Day 25 l'Escarene to Breil-sur-Roya 50 km 1300m of climb and lots of snow!

What hairpins (lacets) look like on the GPS

I slowly shed layers of clothing as I laboriously climbed up to the Col de Braus, 2 hours to do 10km. The scenery was awesome....majestic. It was trying to snow. Triumphant at the top, I put everything back on, and more, even donning my ski goggles for the first time, for what I knew would be a freezing 20 minute descent into Sospel

The hairpins from hell!

But worth it for the view - awesome!

 After thawing out  with a coffee and pannini in Sospel I set out to repeat it all again on the next col (Col de Brouis). The rain/sleet/snow cycle repeated itself as I climbed, only this time much heavier so that I was wearing full rain kit. Or, in other words, sauna kit.......I could feel my clothes sodden with sweat under the breathable (ha!) rain jacket. Towards the end I was driven on by the fact that I had to get over this col and down to a warmer level before the snow started to settle, or worse, started to freeze. It's been a long time since I cycled in snow and I was thankful for my winter tyres

I didn't hang about up here......if this freezes it will be a skating rink.

Soggy but triumphant!

Both tucked away for the night, me in hot shower, bike blocking hallway.

           I will say 2 words about the descent into Breil-sur- Roya......FREEZING.....SCARY. I didn't put  a change of clothes on at the top as they would have got soaked on the way down. The hydraulic brakes and ceramic rims are fantastic in the dry........in the wet.....about 90% less effective.

At sometime during the descent camping in a sodden tent lost it's appeal. I prised my hands off the brake levers at the first sign of life, a petrol station, and asked the way to the nearest hotel. The miserable woman owner pointed me to a hotel (which was closed) 2 km down the road. She looked at me if I was a lump of dog-shit and even got a mop out and started mopping around me as my collection of snow melted. I gulped my machine-delivered shot of coffee and headed off into town. At one point I was forced to consider that I might actually have to camp until a friendlier restaurant owner pointed me in the direction of La Bonne Auberge. I was the only resident. Bon!