St Jean de Maurienne. French Savoie Alps: outside the Hotel St Georges, under an awning sit a group of men. Not old but no longer young. They are drinking beer and the boisterous conversation includes mention of heart rates, watts of power, gear ratios, descent speeds. Each can cap the story of another.
Similar conversations in different languages are in progress in the bars of other hotels around the town.
St Jean would be an undistinguished town if it wasn’t for the Tour de France which often passes through or finishes here. For St Jean de Maurienne lies deep in a valley at the foot of some of the most mythical cols in the world of cycling: the Madeleine, the Galibier, the Glandon and its brother the Croix de Fer.
St Jean de Maurienne is one of those towns like Le Bourg d'Oisans (Alpe d'Huez) that in summer attracts men with bikes keen to pitch their skills against the mighty climbers like Quintana, Froome and from the past like Pantani, Coppi, Merckx and more. Everyone wants to prove themselves man enough to take on the Galibier.
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| Lacets de Montvernier - ticking off a bucket list climb |
But there's a more modest goal here too – one which has fascinated many since the Tour took it into its stride in 2015. The Lacets de Montvernier are a short sharp climb which would hardly cause a ripple in the Peloton if it wasn’t for the fact that in the space of four kilometers there are 18 hairpin bends.
The Lacets, or Laces in English, rise up an almost vertical cliff face. They look as if they were designed as a challenge to show what is possible rather than to build a road that would be of practical use.
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| Looking down. The best view is from the neighbouring rocks |
They were one of those bucket list climbs that needed ticking off. From below they look quite impressive but as you ride up, there isn’t much to see – sometimes a bend just above your head, sometimes one or two further down. The views of the mountains around are much more impressive. The famous photos are not taken from the road itself but from the surrounding rocks.
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| Riding up, there are beautiful views of the surrounding peaks |
Reaching the top is a bit of an anticlimax. You are riding between meadows towards the village of Montvernier. But for more great riding, keep going and head for the Col du Chaussy. The road rises steadily. Has very little traffic. Passes through woods, along a ridge with a vertiginous drop on one side and a great overhanging rock on the other. The road passes though high meadows with big mountain views before breasting the col at 1533m.
Continuing on you can join the road to the Col du Madelaine or turn around, cruise back via Chatelet and take a seat outside the St Georges and join the conversation.
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