The Big One - The Telegraphe and the Galibier

Having said our goodbyes at Cycling Ascents, we headed up the Col du Lautaret ready to drive over the Col de Galibier to Saint Michel-de-Maurienne, the town at the foot of the climb to the Col du Telegraphe. We remarked on the number of cyclists on the Col du Lautaret. They all seemed to have numbers on their bikes. Then we reached an illuminated sign saying that the Col de Galibier was closed! 

When we got to the top of the Lautaret, the Galibier was indeed closed, for a bike race. These are the signs that greeted us. 

A very helpful organiser explained that it would be closed to cars for another hour or so. There was nothing for it but to chill out and take some photos. The sky was clear and Les Ecrins put on a spectacular show for us.

The glacier above the Col du Lautaret

As good as their word, the organisers reopened the Galibier just before noon. We drove up, stopping to take lots of pictures on the way. In retrospect this may have been a mistake, as it delayed my departure from St Michel-de-Maurienne until nearly 2pm. That was to have some consequences later on.

We drove right to the top of the Galibier, avoiding the tunnel, to see the views.

The road up to the top of the Galibier, from the Col du Lautaret

The road down to Briancon from the Col du Lautaret, where, all being well, I should be heading later.

As we drove down from the Galibier, first to Valloire, then on to St Michel-de-Maurienne, I really did start to worry that I would not be able to do this ride. We seemed to be descending steeply for ever. Could I really get back over this by nightfall?

St Michel-de-Maurienne is a small industrial town without much to recommend it to the tourist. There is a car park right at the foot of the climb up to the Telegraphe, almost underneath the main A6 autoroute. There were already several cars with bike racks on them there. There was a loo, and drinking water. This was clearly the place.

I was still nervous as I readied the bike, loaded a couple of Clif bars and all the additional clothing I had available. Then I was off and climbing. It was a relief to end the anticipation, and feel the reality of two long climbs. I seemed to be moving ok, and my power, cadence and heart rate numbers were fine. The road has helpful markers every kilometre, showing the distance to go and the gradient. The only downside was that the local council had decided to strip the surface of about half the climb, presumably ready for resurfacing at the end of the summer. The result was the most unpleasant kind of vibro-massage imaginable, apart from proper Paris-Roubaix style pave. This was a heavy road!

Still, in not much more than an hour, I was at the top of the Telegraphe. Maybe I could do this after all. The hors d'oeuvres were over. Now for the main course.

Once again, the bike that got me to the top.

The view back down to Saint Michel-de-Maurienne from the Col du Telegraphe

The track up to the Col du Telegraphe is available on Garmin Connect

Leaving the Col du Telegraphe, the road heads down for several kilometres until it reaches Valloire. For people interested in cycling the Galibier, Valloire just gets in the way. There are lots of people and lots of traffic. Just grin and bear it. Oh, and be prepared to unclip at a moments notice as the tourists step in front of you!

The road heads up steeply as you leave the town. Once again, the kilometre markers are there to make you aware just how far it is to go and just how steep its going to get. But soon, you're free of the town and the people and able to get into a rhythm and marvel at the spectacular landscape you're pedalling through. The Galibier differs from some other climbs in that it's very open. You can see the road ahead snaking over the mountain. You can see just how far up you've come. It does have hairpins, and some sections that hit 10%, but in the main, it's a steady climb with breathtaking views.

I did have to stop a couple of times. Once was to take on some water, when the gradient had not relented enough to enable me to drink for what seemed like ages. The second was to add clothing as I got closer to the top. It was very cold up there. I'm not proud of what happened when I tried to restart after putting on my gilet and arm warmers. I'm still getting used to Look cleats, and do have trouble clipping in, especially on hills. I selected second gear, pushed off hard, but failed to clip my left leg. I took another mighty push with my right leg to keep momentum, shot diagonally across the road and did a wheelie, while still failing to clip in. I managed to keep going, and would like to apologise, to the French couple who had stopped to admire the view, for the loud English expletive which rent the clear, Alpine air. Luckily I didn't actually fall off and was able to make a slow-motion escape.

When I finally made it to the Valloire end of the Galibier tunnel, I'd just about run out of water. I stopped at the shop to buy some. There is no cafe here, so nothing for it but to push on over the top to the cafe on the other side. The last kilometre is a set of hairpins at nearly 10%, but was actually not as bad as I had feared. Seeing the final goal is half the battle.

The now obligatory picture of the bike at the top.

The road leading down to the Col du Lautaret.

The track from the Col du Telegraphe to the Col de Galibier is available on Garmin Connect

It was freezing at the top. The wind was blasting over the Col, and once I'd got my pictures, my only thought was getting down as fast as possible. It was now that my late departure really started to bite. The cafe at the Galibier was already closed. Nothing for it but to head down to the Lautaret. Never has 8 kilometres of descending seemed so unpleasant. My hands were frozen, and I was having difficulty controlling the bike. I shivered uncontrollably all the way down. I had to concentrate really hard. And when I got to the Lautaret, the cafe I've used before was also shut. Thankfully, the hotel was still open. I laced the hot chocolate I bought with sugar and sat in the sun for a while until the shivering stopped.

The track from the Col de Galibier to the Col du Lautaret is available on Garmin Connect

The problem now was that the road down to Briancon was in shadow. Nothing for it but another 15 kilometres of shivering descent, continually looking for the next patch of sunshine that might offer a little relief, followed by a blissful 12 more kilometres without a shiver. Each of the towns on the descent was another mild annoyance, but at least most of Briancon's traffic had dissipated by the time I arrived. I consulted the paper map I had showing the hotel's location. I turned down what should have been the right street and sailed straight past it. I was so cold and tired that I didn't even notice our car parked prominently in front of it. I stopped, and while pondering what to do, a lady appeared at my side. It was Angela, who'd spotted me and came to the rescue before I could pedal off and get really lost!

What a day. The Galibier is a spectacular climb. I wouldn't have missed it for anything.

The track from the Col du Lautaret to Briancon is available on Garmin Connect

Afterthought
The day after this ride, I was able to take a photo of the top of the Galibier from Mount Prerol, the peak above Briancon.

The road in the valley is the one leading to the Col du Lautaret. You can see the climb to the Galibier as a diagonal line running up the mountain in the distance from just above half way up the picture. On the original, suitably enlarged, the cafe at the Galibier tunnel, the tunnel entrance and the top of the pass itself are all clearly visible.