21-07-2018     Flumet − Séez     100 km

Flumet − Col de Saisies − Signal de Bisanne − Saisies − Beaufort − Col du Méraillet − Col du Pré − Cormet de Roselend − Séez

My temporary abode

My hosts

My 58th birthday. I had proposed to treat my hosts with a breakfast in town, but they'd rather keep it simple. So we have a (probably healthier) breakfast at their kitchen table. After taking a picture of the two médecins, in gardening attire, I set off for quite a hard stage, even after skipping the Col de la Forclaz and the hard climb to the Signal de Bisanne. Partly because I could get stuck in l'Étape du Tour, but also since Claire had advised against it (and she proved right: that would definitely have meant a too exhausting anniversaire). Anyway, during the night there has been some rain. To me it had seemed like a real downpour, but Claire and Jean-Nicholas tell me that was because of the wooden roof, and that they had rather had more rain. However, today will turn out to be another day with warm and sunny weather! Spread out between yesterday and today I will more or less ride the route from La Clusaz to Séez that I rode with my friend Art in 1986. Almost, since in fact I will insert two short, but severe extras. From the Route Panoramique I have to descend a little to the D1212, and then start the first of two long climbs, viz. the Col de Saisies/Signal de Bisanne.

	View from the house   (at 7:15 a.m.)		Start of the climb to Les Saisies
	Climb to Col des Saisies		Bis
	'Good-old' Col des Saisies		Steep   continuation to Signal de Bisanne

From this side it must be the first time for me since 1993, I guess. I take it easy, take in the nice views, don't mind the descents too much (I knew about them), and with an average between 10 and 11 km/h reach Les Saisies where I think I recognize the restaurant where Art and I made a prehistoric selfie (my old camera had a self-timer). To my right I can clearly see the green cone with the ski lift(s) along its slope. After a short descent through the crowded mountain village, I turn right for a last 'jump' of some 350 m. And that is quite a jump! After the junction with the steep road directly down to the Doron, i.e. the hard(er) way, the road steepens up, and the last 3 km are really hard. I go hardly faster (± 7 km/h) than the many hikers, and notice that these days the ski lift is rather a mountain-bike lift: parallel to the tarmac road there is a rough mountain bike track. I'm glad I have my 34 chain wheel, and even with that it is struggle. At the (absolute) summit I take a few breaths and a few pictures, whereas I'm really a bit disappointed about the views. However, I overlooked one direction: When I start the descent I see the impressive whiteness of the Mont-Blanc, high above everything around, and certainly much higher than Les Saisies.

Panorama de la Bisanne

Autre panorama

Signal de Bisanne

Troisième panorama

Moi avant le signal

And down again

Les Saisies with a white background (topping the white clouds!)

The descent from Les Saisies is fun! From down below, in the valley of the Doron, at a certain spot there is a view through the treetops up to the Mont Bisanne, some 1300 m up! Down, along the river Doron, it takes some effort to cover the last five or so kilometers faux plat to Beaufort.   In Beaufort I find some drinks, some pastries and some shadow on the terrace of a boulangerie/pâtisserie/tearoom. And have an interesting chat with a young Welsh cyclist who tells me about the Tour du Mont-Blanc, a cyclosportive around this specific mountain of more than 300 km, including the two Saint-Bernard passes. Yesterday, after (or during) this challenge he had decided to stop cycling (in Dutch we would say: "Hang his bike in the willows", but this afternoon he will make the tour of the Col du Pré and the Cormet de Roselend. And now he is having lunch with a beer 😊. With an extra piece of pastry for who knows when I say goodbye to this strong guy for my birthday afternoon programme: The eleventh passing of the Cormet de Roselend. It's warm but there is quite a bit of shade, the slopes are regular, between 6 and 9 % all the time. Every now and then cyclists with numbers on their handlebars descend, supposedly having given up on l'Étape (?). I think I see the road high up (the last two windings till the Col du Méraillet), but again I cannot find the dam. And it is quite big . . . .   I take it easy, enjoy the looks back, and with an average speed of 8 km/h reach the Col du Méraillet. (Says Strava; today's average speed will be as low as 13.9 km/h.)   I descend to the lake; lose more altitude than hoped for, and traverse the dam with all the beautiful views. On paper the three km to the Col du Pré don't look that exacting, but two of its straight stretches do hurt. And I had forgotten that the actual pass comes after the highest point.

Approaching Beaufort

Last stretches till Col de Méraillet   . . . .

. . . . with a side view down over the valley of the Doron

Barrage de Roselend   (Here we are again!)

More of the dam

Between the dam and the Col du Pré

Bis

Col du Pré                                           Mont-Blanc

Nice view onto the road I rode

Terrific view during the way down

View down from the dam

Time for   . . . .   not yet a beer

I'd liked to see the green views down to Arêches but don't have the energy to descend any further to 'the other side'. The way back offers a few of the nicest views in the French Alps. As I knew, of course. The 50 m up till the Col du Méraillet do also hurt, so I really need a break and a bite. I find both on a terrace with lake view which I share with (amongst others) two motorcyclists from Austria. Eight km separate me from the Cormet, and most of them I share with a French biker, touring with less than half my luggage. He slows down a tiny bit, and chatting along this helps to focus on other things than counting down the kilometers. On the top he make a whole series of pictures of me, and then we say goodbye. Pity he already booked a hotel in Bourg Saint-Maurice, otherwise I would have had a nice mate in the youth hostel of Séez. The descent is great! At the beginning the views are stunning. Later on it's just fun, not going too fast (I vaguely remember a few near-accidents in the past) and I reach hot Bourg Saint-Maurice safe and sane.

	My cycling mate		. . . . up to the Cormet de Roselend
	Getting closer to the next highest point		i.e.   . . . . to the Cormet de Roselend
	And that's 11		Terrific descent
	Bis		Bis

Tous ces grands noms!

Place(s) to relax

I have a big ice cream (just two boules) in the center of Bourg Saint-Maurice, and easily find the road to Séez (and to the two 2000+ cols that are in store for the coming two days). I am not too happy about the amount of traffic there, even many trucks, even on a late Sunday afternoon!
The good-old youth hostel hasn't changed much; the managers have. It's very warm and I'm glad when the finances are taken care of and I can have a cold beer. Alas, I'm the only one to have dinner (there are two other guests, it seems, but I haven't met them). The cook is a nice guy and cooks me a good meal (which I consume with a lot of water). In the evening I have three garden chairs for myself and, apart from a telephone call to Haarlem, have a quiet birthday evening. Writing a tiny bit and thinking about the upcoming challenging étapes. And, of course, I go to bed early.