velotel
08-23-2015, 03:34 PM
Saturday morning, car in the car, pack ready, off to the Romanche Valley. That's where Bourg d'Oisans is. Either Col du Sabot or maybe the road to la Berard on the program. Hadn't done either in maybe 3 years. Leaning to Berard, feeling maybe too lazy for Sabot. Didn't do either one. I'd forgotten this was August, vacation month. The road to Bourg d'Oisans thick with traffic, both directions. Got to Vizille, turned left, time for a plan change, back to the barn, have lunch with the wife. Gotta be flexible.
Off to Savoie instead, not enough time for a big ride so do some exploring. Parked near Ugine, near the climb to Col de la Forclaz. Been a couple of years since I was there. Good road, the kind I like, narrow, nervous, up. Last time I rode it was through sheets of water. No rain today. Into the climb, I remember it's a steep puppy, which wasn't really what I wanted today but what the heck, why not. Just take it easy, spin along. So far, so good, steep but not that steep. The hard bits are up higher as I recall, including a good half K at 10,5%.
Series of round switchbacks and traverses away from the valley floor. Nice view of one of my favorite cols, Col de l'Arpettaz. That's a good one. If the weather holds I'll do it in a few days or so. The titanium and stainless steel factory in Ugine seems quiet today, economy slowing I suppose.
Road ramps up, hard but all in all I'm cruising, assuming cruising can be applied to going up on the 34/27. Grade slacks and without really thinking about it I've dropped down a cog. Interesting. Either I'm in good form this summer or my memory of the climb is weak. Into the forest, hillside impressively steep. To hike down it I'd need a strong walking stick with a steel point to use like an ice ax. Maybe even crampons for dirt and rocks! And a rope. I mean this place isn't that far off vertical. No idea how the trees grow here.
Keep waiting for the double-digits where I know I'll suffer. Must be higher up than I was thinking. Thick forest but easy to look through because of the slopes. Looking out through the mid-branches of trees just below the road and then through the top branches of the next trees and over the tops of the ones after that. Road a one-laner some of the time, even tight for a car and rider to pass. Not that there's much traffic here. No need for a lot of fingers to count the cars.
Hmmm, where the heck is this double-digit half K. Can't be too much further because I've gained a good bit of altitude and the col isn't all that high, 871 meters, nothing for around here. Sweet climbing, been on the 27-cog for awhile now, steady rhythm, rolling up the mountain. Around a lazy curve to the right, pitch slacks off, wait a second, I remember this, the col is just ahead. What happened to the 10,5%! Grade slacks off some more, move down a cog, then another, then another. Into a broad, soft saddle, field thick with grasses to the left. Up ahead the col. And a junction.
Small road to the left. Actually the road I've been on is pretty small so the one to the left is really small. Straight ahead a twisting descent plunging into the valley to Beaufort. Going down isn't what I want; I'm heading up. If it was earlier in the day Signal de Bisanne would be the goal but there's no way I can do that this late in the day. Instead there's a chemin I remember seeing in the rain when I was here. Looked like a good one that might climb all the way up onto the ridge. Time to find out.
Amazingly beautiful up here. Light streaming in at a low angle, filling the fields and forest with rich, almost brilliant colors that are simultaneously remarkably soothing. I'm finding excuses to stop and shoot just to have a reason to stand still and look. The chemin isn't far from the junction, half a K maybe. There it is, angling off to the left, at first a mix of patches of old, deteriorating blacktop of some sort and dirt and crumbling rock. Then it's just dirt and loose rock but smooth. Grade remarkably steady, feels like maybe 9% but hard to tell since dirt's slower than pavement. Get to an old farm and the road slides into an honest double-track with a smooth and nicely ridable crown in the middle much of the time. Then another old and apparently no longer used farm and conditions deteriorate a bit more, but still perfectly ridable with my 700x27 Paves and 27/34 gearing, albeit with effort and studious line picking. Into a hard switchback to the left that I'm thinking could be tricky but isn't. Another back to the right and shortly after that, the end. So much for my idea of arriving on the ridge line.
Time to turn around anyway. But first a long break, drinking, looking, listening. Excellent. Then down. Carefully at first but quickly picking up speed. Good fun. Before I know it I'm flying down it way faster than I thought would be the case coming up but really it's just a piece of cake. Pick the line, let the bike go. And bingo, back on the pavement, back to the col, into the plunge. Yo! This is one crazy fast descent! Fingers floating on the brake levers, shedding speed coming into blind turns, letting go, look up and see a long wiggly section with no blind curves. Gravity takes over and I'm flat flying down this puppy wondering if maybe I shouldn't be a bit more cautious. No way! Coast is clear, grip is excellent, I'm in the groove, just go.
Went like that all the way to the valley floor. One of the sweetest downhills I've ever done, which is saying a lot because I've done a lot of sweet plunges. Just not long enough but who's complaining. A fine outing, a quickie but a good quickie, 25 K, 725 meters of climbing (2378 ft), an afternoon of pleasure.
Some pics. And if you enjoy my ride posts, check out my book at velodogs-publishing.com. You might like it, Switchbacks, Vol I
Off to Savoie instead, not enough time for a big ride so do some exploring. Parked near Ugine, near the climb to Col de la Forclaz. Been a couple of years since I was there. Good road, the kind I like, narrow, nervous, up. Last time I rode it was through sheets of water. No rain today. Into the climb, I remember it's a steep puppy, which wasn't really what I wanted today but what the heck, why not. Just take it easy, spin along. So far, so good, steep but not that steep. The hard bits are up higher as I recall, including a good half K at 10,5%.
Series of round switchbacks and traverses away from the valley floor. Nice view of one of my favorite cols, Col de l'Arpettaz. That's a good one. If the weather holds I'll do it in a few days or so. The titanium and stainless steel factory in Ugine seems quiet today, economy slowing I suppose.
Road ramps up, hard but all in all I'm cruising, assuming cruising can be applied to going up on the 34/27. Grade slacks and without really thinking about it I've dropped down a cog. Interesting. Either I'm in good form this summer or my memory of the climb is weak. Into the forest, hillside impressively steep. To hike down it I'd need a strong walking stick with a steel point to use like an ice ax. Maybe even crampons for dirt and rocks! And a rope. I mean this place isn't that far off vertical. No idea how the trees grow here.
Keep waiting for the double-digits where I know I'll suffer. Must be higher up than I was thinking. Thick forest but easy to look through because of the slopes. Looking out through the mid-branches of trees just below the road and then through the top branches of the next trees and over the tops of the ones after that. Road a one-laner some of the time, even tight for a car and rider to pass. Not that there's much traffic here. No need for a lot of fingers to count the cars.
Hmmm, where the heck is this double-digit half K. Can't be too much further because I've gained a good bit of altitude and the col isn't all that high, 871 meters, nothing for around here. Sweet climbing, been on the 27-cog for awhile now, steady rhythm, rolling up the mountain. Around a lazy curve to the right, pitch slacks off, wait a second, I remember this, the col is just ahead. What happened to the 10,5%! Grade slacks off some more, move down a cog, then another, then another. Into a broad, soft saddle, field thick with grasses to the left. Up ahead the col. And a junction.
Small road to the left. Actually the road I've been on is pretty small so the one to the left is really small. Straight ahead a twisting descent plunging into the valley to Beaufort. Going down isn't what I want; I'm heading up. If it was earlier in the day Signal de Bisanne would be the goal but there's no way I can do that this late in the day. Instead there's a chemin I remember seeing in the rain when I was here. Looked like a good one that might climb all the way up onto the ridge. Time to find out.
Amazingly beautiful up here. Light streaming in at a low angle, filling the fields and forest with rich, almost brilliant colors that are simultaneously remarkably soothing. I'm finding excuses to stop and shoot just to have a reason to stand still and look. The chemin isn't far from the junction, half a K maybe. There it is, angling off to the left, at first a mix of patches of old, deteriorating blacktop of some sort and dirt and crumbling rock. Then it's just dirt and loose rock but smooth. Grade remarkably steady, feels like maybe 9% but hard to tell since dirt's slower than pavement. Get to an old farm and the road slides into an honest double-track with a smooth and nicely ridable crown in the middle much of the time. Then another old and apparently no longer used farm and conditions deteriorate a bit more, but still perfectly ridable with my 700x27 Paves and 27/34 gearing, albeit with effort and studious line picking. Into a hard switchback to the left that I'm thinking could be tricky but isn't. Another back to the right and shortly after that, the end. So much for my idea of arriving on the ridge line.
Time to turn around anyway. But first a long break, drinking, looking, listening. Excellent. Then down. Carefully at first but quickly picking up speed. Good fun. Before I know it I'm flying down it way faster than I thought would be the case coming up but really it's just a piece of cake. Pick the line, let the bike go. And bingo, back on the pavement, back to the col, into the plunge. Yo! This is one crazy fast descent! Fingers floating on the brake levers, shedding speed coming into blind turns, letting go, look up and see a long wiggly section with no blind curves. Gravity takes over and I'm flat flying down this puppy wondering if maybe I shouldn't be a bit more cautious. No way! Coast is clear, grip is excellent, I'm in the groove, just go.
Went like that all the way to the valley floor. One of the sweetest downhills I've ever done, which is saying a lot because I've done a lot of sweet plunges. Just not long enough but who's complaining. A fine outing, a quickie but a good quickie, 25 K, 725 meters of climbing (2378 ft), an afternoon of pleasure.
Some pics. And if you enjoy my ride posts, check out my book at velodogs-publishing.com. You might like it, Switchbacks, Vol I