velotel
12-24-2013, 03:48 AM
Weather here in the french Alps has been crazy. Early in the month I rode Alpe d’Huez with sub-zero temps in the shade but in the sun during the climb I was in a short sleeves, no gloves, no hat. Followed by a descent into the freezer. Since then it’s been warm and mostly sunny. Like warm enough that we’ve been eating lunch outside at the house. The house gets hit big time by the sun plus there’s been a bit of a temperature inversion with it warmer at altitude than in the valley. Absolutely delicious weather.
Monday afternoon late drove to Chambéry to give a bottle of wine to someone. Took my bike for a quick spin in the vineyards. Don’t know why but I enjoy riding through vineyards. Of which there are a lot in valleys between Chambéry, Grenoble, and Albertville. And more every year. Seems the imaginary climate warming has been pushing wine production north. Savoie wines used to be barely worth drinking according to wine snobs but with this non-existent climate warming Savoie has been turning out some nice wines, particularly a white from around the village of Chignin which is where I thought I’d ride. That’s the sunny side of the valley so the idea was some nice cruising in the sun through the vineyards.
Naturally didn’t work out like that. By the time I stopped working, put away the tools, cleaned up my mess, etc., etc., I was a racing the setting sun. The sun won. Oh well, another time. Rode anyway. Small roads twisting up through the vineyards growing on steep slopes. Unlike the swiss, the savoyards didn’t bother terracing the hillsides. Not steep enough I guess. Climbed up into a small valley where there’s a classic set of S-turn switchbacks, round, smooth, and flowing from turn to turn. It’s the road I ride down from the Col de Marocaz when I do the short loop version. Fun downhill, especially those switchbacks.
Got to the intersection where the road to Marocaz turns off. Too late for that, went straight instead on a road I didn’t know just to see where it went. Further up the hill, over the top, then down to Chambéry. The road that is. I just went to the top, turned around, rode back down in the dusk. Short ride but still managed around 450 meters of up, around 1500 ft. Getting out, feeling the air streaming over me, smelling the earth, that was good, even if brief. Like I said, crazy weather, almost end of the year and I’m cruising on the bike like it’s still autumn. And I’m definitely not complaining. So far this month I think I’ve been averaging at least 4 and maybe close to 5 rides a week. All short with the exception of Alpe d’Huez, just enough to keep me sane. Gotta love it.
A few shots from the vineyards. Nothing special.
Monday afternoon late drove to Chambéry to give a bottle of wine to someone. Took my bike for a quick spin in the vineyards. Don’t know why but I enjoy riding through vineyards. Of which there are a lot in valleys between Chambéry, Grenoble, and Albertville. And more every year. Seems the imaginary climate warming has been pushing wine production north. Savoie wines used to be barely worth drinking according to wine snobs but with this non-existent climate warming Savoie has been turning out some nice wines, particularly a white from around the village of Chignin which is where I thought I’d ride. That’s the sunny side of the valley so the idea was some nice cruising in the sun through the vineyards.
Naturally didn’t work out like that. By the time I stopped working, put away the tools, cleaned up my mess, etc., etc., I was a racing the setting sun. The sun won. Oh well, another time. Rode anyway. Small roads twisting up through the vineyards growing on steep slopes. Unlike the swiss, the savoyards didn’t bother terracing the hillsides. Not steep enough I guess. Climbed up into a small valley where there’s a classic set of S-turn switchbacks, round, smooth, and flowing from turn to turn. It’s the road I ride down from the Col de Marocaz when I do the short loop version. Fun downhill, especially those switchbacks.
Got to the intersection where the road to Marocaz turns off. Too late for that, went straight instead on a road I didn’t know just to see where it went. Further up the hill, over the top, then down to Chambéry. The road that is. I just went to the top, turned around, rode back down in the dusk. Short ride but still managed around 450 meters of up, around 1500 ft. Getting out, feeling the air streaming over me, smelling the earth, that was good, even if brief. Like I said, crazy weather, almost end of the year and I’m cruising on the bike like it’s still autumn. And I’m definitely not complaining. So far this month I think I’ve been averaging at least 4 and maybe close to 5 rides a week. All short with the exception of Alpe d’Huez, just enough to keep me sane. Gotta love it.
A few shots from the vineyards. Nothing special.