Allez! Allez! Allez! II

Hautacam

Height 1520m Ascent 1040m in 13km Average gradient of 8%

We made our way to Argelès Gazost, up to D100 to the carpark of Carrefour Argelès Gazost. There were several big groups of cyclists on the same road so we knew we were on the right direction. While Iain had a head start, I went into Carrefour to get food (I love supermarket shopping!). 

After conquering Col du Tourmalet, Hautacam is "small" challenge, but by no means less formidable.

Hautes-Pyrénées
(Source: http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2014/us/stage-18.html)

Hautacam was where Cadel Evans wore the yellow jersey for the first time in his career with a 1 second lead over Fränk Schleck in 2008. In 2014, as the penultimate stage, the steep slopes of Hautacam provided the perfect opportunity for Thibaut Pinot to attack and leapfrogged Alejandro Valverde to second place (or as Phil Liggett would have put it "Pinot was dancing on his pedals while Valverde stopped and cycled backwards").

The first part of the route up Hautacam was shaded. I had a chance to stop by a tiny waterfall outside the village of Artalens-Souin and cheered whoever rode by.

With less than 7km to go, there was hardly any shade.

Iain cycling in the sweltering heat

The scenery was awesome nonetheless.

On the way up Hautacam

What is wrong with my bike?

At 1520m, one reaches the "summit" of Hautacam - the point where Tour de France mostly stops due to practical logistics reasons (such as a carpark and a big enough space to set up stage). There is in fact, still some way to go up to the summit.

Tour de France formally stops here

Mont Ventoux

Height 1912m Ascent 1690m in 21km Average gradient of 7%

From Tarbes, we bade farewell to the French Pyrénées and drove through Toulouse to Avignon. The mountains disappeared and we were greeted by old viaducts, castles and fields of sunflowers.

Field of sunflowers

The city walls of old Avignon

From Avignon, we reached out to the French Alps. Iain picked up his rental bicycle at Bédoin, at the bottom of Mont Ventoux.

Mont Ventoux is located between a Alpine massif to the north and Mediterranean massifs to the south. The bottom of Mont Ventoux has a mixture of oaks, pines and cedars and is home to golden eagles, viperine snakes and chamois, to name a few. Vegetation stops at about 1500m but 60 rare flora species manage to survive on the summit. In 1990, the rich and diverse flora and fauna microclimates and habitats of Mont Ventoux made it to UNESCO's list of protected biosphere. 
(Source: http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?mode=all&code=FRA+06)

Summit of Mont Ventoux and the meteorological station

Where the vegetation stops, the bald limestone summit loomed. Mont Ventoux's distinctive summit and now-defunct meteorological station have perhaps made it on every cycling magazine in the world. 'Ventoux' means 'windy' in French and the sun bouncing off the limestones would make the last stage of the ride really hot - a double whammy. We were really lucky it was not too windy when we were on Mont Ventoux. While is was hot, maybe it was because we have acclimatised, it was not as hot as we envisaged.

An old road marker

There were a lot of cycling enthusiasts as usual, with a good mix of young upstarts and old. In addition, joggers and some novices (such as children in their small bicycles who had to be pushed up the hill by adults and others who could not keep to one side of the road and had to zigzag up the slopes) made driving really precarious. In 1990, it was estimated about 600,000 people cycled up the mountain each year (Source: http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?mode=all&code=FRA+06).

In the initial stage, the trees provided some respite from the heat. Soon, the bald summit appeared and taunted us from afar.

Another slog up the the bend with Mont Ventoux taunting from afar

Exercise prudence - 'cos that's how steep it is

So near yet so far

I am not sure if it was because we were closer to the Tour de France or the bigger turn out as compared to Col du Tourmalet and Hautacam, I could not help but feel that there were also more arrogant cyclists on Mont Ventoux – them in expensive gears, do not acknowledge when you cheer them on and tear down the mountains in top speed. I could not see any reason why there is any need to put one’s life at risk by going downhill and around corners at more than 80kmph when professional cyclists misjudge corners and go over barriers. Surely not everyone is a Romain Bardet making a lone breakaway with the whole peloton chasing him down.

Allez! Allez! Allez?

No. Chill, people. Chill.

Allez! Allez! Allez!

Iain is an avid cyclist. Having conquered Alp d’Huez previously, we had planned for him to attempt to ascend 3 hors catégorie ("HC" or exceptional) mountains in the French Pyrénées and French Alps, made famous in the world of cycling by Tour de France. 

Logistics

The logistics involved in travelling around the Pyrénées and the Alps is surprisingly complicated. Firstly, we found out that in order to fly from one city/town to another, one has to transit in Paris - this means a lot of detours and waiting at the airports. If we were to take the trains, it will often take multiple changes and more than 6 hours to get from one town to another (for example, it takes 2 changes and 6 hours 11 minutes to get from Tarbes to Avignon). In the end, after doing a lot of research on flights and train timetables, we decided to rent a car from Tarbes to Grenoble. But alas! No thanks to le Tour and the summer holidays, most car rental companies have run out of options 7 months before our trip. Thankfully, we found a compact automatic car at a reasonable price (4 months later, the same car from the same car rental company has almost doubled in rate).  

While I was researching for a car, Iain was checking out the bicycle rental options. As we were arriving after the Tour de France teams have passed through the mountains, renting a bicycle was not too much of an issue. Iain rented a bicycle at Saint-Savin, a tiny village not too far from Argeles-Gazost, to climb Col du Tourmalet and Hautacam. Next, at Bédoin, foot of Mont Ventoux, he was able to find another bicycle to rent.

How does one know he is in the Pyrénées?
Just look up and one will see birds of prey spreading their wings and soaring effortlessly in the sky,
at times circling, at times swooping, sending shivers down one's spine 

Col du Tourmalet

Height 2115m Ascent (from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan) 1275m in 16.9km Average gradient 7.5%

We picked up Iain's bicycle first thing in the morning and drove to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan, our starting point. (Having said "first thing in the morning", we had underestimated the time required to drive from our hotel in Tarbes to Saint-Savin, pick up and set up Iain's bike then drive to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan. By the time Iain started his ride, it was past 11am on a relentlessly hot summer day.)

Church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, Sainte-Marie-de-Campan

Sainte-Marie-de-Campan is most famous for its association with Eugène Christophe. in 1913, while riding down Col du Tourmalet during Tour de France, the fork of Christophe's bicycle broke. As the rules of the race prevented him from receiving outside help, he had to walk more than 10km with his bicycle on his shoulder, then weld his fork at a blacksmith at Sainte-Marie-de-Campan. Suffice to say, he did not win the Tour that year. In 1919,  Christophe became the first man to wear the first ever maillot jaune (yellow jersey) when it was introduced (Source: http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2014/us/history/).

Statue of Eugène Christope (1885 - 1970) and his fork by Yves Lacoste,
starting point of the climb

Col du Tourmalet was first included in le Tour in 1910, when Frenchman Octave Lapize first went over the high mountain pass and went on to win the Tour that year. “The television makes the roads look flat”, Iain has always said this when watching the Grand Tours on television. I finally found out for myself.

It sure does not look like a 10% gradient

The road leading up the Col du Tourmalet is steep and difficult to drive. Coupled by the fact that this was the first time that I drove on the “wrong” side of the road and more importantly, up a mountain, going around the bends with cyclists and cars on both sides of the roads was certainly nerve wrecking. It is probably 10 times worse for a cyclist. 

Directrice sportif/ soigneur/ cheerleader/ camerawoman in action

After a sun-exposed ride from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan, one reaches the ski town of La Mongie. Further afield, the final 5km of merciless and steep road awaits.

The last 1.5km

Cycling past the names of Contador and Uran(?)

On top of the pass, Octave Lapize's statue awaits. After a 1275m ascent, it must be a relief to most cyclists to finally see his bum.

L: Every cyclist cannot wait to see Lapize's bum
R: Statue of Octave Lapize

On top of the pass is a restaurant and a very crowded souvenir shop. I am not sure if it was because we descended without breaks (and the car rolled down the mountain and easily picked up speed as a result), there were a lot of hairy moments during the descent to Luz-Saint-Sauveur (which also means that an ascent from this side of the mountain will not be any easier). Fortunately for me, a flock of sheep appeared on the road just as I began to descend and alerted me to the potential perils on the road (cyclists hurtling down at 80kmph, animals wandering across the road, dramatic drop off the road, switch-backs). Determined cyclists, red in the face from the heat and exhaustion, were peddling hard from the opposite direction. Allez! Allez! Allez!

Baaaa...

Canberra

Canberra is the capital of Australia. Prior to 1901, there were 6 colonies in Australia and each ruled its own. A movement was begun and in 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed (a "Federation"). After the Federation, Canberra was selected as the new capital city of Australia, as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne in 1908. An international design competition for the new capital city was held and won by Walter Burley Griffin in 1912. (Source: http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia)

I have not been to Canberra, the capital of Australia, for more than 15 years. In my previous trip, being new graduates and dreamers, we spent a lot of time in the Australian Institute of Sport. This time, I had to go to Canberra to pick up my new passport at the Singapore embassy. Canberra felt the same - a clean, neat and planned city.  We love the very wide and empty streets. 

View of Canberra from Mount Ainslie

Australian War Memorial

It took us about 3 hours to drive from Sydney to Canberra. Our first stop was to catch a panoramic view of Canberra from Mount Ainslie. After which, we drove to the Australian Memorial.  Charles Bean, Australia's official historian of World War I, conceive the idea after staying close to the soldiers at Gallipoli and watching how the soldiers would collect war relics. Bean advocated the systematic collection of records and the commemoration of those who have been killed. Sydney architects Emil Sodersteen and John Crust won the design competition with an Art Deco/ Byzantine Revival sandstone structure. (Source: http://www.architecture.com.au) The Australian War Memorial was opened in 1941 to "to assist Australians to remember, interpret and understand the Australian experience of war and its enduring impact on Australian society." (Source: www.awm.gov.au)

Poppies and Roll of Honour
with names of thousands of Australians who died in wars since 1885

Pool of Reflection and the Eternal Flame

Inside the war memorial, there are exhibitions of war related artworks, relics, warcrafts, video and audio records. 

While proud and grateful of everyone who sacrificed their lives and normalcy for the rest of us, I cannot help but think that the walls are running out of space for new names of countries involved in wars and people who died from them and that there have been one war too many.

Floriade

My Canberra trip also coincided with Floriade. The annual event showcases tulips and annuals each spring and 1 million flowers bloom in time for 2014's theme "Passion". The first bulbs were planted in early April to be in time for them to bloom in September. It was the start of the festival and while it was hot, flowers were aplenty (my mum had gone during the later part of the festival one year and there were not much to see). The only gripe, however, was the flower beds were mostly flat on the ground and it was difficult to see the design patterns.

"Passion for Romance - Love Hearts"

National Gallery of Australia

We got to the National Gallery of Australia too late (I regretted spending time at the National Museum of Australia.) and basically ran in to see my favourite Jackson Pollock and had to leave in 15 minutes. 

Fortunately for us, while the Gallery was closed for the day, located in the compound's gardens were James Turrell's "Skyspace" and a sculpture garden. Turrell's Skyspace series has enclosed spaces open up to the sky and one can sit on benches in the enclosed space to view the sky. In "Within Without", the viewing chamber is a stupa made of Victorian basalt that resides in a green capstone-less pyramid.

James Turrell's Skyspace "Within Without" (2010)

Stupa, turquoise pool, moonstone on the floor and sunset through the oculus

The sculpture garden was interesting and as usual, I liked some sculptures and thought that the others were ordinary/ scary.

Bert Flugerman "Cones" 1976/82

Neil Dawson "Diamonds" (2002)

Beside the National Gallery of Australia Sculpture Garden is a tree-lined esplanade next to Lake Burley Griffin that provided some refreshing respite from the harsh sun. The flowers were in full bloom in September and it was really beautiful.

Mission accomplished

It was not too difficult locating the Singapore embassy in an area full of embassies. We were in and out in 10 minutes and were soon on our way home. 

Singapore embassy

Sunset in Canberra

Skydiving

I meant to post this one year ago. Time flies. I soared, plummeted and floated. 

For some unknown reasons, even though I am terrified of heights, cry (almost) every time I come off a roller coaster ride and will never attempt a bungy jump, skydiving is on my bucket list.

I decided to go skydiving on my birthday (no, I am not turning 21) and found that my colleagues also wanted to go (2 of them have received vouchers for their birthdays). One thing led to another, we had a group of 7 booked for the skydiving, neglecting to tell the General Manager that his managers may be all wiped out in 1 trip.

Photo credit: Vic

The day before our skydiving trip, everyone was jittery, wanting to get it over and done with. One of our colleagues told us that she is more than 60 years old when she got a skydiving voucher from her husband for her birthday. She said it was only after when she jumped off the plane did she realise that she did not remove her dentures and had to suck in her lips in case her dentures come off. Otherwise, there is nothing to worry. Another colleague said he went for a skydiving course when he was young. A lady jumped off the plane and her parachute did not open and he did not finish the course. (That was really helpful. Thanks for letting us know!)

We drove to Wollongong early in the morning, signed our lives away, paired with a diving instructor, made a video of our last words and then was driven to Picton to board our plane. JJ's diving instructor asked if we have had breakfast and when we said we had a big one, he was really worried. Apparently, it is not a joke - someone had previously threw up his breakfast midair and the diving instructor got most of it. 

We squeezed into the plane. As I was the lightest, I had the pleasure of jumping off first. The plane climbed slowly - we saw meadows and cows, then the sea - 2,000 feet, 3,000 feet… At about 15,000 feet, my instructor opened the shutter door. My instructor poked his head out of the door to check if we were in the correct position, and my body tipped out with him. He came back in and not long after, he poked his head out again. My body tipped out again. I began to panic, "SHIT SHIT SHIT, at this rate he is going, he is going to accidentally fall off the plane." Next to me, Vicky was thinking, "I hope she is not holding on to the door and create a drama, not jumping off." The third time my instructor tipped out, we were off. Without. Any. Warning.

Everything happening in swift seconds and my brain and body were disorientated from the lack of direction and gravity, but it was surprisingly calm. Except for the parts when my instructor pulled the cord and we shot up or descended too quickly, it was exhilarating. It was definitely less scary than a roller coaster ride. We were grinning from ear to ear after the jump, from the rush of adrenaline. I was mostly fine if not for the bubbles in the stomach I experienced several hours after the jump. To be honest, we were more nervous in the 1 week before the jump.

Would I skydive again? Definitely! Perhaps not any time soon as it was a rather expensive adventure. But most definitely!