By Bike

Day 48 (20th September) – Bourg-St-Maurice to St-Jean-de-Maurienne

The highest paved mountain pass (2,770m) in the whole of Europe and France’s longest climb makes the Col de l’Iseran a favourite for cyclists. First featured in the Tour de France in 1938, the climb from Bourg-Saint-Maurice is 47.5 km long with over 2,000 m of elevation gain!

We start out in the dark and cold, ascending the Isère river valley.

While the first 10km are relatively gentle, we have to contend with heavy traffic. I’m anxious about the weather too. The high altitude of the pass makes it susceptible to extreme and rapidly changing weather conditions. There has been fresh snow up high, the forecast is a bit iffy and Liz and Sue have taken a different route. As daylight appears so do threatening clouds.

The next 14km are steeper, winding through picturesque villages, forest, and meadows and at one point under a water fall. Patches of blue sky ease the palpitations.

At the Lac du Chevril the incline eases. The cold does not. We stop for our 2nd breakfast at Val d’Isère, a renowned ski resort that boasts one of the best snow records in Europe. Like others we have encountered, at this time of year it’s a bit of a ghost town, except for construction workers, so we’re thankful again to be out of the cold wind in a wonderful old and warm Boulangerie reviving ourselves with coffee and delicious pastries.

A few kilometres up the road at Pont Saint-Charles we leave the grey and rushing melt-water of the river Isère cascading through a narrow upstream gorge. High above craggy peaks with fresh snow pop in and out of cloud and blue sky. The weather looks like it will hold.

Until the Pont, it’s been slow going into a stiff headwind. Here the road does a U-turn, steepens, and a tail breeze makes the going a little easier.

In the thin alpine air I hear marmots whistling loudly. Perhaps they are yelling allez, allez?

At the Col, small huddles of shivering cyclists and shivering motorcyclists take turns in getting snapshots and selfies, then quickly disperse. Today, it’s not a place to hang around except if you’re a warm and happy driver or passenger in one of the vans parked nearby.

What’s better than climbing 48km?

Descending 90!

The descent from Col de l’Iseran plunges for about 14km through the Vanoise National Park, the oldest park in France. The views are spectacular, the road narrow, uneven and treacherously (i.e. without side-rails) hangs over a precipice – quite the 20 minute thrill.

Breath and composure regained, it remains downhill and easy riding all the way to our destination except for an enforced detour through the village of Aussois to avoid a washed out bridge. It requires an unexpectedly taxing 10km climb, but the 8km descent to Modane is one of our best yet – little traffic, wide road, lovely sweeping turns, super smooth tarmac = super fast and fun.

Another unexpected detour came thanks to a navigational error on my part. We found ourselves on an autoroute (freeway)! Fortunately, for only a few kilometres. Also fortunately, the traffic security officer who was quick on the scene, jovially accepted my pathetic plea of being lost and chaperoned us to the proper route.

Eventually, after a long day in the saddle, we made it to our camp in the commune of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. We take a rest day here spending the next morning visiting the market and local sites in the old part of town.

In the centre of town is the Cathedral of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, initially built in the 6th century when, according to legend, three phalanges (finger bones) of Saint John the Baptist were brought from Egypt.

It’s a remarkably beautiful cathedral that has been rebuilt and added to over the centuries, including a 12th century Romanesque crypt and magnificent walnut wooden choir stalls from the 15th century, considered a Gothic masterpiece.

Throughout the town there are frequent references to the Tour de France which is a regular visitor to these parts. The town is a popular base for those wanting to tackle one or five of the famous climbs not far away.

It is also home to the “Montée de l’Opinel” (Opinel Climb), a cycling event that pays tribute to the famous knife and its origins, with a ride up to the village of Albiez-Montrond where Joseph Opinel forged his first knife in 1890. A knife is offered to each participant.

Cycling and knives seem to go together in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.

According to Garmin