The are some great rides in the Alps. On Tuesday, the weather was beautiful. I went up the Col du Mollard then down and back up to the Col de la Croix de Fer, and back to the start via the Col du Glandon. Lot's of uphill. The route up the Col du Mollard has over 50 switchbacks (according to the local postman), but it is a very pretty climb and avoids the tunnels on the direct route to the Col de la Croix de Fer. I am becoming more and more terrified of riding my bicycle through tunnels. Besides the obvious danger of not being seen by a car or a truck, tunnels are dark and unfriendly.
From the top of the Col du Mollard, you descend down to join the route to the Col de la Croix de Fer. From there it is 14 km to the top. The first 7 km aren't too bad. After that, the fun is over. From St. Sorlin-d'Arves to the top (7 km), the grade is a pretty consistent 7-9%. The descent down to the Col du Glandon and back to the valley is fantastic. Going up the Col du Glandon is harder than the Col de la Croix de Fer. This is definitely one of the harder under 50 mile rides that I have ever done.
La Toussuire
The original goal on Wednesday was the Col du Galibier, but the clouds rolled in early, and the forecast was for rain in the afternoon. I got a kilometer or two up the Col du Télégraphe (the warmup climb), then decided that I would do something different. So I rode back to St. Jean-de-Maurienne and up the first few kilometers of the Col de la Croix de Fer and then took the right to do the 14 km climb to La Toussuire. The plan was to be able to get down fast if the weather turned bad. It takes well over an hour to do the climb and only about 20 minutes for the descent.
Recovery Day
Thursday was a travel day. I took the long way around through Grenoble from St. Jean-de-Maurienne. After the epic of the two flat tires, I decided that I that I am not traveling over any more narrow mountain roads on this trip...at least in the car. I stopped briefly to buy some food for lunch in Le Bourg d'Oisans. Le Bourg d'Oisans is at the foot of Alpe d'Huez, and the town is literally overrun with cyclists. And they think that they have the God-given-right to the entire width of whatever road they happen to be on. I didn't really spend much time in Le Bourg d'Oisans. Instead, I headed up the road and had a nice lunch at the top of the Col de Lautaret. The views from there are terrific. After arriving in Briançon and checking into the Hotel de Paris, I took off for an easy 90 minute recovery ride.
Col d'Izoard
The Col d'Izoard (el. 2361 meters) connects Briançon in the north to the valley of the Guil in Queyras, which ends at Guillestre in the south. There are forbidding and barren scree slopes with protruding pinnacles of weathered rock on the upper south side. Known as the Casse Desert this area has formed a dramatic backdrop to some key moments in the Tour de France.
In fact, there may be some drama on the Col d'Izoard in this year's Tour. Stage 19 (Thursday, July 21) goes over Col Angel (one of the highest passes in Europe), then Col d'Izoard, and finally finishes on top of the Col du Galibier. The last kilometer on the Galibier is 12%.
It should be a dramatic and decisive stage. Just getting my sorry rear-end over the Col d'Izoard was hard enough. I might have another col in my legs but definitely not two cols. In any case, I loved this loop. Getting down to Guillestre and avoiding the main highway is not obvious and definitely not flat. Study the map before you go.
Col de l'Echelle
I had never heard of the Col de l'Echelle before arriving in Briançon. Considering the fact that I spent well over 5 hours in the saddle yesterday with 7000 feet of climbing, I wanted something less intense for today. This route fit perfectly. The ride was up a valley north of Briançon with a side trip over the Col de l'Echelle to the Italian border. What a beautiful route. It's a gentle climb up the valley at 2-4%, then you turn right for the Col de l'Echelle. It's not very long, but there is about a kilometer of 9%. From the top of the col you can descend down a bit to see Italy.
The rest of the climb up to Châlet de Laval isn't too bad (except for the 10% section). The views are well worth the ride.
I'm off to Chambéry in the morning for a week of French classes starting on Monday. The idea is to rest my legs a bit before heading to the Pyrenees for two more weeks of hard riding.
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