Alps by motorcycle 2023 II – part 3, back to the North
Previous part: Alps by motorcycle 2023 II – part 2, towards Mediterranean
Wednesday
In the morning air temperature was much more bearable, and I could truly enjoy views from the bike. Here, close to the Mediterranean, rocks had lighter tone and greenery was more vivid. As I moved north, color of the rocks changed toward yellow, and even red, and the foliage become more scorched with sun.
French Alps are famous for their balcony roads, with steep mountain walls on one side and small brick wall protecting from the fall on the other. This protection is rather psychological than real, but it doesn’t obstruct the view and gives some more confidence. And every now and then, there are places where you can stop, enjoy the view, or take a photo.
As my return trip began, I wanted to see some passes outside of the main route. First one was Col de la Lombarde (2,350 m), on French-Italian border. The road on the French side, while without views, as it goes through a valley in the forest, was a a lot of fun. I went up and down, just smiling in the helmet. On the Italian side, there were more views, but the road become very narrow. So narrow, that overtaking a car required very careful maneuvering from both drivers. And it was full of blind corners, too. So I rode it for couple kilometers out of curiosity, but then quickly came back to the French side.
And then I was back on the familiar road though the valley, towards Col de la Bonette. I climbed the hill again, as the views are absolutely worth it. For the night I stayed again in Barcelonette.
Thursday below the gallery⬇️⬇️⬇️
Thursday
On this day I decided to take a detour and see new pass, Col Agnel (2,744 m). As it comes, it is only third highest paved pass in Alps, after Stelvio Pass (2,757 m) and Col de l’Iseran (2,770 m). The road is very narrow, good for only one car. But otherwise is in a good shape, the traffic is low, and is easy to enjoy on a motorcycle.
When I was riding up and down, I passed aged car with a gray-haired driver. Half an hour later I met this driver again – driving cattle across the road. What a view! So, maybe there really is a cheese made from milk of cows living freely in the Alps?
As a bonus, there was a stand with Italian sweets at the top of the pass, with a very friendly Italian vendor.
So, back towards Col d’Izoard and then stay for the night, somewhere between Briançon and Col du Lautaret.
Friday below the gallery⬇️⬇️⬇️
Friday
Plan for Friday was Col du Galibier (2,642 m) and Col du Télégraphe (1,566 m) again. The first one is more interesting, as it is much higher and the forest does not obstruct the view. Interestingly, there is a tunnel under the top of the mountain, but I, obviously, went over the pass.
After Col du Télégraphe there is a quite long stretch of road towards Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis and L’Adroit, after which the long southern approach to Col de l’Iseran (2,770 m) begins. I think I like this side more, as the road is quite long, with great view of the mountains. There are some curves, but also quite long sections of straight road. It looks like the valley was directing you towards the pass. The main climb begins after Bonneval-sur-Arc, where the road gets more windy.
Again, instead of just passing the top, I was riding over the pass north and south. This is the best part of the Alps, so why not enjoy it most? With the evening approaching I took the opportunity to spend a night in a ski resort of Val d’Isère. Maybe one day I will come back here in the winter?
Saturday below the gallery⬇️⬇️⬇️
Saturday
That was the last day, so I had to keep in mind that the airplane is not going to wait. I planned a route similar to the one from my first day, but with options to skip to the highway, if necessary.
In the morning the weather was still very good, but somewhere after Cornet de Roselend heavy clouds showed up. Soon after come the rain. At first a small one, but steadily heavier and heavier.
I went through Col des Saisies only because it was the quickest route towards A40 highway, which took me to Geneva. At last, I had a chance to test BMW on the highway.
Time to start planning next tour of Alps!
Previous part: Alps by motorcycle 2023 II – part 2, towards Mediterranean
29 July 2023