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@maxl
Thanks for all the comments guys!
92 miles
2,200m climbing
Bizarrely this felt like an easy day. After a crap first half hour my legs felt good again. Other bits slightly less so... must find some chammy cream. We climbed straight up out of La Grave the way we'd came, over the Col de Lauteret (2068m) and then straight down through Serre Chevalier (got that wrong before) to Briancon. Briancon is the start of Izoard, and the lower slopes ascend through pine forests. Smells lovely. We're close to Italy here and it feels more southern – and closer to Cannes. Izoard is a brilliant climb. It's 17km to the top, 1160m climbing to 2360m. The surface is amazing and the road undulates a little. Once the forest clears, a series of switchbacks takes you to the top, perfect for attacking. I had 93 til Infinity pop up on my iPod, which is exactly the right speed, so I tore through the last five minutes and went over the top in the big ring. There's a monument to Coppi at the top, so it felt fitting. Then a cool descent and a dull 80km chaingang across the flat to Gap. It's windy here, which doesn't bode well for Ventoux, which is where we're heading.