The Tourmalet

Yes, that's Our Boy Lance in yellow at the summit of the Tourmalet.

Bernard would not smile for the camera. He's French, after all!

The statue at the left of the summit is called Rider in Pain. Appropriate, eh?

Climbing the Col du Tourmalet on the first day of our Trek Travel tour in 2003 was a thrill for all the Cranks, although we approached it, as Granny said earlier, from the opposite direction. I was separated from our the Trek Travel peleton that day (I fell early on the ascent and never caught up), then got caught at the summit and was forced to watch the race there. It proved to be a treat. I got to meet Bernard Hinault (you should recognize him above) and snapped plenty of photos, some of which I share here.