SearchCycling to Rome: Day 7 (Nancy to Colmar)
Friday 16 June 2023
Alex writes: The plan for today was a simple one: transition through Lorraine, then climb up and over the Vosges Moutains to drop down to Colmar in the heart of Alsace.
Once out of Nancy, the first task was to pass through industrial Lorraine, giving us a chance to admire some of the factories.
The terrain for this first half of the day was fairly flat and Glyn, who has spent most of the tour thusfar in contemplatif mode at the back, decided to take a stonking turn on the front and blow the rest of us out with the effort of keeping the train together. Still, it got the distance covered and before long we were having lunch in Baccarat. No sudden bird appearances.
The main business of the day was an up and over traversing the Vosges mountains, via the Col du Bonhomme, probably the first "serious" climb of the pilgrimage. This was a serious grind for me but I was cheered, on arriving at the summit, to find a new group rule in force: whoever arrives first opens a tab at the café. Today the honours fell to Glyn.
A fast 20 mile/30 kilometre descent followed to end the day in Colmar, made even more exciting for John when his bike developed a high-speed wobble - quickly brought under control by clamping the top tube with his legs.
Word of the day: teamwork
>>> Next: Day 8 to Bremgarten