Col de l`Arpettaz and Rain in Savoie

Friday took me down to Ugine in the Savoie region of France from Thann.  The most direct route down here is through Switzerland on the autoroute.  However, this would involve paying tolls in Swiss francs, and I did not want to go through the hassle of changing money from euros.  I decided to trust Serena (the voice on my GPS) to find a route with no tolls.  Serena routed me down the French side of the Jura mountains on a series of back roads.  This was a route that will never be duplicated by anyone.  Still, she got me here in time to ride the Col d'Arpettaz.

The  Col d'Arpettaz is a loop that leaves from the Hôtel du Bourg, where I am staying.  It has a western and eastern approach.  This is a climb that I have passed by a couple of times during the last few summers and always wondered what it would be like.  Unless you have been to the area, it is a climb that you have probably never heard about.  The climb has never been used in the Tour de France, but it is featured in The Great Climbs of the Northern Alps by Graeme Fife.  The west side of the climb is 16 km long and averages 7.1%.  For you folks in East Texas, this is equivalent to 10 miles of Hayter Hill.  I went up the east side, which is a one lane narrow road with numerous switchbacks.  Coming down this way would not be fun.  I am told that there is a wonderful view of Mount Blanc from the top...when the weather is clear.  It wasn't.  Word has it that there is a gravel road connecting this col to the Col d'Aravis, but this would be a mountain bike project.  It was a cold descent down the other side.

No riding today.  It's been raining all day in Ugine---a good day for doing laundry, writing blog posts, and watching the first stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France on TV.  I have a long drive tomorrow to the Pyrénées and hopefully a few days of sunshine and warm weather.