Tour de France 2022 - LE PETITE BOUCLE

Tour de France 2022: Cafe du Cycliste’s PETITE BOUCLE

Already into the second week of the Tour de France and the collective enthusiasm for the ‘Grande Boucle’ never seemed stronger. Covid had unfortunately passed its evil wand over the last two editions, eradicating the conviviality which is such a big part of the race. But this year, the supporters and the crazy party atmosphere has been reborn.

Taking advantage of the riders' rest day in Morzine in the heart of Haute Savoie, we launched the invitation for our ‘Petite Boucle’, a collective outing of friends and colleagues that would follow a good part of the route of the next day's stage 10 ( Morzine–Megève) to return to its starting point via the famous Col de Joux Plane. A demanding route, but any ride in this part of France worth venturing on rarely avoids the mountains. 140 kilometres with close to 3000 metres of climbing was on the menu, so it was no walk in the park.

8:30 am at Place de Morzine, bright sunshine already heating up the day and the surrounding mountains. No less than six nations were represented in the group of twenty riders including Jérôme Cousin, an ex-professional who participated in the Tour de France just two years ago.

Monsieur Cousin would be our ‘luxury’ ride leader for the day. Group photos taken, we descended for 30 kms to the shores of Lake Geneva. Cooler than expected, the wheels span at high speed in the Dranse valley of Morzine.

As a group we estimated seven hours on the road today so, taking the time to enjoy the landscapes, we get to know each other by riding at conversation pace and refuelling regularly. Everyone already knows that the Col de Joux Plane will be the apotheosis for this long outing. We will reach it around 2:00 pm, with the sun high in the sky and the heat close to 28°C.

The viciousness of the climb is undeniable from the first few kilometres. With the average percentage at 9%, Joux Plane is recognised as one of the most difficult mountain passes on the cycling planet, and has an infamous reputation in Tour history.

In 2000, Lance Armstrong crushed the competition, especially in the mountain stages. The stage on Joux Plane, however, Richard Virenque set an unbelievable pace; leading Armstrong to experience the dreaded ‘bonk’ or ‘craving’ – also known as hypoglycaemia, where the muscles run out of sugar.

No gifts, no Haribo, no ‘eating the field’ as per usual for the Texan. Alas, Armstrong hit the wall, Jan Ullrich was dropped and Alberto Heras and Virenque continued side-by-side over the crest of Joux Plane. Heras hit the deck on the final corner and Virenque took the stage, much to the delight of the French fans in Morzine.

Our riders in 2022 did not have such a bad time as Lance Armstrong. All shone, all climbing at their own pace, which was very high for some trying to keep pace with the ex-pro Jérôme Cousin.

Cousin was a gentleman, encouraging and supporting others as we moved towards the summit. A fizzing descent to Morzine marked a fast and furious end to a memorable day in the mountains, and one of the many great theatres of the Tour de France.

Another Tour : Morzine, July '22

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