crossing the big and snowy alps to italy
Posted on Sun ,07/03/2010 by Roei Sadan 
crossing the big alps in the winter its something that i knew that will come and i was preparing myself for that,its not the big Andes or the huge Himalaya but its still quite big and very cold in this time of the year.
the roads and the behavior of the drivers in France are very very good and it help for the cycling. after being in Grenoble with my friends ,eating good and charge myself mentally and physically i was strong and fast , the city of Grenoble is located in a valley and for me from her all the road is going up, like i love…. very fast in the first day i was in the height of the snow that staying on the ground… that makes a small problem for pitching the tent so i was happy to find a king of a cave with a door and a wall in one of the sides of the cave, on the door was a paint of a heart and i knew that this is the right place for me, it was dry and OK for sleeping… because there wasn’t in the area a small river
heating the snow
to take water i took some snow and heat it in my stove, i felt good to feel in this time of the adventure. alone with the nature and you need to do whatever to make you warm and to eat after a really long days. pasta its always good and with tuna cans its give me all that i need for being strong for the days after.
the second day it was a really “”Andes”‘ day i wanted to crossed 2 passes in a height of 2065 m and 1885 m with 2 big climbs and after that to enter Italy and find a warm place to put the tent.
the first pass the famous “lautaret” pass was amazing climb,long and steady with amazing landscapes that make everything more easy just to look of that amazing mountain give me energy and toghts about my past and my future but it was important to feel the present.
i climbed more and more and pass small unique villages and sky resorts…
the height of the snow beside the road was 3 meters and i could see small and deserted houses and cars under the snow.
on the pass in the height of 2085m there is a small sky resort with and hotels and it felt weird , in a way i missed the feeling in the Andes that after i big climb i had a moment of my own with the mountains thanking them for the feeling that they gave me but its not like that her in the commercial alps.
i wanted to clim more to the famouse galibari pass but it was close in this time of the year….
after the c;climb a good descent to the small city of briacon that to France are saying that this is the highest city in Europe in the height of 1400m. i stooped to make a good sandwich and a small rest before the second climb this time to Italy!!!
into the snow
i like ti climb much more then to go down , the landscapes are getting better as you climb and i like to earn my views.
i was happy to be in the pass of “montever”with another holiday village with many skiers.
i tunnel on the road and in the other side i was already in Italy, a country that i always wanted to see and to feel it with Emuna(my bike).
i found a small deserted place to spend the cold night.
in the 3rd day went down from the alps and was happy to be in a little warmer places ,i had good luck with the sunny weather when i was up in the mountain and this luck ended when i got to the big city of torino, a big and black cloud was in the sky and it start to be very very rainy… i knew that this cold will not kill me or something like that but its not nice to cycle wet with big cars splashing on me….
the roads in Italy are not as good in France and small roads are also full with big trucks in a way it remind me the days cycling in Israel before the journey…
you can see that the Italian people are very different from the people in France , her many people asking me what i am doing with the bike and where i am going , people honking and waving there hands and wishing me good luck… i know that i will love Italy.
after torino i had 140km of a flat busy road to Milan.
it was really long day and for me to cross a really big city with heavy traffic is more harder then to climb and big pass in the mountain, her you need to be focus with the cars and you feel really small.
after really long 4 days i got to Milan and meet my friends amit,from Israel and Gabriel that cycled with me in Patagonia.
in the next days i will jump to Switzerland to work with my sponsors “Eden springs” and then come back to Milan.
will dream will see
will dream will see
love you all
roei “jinji”sadan
Milan
Italy
Europe
the world
