2015-09-02 : Lacets de Montvernier and Col de chaussy
After yesterday's day off, we were eager to find something low in the valley and not too far away as the cloud from yesterday's rain was still heavy in the mountains and there was talk of afternoon showers.
Our target today was The Lacets de Montvernier which were on the tour de France this year. They are a sequence of tight switchbacks up from the valley floor to the small village of Montvernier. The effect is a laced shoe if looked at from afar .. hence the name!
Off we went after a late start (pastries!) and had no trouble zipping up these switch backs with Marion taking the inside track staying well ahead of the few cars coming up from behind!
After the town of Montvernier, the fields opened up and we were in heaven .. not quiet yet but close .. it was great riding with good views and easy grade. Then we started to get close to the clouds .. and then the cliff edges (good barriers) .. and then the clouds disappeared and the cliff got steeper .. so we stopped to take a vote .. and at 3km from the top of Col de Chaussy, we did a U-turn and headed down! I think we were at about 1200m and 300m shy of the top in clouds. For us it was the right decision!
Back down to 560m we stopped in the town of le Chatel and had a cafe au lait to warmup .. then decided to add another climb up a little used road to Montdenis (Champsuit). It was a marvelous road with pastures all the way up and hardly a car or person in sight .. just one mountain biker and a few cows. At the top (1000m) were hiking and mountain bike trails going off in two directions ... so that's where we turned around and descended with fabulous views of the area and had lunch at an old church on a hillside.
1450m ascent, 47km distance and a fabulous day with no rain, lots of sun and gusty winds by mid-afternoon.
