CYCLING AROUND VERCORS PASSING BY COL DE GRIMONE...     264 Kilometers to train yourself with 2000 meters of positive climb...
	264 Kilometers   Number of visits :   3 Cols
	The start 0 kms ! Riding in the night 25 kms Monestier de Clermont 33 kms Col du Fau 35 kms Starting Col de la Croix Haute... 63 kms Col de la Croix Haute 67 kms Starting Col de Grimone 70 kms Col de Grimone 74 kms Do you know Grimone ? 78 kms Glandage... 83 kms Gorges des Gats 86 kms Pont de Quart 104 kms Die... 110 kms Pontaix... 121 kms Charpey... 177 kms La Sone with Isere river... 207 kms The bike lane.. 240 kms Back in the night again... 255 kms
	The ride explained with photos...   The roadmap detailled...   The total climbing diagram...
	THE RIDE EXPLAINED WITH PHOTOS...
	This ride will bring you around Vercors, but it is shorter than the other 300k ride also available on this link... You will ride around Vercors passing by Col de Grimone, a tiny road and a long descent will brings you in the Drome valley... I use to do this ride every year, in the beginning of the season to train. Follow this ride, all theses pictures have been taken at the end of March 2003 in order to train myself for the 300k PBP brevet....
	THE START   04:35am: The start...   I am ready for this ride, very early in the morning, or still in the night, as you prefer...                                     RIDING IN THE NIGHT... 25kms 05:40am: Riding in the night...   On the main road, marked as N75, it is still the night... 05:40am: In the night, behind me...   There is no traffic on this road, I continue in the night... (both pixs taken over the helmet...) 05:45am: Alone on the N75...   In the night, the climbs continues... 06:00am: The daylight arrives slowly...   My front wheel with the Schmidt hub gives me enough light to climb in the night... 06:05am: Behind my bike...   Behind me, the sky seems cloudy... (Left pix taken over the helmet...) 06:10am: My dynamo is great...   In spite of the sunrise, my front wheel gives me enough light to see the road and the drag is not perceptible... 06:15am: The end of the night...   A quarter later, the night is over. I can switch off my dynamo... 06:25am: The climb goes on...   If the night is finished, the climb continues until Monestier de Clermont...                                     MONESTIER DE CLERMONT 33kms 06:40am: A little village on N75...   When you are in this village, the climb is not totally finished! You have to climb two kilometers more to reach the first col...                                             COL DU FAU... 35kms   07:00am: The first Col...   Mountains are splendid. We are early in spring season and no more traffic on this main road... 07:10am: The sun arrives...   The first sunbeams arrive... Note the color of the grass, on the right side of the road... It has been burnt by the snow during two months time...   07:30am: The railway viaduct...       07:50am: Le Percy...   My cyclecomputer shows me 54 kilometers...   08:00am: The main road N75...   Here is an overview of this main road, three kilometers later...                                           STARTING COL DE LA CROIX HAUTE... 63kms   08:30am: The start of the second good climb...   This climb will be 4 kms long... 08:35am: In the climb...   This road is quiet, nobody behind me...(right pix taken over my helmet...)     08:37am: An overview on mountains...   There are a lot of bends, and after each of them, you discover another mountain...   Before the bridge...   The bridge is narrow, but you will have enough place to cross it. Behind me: nobody...(right pix taken over my helmet...)   After the bridge...   When you see the left pix, you will be ready to reach the Col... (right pix taken over my helmet...)                                           COL DE LA CROIX HAUTE... 67kms   08:50am: Reaching the Col...   Twenty minutes will have been necessary to climb this easy col...       08:55am: An overview on the descente...   In the south side, you will enter in Drome department... Enjoy this decent descent...                                             STARTING COL DE GRIMONE... 70kms   09:00am: Leaving the main road N75....   Here is the beginning of the climb towards Col de Grimone. This road is not a main road, but a tiny road...        On your left, this village is called Les Lussettes...   09:05am: The first milestone....   You will have to pedal yet during three kilometers and seven hundred meters... Good luck...     The road climbs gently...         Enjoy the countryside...     Some little bends to divert you...     An overview of my shadow...     09:10am: The second milestone...   Still pedaling during 2,4 kilometers...     This mountain is 1569 meters high and it is called "Grisou"...       On your left, the big ravine...       The climb is not too hard: 10km/h is written on my cycle computer...         Another bend...       ...not too difficult and enjoyable to raise your average speed in the climb (right pix taken over my helmet...)...       The climbs continues...     09:15am: The third milestone....   1,7 kilometers to ride before reaching the top....     You will notice this bend...       ...on your left, another big ravine...       ...and another splendid view on the mountains...     During this climb...     ...be careful with little rocks on the road...       09:20am: The fourth milestone....   You are close to the top now...   At the end of this straight line, you can see the Col...     When you can see this tree (right pix), you will be able to see the end of the climb...       When you see this pix, the wind will blow in your ears... You are arrived to this Col... Listen to the silence, perhaps you will be able to hear a bird, alone, which sings somewhere iin the mountain. Yes, no doubt, it is one of the best place in this area...                                                   COL DE GRIMONE... 74kms   Some pix taken at the Col...       ...I remember when I stopped here during my 400k brevet in 1999 for PBP... I get the night here and managed the descent in the valley with my lights...     An overviez on the descentand , on the right pix, this mountain is called "Jocou"...       A nice view on the valley in the distance...     A little snow left here...                                               DO YOU KNOW GRIMONE... ?? 78kms   In the descent, you will notice Grimone...     The road becomes narrow...                                             GLANDAGE... 83kms 10:00am: Glandage....   Another village, lost in the mountain. The school on the left pix and the church on the right pix...                                           GORGES DES GATS... 86kms      After Glandage, the ride becomes enjoyable. You are going to discover a small road...      The road cut into the mountains...   ...This narrow road is called "Route Joseph Reynaud". It has been built by the municipality of Glandage and inaugurated on September 1910 25th...    ...This scenic road is called "Gorges des Gats"...                                             PONT DE QUART 104kms    Later, this road joins the main road between Gap and Valence in Pont de Quart. This road descents from Col de Cabre...                                             DIE... 110kms    Die is located in Drome valley. Here is an overview of the village on the right and the old tower, called Tour du Purgnon" on the left...      After Die, the road follows Drome river. This mountain is called "montagne des Tours"...                                                   PONTAIX... 121kms    12:00am: At midday, I arrive in Pontaix. Exit from the main road to have a look to the village...                                                     CHARPEY... 177kms      03:40pm: In the middle of the afternoon, I avoid Romans passing by Charpey. This village is located on a small road, under the Vercors...                                                     LA SONE WITH ISERE RIVER... 207kms      I crossed Isere river in La Sone...        ...Here is the bridge and the castle on the right pix...                                                     THE BIKE LANE... 240kms     Now, it is time to go back home, the night is coming, I have to go to work tomorrow...                                                     BACK IN THE NIGHT AGAIN... 255kms    Later in the evening, the dynamo helps me in the night. As Mylene Farmer (a french singer woman) said: "it was a beautiful day, I go to bed", so do I...
	THE ROADMAP DETAILLED...
	Road Hour Dept Ville Altitude Km Part Km Total Average   04:35am 38 Grenoble 200 0 0         Rue Ampere - Bachelard 200 3 3         Echirolles 200 1 4   N75     Claix 200 4 8   N75     Varces 240 4 12   N75 05:25am   Vif 311 5 17 21,5 N75 06:00am   Carrefour A51   8 25   N75 06:35am   Monestier de Clermont 840 8 33   N75 06:45am   Col du Fau 899 2 35 16,7 N75       834 4 39   N75       836 1 40           829 1,5 41,5           844 1,5 43   N75 07:25am   Viaduc SNCF 810 3 46 18,5         770 0,5 46,5   N75 07:30am   Carrefour D7 (Le Chaffaud) 830 2,5 49   N75 07:50am   Carrefour Le Percy (pont) 842 5 54 18,6 N75       870 6 60   N75 08:15am   Le Chalet 870 1 61 18,9 N75     Carrefour vers Lalley 920 1 62   N75 08:45am 38 Col de la Croix Haute 1179 5 67 17,9 N75 08:55am 26 Carrefour D539 à droite 1068 3 70   D539       1098 0,3 70,3   D539       1158 0,7 71   D539       1219 1 72   D539       1274 1 73   D539 09:25am   Col de Grimone 1318 4 74 17,5 D539       1280 1 75   D539       1223 1 76   D539       1167 1 77   D539 09:45am   Grimone 1113 1 78 17,9 D539       1059 2 79   D539       1000 1 80   D539       935 1 81   D539       894 1 82   D539 10:00am   Glandage 855 1 83 18,2 D539 10:35am   Chatillon en Diois 500 13 96 19,1 D539 11:00am   Saint Roman 480 6 101   D539 11:05am   Pont de Quart 440 3 104 19,5 D93 11:30am   Die 400 6 110 19,7 D93       610 8 118   D93 12:00am   Pontaix 330 3 121 20 D93 12:35am   Vercheny 320 5 126 20,2 D93     Espenel         D93 01:00pm   Saillans 260 6 132 20,2 D93 01:30pm   Mirabel et Blacons 218 9 141   D93 01:35pm   Aouste sur Sye 200 3 144 20,3 D93 01:45pm   Crest 180 3 147 20,4 D538       276 8 155   D538 02:50pm   Chabeuil 200 21 168   D68 03:20pm   Carrefour D125 à gauche 200 3 171   D125       298 5 176   D125 03:40pm   Charpey 278 1 177 20,7 D125       400 5 182   D125 04:00pm   Rochefort Sansom 374 1 183 20,7 D125       394 1 184   D125     La Combe d'Oyans 370 1 185   D125       400 1 186   D125       411 2 188   D125     Carrefour vers Beauregard Baret 433 1 189   D125 04:20pm   Hostun 231 4 193 20,9 D125     Carrefour N532 197 4 197   N532 04:35pm   Carrefour D76 188 1 198 21,1 N532   38   196 1 199   N532 04:50pm   Saint Just de Claix 208 3 202   D71A       201 4 206   D71 05:05pm   La Sone 188 1 207   D71     Carrefour N92 260 2 209 21 N92 05:30pm   Saint Marcellin 270 4 213 21 N92     Saint Sauveur 260 1 214   N92     Beaulieu 230 7 221   N92 06:05pm   Vinay 240 2 223 21,2 N92     L'Allegrerie 235 2 225   N92     L'Albenc 230 1 226   N92     Carrefour Chantesse 270 2 228   N92       230 2 230   N92 06:25pm   Carrefour D201 270 5 231   N92     Tullins 230 5 236   D45 06:50pm   Carrefour PC 200 4 240 21,3 PC 08:00pm   Grenoble 200 24 264 21,4
	THE TOTAL CLIMBING DIAGRAM...
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