Two summits today. Col du Joly followed by Col des Saisies . 42 miles and 6500 feet of climbing. Took 4.5 hours plus. Was hard and beautiful. The cheeseburger at the top of Joly was epic. Dinner tonight will be as well. The beer after the ride tasted like the nectar of the gods.
The camaraderie of suffering was in play today.
Downer and I rode together the first climb. Worked out that way. After the burger I took the second climb slower and looked left and right and stopped to take in the sights. Savored it. Had never climbed Sassie and it didn’t disappoint. Tomorrow we’re going to hit some white roads and the biggest climb around Lake Annecy. The legs are chirping. The heart is filling. Fatigue is more emotional than anything and friends and family are giving me more juice than the mountains. We started this tradition at age 50. We’ve been in the French Alps every five years since. I’m not getting faster. I am getting more joy filled.
Life is hard, beautiful, and brief. Soak it in, friends. Do hard things. Do them with others. Find the camaraderie of suffering. Stop and take some pictures. Have a French pastry. Eat the cheeseburger. Have a cold one. Talk. Laugh. Fill up and fill others up.
Day one was hot as hell. I melted. Day two was rainy, cold, and windy. Weathered it together. Day three was gorgeous. Low 70’s, sunny, and the wind was down. Day four is going back to hotter. We will weather whatever comes next. Together we transform. Always together. Damn.
Live hard. Love harder…
BUILT TO LEAD 
Brother – – –
Praying that all who read this “see” and “hear” all that is going on THERE.
ONWARD AND UPWARD.
“It’s all about the next mission, always, then one day you realize, no, it’s about the process, it’s about the journey. Missions are just a means to keep the total process moving. Fall in love with the process. Become one with this. Mastery in the art of (the process of) life – – – simple. Not easy.”
Together We Transform – always, ALWAYS TOGETHER.
Jim
1COR13:13