Riding in Savoie and Haute Savoie

Albertville, famous for the 1992 Winter Olympics, is located in Savoie in the Rhône Alps.  Historically, Savoie and Haute Savoie were part of the Duchy of Savoy and not part of France until 1860.  The city is at the junction of three valleys, so it is easy to find flat rides.  There is a wonderful 100 kilometer bike path connecting Albertville to Annecy.  Rumor has it that the plan to extend the path south to Grenoble.  Another 100 kilometers!

There is lots of uphill too: Cormet de Roseland, Col des Saises, Col de Tamié, Col de Madeleine, Col de l'Aravis together with climbs you have never heard of.  You could spend month here and not run out of new rides to do.  Cycling Paradise!

Wednesday

The forecast said that there was an 80% chance of rain.  The skies were gray at 8:30, and it was only supposed to get worse.  I decided to take a chance.  The rain held out until around 9 AM when I was halfway up the Col de la Forclaz.  At first it was just a few drops, but I decided to turn around anyway. Within 5 minutes it was pouring. My ride lasted 60 minutes and I arrived back at the hotel soaked.  As luck would have it, the weather improved later in the day.  Unfortunately, I was off doing other things.


Thursday

I finished what I began yesterday, the ride up Col de la Forclaz.  The col is not very long (less than 6 km) not very long but has 2 km of 9% and a maximum of 11%.  Then I rode to the top of the Col des Saisies (HC)  I was pretty exhausted by the end of ride.  I definitely needed an afternoon nap.  There is a great view of Mount Blanc from the Col des Saises climb.

Friday

I needed an easier (or at least shorter) ride today.  I decided on the Col de Tamié loop.  I chose the more difficult south side, which begins in Albertville.  I did the scenic tour of Albertville trying to find the base of the climb.  When you do find the climb, it's pretty obvious.  The first kilometer is 10+%.  On the way down to Faverges, you pass the Abbaye de Tamié, founded in 1132.  The Abbaye is a Trappist community of about 30 monks and is famous for the cheese that is made there, Abbaye de Tamié.

Saturday

Directions for this morning's ride: leave the hotel, turn right, and go uphill for 6 miles.  Besides the D109 climb (technically not a col but definitely nontrivial), I rode over the Col des Aravis, the Col de la Croix-Fry, the Col du Marais, and the Col de l'Épine---close to 7,000 feet of climbing.  I was surprised that I still had some gas in the tank at the end of the ride. The photo is the little village of Héry near the top of the D109 climb.

Bucket List

The Cormet de Roseland is a beautiful climb, which I did last year.  Here is a partial list of the climbs in the area that I haven't done.  There are probably a half dozen climbs that I have left out too.

• Col des Saisies from the north
• Col des Aravis from the north
• Col de l'Arpettaz
• Cormet d'Arêches
• Col de la Madeleine (Not sure about this one.  I had my two flat tires there last summer.  This also the climb that did in Armstrong during the 2010 TDF.)
• Col de Tamié from Faverge
• Col des Cyclotouristes
• Col du Joly
• Col de la Croix-Fry from the west
• Col de Meraillet

Drove to the Pyrenees and Saint Savin today---an all day drive.