2012 Day 2 France - La Berarde

The area around Bourg D'Oisans is a recreational paradise. There are the two huge ski stations (station being the French for a ski area,) Alpe d'Huez, and a little ways up the road towards La Grave (a famous ski area in its own right) you have Les Deux Alpes ski station.  Every col (col being the French term for a mountain pass) seems to have ski lifts at the top of it.  In the summer the ski stations are very popular destinations for road cyclists like myself that ride up the long access roads and mountain bikes that use the ski lifts for downhill runs or ride on the many trails.  But there is much more to the area than that.  The region to the south of Bourg d'Oisans is a the huge Ecrins National Park, the largest national park in France.  There are all sorts of camping areas in the region and hiking is an extremely popular activity.       In the heart of le Parc National de Ecrins is the small alpine village of Le Bernarde.  It is a jumping off point for hikers, but it is a classic bike climb up from Bourg d'Oisans.

I did this ride two years ago when I was here with Hank and Ki Brandjten.  It is about a 27 mile ride from  the King of the Mountain Lodge to the hamlet of La Bernarde, the last 15 miles or so before one gets to La Bernade are up a beautiful mountain valley with quite a bit of climbing.  In the photo below you can see beginning of the switchbacks in the climb up to St. Christophe en Oisans, which is about the half way point on the road up to Le Bernarde.

I has some real excitement on my descent in these switchbacks when I came back down.  I was going about 40 mph when my front tire went fat.  Fortunately it didn't go totally flat right away and I was able to come to a stop just as the air stopped hissing out of it.  It seems like I have had a lot of practice changing flats lately.

Memory, as we all know, is a funny thing.  I remember the ride up to La Berarde with Hank as a pretty mellow affair, almost as a recovery day on the bike.  Such is not the case.  In the 54 miles or so of riding from the lodge and back I put in over a mile of climbing.  But it was a beautiful ride up to the town and a fun day on the bike. As always. it was more fun when I had Hank grinding up the hill with me.

Above the church at La Berrade.  Below the town itself.  No traffic is allowed on the main street, but there were plenty of hikers walking about in town.