Toasty Thursday

This will be brief as I've been slack with the blog updatesthanks to being a bit frazzled by the heat as well as general CBF by the time I had a spare 10 minutes. And those who have done camps before, you know we don't get a lot of spare minutes in between meal schedules, bag logistics and then extensive prep for the day ahead as well as enough clean kit.....!! Today's plan was: Bike 30 km from La Clusaz down to the Lake Swim in the lake 5km run Bike 60 km back via Forclaz, Col de marais, Thones. After a reasonable night's sleep and another breakfast of scrambled eggs, jambon and some fresh bread and a flagon of coffee, we set off in our grupetto to the lake. Net downhill so was pretty quick. Swim plan was JN's favourite- an eliminator contest. I'm always out in the first round so was chuckling with internal glee that I wouldn't have to kill myself through rounds of 400s. Wetsuit still felt as if it was choking me round the neck and the chest, despite letting water in and doing all the things and I started to feel a panic attack coming so I took it off and just swam in the trisuit as the water was a very pleasant 21dgrees. Aaaah thats better although being an already disadvantaged swimmer , not wearing the wettie would definitely knock me out first round, which it did....... but then I enjoyed some relaxed swimming while the others fought for glory. next up was a "Guess your time 5km" ( another JN favourite!). It was a bit of a shoulder to shoulder battle between the Colonel and the Grinder and I was taken out by the Colonel.... but good to be pushed along and also run 1min13 quicker than predicted although in hindsight with the mercury already rising fast, I should probably have taken it a bit easier. All in the name of type 2 fun tho, right?!!

Run done, changed, sugary snacks on board and time to ride home the long way. I can't possibly print on this blog the word I'd like to use to describe Forclaz. It started off at a relatively steady grade but then kicked off at the top with pitches varying 12-17 %, combined with about 32 degree temps. It was a war zone of athletes at the top begging the support crew for coke and cuddles......and then the descent was just as nasty as the road was only the width of 1.5 cars with very tight corners and steep drop offs. We cruised on up the Col de Marais then regrouped and found the short cut avoiding the Croix de Fry and toddled up the valley through Thones and up to La Clusaz which was hot , rely hot, dusty and we were all dreaming of a cold beer.

Fake it til you make it

La Clusaz - stunner of a place. Beer. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Dinner tonight was trout ( tasty) and the accompanying vegetable was half a stewed tomato. But no strawberry soup for dessert tonight at least :-)