They say that weather changes quickly in the mountains. Today was as graphic an illustration as you could ask for. The rain that started yesterday had continued through the night and into this morning. All along the mountain sides above Bourg d'Oisans, waterfalls that had not been visible before had sprung to life. At breakfast, a group of us decided to go and visit Cascade de la Piss, a fall that reaches the valley floor only a couple of kilometers away. It was a good day for a walk. It continued to rain on us for the entire time we were out. We had to negotiate flooded tracks and, at one point, even to jump across a swollen stream. And then, just as we arrived back, the rain simply stopped. No drizzle, no showers, nothing. The sun came out and within half an hour, you'd have been hard pressed to tell that it had been raining at all. Apart from the waterfalls all the way along the valley, of course.
The afternoon was set fair for a bike ride. The balcony road was the obvious choice. This road runs from La Garde, part way up the climb to Alpe d'Huez, to La Freney, near Lac Chambon. For much of its length, it clings to the side of the mountain several hundred metres above the valley. The views are spectacular. The road looks quite level from the valley. It isn't. The ramps vary from 7 to 10%. One road side sign I saw that threatened a kilometer at 14% didn't ever materialise. Still, the purpose of the ride was to see the views and take some photos, and it was never particularly arduous. The few tunnels are short enough not to be a concern, especially with the small amount of traffic.
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The return from Le Freney was the usual blast down the D1091 to Le Clapier, and then time trial mode on the last few flat kilometers into Bourg.
The track for the balcony road loop is available on Garmin Connect.
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