Grand Raid Cristalp
It was around this time that the light began to fade. Strange, as it was just after 1pm. Weather in the area had been splendid for 2 weeks; Ross’ tan was testament to that. We had been warned of possible rain by text message the night before (as I said, the whole organisation of this event is very slick) and again on the morning before setting off. And sure enough, by lunch time the first drops appeared. Earlier than forecast predicted and judging by the ominous rumble of thunder in the valley ahead of us fairly substantial.
Still going strong but it looks a bit dark for so early in the day…
By the time Ross and I arrived in Evolene, arms and hands numbed from the huge and frankly really amazing descent off the Pointe De Mandelon, the writing was on the wall. The wind had picked up and the sky above the Montagn D’Eison, where we were headed, was black. Having earlier lost my saddle bag, at this point I tried to source some spares before beginning the long climb up to the final cut off point at La Vieille. The thought of getting stuck on the mountain without means to fix things in these conditions was not a comforting one. I noticed a few guys pulling over and calling it a day at this point, but having spent a whole load of time and money getting this far, retiring was not an option – and having ridden over the last 15-months in awful British weather, I was confident that this was not going to derail things.
We carried on, though by now most conversation amongst riders has ceased. Grim faces said it all: people were hurting. The rain got heavier and the temperature dropped. The sections of technical ascending were muddy and energy sapping. I was really regretting my choice of clothing. I had opted for a gillet only and, though my core felt ok, my extremities did not. A few riders came past us coming down, looking cold and broken.
And still the climb went on. A Dutch guy next to me asked how I was feeling, “Not great. I‘ve got strange shooting pains running up from my palms”. “You as well?”, came the reply.
The scene at La Vieille
