The first ride of the year up the mighty Galibier not knowing just how far the road has been cleared
When you start you have no idea how far they have managed to clear the snow from the road, but this year was further than usual
It’s always on my annual list of to-dos, to cycle the Col du Galibier road while they are still in the process of clearing the snow, as the walls of snow are usually very impressive.
Each year I worry that someone at the barrier will stop me from cycling up due to health and safety issues, so I always aim to get to the barrier at noon as I know they always come back down for lunch, and today was no different.
Conditions were nigh on perfect, hardly any wind as I cycled from here at 1,400m from Villeneuve in Serre Chevalier up to the Col du Lautaret and then the right turn to start the climb up to the Galibier.
I cycled it pretty well to the day last year, when the road was only open to 2,250m with far more snow. Today I was able to cycle to just before the tunnel at 2,550m.
This was last year at 2,150m
And then this year at 2,450m
This year the snow on the road only started just past the Henri-Desgrange monument. At first, a few bends below, I thought from the looks of snow to the side, that the road was open all the way to the Col, but this was in fact snow cleared initially by a piste basher that they use (see video) followed by a snow plough to clear the road back down to the tarmac.
The descent as ever, was great, though at times marmots would be running along the road trying to decide whether to go right or left and possibly under your wheels 🙂
Last year, the day after I cycled up, I went the following day on the e-mtb for one final ski-tour of the year, leaving the bike locked up at 2,300m and then ski-touring towards the Trois Eveches, I’m not too sure if I’ll do a repeat tomorrow, though the Mountain Guide I spoke to (who has to be up there with the snow-clearing teams for avalanche security) said the snow would be good circa 10:30, but it did look very pitted maybe from the recent rain.
Once down off the Galibier and after a coffee at Fred’s at the Col du Lautaret it was back into descent mode for the run back down into the valley. The wind picked up so I had quite a strong tailwind, but unfortunately there were major roadworks at the tunnel below the Lautaret o I was held up at the traffic lights otherwise I would have put some more PB’s in. As it was I managed quite a few after the tunnel, not too bad considering that descent was around my 120th since 2017.
