Tim's Tour de France 2016: Stage 17 - Dam, we can't go any higher

Stage 17 - Bern (still!) to Finhaut Emosson. The final push, now or never, whatever you want to call it, there were just 5 stages left going in to today. After the rest day in Bern, stage 17 took place wholly in Switzerland, though the bottom of the final climb was only about 3km from France and the rather pointless border point.

While the stage remained wholly in Switzerland, we certainly didn't. Those pesky logistics again dictated that it would much easier for us to return to France and then ride back across the border. So it was an early start, picking Chris up from his AirB&B and heading off for the 140 mile drive, re-tracing my steps past Lausanne and Geneva, back across the border (didn't bother even looking for the passport this time) and rather than head towards the lake at Annecy, we turned Alpward towards Chamonix and Mont Blanc. As you weave your way towards the Mont it feels like you are hemmed in from all sides. There is a mountain behind you that lets you drive a bit and then when you aren't looking it picks itself up and tip toes up behind you. There is something about a snow capped mountain and Mont Blanc didn't disappoint as we stopped at a vantage point for photos.

Chamonix looked like a town that had the Tour nearby. Hundreds of cyclists were already making their way towards Switzerland and the race. Gary and Jamie had done the same thing and we met up in Chamonix for the 18km ride to the bottom of the final climb of the race but in the way was the Col de Montets, a 9km climb. It was hot, time was getting on and I really wasn't expecting a 9km climb before the final climb, so I'm sorry to say I had a bit of a meltdown. I've said that climbing is tough but there are ways of easing off and trying to recover when it gets hard but when your head goes and you aren't thinking straight you don't do those things and you can't focus on what you need to do. Gary kindly dropped back and let me rant a bit and just rode somewhere nearby which gave me a different focus and eventually I bucked my ideas up and got myself over the top.

We descended into Switzerland, all the cyclists filing through what appeared to be a closed border crossing and set out about the final climb. Not one that I think the Tour has visited before but stunning scenery (actually all the way from Chamonix it was stunning) with a glacier across the valley. The final climb was 10.4km and as has been the way of late it was very hot and was slow progress, some much so that some of the motorhome residents were spraying water over cyclists as they rode past. Through the town of Finhaut and it was off to the summit and the dam. Came across Didi
the German devil who I met on Ventoux and we exchange a very sweaty, low paced high five as I drifted past. Just before we reached the 5km marker, officials were holding some tape across the road to stop anything going any further up, including cyclists. This wasn't part of the plan but I'm not going to pretend that I was upset.

We dropped down the mountain a km, put out the flags, filled up our bottles from a waterfall (if you ever get the chance to drink water directly from a mountain waterfall do it. It's cold and tastes great - go and look for your nearest mountain waterfall and then come back and finish reading this). The caravan haul was very successful and I've become so comfortable with it, I've moved on to a double wave at times, a bit of jumping up and down and maybe even a little dance, in cycling kit and flip flops...what I won't do for a fridge magnet.

The race had gone at an incredible pace in the early stages so today's wait didn't seem that long at all and it really wasn't that long before the cow bell was calling up the leader, Zakarin of Katusha. There was 6km to go but we could see that he was strong and we were all comfortable with a prediction that he would win (which he did - though it helped that the rider chasing him Pantano looked like he had blown a gasket) the rest of the race took a familiar pattern, with the chasers following Zakarin, followed by the remainder of the breakaway group. Then it is the favourites, followed by the recently dropped, until eventually we get the grupetto (or autobus).

We did utilise the waterfall behind us to fill up bottles of water and give them out to the riders, not for drinking that would be risky but they pour it over themselves. Everyone had a bottle taken (I didn't do it, rider safety and comfort is all well and good but there is a cow bell to be rung) to their great satisfaction.

This area and possibly surprising given the mountains has excellent phone coverage so even on the mountain I was able to stay in touch with the race which meant I picked up a Slovakian friend who kept asking me to check...I had a cow bell to ring and soon as the latest rider had passed he would be back again asking for an update.

The descent wasn't so bad due to the smaller crowds on the mountain and once again the sensible decision to stop cars/motorhomes moving until the bikes had got off the climb made a big difference.

After stopping to take some photos of the view, I eventually got off the mountain and immediately hit the start of the climb back to Chamonix. As it was, the return ascent was easier and we were over the top and on to the long sweeping decent.

It was fairly surreal riding back down while various floats from the caravan came past. Being overtaken by a giant madelaine being given a Police escort is not something you would see every day.

In Chamonix there was some tat purchased and a well earned ice cream and more photos of the
scenery.

The transfer to the hotel was very short just 15 miles and took us along a crazy road that in one direction hugged the mountain but in the other direction sat about 50 yards out on a weird bridge thing that took you out of the valley and up the mountain. It was like a strange and not very good fun fair ride.

The hotel is in Saint Gervais les Bains, another of the ever expanding 'Les Bains' dynasty and also the name of someone I used to work with. We are in ski resort country here and Saint Gervais sIt's at 850m above sea level. Interesting fact if also has themed restaurants for each of Ricky Gervais' comedies. Our hotel sits exactly 50 yards outside of the town sign, like it has been banished to the other side, probably because it didn't like Ricky Gervais' stand up work. Room is fine and they even remembered the extra mattress for the floor once they had been reminded. Our floor space has been almost doubled by a balcony that goes round both sides of our corner plot and immediately had clothes airing after another day cooking in the car and bikes drinking mojitos.

The next two stages are very close together, with a time trial tomorrow which is just 4 miles away and then the stage on Friday actually comes through the town very close to the finish. That should mean that there will be no driving to the stages at least but there will still have to be for dinner due to the hotels 'Ryanair' positioning in relation to the town.

The town itself seems very nice and due to its ski resort nature is set up to cater for a large number of tourists, so lots of restaurants (last nights didn't even have pizza on the menu). Though I haven't seen the hotel where two of the teams are staying in town but it's not like I'm going to stalk it or anything (Lotto Soudal and Etixx Quick Step for completeness).

Stat zone
Miles covered - 2752
Miles cycled - 272 now adding ascents of both sides of Col de Montets (I tried to find a TDF category for this climb but the Tour hasn't gone over it since 1977, probably too hard for them....ok, I meant easy) and half an HC climb
Over used statement of the day - How can there be a glacier/snow up there when it its this hot.
Cheese of the day - a very melted Couer de Leon in our baguettes.
Tat of the day - a tie between a fridge magnet from the French police and a bag for life from the
French supermarket chain, Carrefour. Incredibly these were first time items from the caravan.