velotel
05-25-2015, 03:36 AM
An odd name for a village, an insane road to get there. A road you need to see to believe. A road to ride. Sustained hard, the only easy parts a couple meters long in each switchback. Eleven of those. I knew nothing about the road other than that it apparently wound up some crazy steep side of a mountain to a village with a grand total of 9 inhabitants. The road ends at the village so an up and back and a relatively short one at that. I’d seen the bottom end of it after riding Col du Solude last year with Maxn and my son. Looked steep from the bottom, the wee bit I saw.
This was totally a fallback ride. My idea had been to be gone all day on something vastly more significant but the unforeseen complications scenario arrived and all of a sudden I was scrambling around in my head looking for something closer, something less time consuming, something new. Like that little road off the road to Col d’Ornon. An hour of driving each way, maybe a couple of hours on the bike, that works.
Got to the junction, Glandon/Croix de Fer to the left, Bourg d’Oisans straight ahead. Turned left towards Glandon, 700 meters up the road parked next to the river. Same place I always park for a ride up here. Air was cold, sun shining but a weak light with thin clouds diluting the rays. Decided light tights and multiple light, merino, long-sleeved jerseys were looking good for the day. Rather be too hot than too cold. Bowl and roll and up the valley, but not by the normal route. No way. Highway’s narrow and too busy with people in a hurry. There’s a vastly more interesting and peaceful way up the valley, right to the start of the climb to Alpe d’Huez in fact. I was parked right at the start of it, a gravel/dirt road on top of the dike along the river. Yea, gravel and packed dirt, and no, no need for fat tires. It’s also fast, especially this day since I had a wind on my back. Did most of it in my 50/13 or 50/12, in the drops, almost spun out at times. I was flying, spitting gravel out to the sides from time to time with some loud popping from the tires.
Got to where the stream from Ornon joined the Romanche river. The dike angled right and followed the stream. Maybe 100 meters further along there’s a foot bridge over the stream. If I’d been heading to Bourg d’Oisans I would have crossed the bridge and kept on going up the valley. Instead I powered straight past it, bike jiggling and squirming over the loose surface, road now a double track with grass in the middle. Hit the road to Bourg d’Oisans, turned left, two hundred meters later turned right onto the road to Col d’Ornon.
Saw a post showing something like 7,5% grade. Bad sign because my legs seemed to be thinking it was steeper and I hadn’t even reached the road to Oulles. And that puppy was supposed to average close to 10% from the junction up! Could be a long day. I’ve never done Col d’Ornon; supposed to be a pleasant outing.
Came around a bend and noticed a waterfall high above in a drainage pinched in by cliffs. Next I saw the road to Oulles, a tight switchback to the right, the road to Ornon curling left over a bridge over the creek from the waterfall. Here we go, find out just how hard this road is and just how strong my legs are. Sustained hard the answer; I rode all 7 K on a one-speed, 34/27. Never once considering trying anything else. On the other hand right after riding by a sign announcing that the grade for the next few K was, as I recall, 10,2%, I thought it didn’t feel that hard. Note I said ‘that hard’, not that it felt easier because at that point easy wasn’t even in my dictionary. It was definitely steep and I was working hard but not even close to feeling desperate. Someone like my son or Maxn could hammer it.
What a gorgeous road. I stopped a lot to shoot. I mean this thing is crazy, carved into a mountainside so steep that if anyone had told me they were going to build a road up it I would have said they were nuts, no way could a road be built up that. But they did, not even all that long ago in fact, opened in 1963. Before the road access to Oulles was via mule tracks coming up from the valley somewhere towards Ornon and another from La Pallud. Supposedly people started living up there in the 10th century. In the middle ages there were 260 people living up there working in lead, malachite, copper, and quartz mines higher up the mountain. By the end of the 19th century 160 people were still there. Then the numbers plunged. Today they say there are 9 habitants still there but apparently that number depends on who you ask. I saw four of them when I rode through. Looked like at least three of them were ancient enough to put that number at serious risk.
The road’s a one-laner damn near the whole way up, the only comfy places for cars to pass are the switchbacks. I wouldn’t want to have to reverse on that puppy. The switchbacks are the only rest spots in the climb too since most of them aren’t far off flat. Maybe because whoever was building the road would build one then sit back on it for awhile and contemplate how in the heck they were going to get a road up and across the next section. Which is kind of what I’d do. I’d roll into a switchback, take it slow and easy to give the legs a break and get myself psyched for the next section. Actually getting psyched wasn’t difficult. I was feeling good and the road was a dream of a climb.
The sense of vertical gain here is fantastic. Around a switchback to the left, up the next traverse, around a switchback to the right, across the next traverse, swing near the outside edge and look down at where I just was. Around a switchback to the left, up a twisting ramp carved out of a rock face of curved slabs of rock, swing to the outside, look down and see where I just was. It was like that for maybe 3 K. And over 10% the whole way apparently. But like I said, I won’t say it felt easier than that but I was never feeling near the edge of being able to keep going. There were moments when riding next to the outside edge was a bit nerve wracking, like looking over the edge and down and instantly feeling the rest of the body lean towards the depths.
Stunning views, and the higher I got the more stunning they became. Great perspective of the cliff road from La Garde on the road to Alpe d’Huez to Le Freney on the road to the Col du Lautaret. Even from that distance it was obvious that there’s some steep going across those cliffs before the road disappears around the mountain to plunge down to Le Freney. Might have had some spectacular views of La Meije and the huge glacier above the Deux Alpes ski station but the air wasn’t clear enough.
Finally came around a point carved out of a cliff and got my first view of Oulles. Small place literally planted into the mountainside. Looked like the road angled across a huge avalanche slope to get to the village. But not just once. Long traverse across the first big slide path to a switchback to the right, up and across the path again and on into a forest to a switchback to the left, and back across the path again for a third visit before angling up onto a small shoulder with some trees. From there to the village was a long traverse across one more slide path. We’re talking some serious exposure here in the winter. Crazy. I figured cleaning the road after an avalanche probably isn’t much of a problem because the slope is so steep and nothing but fields of grasses and wildflowers so the snow is no doubt moving fast and the road is such a narrow cut into the slope that the snow probably just sweeps down barely even touching the road. Wouldn’t want to be there when one let loose though.
Got to the edge of the village the first thing I see is a big sign warning that it’s an avalanche zone! Obviously not referring to the village itself because it’s been in the same place for hundreds of years. Flat spots were pretty much non-existent, and usually built by man. Look up at a house or a barn and it looked like a three story high rise; look at it from the other side and it was a one-story house and not too high. Everybody seemed to have a vegetable garden and they were all terraced. By necessity. Just working one of the gardens a person would need to be half goat. They were all south facing so I suspect those are some impressive producing gardens despite their elevation. The place has a church too, the real deal complete with a steeple.
I didn’t spend much time there. Rode to the highest point, then back down, stopping for pics from time to time, then stopped to add some layers for the descent and eat part of my sandwich. And gaze at the views. Those were plentiful. Could have spent more time there looking around but I’d already burned up a fat load of time with all my photo stops and I had to get back to the house.
I was a little worried about the descent. Wasn’t sure it would be all that much fun with those steep grades and the speeds I’d be able to generate without even trying. I was wrong big time on that. On the fun bit, not on the speeds I’d be able to generate. I think I was already laughing out loud before I’d even gotten halfway across the first avalanche path. I mean this road was meant for bikes! First off the pavement, this puppy was all but buffed. No cracks, no potholes, hardly any patches, just smooth, grippy blacktop. Only it wasn’t black, more like a light gray with this broad swath down the middle that was kind of a rusty brown/red. The acceleration was intense when I let the brakes totally go but easy to control with light braking until a tight bend came along.
I’d been on that road for over an hour and a half and had seen a grand total of one car, the postman driving his yellow postal van home; he lives in the village. And looking down I could see a lot of the road and couldn’t see a single car coming up. Couldn’t hear one either. So I was almost overwhelmed with the temptation to fly down the mountain with the assumption that no cars were on the road. Almost but not quite. The thought of meeting the unexpected in the wrong place, and most of the road would have been the wrong place, was too frightening so I held some back. But not too much. Just enough, or so I hoped. And the longer the plunge went no with no one coming up, the less I held back in lots of places.
Then I’ll be go to hell, I met someone, two someones actually, on bikes, a man and a woman, both of them spinning away like crazy. Must have been running triples. Not sure who was more surprised, me at seeing someone else on the road or them by this flash of speed that went ripping by.
The switchbacks were more fun that I expected. Definitely slow because they’re all tight but they’re also wide and flat so every single time I exited out of the saddle and pumping hard to dive into the next gravity plunge. Just a really good time. And all of a sudden it was over, I was on the road to Ornon, only heading down. A full two-laner that felt absolutely enormous after the road to Oulles. And fast, really fast. Made for a good finish.
Got to the road to Bourg d’Oisans, turned left, then right, only this time onto the road on the opposite side of the creek from when I’d ridden up. A paved one-laner, very fast, good fun. Got to where that road started its swing to the right to the river and I went left onto a dirt/gravel chemin that took me to the bridge I’d blown by on the way up. Crossed that, hooked right, and flew back down the gravel/dirt track I’d been on earlier, right back to the car. That was some ride. Must say that the gravel/dirt track for the beginning and end really rather perfectly bookends one of the most enjoyable roads I’ve ever ridden. Like I said already, the road to Oulles is not anything someone is going to plan a trip around but, if you’re in the area, this is an absolute have-to ride. But only if you love hard climbs and equally love fast, challenging descents. If so, you’ll love this one.
This was totally a fallback ride. My idea had been to be gone all day on something vastly more significant but the unforeseen complications scenario arrived and all of a sudden I was scrambling around in my head looking for something closer, something less time consuming, something new. Like that little road off the road to Col d’Ornon. An hour of driving each way, maybe a couple of hours on the bike, that works.
Got to the junction, Glandon/Croix de Fer to the left, Bourg d’Oisans straight ahead. Turned left towards Glandon, 700 meters up the road parked next to the river. Same place I always park for a ride up here. Air was cold, sun shining but a weak light with thin clouds diluting the rays. Decided light tights and multiple light, merino, long-sleeved jerseys were looking good for the day. Rather be too hot than too cold. Bowl and roll and up the valley, but not by the normal route. No way. Highway’s narrow and too busy with people in a hurry. There’s a vastly more interesting and peaceful way up the valley, right to the start of the climb to Alpe d’Huez in fact. I was parked right at the start of it, a gravel/dirt road on top of the dike along the river. Yea, gravel and packed dirt, and no, no need for fat tires. It’s also fast, especially this day since I had a wind on my back. Did most of it in my 50/13 or 50/12, in the drops, almost spun out at times. I was flying, spitting gravel out to the sides from time to time with some loud popping from the tires.
Got to where the stream from Ornon joined the Romanche river. The dike angled right and followed the stream. Maybe 100 meters further along there’s a foot bridge over the stream. If I’d been heading to Bourg d’Oisans I would have crossed the bridge and kept on going up the valley. Instead I powered straight past it, bike jiggling and squirming over the loose surface, road now a double track with grass in the middle. Hit the road to Bourg d’Oisans, turned left, two hundred meters later turned right onto the road to Col d’Ornon.
Saw a post showing something like 7,5% grade. Bad sign because my legs seemed to be thinking it was steeper and I hadn’t even reached the road to Oulles. And that puppy was supposed to average close to 10% from the junction up! Could be a long day. I’ve never done Col d’Ornon; supposed to be a pleasant outing.
Came around a bend and noticed a waterfall high above in a drainage pinched in by cliffs. Next I saw the road to Oulles, a tight switchback to the right, the road to Ornon curling left over a bridge over the creek from the waterfall. Here we go, find out just how hard this road is and just how strong my legs are. Sustained hard the answer; I rode all 7 K on a one-speed, 34/27. Never once considering trying anything else. On the other hand right after riding by a sign announcing that the grade for the next few K was, as I recall, 10,2%, I thought it didn’t feel that hard. Note I said ‘that hard’, not that it felt easier because at that point easy wasn’t even in my dictionary. It was definitely steep and I was working hard but not even close to feeling desperate. Someone like my son or Maxn could hammer it.
What a gorgeous road. I stopped a lot to shoot. I mean this thing is crazy, carved into a mountainside so steep that if anyone had told me they were going to build a road up it I would have said they were nuts, no way could a road be built up that. But they did, not even all that long ago in fact, opened in 1963. Before the road access to Oulles was via mule tracks coming up from the valley somewhere towards Ornon and another from La Pallud. Supposedly people started living up there in the 10th century. In the middle ages there were 260 people living up there working in lead, malachite, copper, and quartz mines higher up the mountain. By the end of the 19th century 160 people were still there. Then the numbers plunged. Today they say there are 9 habitants still there but apparently that number depends on who you ask. I saw four of them when I rode through. Looked like at least three of them were ancient enough to put that number at serious risk.
The road’s a one-laner damn near the whole way up, the only comfy places for cars to pass are the switchbacks. I wouldn’t want to have to reverse on that puppy. The switchbacks are the only rest spots in the climb too since most of them aren’t far off flat. Maybe because whoever was building the road would build one then sit back on it for awhile and contemplate how in the heck they were going to get a road up and across the next section. Which is kind of what I’d do. I’d roll into a switchback, take it slow and easy to give the legs a break and get myself psyched for the next section. Actually getting psyched wasn’t difficult. I was feeling good and the road was a dream of a climb.
The sense of vertical gain here is fantastic. Around a switchback to the left, up the next traverse, around a switchback to the right, across the next traverse, swing near the outside edge and look down at where I just was. Around a switchback to the left, up a twisting ramp carved out of a rock face of curved slabs of rock, swing to the outside, look down and see where I just was. It was like that for maybe 3 K. And over 10% the whole way apparently. But like I said, I won’t say it felt easier than that but I was never feeling near the edge of being able to keep going. There were moments when riding next to the outside edge was a bit nerve wracking, like looking over the edge and down and instantly feeling the rest of the body lean towards the depths.
Stunning views, and the higher I got the more stunning they became. Great perspective of the cliff road from La Garde on the road to Alpe d’Huez to Le Freney on the road to the Col du Lautaret. Even from that distance it was obvious that there’s some steep going across those cliffs before the road disappears around the mountain to plunge down to Le Freney. Might have had some spectacular views of La Meije and the huge glacier above the Deux Alpes ski station but the air wasn’t clear enough.
Finally came around a point carved out of a cliff and got my first view of Oulles. Small place literally planted into the mountainside. Looked like the road angled across a huge avalanche slope to get to the village. But not just once. Long traverse across the first big slide path to a switchback to the right, up and across the path again and on into a forest to a switchback to the left, and back across the path again for a third visit before angling up onto a small shoulder with some trees. From there to the village was a long traverse across one more slide path. We’re talking some serious exposure here in the winter. Crazy. I figured cleaning the road after an avalanche probably isn’t much of a problem because the slope is so steep and nothing but fields of grasses and wildflowers so the snow is no doubt moving fast and the road is such a narrow cut into the slope that the snow probably just sweeps down barely even touching the road. Wouldn’t want to be there when one let loose though.
Got to the edge of the village the first thing I see is a big sign warning that it’s an avalanche zone! Obviously not referring to the village itself because it’s been in the same place for hundreds of years. Flat spots were pretty much non-existent, and usually built by man. Look up at a house or a barn and it looked like a three story high rise; look at it from the other side and it was a one-story house and not too high. Everybody seemed to have a vegetable garden and they were all terraced. By necessity. Just working one of the gardens a person would need to be half goat. They were all south facing so I suspect those are some impressive producing gardens despite their elevation. The place has a church too, the real deal complete with a steeple.
I didn’t spend much time there. Rode to the highest point, then back down, stopping for pics from time to time, then stopped to add some layers for the descent and eat part of my sandwich. And gaze at the views. Those were plentiful. Could have spent more time there looking around but I’d already burned up a fat load of time with all my photo stops and I had to get back to the house.
I was a little worried about the descent. Wasn’t sure it would be all that much fun with those steep grades and the speeds I’d be able to generate without even trying. I was wrong big time on that. On the fun bit, not on the speeds I’d be able to generate. I think I was already laughing out loud before I’d even gotten halfway across the first avalanche path. I mean this road was meant for bikes! First off the pavement, this puppy was all but buffed. No cracks, no potholes, hardly any patches, just smooth, grippy blacktop. Only it wasn’t black, more like a light gray with this broad swath down the middle that was kind of a rusty brown/red. The acceleration was intense when I let the brakes totally go but easy to control with light braking until a tight bend came along.
I’d been on that road for over an hour and a half and had seen a grand total of one car, the postman driving his yellow postal van home; he lives in the village. And looking down I could see a lot of the road and couldn’t see a single car coming up. Couldn’t hear one either. So I was almost overwhelmed with the temptation to fly down the mountain with the assumption that no cars were on the road. Almost but not quite. The thought of meeting the unexpected in the wrong place, and most of the road would have been the wrong place, was too frightening so I held some back. But not too much. Just enough, or so I hoped. And the longer the plunge went no with no one coming up, the less I held back in lots of places.
Then I’ll be go to hell, I met someone, two someones actually, on bikes, a man and a woman, both of them spinning away like crazy. Must have been running triples. Not sure who was more surprised, me at seeing someone else on the road or them by this flash of speed that went ripping by.
The switchbacks were more fun that I expected. Definitely slow because they’re all tight but they’re also wide and flat so every single time I exited out of the saddle and pumping hard to dive into the next gravity plunge. Just a really good time. And all of a sudden it was over, I was on the road to Ornon, only heading down. A full two-laner that felt absolutely enormous after the road to Oulles. And fast, really fast. Made for a good finish.
Got to the road to Bourg d’Oisans, turned left, then right, only this time onto the road on the opposite side of the creek from when I’d ridden up. A paved one-laner, very fast, good fun. Got to where that road started its swing to the right to the river and I went left onto a dirt/gravel chemin that took me to the bridge I’d blown by on the way up. Crossed that, hooked right, and flew back down the gravel/dirt track I’d been on earlier, right back to the car. That was some ride. Must say that the gravel/dirt track for the beginning and end really rather perfectly bookends one of the most enjoyable roads I’ve ever ridden. Like I said already, the road to Oulles is not anything someone is going to plan a trip around but, if you’re in the area, this is an absolute have-to ride. But only if you love hard climbs and equally love fast, challenging descents. If so, you’ll love this one.