velotel
06-11-2016, 03:14 AM
Sunday, late afternoon, time for a ride. Where the question. Wet spring, rain always lurking around the corner. Never ridden so often in rain. Today seems better. Driving down into the valley, look left towards Savoie, some blue but also thick, low clouds. Look right, more blue, fewer clouds. Go right, do a climb into the Vercors I’ve not done in years. I’ve forgotten what it’s like. That’s rare. I forget lots of stuff but rides, all but never. Sweet, fast downhill, that I definitely remember. Part of a fine loop, up to Col de Romeyère, over Col du Mont Noir, and down what I’m going to climb. That loop’s in my book, Switchbacks, Vol I, found at at Velodogs Publishing (http://velodogs-publishing.com) or at Vecchio’s (http://vecchios.com) in Boulder.
Park near St Gervais for 8 K of warm-up before the climb. No one around, lots of birds singing. Must be happy to see the sun. Small roads through walnut orchards. The Isère valley, above Grenoble and even more down here below Grenoble, is known for its walnuts. The orchards are relaxing to ride through on hot days, lots of shade. No traffic, just silence and my tires humming on coarse blacktop. What’s crazy is that while I’m back here in this world of peacefulness, guaranteed there will be cyclists out on the nearby route nationale where the cars are all racing by at 90-100 kph.
Skirt the village of Cognin-les-Gorges via the back yard so to speak, turn left and head straight at the mountain, turn left again, start climbing. First K averages 8,5% or so, with ramps. Almost straight, upping the mental hardness. Switchback to the right, snaky straight, easier here, round switchback to the left, monument inside the curl, more ramps, back around to the right and the final traverse to a hick-up of a tunnel. One moment I’m riding across a steep, forested hillside, then into the tunnel and out onto a balcony on a cliff face above the Gorges du Nan. Really. Go straight and there’s only a low wall between you and a long fall. Better to swing left on the road sculpted out of the rock.
The Vercors is known for its cliff roads. This one, the one across the cliff face on the way to Col de Romeyère, the one just before Col de la Machine, etc. The best is the one on the way to Romeyère but sadly a section of the rock wall above the road crashed and took out part of the road and I’m sure they have no intention of ever restoring it since there was already a tunnel bypassing the cliff face. But it’s still passable to cyclists. The Vercors cliff roads aren’t as spectacular nor as long as a lot of other cliff roads in France and Italy that I’ve ridden/driven, like the two above Bourg d’Oisans for example. This one above the Gorges du Nan is really short, but beautiful. A one-laner with a low, and I do mean low, rock wall between the road and the canyon. Riding too close to it could make someone nervous. Rather stunning how old it is, built in the early 1890’s, finished in 1894! A gorgeous piece of scary work. Almost a sculpture.
This is where the riding gets interesting. Semi-boring until now, just a steady climb up a mountain in a forest with little to look at other than the road angling up. That short tunnel is the entrance into a cyclist’s amusement park. Easy pedaling across the balcony, either under a bulging wall of rock or through more short tunnels with the constant sense of air to the right. A pleasant pause before the festivities ahead.
The balcony lasts for around 400 meters, probably less, then it’s into a longish run up through a forest next to the river heavy with water from all the rain this spring. I remember this section in the other direction, speed city, so fast my eyes get blurry as I recall. Not so fast going up, at least for me, but carrying what feels like a good pace anyway. Sharp turn to the right at a junction. Road going straight narrow, primitive asphalt, always wonder where it goes, might have to find out one day.
Blacktop narrows, curls through a dark forest full of bird songs and the sounds of running and dripping water. Feels steep. Canopy thick overhead so not much sunlight in here and lots of wet leaves along the edges. A short flat, move down a cog but no more, too short before up again, and hard again. Probably just me. I’d like to say I burst out of the woods and into sunlit fields and easier pedaling but at my speed just a slow evolution. A switchback around an old farm house nicely redone. Looks closed-up so must be a vacation home now. Or someone’s on holiday.
I’m glad I didn’t bring my camera today. I’m free to tap out a rhythm that feels like a pretty good pace. I’m alone so no one to contradict that. Couple stretched out traverses linked by swichbacks then up through another pocket of forest and into the village of Malleval-en-Vercors. Small place, with an auberge where we stopped once years ago. Maybe for a coffee, maybe for lunch, don’t remember. I do remember riding through other times and seeing the place with a crowd so possibly good. Or the only place around. Looks like it’s closed today, but maybe it was open earlier for lunch. At any rate no possibility of stopping for a beer on my way back down.
Out of the village and up, always up, into a broad basin, the road skirting the bowl from left to right. I can see where it finally breaks out of the basin. Can’t believe how high and far away it looks. I’d forgotten this road was so long. Steady climbing, not steep, not easy, just steady, through pockets of forest and fields for grazing cows or sheep. Hit some steeper ramps, or maybe just my legs. Finally closing on where the road exits the basin. Look to the right and I’m looking right down into Malleval. From above it looks much closer than the distance did from below.
For some reason I had it in mind that the grades were easier after the basin. Maybe they are but that’s not what they felt like. Vegetation shift, from northerly exposures to southern, dryer and higher here. Not much in the way of views. Just trees slowly passing. Get to the junction with the road to Le Faz and Presles off to the right. Some interesting loops can be done by going right. Down to Le Faz then right and down and back around to Cognin-les-Gorges, down to Le Faz and right then a long wander on the ridges before dropping down to Cognin, down through Presles then up the road to Villards de Lans, up to Col de Romeyère, then up and over Col du Mont Noir, to name just a few options.
I ride through the junction barely even noticing the road to Presles. I can hear thunder somewhere in the distance, sounds far away, strong incentive to get to the col then race back down off the mountain and hopefully avoid what has seemed to be the inevitable getting wet on the bike scenario. Keep thinking the col is just a short distance and easy spinning away but the road goes on and on with some friggin hard and long ramps. Between the ramps the road’s not far off flat at times. Must have been those that implanted themselves in my gray matter, not the ramps.
At last, get to the col, just a crest in the woods on the shoulder of a hill with no views. Drink, layer up, head off, thunder still roiling the sky somewhere in the distance. Not even five minutes into the descent and the first drops arrive. But only drops. Maybe just swept off the storm’s edge and not really the rain and I’ll be able to get down dry. And sure enough, past the junction to Presles, down the fast run to the tight turn around the ridge and into the big basin and not another drop of rain. The road in the basin is wet and I start thinking I was lucky and the storm swept past while I was up above.
I wasn’t, it hadn’t. A wave of water smashed into me. One moment I’m dry, the next I’m soaked. Sheets of water pouring down out of the sky. Never ridden in rain so dense. Down through Malleval, the deluge my constant companion. Half blind most of the time. Start thinking this is where the disc brake lovers would be gloating, except my Skeletons are working just fine. I keep the pads floating on the rims to wipe the water off but there’s so much coming down I doubt I’m achieving much but the brakes are doing what they’re supposed to do anyway, just with slightly more finger pressure than usual.
Come flying down into the balcony road. Contemplate stopping in the shelter of a tunnel or the overhang but I’m already so wet what’s the purpose. Besides, seems to be letting up. Through the entrance tunnel and out onto the final slopes and the rain’s all but stopped. Perfect, maybe I’ll be able to even dry out a wee bit before getting to the car. And with that thought the sky opened up again. Must have just been taking a quick pause to make sure the density of the rain was correct. Someone obviously made a serious miscalculation there because, hard as it was for me to believe, the rain was now even denser than earlier! At times I could barely even see the road ahead. Met two cars in the orchards and they both pulled well to the side and stopped to let me go by. They must have been in shock to see this white-haired vision of apocalypse riding towards them out of a wall of water.
So much for arriving at the car having dried out a bit! Thankfully I’d thought to bring along my street clothes. Assuming I’d be able to strip the bike clothes off that seemed to be glued to my skin. It wasn’t cold, fortunately, but I still drove all the way back to the house with the heat on max in the car!
That was some crazy ride indeed. A fine climb done in what felt like good style and speed, and an insane plunge back off the mountain that had more in common with white water rafting than riding a bike. One for the memory bank.
A few photos, obviously taken during other rides.
Park near St Gervais for 8 K of warm-up before the climb. No one around, lots of birds singing. Must be happy to see the sun. Small roads through walnut orchards. The Isère valley, above Grenoble and even more down here below Grenoble, is known for its walnuts. The orchards are relaxing to ride through on hot days, lots of shade. No traffic, just silence and my tires humming on coarse blacktop. What’s crazy is that while I’m back here in this world of peacefulness, guaranteed there will be cyclists out on the nearby route nationale where the cars are all racing by at 90-100 kph.
Skirt the village of Cognin-les-Gorges via the back yard so to speak, turn left and head straight at the mountain, turn left again, start climbing. First K averages 8,5% or so, with ramps. Almost straight, upping the mental hardness. Switchback to the right, snaky straight, easier here, round switchback to the left, monument inside the curl, more ramps, back around to the right and the final traverse to a hick-up of a tunnel. One moment I’m riding across a steep, forested hillside, then into the tunnel and out onto a balcony on a cliff face above the Gorges du Nan. Really. Go straight and there’s only a low wall between you and a long fall. Better to swing left on the road sculpted out of the rock.
The Vercors is known for its cliff roads. This one, the one across the cliff face on the way to Col de Romeyère, the one just before Col de la Machine, etc. The best is the one on the way to Romeyère but sadly a section of the rock wall above the road crashed and took out part of the road and I’m sure they have no intention of ever restoring it since there was already a tunnel bypassing the cliff face. But it’s still passable to cyclists. The Vercors cliff roads aren’t as spectacular nor as long as a lot of other cliff roads in France and Italy that I’ve ridden/driven, like the two above Bourg d’Oisans for example. This one above the Gorges du Nan is really short, but beautiful. A one-laner with a low, and I do mean low, rock wall between the road and the canyon. Riding too close to it could make someone nervous. Rather stunning how old it is, built in the early 1890’s, finished in 1894! A gorgeous piece of scary work. Almost a sculpture.
This is where the riding gets interesting. Semi-boring until now, just a steady climb up a mountain in a forest with little to look at other than the road angling up. That short tunnel is the entrance into a cyclist’s amusement park. Easy pedaling across the balcony, either under a bulging wall of rock or through more short tunnels with the constant sense of air to the right. A pleasant pause before the festivities ahead.
The balcony lasts for around 400 meters, probably less, then it’s into a longish run up through a forest next to the river heavy with water from all the rain this spring. I remember this section in the other direction, speed city, so fast my eyes get blurry as I recall. Not so fast going up, at least for me, but carrying what feels like a good pace anyway. Sharp turn to the right at a junction. Road going straight narrow, primitive asphalt, always wonder where it goes, might have to find out one day.
Blacktop narrows, curls through a dark forest full of bird songs and the sounds of running and dripping water. Feels steep. Canopy thick overhead so not much sunlight in here and lots of wet leaves along the edges. A short flat, move down a cog but no more, too short before up again, and hard again. Probably just me. I’d like to say I burst out of the woods and into sunlit fields and easier pedaling but at my speed just a slow evolution. A switchback around an old farm house nicely redone. Looks closed-up so must be a vacation home now. Or someone’s on holiday.
I’m glad I didn’t bring my camera today. I’m free to tap out a rhythm that feels like a pretty good pace. I’m alone so no one to contradict that. Couple stretched out traverses linked by swichbacks then up through another pocket of forest and into the village of Malleval-en-Vercors. Small place, with an auberge where we stopped once years ago. Maybe for a coffee, maybe for lunch, don’t remember. I do remember riding through other times and seeing the place with a crowd so possibly good. Or the only place around. Looks like it’s closed today, but maybe it was open earlier for lunch. At any rate no possibility of stopping for a beer on my way back down.
Out of the village and up, always up, into a broad basin, the road skirting the bowl from left to right. I can see where it finally breaks out of the basin. Can’t believe how high and far away it looks. I’d forgotten this road was so long. Steady climbing, not steep, not easy, just steady, through pockets of forest and fields for grazing cows or sheep. Hit some steeper ramps, or maybe just my legs. Finally closing on where the road exits the basin. Look to the right and I’m looking right down into Malleval. From above it looks much closer than the distance did from below.
For some reason I had it in mind that the grades were easier after the basin. Maybe they are but that’s not what they felt like. Vegetation shift, from northerly exposures to southern, dryer and higher here. Not much in the way of views. Just trees slowly passing. Get to the junction with the road to Le Faz and Presles off to the right. Some interesting loops can be done by going right. Down to Le Faz then right and down and back around to Cognin-les-Gorges, down to Le Faz and right then a long wander on the ridges before dropping down to Cognin, down through Presles then up the road to Villards de Lans, up to Col de Romeyère, then up and over Col du Mont Noir, to name just a few options.
I ride through the junction barely even noticing the road to Presles. I can hear thunder somewhere in the distance, sounds far away, strong incentive to get to the col then race back down off the mountain and hopefully avoid what has seemed to be the inevitable getting wet on the bike scenario. Keep thinking the col is just a short distance and easy spinning away but the road goes on and on with some friggin hard and long ramps. Between the ramps the road’s not far off flat at times. Must have been those that implanted themselves in my gray matter, not the ramps.
At last, get to the col, just a crest in the woods on the shoulder of a hill with no views. Drink, layer up, head off, thunder still roiling the sky somewhere in the distance. Not even five minutes into the descent and the first drops arrive. But only drops. Maybe just swept off the storm’s edge and not really the rain and I’ll be able to get down dry. And sure enough, past the junction to Presles, down the fast run to the tight turn around the ridge and into the big basin and not another drop of rain. The road in the basin is wet and I start thinking I was lucky and the storm swept past while I was up above.
I wasn’t, it hadn’t. A wave of water smashed into me. One moment I’m dry, the next I’m soaked. Sheets of water pouring down out of the sky. Never ridden in rain so dense. Down through Malleval, the deluge my constant companion. Half blind most of the time. Start thinking this is where the disc brake lovers would be gloating, except my Skeletons are working just fine. I keep the pads floating on the rims to wipe the water off but there’s so much coming down I doubt I’m achieving much but the brakes are doing what they’re supposed to do anyway, just with slightly more finger pressure than usual.
Come flying down into the balcony road. Contemplate stopping in the shelter of a tunnel or the overhang but I’m already so wet what’s the purpose. Besides, seems to be letting up. Through the entrance tunnel and out onto the final slopes and the rain’s all but stopped. Perfect, maybe I’ll be able to even dry out a wee bit before getting to the car. And with that thought the sky opened up again. Must have just been taking a quick pause to make sure the density of the rain was correct. Someone obviously made a serious miscalculation there because, hard as it was for me to believe, the rain was now even denser than earlier! At times I could barely even see the road ahead. Met two cars in the orchards and they both pulled well to the side and stopped to let me go by. They must have been in shock to see this white-haired vision of apocalypse riding towards them out of a wall of water.
So much for arriving at the car having dried out a bit! Thankfully I’d thought to bring along my street clothes. Assuming I’d be able to strip the bike clothes off that seemed to be glued to my skin. It wasn’t cold, fortunately, but I still drove all the way back to the house with the heat on max in the car!
That was some crazy ride indeed. A fine climb done in what felt like good style and speed, and an insane plunge back off the mountain that had more in common with white water rafting than riding a bike. One for the memory bank.
A few photos, obviously taken during other rides.