Haute Route Alps Stage 6: Courchevel to Megève
Haute Route Alps Stage 6: Courchevel to Megève
A cold and early descent from Courchevel left me chilled to the bone. It was a 25km descent, and quite speedy at that. Not overly technical, that was until 3 women decided that taking a quick pee beside the road, pretty much naked would aid their times. We were in a neutralised section. They could have quite easily taken themselves off and been more discreet. Funny how my attitude to men just peeing on the roadside doesn’t take the same approach. I’m full of contradictions. I’m also very easily distracted, as were many other riders faced with women’s breasts. 
A sharp right hander at the bottom of the descent and we were smashed with the Col de Tra. A fecking ugly start to the day. So ugly that I couldn’t even be bothered taking a photo if the climb. It’s been blanked mentally.
Let’s move swiftly on. The next climb may have been the prettiest. It would definitely come close in a beauty pageant. The Cormet de Roseland is everything a climb should be. It’s taxing, but the reward on the other side is majestic. The pristine environment opens up to a gorgeous lake. A delightful chapel sits on the opposite side. The road surface is good and the sweeping corners great. What else is there to do but have some fun. And fun it certainly was.
I started feeling better on this climb, but leading up to here was plain brutal. It wasn’t until I passed another rider from Hotel Tatami, that I suddenly get better. I stopped at the side of the road to help Carl. He was in a very dark place. D and V ain’t a cyclist’s best friend. And Carl looked dreadful. I waited until medical assistance arrived. Then, and only then, I went on my less than merry way.
The tonic of the Roseland made it palatable. The Roseland was my medicine. It was just what I needed. Also to see someone other than yourself in such dire straights gives you food for thought. There’s always someone worse off than yourself.
The Col de Saisies was also magical, but for different reasons. It was the first time in 3 days that I started to feel well again. The rest of the day was just plain sailing. A solo 30km from to top into Megeve was treated as a time trial. Nothing out of the ordinary, that was, until I got to the hotel.
The Hotel Aux Ducs de Savoie was the best hotel I’d stayed in on this trip. It was now beginning to feel like fun. The views were to die for. The sweeping vista from the balcony included Mont Blanc and several other beauties. The dinner was amazing, and the breakfast great. I felt like a king. The doors didn’t even have keys, that’s how trusting this part of France was. If Courchevel was supposed to be great, Megeve made it look like a shithole. The people were just so much friendlier. This was real France. Not just a place to launder money.
Stage 6 position: 298
Overall positon: 299.
