August 5 Bourg D Oisans to Le Rozier (8K east & north of Briancon) 76 K, Col du Lauterat

As I was about to pull out of Le Bourg D'Oisans, after my obligatory stop at the boulangerie and supermarket, I met a cyclo-tourist from Caneda. Carlo Roman was his name and we kind of biked together as far as Briancon. Had some good conversation at the top of climbs, and met a family (Mark, Martina, Matthew, Alis, see photo) from near Lyon France who were out on a backpacking trip. The D'Oisan region, famous to cycling fans for the climb up to L' Alpe D'Huez, has 6 valleys and nine major peaks including some glaciers. Truly a magnificent area. A must see, but not in July or August. Today I had more traffic go by me than the last six weeks combined by far. The mountains are so extreme here there are few roads and fewer highways. The only way to go is the main route. The Col du Lauteret is one of the famous TDF climbs which is overshadowed by its' next-door-neighbor, the Col du Galibier. I decided to save Good Ol' Galibier for the next tour so I can climb it from the north ;) The scenic beauty made up for the automobiles whizzing past.