St. Jean-de-Maurienne to Le Bourg-d'Oisans: Take me to Church

June 11, 2017

Our hotel in St. Jean-de-Maurienne caters to cyclists and offers breakfast starting at 6:15am so us riders can tackle the col de la Croix de Fer before the temperatures become too high. The climb starts right outside the hotel so you have to decide how much food to take on. Me, I go until I'm satiated which ends up being far more than I would eat on any given day at home.

The ride today was 30km to the summit of the col de la Croix de Fer and another 35k to Le Bourg-d'Oisans.

Our first marker of the day on our way to the col de la Croix de Fer.

The ride starts at a healthy 7% to 8% grade so our ascent to the mountains happened quite quickly. There were few cars and even fewer cyclists as it happened today. We rode up the valley of the Arves river and eventually through a low key ski resort, St. Sorlin d'Arves. There are churches and small villages perched on the hillsides along the way, making for some idyllic alpine scenery. The title of today's journal is partly about these gorgeous little churches and partly that these are rides of truth. There's no faking it to get to the top of a col and down the other side. It takes a leap of faith in your ability and the willingness to face your own mortality, plus gobs of gratefulness at the privilege of it all.

Tunnels are always intriguing. These ones were great echo chambers.

When we reached the head of the valley and were surrounded by ski lifts and ski runs, the climbing became even more serious. The sound of bells tinkling around the necks of the sheep added to the ambiance as we tackled the steep grade of the hill, one stroke at a time. Looking up, we saw several paragliders soaring effortlessly high above us. I pulled out my neck band, dunked it in an ice cold stream, and wrapped it around my neck for some instant relief from the building heat of the day. We could see all the switchbacks on the mountain slopes above us.

We inevitably ride higher than the towns and their ski lifts.

This petit lac was a jewel just before the summit.

Eventually, after 30 km of climbing, we summited the col de la Croix de Fer and joined the other jubilant souls who had made it to the top of the col. We were a bit parched, having drank all of our water, so we purchased some water from the small cafe at the summit.

We soaked in the scenery of the snow covered alps all around us and then plunged off the col for our descent through a long, wide valley. To one side was the river being fed by waterfalls and to our right, the slopes were covered in massive green meadows covered in wildflowers.

Thes pansies have been our companions for days.

This was a particularly big waterfall on our descent.

The road condition was quite good with some long straight sections so we were able to free fall quite a bit. Along the way, we came upon a shepherd and his obedient dog tending a herd of sheep, who were grazing with intensity as they flowed across the hillside. It was like a river of dark brown furry butts, flowing this way and that. Just who was calling the shots was not clear to us.

The river is dammed to create three lakes along this route. The road continued to drop, then it would rise abruptly and then take another steep drop. As we dropped lower, the temperatures gradually rose. Each time we breezed passed by a waterfall, it was like walking into a beer fridge for just a couple of seconds. No pictures from of these mountainside gushers because we were cruising at 30-50 km/hr.

We came upon a cyclist walking his bike down one of the steep downhills and stopped to inquire if he was ok. It turns out he had ridden through a patch of small rocks and both tires had punctured. There was not much we could do to help so we inquired if he was with a group, in case we crossed paths with them. After another 10k or so, we did find his friends at a roadside cafe and told them of his misfortune, prompting one of them to jump up and head up the road to help. True mates, indeed.

This type of cycling demands two completely different skill sets that are difficult to describe. Riding uphill takes aerobic fitness, bio mechanical awareness, mental focus and strength while riding down requires agility, mental focus and strength. Going downhill demands that you focus on many things at once: controlling the bike, braking as necessary, choosing the best line on rutted roads, checking for traffic approaching from the rear and from ahead, avoiding rocks on the road, and navigating hairpin turns. In summary, it is not an easy feat either way....but for some crazy reason, we love it!! As another cyclist put it, 'your friends already think you're nuts'.

Downhills are exhilarating and demand skills.

Eventually, we made it to the valley floor and located our chambre d'hote where we will stay for two nights. There are 6 other cyclists here, one from Scotland and the others from England. Anita and Jean-Pierre are perfect hosts and have provided us with a perfect retreat just 5km outside Le Bourg-d'Oisans, where our next climb awaits, the Alpe d'Huez.

Ahhh...time to relax at our chambre d'hote Le Petit Catelan near Le Bourg d'Oisans.

Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles)
Total: 1,081 km (671 miles)

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