Celebrating 72 on the Col de l’Arpettaz

[velotel]

Last day at age 71, looked outside, gorgeous morning. The winds that had rattled the house the day before hadn’t woken up yet. Worked in the strawberries, enjoying the sun on my back. Late afternoon, time for a spin. Decided to do a loop I hadn’t done in years. All in all a pleasant enough cruise, nothing special, but maybe I could maybe spice it up a wee bit.

I like looking at maps, the old kind, printed on paper than can be folded and carried along, been checking one out, a small scale map with lots of detail. Saw a forest road curling around the far end of the hill the normal road goes around. Thought it was a contour line at first then realized it was a forest road, maybe 10 K of dirt. Then I found another small road, paved one, earlier in the loop, another to check out. Didn’t pay it much attention, figured just a small detour, I was more interested in the dirt forest road.

Got to the first option, the small detour. Instantly steep! Wasn’t what I had in mind but fortunately didn’t last, a burp of pain followed by a gentle cruise, a one-laner hugging the slopes. Angling up but gently across fields of grasses and flowers. Only the road was going in the wrong direction. But hey, the riding’s sweet, follow it and see what happens.

What happened was it curled back and headed in the good direction. And started seriously climbing. Okay, probably just another short ramp, up to that bend where it’ll ease off. Got to the bend, the road didn’t ease off. Maybe even pitched up more. And stayed like that, sustained steep, traversing an impressively steep hillside. A pure one-laner, rustic pavement in good shape. No idea why they’d built this road up this mountain. There’s no village up top, no ancient monastery, just this paved road up the hill.

At last a flat spot with an old farm straddling the road. And just beyond the farm I could see the road dropping. Time for my jacket for the long plunge. Fifty meters later I’m back in full-on climbing mode! And stayed there. All in all turned out to be a good climb, over 4 K at 9% average, but hidden inside there’s a 2,5 K section at 11%! I always like a good surprise and this was one. Great climb, one of the best in the area, narrow road, no traffic, good views, definitely a to-do-again.

Then down, a twisting, diving descent on a road that if anything was narrower than what I rode up! Blind turns, steep grades, gravity pulling hard, lots of pine needles and sand and abraded asphalt on the surface to keep the mind concentrated. Nice mix of linked sweepers, tight curls, weaving straights. But every turn blind and the road so tight that a full-on speed run wasn’t possible. Got down into houses, saw a road going left, no idea why but I took it. This puppy became even steeper and narrower! Around a bend and it plunges like it’s going over a waterfall! Make a mental note to never, ever come up this. Some more turns and I’m at the junction with the normal road. Some detour.

Back into cruise mode, around the mountain, a couple K or maybe more before the forest road branches off. Around the mountain turns out to be longer than I remembered, but easy going. Over the top, only not really a top, just a shift from going up to going down. Picking up speed, starting to fly, and there it is, the forest road heading off at an angle and up. The transition so smooth I barely even brake, let momentum power me up the grade. Short climb, the surface smooth, at least for packed dirt and gravel. Road flattens and I’m moving down the cogs and onto the big ring. Oh man, this is sweet. Just like the map showed, the road following, more or less, a contour line across the slopes. Every time it entered a drainage the road would descent slightly, cross the drainage, then climb out the opposite side. All in all 10 K of sweet rolling on dirt.

Between that little detour at the beginning and this romp through the woods on dirt, the loop just got a major upgrade, bumped to 52 K from 39 K and 1278 meters of climbing (4200 ft) from 704 vertical (2300 ft). Hopefully the legs aren’t too beat up for tomorrow, the traditional birthday celebration ride.

Woke up early with the weather looking shaky, hard, cold winds out of the north. Decided to hang at the house doing stuff and watching the weather. Afternoon came in all blue skies and sunshine, but still windy. Up into Savoie. Should be less wind there. Ride Col de l’Arpettaz, check out if there’s still snow on the Grand Traverse, the magnificent chemin (sort of a four-wheel drive track only a regular car can do it, with care) between the Arpettaz and the Col des Aravis, maybe the best ride I’ve ever done. Ride up the south approach. Might still be patches of snow from avalanches on the north road.

Park near Ugine, roll off, up the road to the village of Héry. A real road, two full lanes, painted lines, guard rails, easy grades. Makes for a nice warm-up with views out over Ugine and down the valley. The junction with the road to Arpettaz, my kind of road, narrow, nervous, rustic asphalt well patched, guard rails all but non-existent, no paint. Up through a hamlet of old houses and barns, worn with age, gardens already turned and planted.

Through some stretched out switchbacks in a field where I get battered a bit by swirling winds then into a forest and some tight switchbacks. Steady climbing, high single-digits. The junction with the road coming up from Héry. This is where grades start creeping into double-digits. The road weaving up a steep hillside, curling past scattered houses of rock and wood and well tended gardens. Into a series of linked curls past some old homes then past a lone tree. This is where Mont Blanc suddenly becomes visible. Not today, shrouded in clouds, patches visible. Onto a round ridge and the valley from Flumet to Megève is visible. Amazing how many houses and buildings there are on the valley’s flanks, all because of skiing.

Grades ease off a bit, the road swinging back and forth up the ridge then into a short run through a forest. Last time I was here was the end of March, 016 and there were extended patches of snow on the road. I rode over most of them until after the La Laierre restaurant (excellent food, only open by reservation) where I realized getting to the col wasn’t possible. And I’ll be damned, there’s a big patch of snow in exactly the same place as the one that stopped me a year ago. This time ridable.

I love this last part of the ride, 6 K of pure joy on a bike. Sweeping alpine fields of grasses and flowers (early for the flowers but lots of small ones poking up) against a backdrop of walls of rock and high crags and across the valley the mass of Mont Blanc, still draped in swirling clouds, and the chain of aiguilles above the Chamonix valley. And minimal sign of civilization. Just widely scattered farm structures only used during the summer. The riding mostly easy going. Even moved onto my big ring for a bit during a slight descent then a flattish run through a pocket of forest rich with the smell of pines. Hit another patch of snow, but skirtable.

The temperature has dropped big time and even though I’m still in climbing mode, I’m cold. Stop to put on my jacket. At the car I was thinking I was over-dressed. Should have been wearing shorts instead of tights. I’d brought full gloves with me but left them in the car because obviously I wouldn’t be needing those. I needed them now. A hat would have been welcome too. Put on the pair of latex gloves I always carry in my sack. Not much but at this point anything will help.

The final approach, the road perched on top of a round ridge, the wind knocking me around, into a shallow basin with a angling climb and I’m in the lee. That feels good. The cloud blocking the sun also decided to move aside and that feels really good. Can’t believe how friggin cold it is up here.

The high point, the col itself just beyond and a bit lower, and the road closed by a big wave of wind-packed snow burying a good 20-30 meters of the road. Bike on the shoulder, stroll across. Fingers are frozen but I manage to shoot some pics of the Grand Traverse. Looks close to doable. Another week or two and the remnants of snow I can see should be gone. Ride down onto the col. Realize that after all these years of riding here, I’ve never shot a picture of my bike against the sign for the col. I do now. And zero sign of any snow on the north road. Good.

Head down one of the best descents I know. An engaging, fast, twisty, narrow, constantly shifting plunge down off the mountain. And man am I cold! My fingers are almost numb and I barely feel the brake lever. I’ll be on it damn near the whole way down, constantly playing the brakes like fingers playing chords on a guitar. Lots of winter debris on the road with two clear tracks from what little traffic has been up here. A magnificent descent. I’m freezing but still pretty well ripping my way down off the mountain. Partly because I want to get down into the warmth of the valley, partly because this is a plunge that wants to be taken fast. A beautiful rhythm of speed, braking, leaning through turns, surging the bike over small rolls, curling through switchbacks, over 40 of them, on and on. I look out and down at one point after having been racing down the mountain for how long I don’t know other than a long time and there’s still a huge amount of vertical to go before the valley floor!

Hit the valley floor, the fingers starting to thaw. And I keep charging down the road to get back to the car as fast as possible. Only one thing in mind, get in the car, start the motor, put the heat one! Hell of a ride, 40 K, 1200 vertical (3936 ft), a fine way to celebrate turning 72. Even if I did almost freeze to death! Again, not the first time I’ve done some big ride to celebrate my birthday and ended up riding through the cold and even snow. Oh well, what can I say. Definitely no one forcing me to be an idiot.

Some pics, but none from the first ride. Didn’t have my camera with me. Wasn’t supposed to be such a cool ride.

[weisan]

[clyde the point]

You live in a gorgeous area.
Lucky man.
Happy Bday.

[Keith A]

Happy birthday!!! Thanks for sharing your experiences and pictures with us.

[roguedog]

Happy Birthday!


Seems you give us the gift though. I've missed your posts. Too busy being a celebrity, eh? <j/k, btw>

Looks like a lovely way to have spent the day.

[cinco]

Nice! Lots of blue skies in your future! Happy Birthday!

Andy in Houston

[Mr. Pink]

Nice. Happy bday. Looks like there's still a little skiing up there.

[joev]

Great writing...almost didn't miss the photos from the first ride! Thanks for the pics on the second ride. Happy Birthday!

[572cv]

The Arpettaz is etched fondly in my memory. The pictures brought back that great ride, and then some! Thanks for sharing the cadeau of that stunning day with us. Happy Birthday, and may many more Eriksen enabled adventures grace your future.

Rob

[Jad]

Happy Birthday. Your narrative makes me want to put together some climbing. Thanks for sharing.

[pncguy]

Thank you so much for this write up. Pushing 50 I sometimes feel old, but this narrative reminds me first why I love to ride so much and second that I have lots of time before I can use age as an excuse! For people who don't understand the climb, they won't understand what you're talking about. But anyone who can read should be able to appreciate the joy you (we) get from being out on the road.

Of course, my four lane streets with wide bike lanes are a far cry from the wonderful roads you describe. But this gets me a little closer.

[NHAero]

Happy birthday and thanks so much for your posts!

[Clean39T]

Happy Birthday! I'm only slightly half the man you are by age, but man, if I can still be doing this thing we love the way you are if I'm lucky enough to make it as long as you have...well, that'd be a life well lived. Chapeau!


Forum Quote du Jour:

"It's just a bike. If you want another and can afford it, buy it. It will be fast, if you pedal it fast." -- Jr59

[hampco]

Great stuff as always, Hank. Happy Birthday!

[Mzilliox]

happy birthday Hank, many more rides to come at 72!