Stage 7 — Lac Blanc to La Flégère to Chamonix
Sitting at the edge of Lac Blanc, 2,352 m, green water and snowy cirque behind — the finish
Stage 6 — La Forclaz to Col de Balme to Le Tour
Col De Balme
Stage 5 — Champex-Lac to Trient (via Col de Bovine)
The curtain finally opens — the whole Rhône valley and Martigny far below, cows on the meadow, the Valais peaks stacking into an afternoon sky
Stage 4 — Courmayeur to Champex-Lac
The "I 13" border stone at Grand Col Ferret, Mont Blanc massif behind — trip high point, 8,324 ft
Stage 2 — Ville des Glaciers to Courmayeur
A gentler day than the first, and the one where the breathing practice became a technique
Stage 1 — Notre-Dame de la Gorge to Les Chapieux
Eleven miles, 4,400 feet of climbing, and the day that set the tone for the whole loop.