Day 7 - into the Vercors National Park

Saturday 13 July 2019

We’re off early today. Breakfast doesn’t seem to be a thing here so no point in hanging around.

A small road signed for the Col de Chaussy takes us up from the camp site on a steep and winding ride to the summit. We could be on Mars judging by the lack of traffic.

Here's a link to my YouTube video of the Col du Chaussy run:

Col du Chaussy - Youtube video (4.01 mins)

Not quite the M25

At the summit we wave to one passing biker. We see no other moving vehicles. The sky is cloudless. It is getting very hot in the sun so after depositing a sticker on the col sign we crack on down the narrow little road to the village of Montvernier. 

That sneaky sticker man has been here before me

Now it’s hard to describe the descent that follows. The Arc River flows through The Valley below us through the village of Pontamafrey. To get there we will ride down the Lacets de Montvernier (lacets means laces in English). There are 17 hairpins in the 2.5 kilometre descent down 400 metres to the valley below.

Without a drone there is no good vantage point to capture a picture  so I suggest you google it. Here’s a Getty Image I found Lacets de Montvernier (Getty image).

The curves are far too tight to get adventurous but that doesn’t matter. The views are stunning as we swoop down to the valley floor below. We meet no traffic other than a few enthusiastic members of the lycra brigades struggling to stay upright as they labour in the morning heat. We stop for a breather at the bottom and gaze in awe back at the feat of engineering behind us.

Here is a link to the GoPro video I shot during the descent:

Lacets de Montvernier - a Eurobimble 2019 YouTube video (5.06 mins)

The lacets are in the greenery directly above my top box

We make a late breakfast stop at a small cafe in the next village. Baguettes stuffed with local goats’ cheese, coffee and water. It is excellent and very welcome.

We are soon on the road again for the 30 kilometre climb up from the Arc valley to the summit of the Col du Glandon. There is a stiff breeze and a group of hang glider nutters are risking life and limb as they throw themselves into the abyss. You have got to admire the balls on them. With supreme skill they float up and around for a few minutes before coming back to land exactly where they took off from. Makes riding a motorcycle in the Alps look easy!

Even the girls have balls

A passing Brit Lycra buff offers to snap both of us at the Col sign.

Another col bagged

The run down from the summit to Le Bourg-d’Oisans is sublime. I suspect we have a recent Tour de France to thank for that. We pass by the Lac du Grand Maison on the way down. There is an impressive hydro-electric complex there with its own museum. Next time maybe.

Looking down at the Lac du Grand Maison

Hydro-electric Power

We stay on the small roads despite my route-planning software refusing to allow us over the Col d’Ornon. This road has recently been resurfaced and the signs warning us of “gravillons” are well intentioned but don’t help us much. It is a horrible traverse, slow and skiddy. 

But finally we are through it and stop in a small village for a welcome coffee break and a chance to cool down.

Coffee stop after the Col d’Ornon

Our planned destination for the next few days is now within range. We have skirted Grenoble on small roads all the way. 

Camping Moto is a biker-only site on the south west edge of the Vercors National Park and it will be our base for the next three nights as we explore the Vercors.

After passing through Corps and Mens we arrive in Die where we have to give up on the small roads and get on the D93 for the final blast to Montclar-sur-Gervanne and Camping Moto.

This route takes us through the Gorges du Gats. A road sign tells us this is a "Route remarquable" and it surely is. Here's a link to the video I shot:

Gorges du Gats - a Eurobimble 2019 Youtube video (2.21 mins) 

Camping Moto 

Camping Moto has pretty much everything you could possibly need. Loads of room for tents, so much so that they will tell you there is no need to book in, you will not be turned away. There is the ubiquitous rushing river, more shady camping areas than you can shake a stick at. Bar, restaurant, great music for old rockers like us on a quality sound system (Dark Side of the Moon playing loud as I write this) and a pool that would grace a four star hotel.

The pool

We are made most welcome and soon have our tents up and join the assembled and very international clientele at the bar. About as cool as it gets. We award it the much sought after Eurobimble five star accolade.

Tomorrow there is early fog and extraordinary balcony roads and some seriously fast riding on the Col de Rousset.

Good night from me and good night from him.

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