100 Cols Day 34 Gunsbach to Obernai (finish) 133km 2600m climbing

"Allors! C'est Ca!" Well that's that! 40 days and nights. 100 Cols. 4100km. 80000+m climbing. 2 shredded tyres. 3 punctures/tubes. 4 brake pads. 1 freewheel hub spring. 1 pc netbook, 40 french campgrounds, 1000s of photos/videos, 100s of churches, rivers, bridges, pattiseries, cafés and countless pedal strokes and bidons of water, it's now over.
I have enjoyed this adventure immensely and have made many new friends. Thank you to Rob, Wilbert and all the wonderful crew members from Bike-Dreams for such a memorable experience and their very professional organisation which got us over all those hills safely.
"Bon Route!" to everyone on 100 Cols and enjoy your great memories of this journey.
Garmin link here 100 Cols Day 34

German war graves in the trenches from WWI

French war cemetery

near lunch stop

church and memorial

a different front yard

view from Le Mont Ste Odile

gardens at Le Mont Ste Odile

Le Mont Ste Odile

Le Mont Ste Odile

Hotel Colombier (finish) Obernai

"Champions of 100 Cols"

100 Cols Day 33 Champagney to Gunsbach 117km 2200m climbing

It's official now. My legs (including both knees) have advised me in writing - "No more big hills!" After today we have only one more day to finish in Obernai. Big climbs are over as we have only a few minor cols to cross tomorrow. It will be a long day with distance over 130km but I am sure the hills will be more manageable than some of the climbs we have tackled this week.
Today we met at the top of the Grand Ballon which is the highest pass in the Vosges. Just a brief shower on the upper slopes which helped cool us down.
After a group photo it was a quick descent to camp at Gunsbach. Garmin link here 100 Cols Day 33

town square fountain

church reflection

church and municipal gardens

fountain

Aidan arrives at Grand Ballon

en route to Grand Ballon

private gardens

group photo at Grand Ballon  "Champions of 100 Cols"

Munster Kiwi Dave

Munster

100 Cols Day 32 Levier to Champagney 132kms 1600m climbing

This stage started out with a friendly hill and a descent back down to 400m elevation. Then back up to an elevation of 800m and a series of rolling hills on a plateau. At 70km we dropped down again and then climbed the Col de Ferriere. Only a small hill but it was followed by a series of short but steep hills before finishing in Champagney.
Sights along the way were similar to yesterday. Farming and forests. Mainly dairy and cattle farms along with fields of corn and oats/barley. After riding most of the morning with Tony and Mike, I stopped to take a few photos and promptly got dropped.
We crossed the line of the TGV and I managed to catch a glimpse of one train speeding west toward Lyon.
We also crossed the Doub river at L'Isle-sur-le-Doubs. A very wide and shallow river at the crossing which was very picturesque.
Only 2 days to go now.Tomorrow several riders will leave the tour to catch early flights or make train connections. So we will have a group photo at Grand Ballon summit lunch stop. This will be the last big hill of the tour. Garmin link here 100 Cols Day 32 

water fountain

Three Pidgeons Hotel

church and memorial

man in his private garden

L' Isle-sur-le-Doubs

L' Isle-sur-le-Doubs

L' Isle-sur-le-Doubs

rural retreat on a hill above a small village

TGV train link from Strasbourg

an  impressive village church

Acres of wheat

highly decorated church steeple

100 Cols Day 31 St. Claude to Levier 102 km 1400m climbing

Well today was probably the easiest biking day on this trip and it was very enjoyable.  With only 102 km and 1500m of climbing the pace was relaxed and it was a chance to really enjoy the countryside without having to worry about the next big hill. I am now forced to type up my blog on my smartphone as the PC netbook I brought with me has died completely. So no Garmin activity  uploads until I get home and that will be in over a week from now.
The scenery in the Jura range is a combination of rural and forests. It reminds me of the areas around the southern highlands of NSW. We came through an area of cattle farms and small villages which specialise in the production of cheeses. The day was ideal for photos as the sun was out and the flowers put on a great show.
Someone commented at dinner tonight that for the entire trip we seen very little litter. And it's true. The regional areas that we have visited are quite clean.
I am looking forward to packing up my tent in two days time and sleeping in a comfortable hotel bed b4 the long trip back to Sydney. Garmin link here 100 Cols Day 31

a rural retreat in the Jura

interesting theme for a customised letterbox

emergency escape vehicle attached!

Morez

magnificent flowers outside a church

100 Cols Rest Day 6 St.Claude

After a tough day yesterday (probably the toughest) I was glad we had a rest day today in St. Claude. I was dehydrated after yesterday’s hot climbs of over 3000m. I woke at 2am and then spent the next 2hrs up and down to the toilet. Just awful.
Today is the French national holiday (Federation Day previously referred to as “Bastille Day”). Fortunately after a long sleep in this morning I was feeling much better. So today was about taking it easy. I was going to do a ride to Col de la Faucille which is not far from here and I have visited it before. But just didn’t feel up to riding today. So after a late breakfast I slept for another two hours then managed to get some lunch at the snack bar near the pool at the camp.
The afternoon agenda was also pretty relaxed with a visit to the bar near the camp to have a couple of cokes and watch the TDF as Froomey set a cracking pace up the Col de Soudet. I was interested to see the TV pictures as we had ridden over this col from the opposite direction 3 weeks ago.
Afterwards a walk into town to check out the buildings and the local festivities.
Dinner with 6 other riders at the bar/restaurant (at the campsite) and an early night.

Ken's jumbo parfait

Calum's yoga class

pipes and gem museum

main square St Claude

floral pipe statue

Le "Tilt"

St Claude

St Claude

St Claude

amazing display of pipes

Town Hall

the lads enjoy a beer on the rest day

the French (and other) tourists enjoy a taste of summer