tour de france in verbier

Wow, what an experience. We left the hotel early, just after 830am, and rolled down to Le Chable and the gondola up to Verbier. From there we rode a series of trails and lifts all over the Verbier network of lifts - 12,500 feet of descending over the day. The highlight was arriving 2 switchbacks from the finish of the Verbier stage of the Tour. We had an hour before the riders came through...time for a beer or two...the spectacle of sponsors and support cars was insane and then the helicopter arrived below us on the mountain and we knew that the riders were coming...Contador had pulled away and was in the lead, followed by a very worked Lance. Killer day of mountain biking with a big ol cherry on top.


Colorful spectators...


Lance, visibly blown and realizing that Contador is a serious threat.

zee alpen...

Writing this while sitting in our little hotel in the hamlet of Lourtier...tucked up a tight valley with big peaks all around. We've just started our Cloudraker trip with the Tour coming through the valley in a few days. The anticipation is growing!! Can't believe that we'll be watching the Tour in a few days from our mountain bikes! So pumped.


PK and Daughrty starting a 7 hour descent...


This lift got us high. Really high.

Ripping with Bush

Big Mountain guide Tyler Moore speaks, "Rode with Bush again yesterday. Pretty cool. They've been workin on the trails up there a whole lot and have some sweet stuff. I also got to ride around a bit on Mountain Bike One, a Trek Fuel EX all carbon with badass everything. They've got some cool undulations on an off camber hill I was able to double up for a few little trail airs. Other than that its mostly XC twisty turney stuff but fun."

Off to Europe this morning

Ahhh...it's always the same each year when the departure for Europe looms. "Oh, no problem, i've got everything dialed," I think. Next thing I know i'm putting in 15 hr days staring at my computer for a week straight. Trips have been planned months ago, it's that list of stuff that needs to get done. Anyway, bags are packed, bike is in his box, everyone's happy. Watching the Tour this morning is especially sweet knowing that i'll be hanging with our Swiss Cloudraker crew on the sidelines watching Lance go by in the next few weeks. How sweet is that?
Hope your summer's going well and riding's been great were you are!

Mountain bikers represent at the Tour de France

Victoria BC based former mountain biker Ryder Hesjedal is racing in the Tour this year on the Garmin-Slipstream team. Read about him on VeloNews. Of course Australia's Cadel Evans is a former mountain biker and a true contender this year!

For great online coverage, watch our friend Jason Sumner (who joined us in Peru in April on our Unforgettable Andes trip) on Velonews.tv.