Little leg stretcher

One mistake I made last year was in riding too much just a couple of days before attempting La Marmotte. So this year, I'm trying to temper my enthusiasm. Yesterday's washout meant an enforced day of rest, which was probably a good thing. Today was the last chance for a biggish ride ahead of Sunday. I decided to warm up with the Col d'Ornon, and then ride up the valley of the Veneon river to La Berarde. I've never been all the way up there before. It's supposed to be beautiful. More on that later.

The clouds were quite low when I set off. It even felt chilly enough to wear bib longs rather than shorts. The clouds were lifting throughout the climb, and by the time I got to the top, it was clear there.

The Ornon doing its best to be atmospheric

I got to the top an hour and eight minutes after leaving Le Velo Jaune. It felt a really nice climb today. Just what I needed as a warm up.

The bike at the top

 I stopped a couple of times on the way down to take photos and to let a minibus get far enough ahead not to spoil the descent.

The clouds were almost gone on the way down.

View into the valley from near the bottom of the Ornon

 I rode back through Bourg d'Oisans to try and get a picture of it in its mountain setting. It's not the easiest task.

Bourg d'Oisans. Had to stand in the middle of the road to get this one!

Then it was back to Le Velo Jaune to change into shorts, and to see if Martin was going to ride part way up the Veneon valley.

It turned out he still had too much to do, so I headed out again towards La Berarde. The road through Venosc is a junction off the road up the Lautaret at Le Clapier. It climbs gently at first, then with a bit more purpose until Venosc, where there is a ski lift up to Deux Alpes. Above Venosc there is the first really steep section, including an extended ramp at 12%. The road runs right next to the river in a wide gorge. At the top of this section is an open area known as Plan du Lac. There is an EDF barrage here, part of a scheme that generates power further down the valley.

The Veneon at Plan du Lac

The river above here is used for various sports, including white water rafting. It's important to stop here before plummeting over the spillway in the barrage!

The gradients from here are very modest for quite a distance. The scenery is stunning, just as promised.

The valley above Plan du Lac is stunning

Just below the village of Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans, the road climbs more steeply via a number of ramps and hairpins. At one point, the construction is reminiscent of the relief road on the Lautaret. But that one is just temporary. The metal grids, visible on the upper section, are the only thing holding the road to the mountain!

Sometimes it's better not to know - part 2!

 Once above this section the valley opens out but the road remains fairly steep up to Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans.

The Ecrins from Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans

 Above the village the gradients ease again. The scenery, however, remains spectacular.

Further up, the road enters another gorge. This time, it remains fairly flat, but still clings to the side.

There is one short section of tunnel, but it has windows in it, so no need for lights during the day. Immediately after it is an impressive rock overhang.

Rock overhang on the way to La Berarde

The gradient rarely exceeds 3% for the rest of the ride. It's possible to pedal gently along, taking in the views. There isn't much traffic on this road. It's mainly sightseers and people going up to hike further on from La Berarde.

Not far now, and not hard. Just enjoy the view!

The number of waterfalls, and the clear evidence of avalanches and rock falls bear testament to some very active geography. When I arrived, just a week ago, the road was actually closed by landslides. It reopened a few days ago.

There are plenty of waterfalls in the area

 Some of the waterfalls contain massive rocks, that have been washed down over the years.

La Berarde is a pretty, well kept village

 La Berarde is the end of the road. Most people seemed to be sightseeing or heading off, or returning from hikes further up into the Ecrins national park. It's not hard to see the attraction. There is a restaurant as well as cafes.

The tiny church is dominated by the mountains

 It also has a church, and the all important 'basin'. Naturally, I replenished both my bottles.

Basin in La Berarde

While wandering around taking pictures, I noticed that my right cleat was loose. It turns out I'd lost a bolt. I tightened the other two. Luckily I always keep the old bolts, so I knew I had a replacement in the my toolbox, back at Le Velo Jaune.

Eventually, I tore myself away, and headed down. I kept stopping to take photos though. There are opportunities everywhere you look.

Gorgeous views

And plenty of waterfall activity

I'm really glad I wasn't around when this rock fell off the mountain!

There are numerous rock falls right next to the road, evidence of previous landslips and possibly of avalanches.

Just one of these falling onto the road could ruin your entire day.

French road engineers don't let a little thing like a sheer drop deter them from finding a way through.

The road up to Berarde

 At one point, there is a short tunnel which reminded me of a similar construction on the road between the Col du Soulor and the Col d'Aubisque in the Pyrenees. When we were there, that one had a car parked precariously next to it, with one wheel hanging over the void!

Anyone else think this looks familiar? I guess you had to be there..... (@Bianca, @Big Den)

All too soon, I was back just above Venosc, and hurtling down the steep section leading to the bottom of the ski lift. I reached 72 kph on that descent before nearly over cooking it into a hairpin. That's the fastest so far this trip.

My power metres played up a bit during the afternoon, and I found the right battery compartment a little loose again. I'll have to keep an eye on that. Overall though, this was a brilliant day, and just what I needed in preparation for Sunday. Enough climbing to keep things interesting, but also fabulous sight-seeing.

After dinner, with it being Friday, we went to the brewery for a beer and met up with Shawn, who is back from the UK, and Maria. There was a 'guess who chose this song' competition. It's one of those things you can do with a Spotify subscription. I was very impressed that Shawn spotted that I'd chosen the Great Gig in the Sky from Dark Side of the Moon, and was able to identify it!