Today's ride begins with a 17 mile ride upriver along the Isere to Bourg Saint Marie. For the first several miles there is no alternative through the deep, narrow valley but the busy N90. There is a decent shoulder/bike lane, so it's safe enough but none too relaxing. The most stressful section passes through the mile-long Saiax tunnel - a narrow two lane affair. They've done the best they can to accommodate bicycles, with a six foot bike lane and a flashing warning sign that activates when bikes enter the tunnel. Still though, it's pretty uncomfortable having a tunnel wall on your right shoulder and large trucks speeding by on the left - it certainly holds your concentration on the task. The noise in the tunnel is a bit deafening after awhile. It was a big relief to see the light finally appear at the other end.
A mile or so out of the tunnel the shoulder all but disappeared, and we had an uncomfortable couple of miles until we finally exited N90 at Aime. I think we weren't really supposed to be on this stretch of road but missed a bike turnoff for a minor road that heads up a cliff. We spent a few minutes staring at the highlights in Aimee for a bit and then continued on. The rest of the ride to Boug Saint Maurice is delightful, along a paved greenway that hugs the bank of the Isere for much of the way. Very quiet, serene, and beautiful. Partway along this stretch we stopped and sat on the bank of the river and enjoyed our lunch.
Leaving Moutiers. Looks like a great day for a ride!
We're finally out of the mile-long Saiax tunnel on N90. Not too bad - well lit, with a good 6 foot wide bike lane the whole way, but it's very narrow and carries fairly heavy traffic. The roar of the traffic was deafening. There is a multi year project under way to bore a smaller parallel tunnel for use by cyclists and pedestrians, but it's not due for completion until 2018.
Madeleine was the last big name, high profile pass of our tour. We'd been mentally keyed to it for several days, and now that we had it in the rear view mirror we let our guard down. For the rest of the way, everything ahead is at least easier than Madeliene. Not the same as easy though.
Today's climb ou Cormet de Roselend (Cormet is a near synonym to pass) is a good example. I'd never heard of it before, but it's a significant climb that has been a part of the TDF a half dozen times or so. 19 kilometers to the summit (the same as Madeleine) with 3,700' of elevation gain; not something to be taken lightly. We both found it harder than expected, maybe because we let our mental guards down, maybe because we've crossed three HC summits in the last three days, maybe because of some unexpectedly strong headwinds near the top, or maybe because after a month on the road it's all catching up with us. At some point today Rachael, looking pleased with herself, said she thought she was getting COLitis.
It's a lovely climb though, and once on top it's amazing. Great views, wonderful flower-strewn meadows, dramatic waterfalls and mountain streams. In its quieter way, it ranks up with Galibier and Croix de Fer on our list of favorites.
A busy lot of information at one go: no large trucks, give sufficient clearance to bikes (yay!), bikers use your avertisseurs (horns?), 19k to the summit.
Leaving the summit, the road drops a ways through a series of lovely meadows, paralleling a developing stream. Then, we and the stream converge and pass through a narrow slot in the canyon wall, round the bend and come upon a stunning view down on Lake Roselend.
After a beautiful few miles dropping to and rounding the head of the lake we climb an insignificant rise to Col de Meraillet and cross over into the top of a stupefyingly deep and narrow canyon at the top of the Doron River. It's all downhill and fast from here to Beaudort, 2800' below. Looking over the edge of the road to the canyon is startling - it looks like we'll drop like rocks. Rachael, a bit ahead of me, is one switchback below, weaving her way slowly through a small troupeaux of road cows (they have a nice starring role in today's video). By the time I get down to them they've piled up a train of cars, are getting anxious, and start lumbering quickly down the road to the nearest exit.
After that, I go into free fall mode, dropping as fast as I have nerve for through the trees and down the cliffs through a seemingly endless series of bends until suddenly turning the last one and entering the pretty little village of Beaufort. Here's a video of this amazing descent.
Dinner tonight was highly unusual for us - we ate with a pair of friends we made back at the top at the summit of Roselend. I picked up Sjolt partway up the climb when he called me out from where he was taking a breather beside the road. He recognized us from our small wheeled bike - we had stayed in the same hotel two weeks back, in Moustiers. At the summit, Michael started up a conversation with us, also because of our bikes - he recognized the brand because he had lived in Corvallis and Salem for over twenty years before he retired and moved to Geneva. It sounds like we lived within a half mile of each other for years. More coincidences - he's staying at our hotel, so we arrange to share a meal this evening; he convinced Sjolt that he needed a break and should stay there too; and the two of them have/had very similar professions - bicycle transportation planners (Richard apparently headed ODOT's bike planing department for a number of years). Lots to talk about, and we had an enjoyable, entertaining dinner with friends tonight.
Beginning our descent from the Cormet. Our road shoots the gap together with the stream that feeds Lake Roselend, just around the bend.
