[Luckypants]

Riding down to the South of France,I had been in the saddle about 8 hours when I headed over the Col du Lautaret in massive storm. At 3 in the afternoon it went pitch black and rained like I've never seen before! Lightning was leaping from mountain top to mountain top. Driving over zebra crossings made the rear wheel spin up! (French white road paint is much slippier than ours). I was crawling along at about 15mph when I was passed by a group of local riders on BMWs who beckoned me to follow and put me in the middle of their group. I was so grateful for having company who knew the road. We parted company at the col, they turned up the Col du Galibier (madness!) I headed downhill into Briancon. A ride I'll never forget.