Sat 15th Day 7 By JR Briancon - Barcelonnette

Sat 15th  Day 7
By JR

Forecast  for the top of Col d’Izord
Rain 57- 72% chance with 10-20mm expected
Temp at the top of d’Izord predicted 7 degrees to 1 degree
Wind forecast 24km

It was a day of roughly 50kms up and 63 kms down
A reduced crew, some taking a rest day as the weather was not our side. A guaranteed soaking

2 major cols   Col d”Izord 2360m and Col de Vars 2019m making this a HARD CORE day out. A lunch in the middle at Guillestre saved our arses and 5 pizzas woofed down as the rain dumped outside.

We stumbled out , full bellies and into 20kms of up. It was a FART FEST for some and the small team (Dave, Leslie, JR, Dallas and Geoff) worked together to grovel over the second col of the day. Soaked (some of us) we ripped up the wet downhill.

As one ‘express train, numbed we charged into Barcelonette.
Approx 5 hrs in the saddle.
A day of rain, steaming heat, frozen downhills, aching ups and 5 pizzas that saved all of us

Climbing speeds are about 10kms hr - so about 4 hrs of cilmbing