Cycling in the Alps - Col d'Ornon

We arrived at the camp site which is right at the foot of km 0 of the Alpe d'Huez Saturday evening and unpacked. Almost as soon as we were settled in we (my son & I) were discussing what to next do the day. I had previously decided that something at the easier end of the scale would be sensible give that neither of us had climbed a col before - that is climbed continuously for more than a couple of miles. This meant that the Col d'Ornon was the sensible choice - a 5/10 in my little book (100 Greatest Climbs of the Tour de France) and "only" 11.1km long with 643m of ascent. It was also only a few km from the camp site

So the next morning at just before 9.30 we set off. Here's the route:

The first thing to see is that we got quite excited and climbed the Alpe d'Huez as well - more of that later.

What about the Col d'Ornon? Firstly we got to the bottom after only a couple of miles riding at most - and I was not warmed up. Turning off the Bourg d'Oisins road there was a brief respite of flat and then it raised up to about 8% - and it stayed pretty well there all the way to the top. As I was not warmed up I was in the small/small gear combination (34-30) almost immediately and my heart rate was way to high. My son started to ride away from me from the off and all I could do was sit there and aim to grind it out.

The scenery was breathtaking - at first we hugged the foot of a cliff to the right and the road literally dropped away sheer to the left. Gradually my heart rate eased a little but it remained high. When I passed a hand cyclist I knew I had it easy. A km or so after that cars started coming down hooting and waving hands - a sportive of some sort was descending and I needed to keep well over to the right as the riders raced down. The route ground upwards with almost no respite - a few places might have seen the gradient ease to 6-7% for a few meters but that was it.

Onwards and upwards it went and then some where near the top (I did not know where the top was but the distance travelled seemed right) the road changed from winding to almost ruler straight and at a constant gradient, interspersed by hairpins bends. The general direction was also seemingly into a head wind (head breeze?) which made it doubly hard. The gradient wasn't steep, it just remained relentless. Finally I could see an indication that I was approaching the top, and I ground it out for another km or so and met back up with my son. After a short pause we turned round and went back the way we had just spent 40-45 minutes or so ascending.

I am not a confident descender - I am always worried about over doing it and coming off - either leaning too far and falling or going too fast and overshooting the bend - or hitting oncoming traffic. Whilst I am nowhere near as fast as my son after a few corners I was into the zone and building confidence. It was an exhilarating experience sweeping through the bends - and just like there's nothing in the UK to match climbing for 40 minutes by the same token there's nothing in the UK to match descending for 20 minutes. The only downside - sore triceps using the brakes for so long and being careful not to ride the brakes so as not to put too much heat into the tyres and rims. All too soon it was over and we were back on the valley road (escorted out on to it by a number of event marshals as well).

We rode back to the camp site but had already decided to attempt the Alpe itself - we were warmed up and the first Col had not destroyed us! We passed the camp site entrance and then then "km 0" marker which is barely 50m from the camp site. The road swings left and then you are straight into the climb, and straight up to 10%, and that's where it stays for what seems like forever. Firstly you keep looking for the first corner - or is it the 21st. Finally it seems you get there and that's the first of the hairpins ticked off. Back you turn on yourself and after a very brief respite for the corner its back to 10%. I was in the 34-30 gear long before the 1st bend and it was a case of just grinding away. Bends 20 to 17 appear and disappear and it seems to easy very slightly. 16 Sees a turning off to the right and a cafe on the corner. The same routine follows - slog up to the bend revel in the drop in gradient and even shift up a gear, then drop back down as the gradient kicks back up. A few bends later and we're in the village of Huez itself. Even at about 10.30am the heat is really making itself felt. Ever onwards and upwards - ahead is a police woman (gendarme) directing what little traffic there is - we've joined back on the route of the earlier Sportive and they are holding non-sportive traffic up. I'm not held up and carrt on.

At Bend 12 there's a photographer snapping away and passing me a card. I actually bought this later when we got home:

Soon I'm in single figures on the bend count and over half way. It's no easier but I think I have the measure of it. Still on and up and soon I am at 4 or is it 5? There's another junction but I ignore the sign. As I get closer I see the Sportive sign pointing to the "Sommet" and think that this must be the way - surely they're not going to get people to do a Sportive up the Alpe and not take them the classic route. I grind on below some chalets and realise at the next corner that there is no number - at that moment I realise I have gone the wrong way. I think about turning round but decide that I might as well carry on the way I am going. Finally reach the "top" - I've done it - but the wrong way - my first Cat 1 or possibly HC climb.

But I have no idea where my son is. So I meander around the "top" until I find a steady stream of people and guess that this is where I should be. Just then I see my son. Despite calling he's obviously decided to go back and he's off. There was no way I was going to catch him and I didn't bother to try. I set off down the mountain. I was very nervous for the 1st hairpin but then I am away - just let yourself gather speed until before the bend - break hard enough to get round, accelerate away and then roll to the next bend - 30+mph - then down to 12-15mph and back up to 30mph and so on. All the pain of the ascent is gone - gravity is pushing me down and onwards effortlessly. I can now enjoy the pain faces of al those ascending - that was me not 30 minutes ago. By about bend 15 I can feel the brakes getting less effective. I was more cautious from then on pulsing the brakes to avoid too much heat. And then the descent from 21 to km 0 I let it go and got up to 44mph - more than fast enough for me. Swing right at the bottom and then left to the campsite and I was done. Wheels were almost too hot to touch though!

That was it - my first Col and the Alpe d'Huez. However it was unfinished business as I went the wrong way and did not reach the TdF official finish line - another time perhaps