velotel
06-11-2012, 07:44 AM
8:00 in the evening, I’m standing in a deserted parking lot at 1650 meters; my car is 30 K and 1410 vertical meters away. It’s also cold. It’s June and it’s cold enough that I’m wishing I had a few more clothes in my sack to put on. I also should have been standing in a wash of sunshine. Instead I’m standing under a wash of gray.
Didn’t start that way. The morning was sun, blue sky, fat clouds floating by. Lots of cyclists spun by my house. The road to the plateau is popular on weekends despite how hard the climb is. I kept working, on the house, in the garden. The day drifted by, me working. Evening, time to move. Bike in the Tourneo, into the valley, across to the cemetery near Goncelin. Always a good place to park, cemeteries. And churches, almost always empty. Especially on Sundays.
Summits were lost in grayness. Win some, lose some. Bowl and roll time. Small road parallel to the train tracks. Trains are silent until they’re blowing by. Always make me jump. Into the first climb, one I know well, a warmer-upper, a road to avoid the main road where the cars are. On to Allevard and the start of my day’s objective, the climb to Super Collet, a small ski area.
A pure climb, 1190 vertical meters (3905 ft) with a 10 K section averaging 9,4%. The Critérium du Dauphiné in 2011, 6th stage, finished at Collet d’Allevard, winner Joaquin Rodriguez. Did the climb in 32 minutes! (Don’t know where the start/end of the timing was, still too damn fast!) That was after 180 K including 3 major cols. I have no idea how they do all that and then hightail it up the final climb like a pickpocket being chased by a cop with an attitude. The climb to Collet d’Allevard is labeled HC (hors categorie), the hardest ranking. Collet d’Allevard isn’t the end of the road; that’s another 3 K and 230 vertical meters further up the mountain. That’s where I was going. It took me more than 32 minutes.
Into Allevard, nice town. There’s a thermal spa there. Casino too. One for winning, one for losing. Instant going up mode, 9%. Felt good, no problem. Pitch slacked off a bit, not much, just enough to feel sweet. Riding comfortably, thinking this is going to be good. Arrive at a road sign, Collet d’Allevard to the left. I’m seated, spinning well on my 34/27 climbing combo. As in my lowest gear. The road to the left, the one to Collet d’Allevard, just a slight angle to the left of the main road, looks like a mistake. As in steep. I slide left, hit the ramp, out of the saddle, stroking hard. Quick look down just to verify, yep, I’m maxed out in the gearing. This could be interesting. Stays like that for 10 K or so. K after K at 8,5%, 9%, 9,5%, even 10%.
32 minutes! Beyond my capacity to imagine that! He must have been flying. I’m not flying. Feel good anyway. Road angles up the mountain in a series of long switchbacks. The wind that brought in all the clouds and cold is out of the north. Turns out the traverses to the left are the longer ones and they’re right into the wind. I needed that; the 9%+ grades alone weren’t enough. The traverses to the right are a new game, the wind on my back. Or rather more like a complete absence of wind, even of air. Just this remarkable stillness surrounding me. Into the wind I wasn’t chilled but I sure wasn’t hot either. To the right I was sweating. Odd sensations.
Not much in the way of views. Mostly trees, big ones. Now and then slots and breaks looking out over the valley into a gray distance. And up, always up. 32 minutes! I passed 32 minutes long ago. Not that I have a watch or anything to glance at. Didn’t need one to know that. And then I’m there, Collet d’Allevard, a ski area perched on a ridge. Not much there. A few apartments and houses and ski lifts. And a launch space for paragliders and hang gliders with a big view over the valleys, Lake Bourget near Aix-les-Bains in the distance.
I press on. A slight downhill, that feels good. Climbing again, but not so steep. The road curling across the mountains side, big drops to the left. Has to be gorgeous on a clear day. Road ramps up, subtly, and all of a sudden I realize I’m back on the 27 cog. I thought the end was supposed to be easy! Must be me. Then it’s over, the road goes totally limp, nothing more to throw at me. Into an empty parking lot. Views aren’t spectacular. A few buildings and ski lifts, vegetation still waiting for the heat to arrive.
Too late and too cold to hang out. Put on everything I have, which isn’t much. A smartwool jersey, my favorite super lightweight wool long-sleeved shirt I’ve been skiing and biking in for 25 years, a wind-blocking vest, and over all that my Vecchio’s wool jersey. I roll off. And stop. Remember I have a pair of cycling gloves in the sac. Hardly ever wear them, only when it’s a bit chilly. Put them on. I can already feel two finger tips verging on going white. Something or other syndrome. Okay, go. No, stop, pull out my phone, look at the time, now go. Into the drop.
Big acceleration. No wonder I was on the 27! I always say if you want to know if a pitch is steep, ride down it; gravity never lies. All the way up I kept thinking this could be one of the great descents. So far, good, very good, but not great. Not yet. That comes from Collet d’Allevard down. Holy smokes, this is one fine downhill. Pavement excellent, road wide enough for comfort if any cars coming up. Not that there are any. The place is deserted. Beautiful. The turns are round, ofttimes generously so. I’m flying. Minimal braking most of the time with big gravity accelerations on the straights. The switchbacks announce themselves in advance, brake, pick my line, release, go. Sweet. On and on. This is one long descent.
And into Allevard, stop on the bridge over a stream white with rushing water. Pull out my phone, check the time, 20 minutes. I’ll take it, 60 vertical meters a minute (almost 200 vertical feet a minute). Too bad I didn’t check the time at Collet d’Allevard; from there down is seriously fast. Maybe 15 minutes, hard to say. Which makes that 32 minutes going up even more impressive because going down I am not shy. Like I said, don’t know from where to where that time was measured. Doesn’t matter, still impressive.
So, one of the great descents? Maybe, definitely in the realm. In the upper section I was thinking it would be better than the drop off Col du Granier but in the end, no; Granier is better. Shorter but much more interesting. The turns off the Granier are fast but more technical, more captivating. Every one is different and their radii are always changing, tightening or opening up. The Granier makes me think. There are more S-combinations too, the ones where you lean left then right then left again.The Collet d’Allevard is too constant, too well designed. On the other hand someone who knows the road well could burn it big time.
Some pics, first one looking across the reservoir at the slopes the road climbs. After, bottom to top then back at the bottom.
Didn’t start that way. The morning was sun, blue sky, fat clouds floating by. Lots of cyclists spun by my house. The road to the plateau is popular on weekends despite how hard the climb is. I kept working, on the house, in the garden. The day drifted by, me working. Evening, time to move. Bike in the Tourneo, into the valley, across to the cemetery near Goncelin. Always a good place to park, cemeteries. And churches, almost always empty. Especially on Sundays.
Summits were lost in grayness. Win some, lose some. Bowl and roll time. Small road parallel to the train tracks. Trains are silent until they’re blowing by. Always make me jump. Into the first climb, one I know well, a warmer-upper, a road to avoid the main road where the cars are. On to Allevard and the start of my day’s objective, the climb to Super Collet, a small ski area.
A pure climb, 1190 vertical meters (3905 ft) with a 10 K section averaging 9,4%. The Critérium du Dauphiné in 2011, 6th stage, finished at Collet d’Allevard, winner Joaquin Rodriguez. Did the climb in 32 minutes! (Don’t know where the start/end of the timing was, still too damn fast!) That was after 180 K including 3 major cols. I have no idea how they do all that and then hightail it up the final climb like a pickpocket being chased by a cop with an attitude. The climb to Collet d’Allevard is labeled HC (hors categorie), the hardest ranking. Collet d’Allevard isn’t the end of the road; that’s another 3 K and 230 vertical meters further up the mountain. That’s where I was going. It took me more than 32 minutes.
Into Allevard, nice town. There’s a thermal spa there. Casino too. One for winning, one for losing. Instant going up mode, 9%. Felt good, no problem. Pitch slacked off a bit, not much, just enough to feel sweet. Riding comfortably, thinking this is going to be good. Arrive at a road sign, Collet d’Allevard to the left. I’m seated, spinning well on my 34/27 climbing combo. As in my lowest gear. The road to the left, the one to Collet d’Allevard, just a slight angle to the left of the main road, looks like a mistake. As in steep. I slide left, hit the ramp, out of the saddle, stroking hard. Quick look down just to verify, yep, I’m maxed out in the gearing. This could be interesting. Stays like that for 10 K or so. K after K at 8,5%, 9%, 9,5%, even 10%.
32 minutes! Beyond my capacity to imagine that! He must have been flying. I’m not flying. Feel good anyway. Road angles up the mountain in a series of long switchbacks. The wind that brought in all the clouds and cold is out of the north. Turns out the traverses to the left are the longer ones and they’re right into the wind. I needed that; the 9%+ grades alone weren’t enough. The traverses to the right are a new game, the wind on my back. Or rather more like a complete absence of wind, even of air. Just this remarkable stillness surrounding me. Into the wind I wasn’t chilled but I sure wasn’t hot either. To the right I was sweating. Odd sensations.
Not much in the way of views. Mostly trees, big ones. Now and then slots and breaks looking out over the valley into a gray distance. And up, always up. 32 minutes! I passed 32 minutes long ago. Not that I have a watch or anything to glance at. Didn’t need one to know that. And then I’m there, Collet d’Allevard, a ski area perched on a ridge. Not much there. A few apartments and houses and ski lifts. And a launch space for paragliders and hang gliders with a big view over the valleys, Lake Bourget near Aix-les-Bains in the distance.
I press on. A slight downhill, that feels good. Climbing again, but not so steep. The road curling across the mountains side, big drops to the left. Has to be gorgeous on a clear day. Road ramps up, subtly, and all of a sudden I realize I’m back on the 27 cog. I thought the end was supposed to be easy! Must be me. Then it’s over, the road goes totally limp, nothing more to throw at me. Into an empty parking lot. Views aren’t spectacular. A few buildings and ski lifts, vegetation still waiting for the heat to arrive.
Too late and too cold to hang out. Put on everything I have, which isn’t much. A smartwool jersey, my favorite super lightweight wool long-sleeved shirt I’ve been skiing and biking in for 25 years, a wind-blocking vest, and over all that my Vecchio’s wool jersey. I roll off. And stop. Remember I have a pair of cycling gloves in the sac. Hardly ever wear them, only when it’s a bit chilly. Put them on. I can already feel two finger tips verging on going white. Something or other syndrome. Okay, go. No, stop, pull out my phone, look at the time, now go. Into the drop.
Big acceleration. No wonder I was on the 27! I always say if you want to know if a pitch is steep, ride down it; gravity never lies. All the way up I kept thinking this could be one of the great descents. So far, good, very good, but not great. Not yet. That comes from Collet d’Allevard down. Holy smokes, this is one fine downhill. Pavement excellent, road wide enough for comfort if any cars coming up. Not that there are any. The place is deserted. Beautiful. The turns are round, ofttimes generously so. I’m flying. Minimal braking most of the time with big gravity accelerations on the straights. The switchbacks announce themselves in advance, brake, pick my line, release, go. Sweet. On and on. This is one long descent.
And into Allevard, stop on the bridge over a stream white with rushing water. Pull out my phone, check the time, 20 minutes. I’ll take it, 60 vertical meters a minute (almost 200 vertical feet a minute). Too bad I didn’t check the time at Collet d’Allevard; from there down is seriously fast. Maybe 15 minutes, hard to say. Which makes that 32 minutes going up even more impressive because going down I am not shy. Like I said, don’t know from where to where that time was measured. Doesn’t matter, still impressive.
So, one of the great descents? Maybe, definitely in the realm. In the upper section I was thinking it would be better than the drop off Col du Granier but in the end, no; Granier is better. Shorter but much more interesting. The turns off the Granier are fast but more technical, more captivating. Every one is different and their radii are always changing, tightening or opening up. The Granier makes me think. There are more S-combinations too, the ones where you lean left then right then left again.The Collet d’Allevard is too constant, too well designed. On the other hand someone who knows the road well could burn it big time.
Some pics, first one looking across the reservoir at the slopes the road climbs. After, bottom to top then back at the bottom.