Alps (2005)

There seems to be a resurgence of magnificent touring so I thought
this ride report might inspire others to see these place.

http://www.trentobike.org/Countries/...the_Alps/2005/

Jobst Brandt

wrote
There seems to be a resurgence of magnificent touring so I thought
this ride report might inspire others to see these place.
http://www.trentobike.org/Countries/...the_Alps/2005/

That one starts encouragingly, but finishes in disappointment. I was
cheering all the way to Lago Maggiore and Orta and Biella, but then the
riding -- and your health -- declined.
Are you sure that's the link you intended to give us?

I liked this one better:
http://www.trentobike.org/Countries/...the_Alps/2004/

I like so many of your route ideas and detailed info, but one big strategic
point in both reports I do not understand: Why do you ride all the way south
thru Italy down to Tende and then ride thru the southern Alps in France?
There's so many uninteresting kilometers on both sides. I think the northern
French alps are way better (or else further south to the Moynenne corniche
road and the hills a little north from Nice). Why not cross some pass
further north, like Colle dell'Agnello, or Maddalena / Larche (which is
kinda pretty and interesting on the Italian side) -- and get more directly
to the prettier riding in the Alpes du Nord?

And along the way south thru western Italy, how could you _not_ climb up Val
Savaranche and across the Col del Nivolet, instead of all that flat riding?

Ken

Col del Nivolet clarification:
There is no complete paved road over Nivolet (to the west of Gran Paradiso,
the highest summit whose base lies completely within Italy). As far as I
know there is a section between the village Pont at the upper (southern) end
of the Valsavaranche road which requires using a hiking trail -- also
several kilometers which are a paved road are closed to normal vehicle use.
So . . .

I'm not suggesting here that anybody else should consider trying to cross
with a bicycle between Col del Nivolet and the Valsavaranche road - (many of
the best views can be obtained by riding up-and-back the south side on a
paved road).

But since Jobst in the last couple of days has vigorously recommended three
other pass crossings that lack paved roads (whether paved or unpaved), I'm
wondering what he thinks about that crossing.

Ken

Ken Roberts wrote:

There seems to be a resurgence of magnificent touring so I thought
this ride report might inspire others to see these place.

http://www.trentobike.org/Countries/...the_Alps/2005/

That one starts encouragingly, but finishes in disappointment. I was
cheering all the way to Lago Maggiore and Orta and Biella, but then
the riding -- and your health -- declined. Are you sure that's the
link you intended to give us?

I liked this one better:

http://www.trentobike.org/Countries/...the_Alps/2004/

I like so many of your route ideas and detailed info, but one big
strategic point in both reports I do not understand: Why do you ride
all the way south thru Italy down to Tende and then ride thru the
southern Alps in France? There's so many uninteresting kilometers
on both sides. I think the northern French alps are way better (or
else further south to the Moynenne corniche road and the hills a
little north from Nice). Why not cross some pass further north, like
Colle dell'Agnello, or Maddalena / Larche (which is kinda pretty and
interesting on the Italian side) -- and get more directly to the
prettier riding in the Alpes du Nord?

And along the way south thru western Italy, how could you _not_
climb up Val Savaranche and across the Col del Nivolet, instead of
all that flat riding?

There are folks along that southern route that I like to see again but
then I've cut across on the Colle dell'Agnello, or Maddalena, Larche
or Porta di Lombarda and descended through Isola2000 the ugliest of
ski damage to the alps. Those are in ride reports that were lost
before modern wrec.bike.rides got going.

Jobst Brandt

On 22 Ott, 16:47, wrote:
and descended through Isola2000 the
ugliest of
ski damage to the alps. Those are in ride reports that were lost
before modern wrec.bike.rides got going.

Although I have never seen Isola2000, I have no pleasant memory of the
nearby region along my ride up frpm Nice to Briancon.
Talking about ugly places, is Isola2000 even uglier than Col des
Saisies?

Sergio
Pisa

Sergio Servadio wrote:

... and descended through Isola2000 the ugliest of ski damage to
the alps. Those are in ride reports that were lost before modern
wrec.bike.rides got going.

Although I have never seen Isola2000, I have no pleasant memory of the
nearby region along my ride up from Nice to Briancon.

It's up the hill from Isola and to make sure the skiers can drive
their luxury cars up to 2000m elevation, an autoroute like highway was
built up both sides of the canyon, the south side being more stable
but holding more snow while the north side has avalanches with heavy
snow.

Gotta get there at all costs! As I have often mentioned to my riding
companion, "I smell ski" when a road in the mountains becomes
unusually wide and well cared for in spite of no traffic. We have
such roads here in California, where for instance west-east Hwy4 is
unusually wide but just up to Mount Reba JCT where, of all things, a
short Interstate Hwy I207 makes the connection to the ski area while
Hwy4 (Ebbetts Pass) returns to the forested mountain road that it
formerly was.

Talking about ugly places, is Isola2000 even uglier than Col des
Saisies?

Similar but "no cigar" (no prize). There was a town Saisies there but
ISOLA200 is completely artificial and dead except in ski season. It
has huge almost black steel tall hotels clustered around parking lots.

Jobst Brandt

wrote
There are folks along that southern route that I like to see again

That fits perfectly.

I've cut across on the Colle dell'Agnello, or Maddalena, Larche
or Porta di Lombarda and descended through Isola2000 the
ugliest of ski damage to the alps.

You did not see me ask about Lombarda / Lombarde as a possible crossing.
Riding over it once was enough for me. I guess it could imagine riding there
as an up-and-back ride only on the Italian side, and finishing at that
chapel instead of the pass.

Ken

On Oct 20, 4:43*pm, wrote:
There seems to be a resurgence of magnificent touring so I thought
this ride report might inspire others to see these place.

*http://www.trentobike.org/Countries/.../Tour_of_the_A....

Jobst Brandt

I'm organizing a group of 10 friends for a ride through some of the
roads of the French Alps. We're going to stay in Moutiers for 4
nights before heading towards Alpe d'Huez, and then back over the Col
de la Croix de Fer and south over Col du Galibier. It looks like some
good riding on the maps, though I've never been there before. But
we're going to end our ride in Nice (We're all flying in and out of
Nice), and I'm trying to find someone who can recommend a route south
from Briancon to Nice. Can you help me there??

Thanks, BC Rimbeaux

In article
,
wrote:

On Oct 20, 4:43*pm, wrote:
There seems to be a resurgence of magnificent touring so I thought
this ride report might inspire others to see these place.

*http://www.trentobike.org/Countries/...ts/Tour_of_the
_A...

Jobst Brandt

I'm organizing a group of 10 friends for a ride through some of the
roads of the French Alps. We're going to stay in Moutiers for 4
nights before heading towards Alpe d'Huez, and then back over the Col
de la Croix de Fer and south over Col du Galibier. It looks like
some good riding on the maps, though I've never been there before.
But we're going to end our ride in Nice (We're all flying in and out
of Nice), and I'm trying to find someone who can recommend a route
south from Briancon to Nice. Can you help me there??

There are great choices from Briancon south, but the better choices for
riding into Nice are relatively indirect. Jobst and Sergio would know
them better than I. Here's my experiences in this part of the Alps:

http://www2.bitstream.net/~timmcn/alps2002-1.html

Tim McNamara wrote
the better choices for riding into Nice are relatively indirect . . .
Here's my experiences in this part of the Alps:
http://www2.bitstream.net/~timmcn/alps2002-1.html

Looks like you toured lots of pretty roads and some worthy accomplishments.

Reading your report for Day 8, I can see your concern for finding "indirect"
better choices for riding into Nice -- after your experience trying a more
direct approach.

Ken