Rode Alpine Climbs Near Grenoble

In 2014, a 197.5km stage of the Tour de France ended with 

the climb from Grenoble to Chamrousse  

This weekend, I achieved one of my bicycle travel goals. It happened at the last minute, without a plan, in a series of delightful discoveries. 

That goal was to ride Tour de France climbs in the Alps or the Pyrenees before I am too old to finish a seven-to-twenty-mile climb and then ride back down. 

The view from Acrobastille, Grenoble

On Friday evening, I rode up a short, steep climb to a Acrobastille park just north of Grenoble. The steepest grade was 22%, the average grade, according to Strava was 15.6%. The road was three meters wide, less in some places, with tight switchbacks every few hundred meters. 

Cars were speeding up and down the hill toward restaurant at the park at the top of the road. A few of the hairpins were so tight that larger cars stopped and backed up a little in an effort not to hit the barriers at the edge of the road. Here is the climb on the ClimbFinder website.  

The road was painted with names of riders for most of the mid-hill steepest section. I was moving at barely over walking speed. I imagined Tour de France riders zooming past me at more than 20kmh. At the top I turned around and headed back right away. Sundown was in 15 minutes. I was glad the carbon bike I rented had disc brakes. I used them hard going into the turns on the way down. 

When I got back to the hotel room I started searching for destinations for the next day’s ride. I looked further north. I knew there was a long easy climb to the south on the long road to Alpe d’Huez, but the fabled mountain was too far for me to ride there—150km from Grenoble. (I rode Alpe d'Huez in 2000 and 2005. It was as tough as advertised.)

I decided to ride east to the ski resort at Chamrousse. It would be a five-mile ride through the city of Grenoble then a 20-mile climb: a six-mile climb on a five-percent grade, followed by a flat mile through a resort town then an eleven-mile eight-percent grade to the summit: almost 1800 meters of climb, more than a mile vertical. Chamrousse was a Tour de France climb in 2001 (time trial), 2014, and 2017.  

This sign was on the lower slop. When I saw it, I thought, 

'No chance I am violating that speed limit.'

The first climb was fine, but the second climb went from slow to slower. The long climb was in forest so I could never see more than a few hundred meters ahead. I would ride through a switchback then a kilometer of winding road, then another switchback. I was moving faster than the previous day but only just. I mostly rode 4-5mph with occasional short bursts of speed standing on the pedals going 7-8mph! 

Early on the long climb, 800 meters of altitude to go

Three miles from the top I was out of water and thinking about turning around. But I kept going and made it to the largely deserted resort at the top. I got water and a Coke and a sandwich. I was going to take pictures at the top, but I got on the bike, and it felt so good to be rolling on a flat road near the top. I was speeding along at 10mph! Then I took the downward turn toward the intersection at the top of the climb. I leaned down, shifted to the highest gear, and flew down the winding road into the forest. 

For the next 11 miles, more than 20 minutes, I sped down the eight-percent grade, braking just before the switchbacks then pedaling out. By the time I was in the village at the bottom of the first climb, my arms were aching from leaning into the handlebars while braking. The road was mostly smooth so I could swing wide going into turns and lean deeply without getting bounced by bad pavement. 

Even with 40mph wind in my ears, I could hear cars coming up and could definitely hear the motorcycles using the mountain for a high-speed thrill ride. Going into a hairpin on the way up a Suzuki FZR flew past me. The ride-white-and-blue-leather-clad rider leaned so far in the turn I heard the hockey puck on his left knee scrape the pavement for a second. He was followed by three other touring motorcycles that went progressively slower through the turn. 

Since I was going 5mph, I could judge their style as the flew past me. I saw no motorcycles on the way down. I saw several bicycle riders making their slow way up the mountain. I also saw a few cars coming up, but only once did we pass by each other in a turn. European drivers hold their lane in hairpins, and I was tight on the inside of the turn. 

At the bottom of the steep hill in the village I rolled slowly through the tourist traffic, then started down the shallower six-mile descent onto the city. The road was smooth and straight with few turns. I rode back to the Natura Velo bike shop and returned the bike. They charged me for one 24-hour day from Friday at 6:30pm to Saturday at 5pm. The guy renting the bikes was friendly and helpful. 

As I walked out of the shop, I ended the Strava trip down the mountain. I walked to a coffee shop and sipped a cappuccino while I looked at what Strava said about my trip. On both rides it is clear I am among the worst riders going uphill and the best descending. 

Of the 2,800 riders who climbed the short, steep hill to Acrobastille, I was in 2,551st place. I was second of two in my age group, 70-74. Going down the hill, I was 772nd of 2,700 riders of all ages and 1st of five riders in my age group by more than a minute. 

On the climb to Chamrousse, I was 4,467th of 4,562 riders going up. On the steep 11-mile descent that begins the road back to Grenoble I was 1,178th of 3,556 riders but #1 of 22 riders in my age group. I was a half-minute ahead of second place. The other guys on the leaderboard live in the area so it was fun to think I could compete with guys who have made many trips up and down the mountain—at least on the descent. 

Both the climb and the descent give me joy in very different ways. The climbs were so difficult I thought about quitting both. On the first I told myself it was getting dark soon and I did not want to descend after sundown. Near the top of the climb to Chamrousse I was moving so slowly that even the 5km to go sign meant I had almost an hour to ride. But I couldn’t (wouldn’t let myself) stop in either case. The 5km sign gave me some inspiration; I went just a little faster.

The last time I rode in the Alps and the Pyrenees was in 2005.  I am not sure I will ride the great climbs of France again, but I am beyond happy that I was able to ride Acrobastille and Chamrousse.

Renting and Riding Bicycles in Five Countries

 Paris Training Race at Longchamp

During my five-week trip in Europe and Israel, I rented five of the six bikes I rode. The sixth bike I left at the monastery where my Cold War Army roommate is Bruder Timotheus in Darmstadt, Germany.  Each bike and rental is as different as the country in which I rode.

This was not the trip I planned. Originally I was going to ride as much as I could of the length of Israel, but my knee swelled up and hurt a lot on the day before the flight to Europe.  I rested my knee the first few days and rode with less intensity, but still had a great trip.   

PARIS

In Paris, I primarily rode the daily training race atLongchamp.  There is a two-mile road around the perimeter of the horse-racing track called L’hippodrome in the southwest corner of the city.  Every day that road is closed to traffic from 10am until sunset.  Groups of bikes and solo bikes ride the circle. Every time I could, I rode the circle, joining various groups of riders and riding their speed. The last day I rode there I did a dozen laps on a windy day averaging 19 mph.  There is a Strava segment on the 3km circle that is 21km.  Strava told me I averaged 31.7km/hr.  another time I rode a couple of laps at 14 mph with five riders in their 70s. 

One of the days I rode to the west suburbs of Suresne, Rueil-Malmaison, Chatou and Saint Germain-en-Laye.  The ride is hilly, beautiful and on a variety of roads. 

I rented the bike from Paris Bike Company in Malakoff on the south side of Paris. They rent high-end bikes for tours and by the day.  Sam Weaver, the owner, is an American who was a bike dealer in America and now has a shop for tours. He does custom bike fit for local clients. He speaks French well with a very American accent.  His rental rate for a carbon race bike with helmet, pedals and water bottles is 70 Euros for the first day and 30 Euros for additional days.  Importantly for me, the additional days do not have to be sequential.  I was in and out of Paris a half-dozen times during the five weeks I travelled.  I rented the bike for a couple of days, went to Israel and Latvia for two weeks, rode another day, left for Germany, ride two more days, went to Germany again, and then rode one more day at the end of the trip.  The bike was ready each time. 

JERUSALEM

In Jerusalem I rode different directions out of the city. In Jerusalem, leaving the city means riding steeply downhill for miles. And, of course, riding steeply uphill all the way back. In fact, the steepest parts of the ride in and out of Jerusalem are the first two or three miles.

In Jerusalem, I rented another carbon race bike from another American with a bike shop.  Moses, owner of Bike Way, is even more relaxed that Sam about the bike.  I had the bike I rented in Jerusalem for five days. When I returned it, Moses asked how many days I rode. I said four—I skipped riding one day. He charged me for just four.  His rate is $35 per day.  In February I will be in Jerusalem for eight days. I told Moses I would need a bike then, but between tours I was doing and the rainy season, I did not know when or how many days. He told me to take the bike when I arrive. When I return it, tell him how many days I rode. He will charge me for just those days. It may be just three days. That’s okay with him.

RIGA, LATVIA

I visited all three of the Baltic states in four days there: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, but only rode one day in Riga, Latvia.  The other days it rained. A friend who lived there was surprised I even had a three-hour window to ride one day. He said it rains or snows from October to April.  The Baltic states are flat and forested with the narrow roads common all over Europe. In the city of Riga there were bike paths along the river and I saw some bike lanes in the city. There was also cobblestones and very narrow streets in the old city.

In Riga, Latvia, I rented a touring bike at Riga Bike Tours and Rent.  In November there was only one shop renting bikes. The high temperature the day I rented was 35 Fahrenheit. It was the only day it didn’t rain.  I rode for about 90 minutes along the river until I got thoroughly cold.  The rate for the day was 7 Euros, but he only charged me five for the short ride. 

BERLIN

In Berlin, I had another one-day rental. Again, not a lot of options in November when the high temperature was in the mid 30s. The rate was 20 Euros for a day or an hour. I rode around the center of the city in the area of the central park called Tiergarten.  Two years ago I was in Berlin in July and the bike culture was evident everywhere.  There are bike lanes, bike paths, bike racks, and people riding fast and slow in suits and spandex all over the place. It is a really bike-friendly city. 

LUXEMBOURG

In Luxembourg, I rode one of the city bikes.  They were easy to use. For three Euros I could ride the whole day.  I rode up and down a long hill to a medieval village in the middle of the city, below city hall.

In 2017, I rode from Belgrade, Serbia, to Lviv, Ukraine, and part of the way back to Germany. I rode a Surly steel bike with flat handlebars and an 8-speed gear set in the rear hub.  This was the first—and last—time I rode with panniers. Carrying gear on a bike is Heaven for some people, but not for me.  After the ride across Eastern Europe, I spent a week with an old friend in Darmstadt, Germany.  He is a monk. I donated the bike to the monastery.  

On this trip, when I visited my friend Cliff, the bike was there and ready to ride. I rode to nearby Frankenstein’s Castle. It’s a beautiful road, climbing steeply up for three miles of smooth switchbacks. It was repaved in 2016.  After the slow climb up, I had a fast ride down.  The Brothers at the monastery prefer their touring-style bikes and only occasionally ride the Surly. So it is there when I visit and for other visitors who might want a faster ride than the balloon-tire bikes the Brothers ride.

I have ridden in more than 30 countries on five continents over the past 20 years, including most of the countries in Europe between Portugal and Ukraine. I am not a careful person.