A ride with my fat-tired road bike

velotel · #1 08-03-2018, 03:20 AM

Aka the StonerBike. A ride rather nicely displaying why any sane rider is strongly advised not to go with me when I head off to see if something on the map is ridable, or ridable enough to do it more than once. I won’t redo this one, or at least not too soon, despite being one of most beautiful rides I’ve ever had.

Left the car in the village of Arêches, small ski station in Savoie, one of the oldest in France, somehow managed to avoid the huge ski boom in the 70’s and remained an extremely pleasant mountain village. Cyclists know it because of Col du Pré and the road rising from the village to the col. Steep, narrow, lots of switchback, a fine road that amazingly was ridden by the TdF this year.

Col du Pré isn’t where I was going. I was heading to the far more interesting Cormet d’Arêches, 2109 meters (6900 ft), 400 meters (1300 ft) higher than Pré. One of my favorite rides.

Up through Arêches, the road squeezing and weaving past the old buildings. The climb joined in the center of the village, instantly steep. Switchbacks past chalets and homes, into a sharp one to the left with a one-laner going straight ahead off the switchback, the road to Cormet d’Arêches. A moment of relief, the road flat, curving across a rather elegant barely one-laner bridge, then climbing again. Curling back and forth across fields of hay and past scattered chalets. Into a narrow, thickly forested valley. Some rude ramps to keep the legs interested. Up to a dam plugging valley, the road switchbacking up the slope to get past the dam. Beautiful lake, when it’s full, but like all reservoirs an air of artificiality to it plus the beauty fades fast when not full. I’ve only seen it full.

Into an immense basin of light, grasses, wildflowers enclosed by a circle of soft summits. My favorite part of this ride, from the dam to the col. Lots of trails and primitive jeep tracks in the basin but I’ve never seen any mountain bikers here. Never seen a roadie up here either. Probably scared off by everyone saying the last unpaved 3+ K to the col require a mountain bike. First two times I rode this was with 700x25 tires, no problem. My 700x37 tires this time were better but it’s still not even close to mountain bike terrain.

To the col was its usual self, sustained climbing, sometimes hard, sometimes less hard, the road a one-laner of rustic, wobbling, bumpy asphalt, always entertaining. The dirt and rock to the summit was harder than other times, combination of steep grades and a surface loose from a dry summer and cars spinning trying to get traction. A question of finding the good line and keeping weight on the back wheel. My 30/32 low gear was much appreciated for that exercise.

Lots of cars parked on the col. People off hiking. I was hoping like hell I’d see someone with a big camping car I could beg some water from since both big bottles were empty. No luck. Saw my trail heading straight up a grassy slope from the col. Looked ridable. Maybe. It was, barely, major effort, low crouch to keep traction, arms pulling back helping the legs, keeping weight on the front wheel for steerage control. Walkers scattered along the trail stopped and watched me with their jaws hanging open. They’d either never seen someone riding a bike on a trail or maybe they were waiting to see if I was about to keel over given the noise I was making breathing.

Finally had to stop, the trail too steep. Hike-a-bike time. Used to do a lot of that back in the 80’s, early 90’s, only then the bike was way heavier than my StonerBike. Hiking with a bike doesn’t bother me. Figure the bike’s carried me around so much the least I can do is give it a break by pushing and carrying it along.

Ended up hiking for 3+ K with brief moments on the bike. Could have ridden more, maybe, but between being tired and being alone and well out there with no sign that the trail I was on was used much (apparently hikers from the col only go a short distance) I let prudence and old age rule the day.

Anyway, back to hiking up the ridge. Wasn’t what I expected. I’d imagined a mild slope with a nice single-track winding up. Instead it was steep enough my legs would have felt the strain just walking up it without the bike. At one point the trail dove through a slot between small rock cliffs where I had to wheelie the bike through on the back wheel to get through. Handlebar barely made it. After that this step to get up. Wasn’t rock climbing but with the bike on my right shoulder there was no way I’d get up without using my left to help pull me up.

So I’m clambering up these rocks and starting to think maybe I was pushing things a wee bit too much. Pressed on anyway. I was sure soon I’d hit some gorgeous flattening off with the trail disappearing into the distance. Yes! Came up off the climbing bit, hiked up another slope, over a hump, and there I was, on top, on a narrow, grassy ridge, rock cliffs to the left, smaller ones to the right, and in front of me a long meadow with a classic dirt single-track disappearing into the distance. Actually it just disappeared out of sight over a roll. Gave myself a mental high five, in the bag, smooth sailing from here on.

Not quite. In fact not at all. Maybe with a full-suspension mountain bike and a rider vastly more skilled than me it would be somewhat smooth sailing, or at least interesting sailing, as in lots of exciting moments. Turned out there was a considerable drop before the trail started contouring again. Ridable with a mountain bike, maybe. Me, I walked. A wonderful stroll across this mountain of meadows and scree and red outcrops of rock, way below to the left the basin I’d ridden up through. A sublime walk, even with the bike. From time to time I had to shoulder it for gnarly sections but mostly just rolled it along beside me. It was harder than those words make it out but really, that’s what I was doing, rolling the bike along beside me in a gorgeous mountain setting.

Got to the road up to the ridgeline. Barely even looked at it. I’d already seen enough of it in the distance to know it was nothing more than two rugged, steep tracks up the mountain that no way in hell would I be able to ride, up or down. So, got to the road, hopped on the bike, headed down. The junction was right at the end of a halfway decent double-track curling down through this field of plants that were as high as my head and blocking the view of where I was headed. Popped out of the jungle and the road became a rustic, gravel road as opposed to two parallel single-tracks.

That was the start of a long downhill. Longer than I expected but probably shorter than it felt. The lower I got, the better the surface became. Got to where another track broke off, the one heading up to Passage de Miraillet, a spectacular trail up on top of the ridge. I’d done it last year and turned and headed up to do it again. Didn’t get far. Between being tired, knowing getting to the ridge involves a few hundred meters of bike-a-bike, and having no water at all and the sun burning down out of a cloudless sky, turned around. Leave it for another day.

From there back to the car was romp city. Rejoined the road I came up right where the asphalt ended. Your basic wild mouse ride going down, the road hopping around, gravity pulling hard, passing cars, a glorious descent. Rolled into Arêches, saw a bar with tables outside, perfect, beer time. That was some crazy day. Excellent bike ride up the mountain, glorious hike up and over a ridge and across the flank of the mountain, then a dancing descent back to the car. Beautiful. But I think just as well I was alone. Can’t think of many who’d share my sentiments for this particular ride.

Louis · #2 08-03-2018, 03:23 AM

Wonderful as always, Hank.

Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

weisan · #3 08-03-2018, 03:24 AM

What amazes me the most velo pal is your sense of presence during your rides. You picked up all these little details about your surroundings and were able to share them with us, making us feel like we were right there with you too.

Thank you.

Tim Porter · #4 08-03-2018, 06:06 AM

Hank, thanks as always!

HenryA · #5 08-03-2018, 06:18 AM

Wonderful!
Thanks for showing us.

daker13 · #6 08-03-2018, 06:39 AM

Wow, what an adventure! Looks so beautiful.

owly · #7 08-03-2018, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by velotel

Can’t think of many who’d share my sentiments for this particular ride.

*sticks hand up*

thwart · #8 08-03-2018, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by velotel

Walkers scattered along the trail stopped and watched me with their jaws hanging open. They’d either never seen someone riding a bike on a trail or maybe they were waiting to see if i was about to keel over given the noise i was making breathing.

Love it.