Sunday, 10. August Seyssinet - Die

Length of Stage 130 km
Altitude to climb 2'300 hm

After a good sleep, we eat an excellent breakfast with fresh orange juice and soon climb slowly but steadily up. First along the hill with a beautiful view of Grenoble, then we are in the valley of Gorges Engine. A curve, and the landscape changes to a wide highland. We pass Villard de Lans - the village we were supposed to stay last night - and then we race down through the imposing Gorges de la Bourne. In St. Jean de Royans we need some strengthening = Coke and cheese baguette. After the break we follow the route des cols: Col de la Croix, Col du Pionier, Col de Portette, Col de la Chau Mont, Col de St. Alexis, and Col de Rousset. Ascend towards a rock wall, a tunnel prevents us from a serious climb, and then forest, forest, forest, a plateau and again a steep rock face. These are the mountains of the partisans and we see a lot of war memorials along the street. It’s very hot and we are soaked in perspiration: we haven’t had to drink as much as today for a long time while biking. The descent from Col de Rousset is fantastic: the street couldn’t be better and the view into the valley with all the lavender fields is just marvelous. First only the sight, than also the pleasant smell. Although we are on vacation, the training method tells us to stop and we stay in Die. Regulas wish, a hotel with a swimming pool, was fulfilled. But at a closer look we would have preferred an ice cream to the tiny paddling pool.