Statistics
Distance 52km
Height gain - 4062ft
Max gradient - 12%
Avg Gradient n/a
It was another cracking sunny day and the plan was to climb the Col and watch the annual Vaujanay sportive which ascends 12350ft over 173km.
Once again, the scenery was awesome and the views across the Romanche valley to Alpe d'Huez made you respect even more the challenge achieved earlier in the week in climbing the 21 famous bends.
Roads on stilts, hairpin hugging twists, the climb up the valley had it all.
The road racers were now pelting downhill towards us, sometimes on the wrong side of the road on blind corners. With no closed roads and a steep cliff face to one side and a sheer drop to the other, this felt a dodgy practice. It makes you wonder what all the fuss is about in the Caledonian Etape. The highest numbered cyclist we spotted was 2560 so a few riders taking part.
As we crested the Col, I spotted a fellow cyclist sporting the Scotland cycling top. Turns out he hails from Fife and is in France for a week. Today is a warm up for next Saturday's Marmottes race - climbing 16,250ft over 175km and including, Col du Glandon, Col do Telegraphe, Col du Galibrier, and finishing with a 'sprint' up Alpe d'Huez. Maybe next year, I suggest in a non-commital sort of way.
As we finished our coffee in the Col Hotel, we headed back to the junction that would take us up again to the Village of Villard Reymond and a climb up through the gorge. The ascent was everything that ws promised in the guide book. The drop at the unprotected single track roadside was so severe, we cycled up the wrong side of the road!
It had been hoped to cycle down the other side of the mountain however the road was a mountain track and not well suited to road bike tyres and so we returned by the same route to avoid the risk of puctures.
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