Last minute change of route for this friday Alps trip - advice sought please...

[Bateman]

OK, maybe not strictly a last minute change as I still have a few days before I leave, and I'm not so inflexible that I won't change my mind when I get there, but given that the major passes on the Routes Des Grandes Alpes are still closed (as i thought they may be), I am thinking of changing my plans for my trip starting on Friday and wondered what you thought of the following. Ideally the first day and the hotel needs to stay the same as I have booked and paid for the room, and I only have a few days......

Day 1: Le Havre to Geneva to Thonon, then ride the first section of the RGA to a hotel near the Col Des Aravis, north of Albertville.

Day 2: Albertville - Grenoble - Gap - Grasse (via Route Napoleon)

Day 3: Back up Route Napoleon, turn off at Castellane for the Gorges du Verdon loop, then back up to Gap

Day 4: From Gap, head into the Parc de Vercors and do the D518 and head North of Grenoble, then onto a cheap Hotel north of Lyon.

Day 5: Head back to Le havre for the 5pm ferry.

I've never done the Route Napoleon or been to the Parc de Vercors so is this a worthy alternative to the Alps given that many of the higher Alpine passes are closed, or would you still head into the Alps?

 

[John Armstrong]

The Route Napoleon is rather nice.

If I was you I'd try and do less miles on the motorway. How about the Vosges ie near Strasbourg, lots of wiggly lines but not too high?

 

[franco]

Route Napoleon

If you coming down from Grenoble to Grasse, I wouldn't go down the Route Napoleon, then back up it again. It's a great road, but there's so many other great ones out there too. From Gap, you can take a few alternative routes to Grasse. There's the Col de la Bonette, which should be open if not now, at least by the time you get here. The Col d'Allos or Col de la Cayolle if it's not. The D900B from Gap (ish) to Barcelonette is a joy to ride. Check the photos here and following http://morrisons.smugmug.com/gallery/572024/1/23907345/Large
If you pm me I can give you more detailed info, and I'll try and confirm today which cols are open. If you're in Grasse, you can buy me a beer as way of thanks for all the hard work

 

[ssi]

To the west of the Route Napoleon are some great roads. Try Coll Rousset and Col Cabre nr Die. Go up to grenoble via Villard d Lans.

Or try the road from Digne to Lac serre Pons and then Briancon and Col Cenis.

 

[spot]

I went to the alps this week last year. I havent got a map here and memory can play tricks but i went over a pass after montreaux in switzerland. I got most of the way up the petit st bernard before finding out that it was definately shut, after that i think maybe a tunnel but i remember that the "fiery cross "pass was open and enjoyable. Sorry i cant remember the french name for the pass but itwas something like col de croix .. then either fiery or maybe rouge?... We spent a night on the vecors plateau. the area is known as the pre alp and is nothing like as high as the alps .it is altogether a different type of experience but well worth visiting never the less.Its 30 years since i did the col de cayolle (on a bsa) but from memory that part of the alps is much more likely to be open at this time of year. IT was early may when i went)

 

[franco]

Cols

Col de la Bonette is currently closed. Forecast to open mid June. I'll be going up the Col de la Cayolle Friday to see the snow situation...I'll let you know if there's any changes...

 

[Bateman]

Col de la Bonette is currently closed. Forecast to open mid June. I'll be going up the Col de la Cayolle Friday to see the snow situation...I'll let you know if there's any changes...

Thanks Franco - I was thinking of doing as you suggested and taking the 900b from Gap to Barcolenette and then seeing which cols I could ride up from there. The I'll head back over to Vercors and ride some of the roads around there. When a pass is "Closed" is that because it is completely inaccessible due to snow?

 

[Trevor Phillips]

Just back from your day 2 - 3 area. Fantastic scenery. Cheap hotel in Grasse is the Oasis by the bus station. But if perfumery factories aren't your thing try getting to the Auberge at Aiglun, about 15 miles north by foot (like me) or god knows by bike, look at your road atlas. PS there won't be anyone there until 6.30pm as the place is so remote they need jobs elsewhere to make ends meet. If you're interested I'll try to find their phone no.
Trevor

 

[franco]

Thanks Franco - I was thinking of doing as you suggested and taking the 900b from Gap to Barcolenette and then seeing which cols I could ride up from there. The I'll head back over to Vercors and ride some of the roads around there. When a pass is "Closed" is that because it is completely inaccessible due to snow?

At this time of year, the snow is cleared from the road, but due to the roads taking such a hammering with the winter weather, they use the extra couple of weeks before tourist season to do repairs to sort landslides etc. I went over the Col de la Bonette a couple of years ago the end of May with 'ELK' and it was closed, but we went over anyway. There was a huge concrete barricade we had to squeeze past at the southern end going through a little river, but it was OK. Trouble is, they hadn't cleared the road of rockfalls etc, so parts of it were a bit hairy :-O
From Barcelonette, the Col de la Cayolle is great. Col d'Allos is OK but not as scenic on the southern side. You can also continue on into Italy and come over the Col de la Lombarde into France via Isola2000 ski resort. You can check out the pics of all these on the following..
http://morrisons.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/16763 which will give you some idea.
But for example, this is the Col de la Cayolle (where I'll be going on Friday), looking south from a few kms below the top

This is nearer the top, again looking south

This is on the northside en route to Barcelonette...

The snow at the top of the Col de la Bonette was impressive :O

And this was the barrier we had to get round on the south side of the bonette..Trickier than it looked, especially when you're a hundred miles away from a recovery van..

If you need any further info, drop me a line...

Bon voyage../Rob

p.s. I'll post the Cayolle piccies on Friday evening if I don't get stuck in a snowdrift or knocked off by a marmotte!!

 

[Shurv]

I'll be interested in a report on the closed roads. I'm doing Annecy/Briancon in a week and a bit and the col de madalene and the col du glandon are currently closed.We really want to do these routes,but being "local" franco, are they worth trying to go over them ever if there are signs stating closed?.

Cheers mate.

 

[Bateman]

Just saw this on the bison Fute site for the Col du Galibier - does it mean that the tunnel is open as long as your not in a big lorry?

Galibier (le tunnel est ouvert mais reste interdit aux véhicules de plus de 19T ainsi qu'aux transports de matières dangereuses, aux véhicules tractés"caravanes, remorques...."cycliste et piétons, excepté les cars.

 

[franco]

I'll be interested in a report on the closed roads. I'm doing Annecy/Briancon in a week and a bit and the col de madalene and the col du glandon are currently closed.We really want to do these routes,but being "local" franco, are they worth trying to go over them ever if there are signs stating closed?.

Cheers mate.

Being 'local' any signs or warnings, are to be completely disregarded, and go for it anyway. Personally, I always give it a bash. In France, they're very motorbike friendly and if you try and explain you didn't know what 'route barree' meant, in fact, in Scottish, a barry road is a brilliant one.
Go for it. The worse than can happen is you have to turn back and go back down again. Funny you should mention the Col de Madeleine. When I went over there last year with ELK, that was 'closed' too, but we went over. The reason for it being closed is that they were doing roadworks and it was a bit gravelly. No big deal though, any workmen we saw just nodded...they didn't worry. Neither did we and had a Col to ourselves.

 

[franco]

Just saw this on the bison Fute site for the Col du Galibier - does it mean that the tunnel is open as long as your not in a big lorry?

Galibier (le tunnel est ouvert mais reste interdit aux véhicules de plus de 19T ainsi qu'aux transports de matières dangereuses, aux véhicules tractés"caravanes, remorques...."cycliste et piétons, excepté les cars.

Means..

The tunnel is open, but remains off limits to vehicules weighing more than 19 tonnes, (so, easy on the panniers) vehicules carrying dangerous substances, trailers, caravans.....(is there a bit missing here?). Then says cyclists and pedestrians apart from cars?....
Do you have the whole text?

 

[Bateman]

Thats pretty much it - the whole text is:

En direct du Centre d'Information Routière
Rhône-Alpes/Auvergne
COLS FERMES :
Savoie
Petit Saint-Bernard, Madeleine, Iseran.
Galibier (le tunnel est ouvert mais reste interdit aux véhicules de plus de 19T ainsi qu'aux transports de matières dangereuses, aux véhicules tractés"caravanes, remorques...."cycliste et piétons, excepté les cars.
Haute-Savoie

Joux Plane, Joux Verte, La Colombière.

It looks like most of the routes des grandes alpes will be open now, except for Iseran (and colombiere), so I will skirt around that coming down via Albertville - i have done Roseland so don't mind missing that one, though it would have been nice to have done the whole route start to finish. I'll see what the guy at the hotel we are staying in says up at the col des aravis - he runs bike tours so maybe he will have an idea whether Iseran will be passable. Thats a fair way to get to if I have to turn round and come back. Too many options and not enough days - maybe I'll have to go back down in the summer.....

 

[Shurv]

Cheers Franco, was getting a bit worried about missing out on the "best bits" Interesting that the tunnel is open at Galibier, might have to use that then,as long as the rest of the road is open I don't really mind.Looks like it will be a bit colder than last years trip.Twas bleedin hot last time and we all melted in leathers,so have bought a light weight suit,thinks I might leave it at home and wear the usual gear.

 

[franco]

It is a long way to turn round. Even if it says 'closed' I've always gone up, just for the hell of it. Only problem is, if you come across some difficult roadworks, they can be a bit dodgy to get past. The guys in this digger pulled over to let me through, and were happily shouting encouragement as I squeezed past with a 1000ft drop off the right hand side....ulp

I made it though...phew

 

[Phluppe]

YOO

I don't know if this reply is to late or not, whatever... just letting you guys know that La Bonette has been opened a few days ago, earlier than predicted, Cayolle and Allos are in perfect shape, Vars is stunning going towards Guillestre as allways, Izoard is also open and the road is redone on the Southside, Galibier was opened just a few days ago, but Madeleine was still closed, however, that's probably due to roadworks, not to snow orso

Instead of Glandon you can try the Col de la Croix de Fer, but I'll take the Telegraphe and the Galibier instead, much more fun (Telegraphe is really kewl ) and beautiful scenery on the Galibier.

In the South, try the road from Saint-Andre-les-Alpes towards Castelanne (D955), it's a 21km long piece of bikeheaven, next to the Lac de Castillon, I think Franco wil know this stretch aswel
I've got a film of it here, just have to figure out how to get it on the net

Grtz, Philip!