18-07-2018     Cheminas − Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse     142 km
                     or:   From the Cévennes into the Alps


Cheminas − Saint-Vallier (sur Rhône) − Saint-Uze − D51 − Roybon −Varacieux − Vinay − (bridge over the) Isère − D1532 − Saint-Quentin-sur-Isère − Veury-Voroise − Noyarey − Saint-Égrève − Sarcenas − Col de Palaquit/Porte − Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse

Sensation in Cheminas

Interesting reading ?

Homely farm

Eclassan

River Rhône at Saint-Vallier

Breakfast in the kitchen, with Jean-Marie, who has been music teacher and performer of (very) modern (non-)music, but a few years ago retired. Pascale, at least ten years younger than J-M, went to work in Grenoble extremely early. It is very interesting talking to J-M, but at a certain point I have to announce 'okay, Jean-Marie, last story'. He explains how to get to Saint-Vallier (yesterday I got lost of the route while in the car), and apart from a short sink to and rise from a stream it's mostly downhill to get to the Rhône, which I cross over a new bridge (after Vienne in 1986, Tournon in 2009, and Valence in 2014). The issue of today: The first pass hors catégorie with a long (± 110 km) preamble. I think I've found an itinerary that's not too long and avoids much climbing until Saint-Égrève, following the D51/D20/D155 between the Rhône and the Isère. The first 3 km the D51 follows the river Galaure through a nice valley/gorge, and the weather is very nice too. During the next 35 km the road goes up very slowly, through farmland, many cornfields, wheat fields, sunflower fields, till Roybon, where I have a second breakfast with much pastry, coffee and coca cola (as does a family of four, with too small girls, and slightly overweight Mum and Dad).

Along the Galaure

Tournesols

Tournesols et moi

I'm a little annoyed that after Roybon the road keeps going up (till almost 700 m), until finally the descent (500 m in 17 km) sets in. A special moment occurs when I get the rocky mountains of the Vercors in sight. Thrilling! Also the view onto the road zigzagging along the slope to the Gorges du Nan, and the deep canyon in the mountains cut by the Nan. I cross the Isère and turn left/north onto the D1531. What a shitty road! Why don't all the cars take the A49 on the other side of the river and go as fast as they want?! For more than 30 km I don't have much choice other than to follow this almost flat but horrendous road. I'm already homesick for the Cévennes! I pass Saint-Quentin-sur-Isère, where the road turns eastwards, and keeps following the Isère, which now acts as the border between Chartreuse and Vercors. I have to cross the Isère another time, and I hesitate which bridge to take, the one before or the one after Noyarey. I opt for the one after as from the map I estimate the road on the north bank will be busier. I end up at a bridge that seems only to bear a highway definitely not intended for cyclists.

More tournesols

Church in Roybon

First glimpse of the mountains

Better glimpse

View onto the road to the Gorges du Nan

Bridge over the Isère

That shitty road

With nice views to the right

More nice views

There's a side road, but that appears dead end, so I can either turn around and go back 5 km, or carry JJ over the guardrail and for 1.5 km act as if I'm a motor cyclist. And so it happens; Speedy Gonsalez from Holland. At the first crossing on the north bank of the Isére I notice that there is a bicycle facility . . . .   And on the north side there are pistes cyclables along the road. Saint-Égrève lasts ages; it's not easy to find the correct 'exit', or rather, the right entrance into the Chartreuse. When I guess I'm near, almost at the end of town, I purchase some eatables in a 'bio' shop to stuff me up. A little further I find some shade in a park, close to a children's playground, where I sit down on the grass and feel rather unnoticed. And I'm anxious to see how I will digest this first steep climb with luggage. I have made an appointment in Saint-Pierre to meet a guy that rents (an?) apartment(s) at seven. I've read about a mur around Sarcenas; how will I digest that? After the break it still takes several km till finally there's a sharp bend to the left, and . . . .  there I go! In my slowest gear but one I manage the first 5.3 km (à 8%) jusqu'au (Col de) Clemencières (622 m), a short descent to the Pont de Vence, and then, I think still in lowest but one gear (but I may have suppressed the memory) 4.6 km à 9.5% till Sarcenas. That must be the mur, and vraiment c'est dur! Alas, I haven't much energy left to look around to the supposedly great environment, let alone to make pictures while riding. However, I make it without a stop! Shortly after Sarcenas I'm overtaken by a younger guy on a racing bike, a local, who reassures me that the worst is over, and indeed he is right. I grant myself a short photo stop at the Col de Palaquit, from where the last 2.5 km till the Col de Porte offer no real difficulty.

	Passing local   (or: local passing)		A frugal smile
	The last phase of the climb		Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse

And the descent to Saint-Pierre is fun, with at the end a beautiful view over the town, just before a last 1 km uphill. I remember the lady of the very nice gîte in La Diat (1999) told me that's the steepest part of the climb from the south to the Col de Cucheron. It's a pity she was fully booked for today. I have ten minutes left to grab some stuff in the local Spar (or was it a Casino?), a Bavaria 8.6 among other stuff, and from there I call the renting guy to meet me in front of the shop. He walks me along a small music street festival, to my the place for tonight, a small studio. It's warm. I drink the beer too quickly, and for the rest of the evening am depressed, lonely. The television doesn't work, More correctly, I don't manage to get it to work. I call the guy, but after he's been there, and got it working, I don't care anymore, and also I don't feel like going out.   It's by far the worst evening of the trip.