monastery. Beside it is the greatest bench I have ever sat upon. #tdff

A fun cliff stretch in a moment. Let's see helicopter shots plz

I forget exactly where, but this sign is somewhere around the first climb .....

The bottom of this descent to the start of first climb goes through the Arve valley. Often has some of the worst air quality in France. Combination of industry, a major auto route, and tightly enclosed by high mountains.

This descent to start the racejust passed Route Bernard Hinault - Domancy - they could easily descend this instead of main road. Bad route planning (?)

Tour de France Femmes film trivia: The start town Megève (a slightly posh ski station). Audrey Hepburn meets Cary Grant here in the 1963 film Charade! (yes I am old) #tdff

At the start of the 1st climb "côte Arâches-la-Frasse" in today's Tour de France Femmes stage they will pass the 1st photo as this is the start of the amazing 21 km climb to Col de Pierre Carrée - the high paved col in Haute Savoie. Unfortunately, the stage turns left after 6 kms instead of right

Today's Tour de France Femmes route is a beauty. Feauturing the amazing Col de Joux Plane. Unfortunately, it's another col that lies about its altitude. It is in fact 1691 metres ---- not 1700 metres.

I watched the 2010 Tour de France atop Madeleine and hung out with this fella:

I have a streak of over 2 years of a minimum 10,000 steps/day. Last year I wondered what I was doing when I last missed this minimum. -- > I was cycling this route up Col de la Madeleine among other things. So fair enough to fail on my steps :-). #tdff

Happy Swiss National Day! I can hear lots of fireworks from France and saw Swiss flags everywhere on today's ride. (I live just over the border).

Only 49 weeks until the Tour de France begins!

My only criticism of this incredible Tour stage is now anyone visiting Paris will think that Montmartre is only a couple of minutes from l'Arc de Triomphe. #tdf

wow

Today's race and the Olympic course is an emphatic reminder that a stage in Paris doesn't have to be a boring processional. A+

One of dumbest things I ever did when new to Europe was drive to Paris & enter the Arc de Triomphe rond-point (roundabout) during l'heure de point (rush hour). I was clueless - as a Canadian - how to drive in a even a simple roundabout and this one has 12! exits and multiple lanes. Terrifying :-)

I think they just went past the Jeanne d'Arc statue (Joan of Arc) #tdf

They should hang a polka dot jersey in the Louvre.

21 Years ago (yikes) I went to Paris to see the final stage of the Tour de France. Richard Virenque and I wore polka dots. Fortunately the Louvre dress code is not strict. #tdf

Paris! Today is the final 2025 Tour de France stage . Paris is a great walking city, but the best way to see the sights? On a bike (old photos). #tdf

Today's Tour stage's highest point and 1st climb Col de la Croix de la Serra. SERRA? A recurring character of the Jura legends: half woman / half deer supposed to live in a cave at the top of the mountain. (and yes the summit has a cross) #tdf

#haysurfing #cycling

True story: I am reading the book "Fire in the Hole" by the great Elmore Leonard. Early in chapter four I realized I was completely confused and not following the plot. Oops. These weren't chapters, they were each stand alone short stories. ( I AM OLD).

Bravo!

La Plagne is a beautiful ski station linked with Les Arcs to form the gigantic Paradiski domain. When we skied there I scouted out mountain bike ideas. Then cycled the paved route with wider tires and just kept going higher. Endless high trails. Details: www.cycling-challenge.com/la-plagne-an...

As I have posted previously, La Plagne is definitely the best cycling climb in France with 21 signed hairpins. Hairpin #5 has the Olympic Luge and Bobsleigh courses used during the 1992 Albertville Olympics: #tdf

Bourg St Maurice is a great base for cycling climbs. In addition to Roselend and nearby La Plagne, it the begins of +2000m climbs to Les Arcs , Col du Petit St Bernard (Italy border), Col de l'Iseran, plus other fun less famous stuff.

The bottom of this descent is Bourg St Maurice. It's the start of climb to Col de l'Iseran - highest paved mountain pass in Europe. Iseran summit sign marks it as a 50 km climb! (I think it's 47 or 48 - but longest Alpine climb I know - although final 18kms from Val d'Isère is where fun begins)

They are now descending the same side of Cormet de Roselend where Johan Bruyneel went off the side of the road into a ravine during the 1996 Tour de France. #tdf The spot of the crash is marked on the road: Youtube of crash: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YCu...

Exactly at the summit of Cormet de Roselend begins a superb hike up very high through a narrow valley. Challenging but safe. Fun. #tdf