“Be patient, slow down,” I reminded myself as we neared the summit of the Col de la Colombiere in the French Alps, a climb that’s been ridden 23 times in the Tour de France. And, trust me, they don’t include it so regularly in the world’s most famous race because it’s easy. The Colombiere is a 17.6-kilometer (10.9-mile) challenge with an average gradient of 6.5 percent. (There’s a sign every kilometer that lets you know the gradient for the upcoming kilometer.) I’m not a professional cyclist and was struggling. Up ahead was Mike Booth, my new cycling companion. Booth, a charming and chatty Brit who lives near the base of Mont Blanc, has ridden the Colombiere more than 50 times and wasn’t even breathing hard. The village of Le Reposoir appears along the route to the summit of the ...
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