May 29, 2015
To Saint Julien en Vercors: In which we receive a bonus pass, at no extra charge
We got off to a bit of a late start today, because we both slept in until 8 - highly unusual for me especially, considering I dozed off at 10 last night. We needed the sleep but it wasn't the best day for it - we have a pretty long and hilly day ahead, and the high is predicted to be in the 80's. It's amazing to see another sunny day, and the next three are forecast sunny also. After that we'll be nearing Provence, which forecasts 10 days of sun. Amazing - we could make it through the first half of the trip with only the three miles of rain we encountered in Annecy a few days back.
Our plans for the day were upended immediately upon leaving town - the road west (520C, the one we biked in on) was barricaded. We hoped that this didn't apply to bikes (often the case with construction work) and crossed the barrier, but 100 yards down the road we were halted and sent back, with the pantomimed information that the road was totally out ahead. Maybe there's been a new landslide?
This was bad news. The alternate route (marked as the detour route) was to exit town to the south and cross west at Saint Pierre instead. I had considered this option when planning the tour because it looked more scenic but opted against it because it added miles and significant climbing to what was already a long and hard day. Humorously enough, we had been baiting each other over breakfast, accusing each other of being the faint-hearted one afraid of a little extra work. In the end, we were forced to it after all.
The effect was to add a beautiful, gradual 1700' climb to Pas du Cuceron and a thrilling drop through Gorges du Guiers Mort (Dead Guiers gorge? Guiers' gorge of death)? We both thought it was a good trade off, but we weren't back on route until about noon, with still 50 miles of road and well over 4000' of climbing ahead of us.
The next 15 miles went quickly as we gradually climbed to the modest Col de la Placette and a fast plunge down to the Isere River, the border between Chartreuse and the Vercors Massif.
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The Isere is a major river, draining the spring melt from the northern French Alps and sending it westward to the Rhone (which drains Lake Geneva) and then south to the Mediterranean. It is large enough that it has carved and filled a flat passageway through the Prealps, which rise up steeply n either side. Along its shore, happily for us, is a lovely, pancake flat cycleway that we followed eastward toward Grenoble for some miles before turning south for the main event of the day, the long climb into the heart of the Vercors.
First though, a late lunch picnic on a bluff overlooking the Isere. While there, Rachael pulled out her Nexus and hooked it up to her new but dead GoPro, hoping to juice it up enough to capture some of the afternoon's ride. After downing a ham and cheese baguette, the remains of yesterday's salami and a pair of massive cookies, we started off again.
The climb fortunately wasn't the monster we had predicted - it keeps a gradual gradient the whole way up, and the massive views down to the valley and upriver to Grenoble and the high alps give frequent excuses to stop for a photo op. Rachael had no problems, but whether from the heat (I don't do well cycling in hot weather), or because I haven't been eating enough (a chronic problem with me on tours) or because I'm just so damn old and it's catching up with me, I was pretty spent at the top. Fortunately we had the option toward the top of shortening the climb by about 700' and five miles. We opted for this, offsetting some of what we added this morning.
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The climb levels out for several miles before dropping into Bournes Gorge, one of the spectacular labyrinthine gorges for which the Vercors is famous. It has a reputation for having some of the best balcony roads in France, with three of its roads listed on the website The Most Dangerous Roads in the World. Sounds spooky enough, but they're hair raising because they're so narrow and contorted, with the roadway trapped between a sheer cliff on one side and a sheer drop on the other. Totally awesome cycling country.
We knew this would be spectacular going in, but still it was a shock. This narrow first road was amazing - one blind curve or narrow tunnel after another. It is almost frustrating with a camera because there is so much to shoot, and part of the drama is in the motion and the larger context. Fortunately the GoPro charging operation at lunch was a big success and Rachael was busy capturing footage of all the best parts.
Well, maybe not. It's a new device and it comes with a learning curve. We're pretty sure this will be the last time she mounts it backwards and gets some great shots of herself coasting into the picture. It at least works pretty well as a workout video though: http://1drv.ms/1SI6q2f
We arrived at our small village hotel about 6:30, giving us just a few minutes to clean up before heading down for dinner. In one final humerous twist to the day, we sat down in the bar area (at the owner's encouragement, actually). 20 minutes and a glass of wine later we finally enquired, and they steered us to the dining room so eating fun could commence. As a final treat to the day, a small thunderstorm passed through lower in the valley; and our waitress, seeing my camera, said I should go out back with the other staff and enjoy the view.
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Today's ride: 61 miles (98 km)
Total: 253 miles (407 km)
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