Hautacam...Stage 10

We woke at dawn, loaded up and headed for the mountain top finish at Hautacam (1520 meters) - a brutal 14K climb with sections of 10% uphill - that translates to 10 feet up per hundred feet of travel - absolutely brutal and unrelenting. We drove with the intent of getting there early and riding to the summit. Now remember, the riders are doing this AFTER climbing the Col du Tourmalet, which tops out at 2115 meters, is an 18 kilometer climb with most kilometers at 8% grade or above, and the climb is the last 14 K of a 156K day. We found our way into Argeles-Gazost and tried to drive part way up but - slam - the Gendarmes would have nothing of it. We were summarily redirected back towards town. At that point we stopped for our morning cafe and Andrew took his turn to wheel and deal us a parking spot right at the cafe - very close to the base of the climb. We coffee-ed up, got dressed, and began the climb. Andrew immediately attacked as we had decided to meet at the 1K to go mark. Patrick and Scott rode admirably and I, being the press liaison, made sure to stop regularly to document the action. The mountain was buzzing with spectators - bikers, walkers, strollers, parents pulling kids on tag-a-longs - all converging upwards to get a glimpse of real suffering. People were painting the street with the names of their favorite racers and very extensive picnics were being assembled as the riders hadn't even started riding the stage in Pau. What was amazing was how many fit people I saw riding the climb. I kept thinking they were probably just former racers, but I soon found out from a French fan that, while there is a ton of bike racing at all levels in all of Europe, it is more just a part of the culture to ride everywhere. I definitely was passed by 60+ year olds (as I felt obliged to stop for photographic documentation - especially in the last 4K). There were also many young riders - boys and girls - of middle school age, decked in team jerseys going up at quite a clip (again, I just had to stop to take pictures of this). Upon making it to the 1K mark, Andrew suggested I continue to the finish. Mind you It was 11:30 - almost 6 hours before the riders were meant to arrive - and the place was packed. So packed I could only - after being literally stopped by congestion at 500 meters - get to 50 meters from the finish. At that point I snapped a few pics and zipped (hah!) back down to the 1K mark and settled in for a big wait. During this time we saw thousands of people - and hundreds of vehicles go by. A big sponsor of the Tour is SKODA. They are a car manufacturer and are used to transport people everywhere during the Tour. We kept wondering where they all were going - and then our Dutch buds Richard and John, the 1K inflatable marker keepers, explained to me and Patrick all the logistics of the Tour. It's really a well oiled machine. Oh, did I mention that my bike made clicking sounds all the way up?

Now, remember that thousands of people come on to mountains to watch the stages - especially a mountain-top finish. They camp/stand/sit around waiting for hours(days) and it was chilly and windy (thankfully no rain). We got to know Richard - a Dutch Air Force aviation engineer - and John - not sure what he did - quite well over the course of the next hours. They took their job seriously and would on occasion cross the street to refill their generator or check the tie downs. I also got a full explanation of how the logistics of Le tour worked - pretty astounding. 

Anyway, the fans got thicker and thicker and then the foot and bike traffic stopped. Soon after the Caravan arrived. This is a parade of all sponsors of the tour and they drive by throwing out "stuff" for the fans - hats, bags, key chains, candy, even some t-shirts. We pretty much got stiffed by about half of them (subsequently we have fared much better). After this there was a huge flow of cars - the carbon footprint of this race must be astounding. 

Finally, the racers showed up below. We had purposefully positioned ourselves on a high switchback so we could see the riders coming for a long time. It was astounding the speed which they rode - but they did look like they were suffering. Two Saunier-Duval riders came dancing by, followed by a small group including Cadel Evans, who eventually ended up with the yellow jersey - by 1 second! People went nuts - screaming, yelling, waving flags, and pretty much anything they could find - the whole mountain exlpoded as the riders zipped by. I definitely had an "I'm not worthy" moment (a few days later - now - I found out one of them was using drugs, a cheat). I got a great pic of Cadel going by - his last photo moment without the Maillot Jeune. At the end of the stage, he was 1 second ahead of second place. 

[For some reason, I can't get pics to post....argh..]

Finally, the rest of the peloton came by and, while most looked only "ill at ease", there was definitely some suffering. At this point, Scott and Patrick, thinking this was the back of the race, hopped the barrier and started down the mountain. We were trying to beat the crowds.....Well, they were coasting down, thinking they were being cheered by the crowd. What they didn't know is that a pack of @60 riders were coming at up them on a blind curve. Needless to say what ensued will always make for a great story - thankfully better then my wipeout trying to 'hop" the barricade to start my descent. Let's just say they really did "ride" in the Tour de France (in the wrong direction). Soon after we all started down and what a crazy descent it was. 14K of flying down hill among the masses. Someone said that the French love chaos. Well if this is an indicator, they are right. Imagine driving on I-5 - no lane markers, a mix of 18 wheelers, SUVs, Formula One race cars, many Prius (well it is Oregon), with no speed limit AND many sharp turns. Now add to this that no one, not anyone, needs a drivers license. Did a mention that there were no age restrictions for driving?

We finally made it to the bottom and back to the car and only saw one bad crash - which did require an ambulance - ouch!

All in all a great way to get immersed in a mountain stage. Quite tiring, but well worth the effort.

After re-hydrating at the cafe, we planned for the rest day and then headed to the Pyrenees mountain town of Cauterets for some exploring.