Jim Leland's Tour De France Trip / Ride 2010

On July 10, Dave and Cindy Smith, Joe and Maurya Sova, Jim and Sandy Leland, Cycle Hard Paul Hardison, Tom and Dent from Houston, Kevin and Eleanor from Britain all arrived at the Vanilla Sky chalet in Seez, France. This jewel is located in the heart of the French Alps and run by the dynamic duo of Andy and Samantha Maiklem….our hosts for 7 days of riding, sight seeing, eating and drinking. Did I mention eating and drinking? We climbed some of the epic Tour mountains including the Cormet de Roselend, Col de Petit St. Bernard, Col du Telegraphe and the never ending Col du Galibier. Perhaps the highlight was ascending the Col de Madeleine just hours before Stage 9 of the Tour came roaring up. I have never experienced tens of thousands of Tour fans cheering you up a climb. Brilliant. We also spent a day in Chambery to take in the start of Stage 10. A fantastic trip capped off by some folks heading to Italy and others to Spain. Highly recommend this chalet for its location, hospitality and value.