Combe Laval!

July 3, 2017

Day ride from Pont-en-Royans

Wow, what a ride!

From Pont-en-Royans, we climbed up to Ste-Eulalie and turned towards "les Petits Goulets" and "les Grands Goulets,", whatever "goulets" are. Tunnels? We went through a series of short ones (les petits?) and after a good climb, through the 1710 m long Tunnel des Grands Goulets. [I looked it up in my Collins-Robert when I got home. The best translation is "narrows".]

We exited the tunnel at tiny Les Barraques-en-Vercors, where the old Route des Grands Goulets could be seen behind a barricade. It would have been spectacular. Too bad it could not have been maintained after the tunnel was constructed, but perhaps some part of it had collapsed.

Onward through the valley of the Vernaison and up to Col de Rousset. We found a sheltered place to eat the sandwiches we'd been smart enough to buy in La Chapelle (along with tartes aux noix—yum!) then down to Vassieux. Another climb to Col de Lachau where there's a memorial to La Résistance. We didn't visit.

This climb was marked with traditional milestones

The Col sign at the entrance to a tunnel we didn't ride through

We thought this point was actually higher, but it wasn't.

Al took a photo of me taking my milestone photo. Something to do while he waits for me?

I wanted to capture the flowers and the butterflies posed for me.

We have been seeing signs everywhere for this memorial to the resistance but we didn't visit. I feel kind of guilty.

According to our map, there was one more pass before the goal, Col de la Machine. We misread the map; the symbol for the Grotte du Brudour looked like an arrow up, so we thought we had a short descent followed by an ascent. Wrong. We descended all the way to Col de la Machine, cold because we didn't put on our jackets thinking we soon be climbing again.

Then, the stretch of road we were here for, Cirque de Combe Laval. I doubt my photos do it justice; it's something you just have to experience in person.

This is what we came for! The next several photos...

St-Jean-en-Royans looked like a very pleasant place

87.3 km, ascent 1674 m, descent 1656 m

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Today's ride: 87 km (54 miles)
Total: 465 km (289 miles)

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