There are several balcony roads around Bourg d'Oisans. These roads run along the valleys, but several hundred metres up. They offer some outstanding views.
Two, in particular, run on the north-eastern side of the valley. The first starts near Villard-Reculas and ends in Huez village, near bend 6 of the climb to Alpe d'Huez. The second is further down, starting in in La Garde, near bend 16, and working its way over to Le Freney, at the other end of the valley. We rode both of these today, and fitted in a trip to Alpe d'Huez for a spot of lunch.
We set out for Allemont, with the usual sprint along the valley through Rochetaillée. After climbing and crossing the dam, the route goes to the right, then takes a left turn, signed to Villard-Reculas. The first few ramps are quite steep, and are in the shade of the trees. Near the top of the hairpins, the vegetation thins and the first views of the valley appear.
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| Lac Verney |
The view back to Lac Verney showed fresh snow on the peaks. That was the result of yesterday's precipitation, which fell as rain lower down.
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| The road to Grenoble |
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| The eastern end of the valley |
The climb eventually leads to Villard-Reculas, a pretty village perched on the mountain side at about the same altitude as Huez.
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| Villard-Reculas from the east. |
Leaving the village, the road continues towards Pas de la Confession. We surmised that it might have this name as it was a good place to hold miscreants over the edge until a suitable confession was achieved! This part of the ride was very slow. The road, although narrow is relatively flat and well surfaced. The problem is that at each corner, there is an overwhelming desire to stop and take in the views.
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| The road leading to the Col d'Ornon |
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| The western end of the valley |
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| My bike, enjoying the rest! |
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| Andrew at the Pas de la Confession |
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| The road up to Alpe d'Huez |
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| More evidence of the snowfall the other day |
Between bends 2 and 1, Andrew's front tyre deflated. Investigation showed he'd managed to pick up a nail. There are much worse places to change a tube than the road up to Alpe d'Huez, in the sunshine.
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| Well earned lunch in Alpe d'Huez |
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| Eastern end of the valley |
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| Andrew managed to enjoy the entire day |
The descent into Le Freney is steep and technical, but then the blast back down through the gorge is excellent!
The
Activity for this ride is available on Strava.
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