Day 9 - Grenoble to Pont en Royans - Gorging in France ...Then Basquing in the Pyrenees - 2023

April 26, 2023

Day 9 - Grenoble to Pont en Royans

In Awe of a Higher God

OMG

This was such a unique day and more or less perfect from start to finish (bar lunch - we’re still working the French open hours. Very rusty on that front).

We’ve being skiing and biking in the general area around Vercors on many occasions, but never actually in the Vercors and the area itself never registered with us.

However, several CB journals put it firmly on our radar and we’ve been anticipating this day for some time.

We are not disappointed. That’s probably the most understated thing that I’ve ever written.

Where to start? Well, why not at the start.

After a very good breakfast at the lovely Hotel Brallion, we pedalled off and made a quick and easy exit out of Grenoble and headed a few km’s back west along the Isère river to Sassenage where our climb would begin. This was a much better way to start the day, with an 8 km flat warm up before the fun began.

Just another 15 km 800 m climb ahead, but the weather was perfect, the road excellent and the company superb. What company you ask? Well, this is a very popular ride for roadies ( I think almost every road in France fits that description) and after about an hour of climbing we were joined by Guy and several of his velo club mates.

Guy rode alongside me for about half an hour as we chatted, me in Alberta French and Guy in Grenoble English (much better than my French). Despite this we managed a good conversation and Guy filled me in on how this area was a significant focus for the French resistance during WW II. We’ve seen many monument and museums to this effect over the last few days but it was good to get the story and perspective from a local who (almost) lived it.

We could have gone on for some time longer but were approaching K, who was in a roadside pull-out waiting for me. See, this only took a few days for us to fall into our familiar patterns.

As we approached I pointed out ‘ ma Femme Kirsten’ waiting up ahead, to which Guy promptly replied (with a wink) “Ah, she’s better than you!”. So true.

While the three of us were stopped chatting, a couple of Guy’s velo club mates rode up and we had a small roadside cycle convention underway. With various levels of fractured French and English we managed to have a pretty good exchange with these guys. The convention wrapped up with them cycling off on their carbon bikes and us continuing to grind up to Lans en Vercors where we topped out at around 1000 m elevation. We were now in a high alpine valley environment with beautiful views in all directions and some fresh snow on the peaks to the east.

From Lans en Vercors it was a gentle downhill to Villard de Lans, were we turned west to follow the Bourne river through the Bourne gorge. That’s when things changed dramatically.

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A beautiful start to the day at the lovely Hotel Barbillon. We’d recommend it if your staying in Grenoble

The bikes got the lux treatment too, spending the night in the main floor conference room

Not a cloud in the sky and fresh snow on the Alps to the east. Not the best light to photograph them in but I don’t want to wait around until late afternoon to get a better shot 😎

And this is where we are headed. Up into the Vercors. You can just make out the road above the cliff band in the centre of the picture.

One more of the Alps east of Genoble. Same poor light conditions for good photos though

The road was in excellent condition with consistent moderate grades and very little traffic. We were making good progress with ideal climbing weather, sunny and cool.

Guy and a couple of his velo club mates. It was great to ride with some locals for a while.They all had their stories, and local recommendations. Salut!

Getting closer to Lans en Villard the road started to get a little more dramatic. Still excellent riding and consistent climbing

Bovine Yoga. These cows keep themselves in top form and this is reflected in the quality of the local Vercors Bleu that this area is noted for.

Thank you for the recognition of our hard work and dedication to our craft. Have a wonderful stay in Vercors.

Approaching Lans en Villard we went through a small gorge.This is an amuse-bouche for what’s to come

And here we are! First twin town we’ve seen in France that’s connected to Quebec (nice town near Mt Tremblant according to K the Bleuet native)

Broad alpine valley cruising for several kilometres before we turned west down Gorges de la Bourne. This pic is looking back north towards Grenoble

We had read several other CB journals describing riding down (or up) Gorges de la Bourne and we were pretty excited to do it for ourselves. However prepared and knowledgeable we thought we were though, nothing could have prepared us for the real thing. This is a place that you have go to truly understand it.

Within a minute of passing the fairly nondescript sign announcing the entrance to the gorges we were immersed in an otherworldly full on sensory experience. Fortunately we were on bikes so we could take it in at our own pace, which is the best way to experience this place. The upper gorge quickly narrows to 20 - 50 m wide with sheer cliffs rising above you on both sides. Through this the Bourne river is plunging down from the high alpine valley above to the broad Isère / Rhone valley 25 km’s to the west. In this very narrow space, someone decided to build a road to go to the same place the river is running and this road is largely built into or through the sheer cliff faces that define the gorge.

Your eyes are constantly adjusting from light to dark as you snake down the winding road that is continually changing from tunnel to overhanging rocks to cantilevered over the river in full sun. Each of these changes brings a dramatic change in temperature which you feel immediately, as well as the water percolating down from rocks above you, falling like rain. You smell the flinty damp rock and you hear the constant accompaniment of the river as is rushing down it’s course just a few metres away. And all of these elements are changing at every turn with every combination you can imagine, and each one is unique. You have a growing taste for ever more new and different sensations, and the gorge continues to deliver. It is on the verge of overload, it is the embodiment of wonderment.

When we emerged from the narrow gorge at Pont de la Bourne where the valley opens up, we were giddy, elated and amazed. Did that really happen? Have we ever seen anything like that before? Yes to the first question and definitely no to the second.

As we continued through the next short tunnel and into the much broader valley near the tiny village of Balme de Recurel we were on a real high. After that amazing gorge experience we still had a good 15 km or so downhill ride into Pont en Royans under perfect cycling conditions. What could be better?

Well, this … we weren’t done with the Gorges de la Bourne yet. We had only experienced act 1 and act 2 was just about to begin. The nice valley with fields full of livestock quickly transitioned into a large canyon with vertical walls of limestone hundreds of metres high, with the road once again carved into the north wall of the canyon. Rather than the narrow, intense upper canyon, we were now in the expansive, impressive, vertigo inducing lower canyon. So different but no less impressive and amazing.

We were fortunate that there was very little traffic on this road and we were able to stop at will to take pictures, and to simply take it in. At points the road was barely 5 m wide, comfortable on a bike but would be a challenge to drive a car on this.

About 10 seconds after this thought went through my head, and two cyclists went flying past me, two small cars also went past and then stopped abruptly at the curve immediately in front of me.

A few seconds later I saw the bus approaching from below. Not a mini bus, a full size bus, making its regularly scheduled run up this road. This is insane. I’m right up against the rock wall, there are two very small cars in front of me taking up, what appears to me, the majority of narrow road that is cantilevered over a 100 m or more cliff. And this bus is going to get through here???

This was just another amazing moment, at least for this naïve boy. The bus made it through, as it does probably several times a day, but it seemed to defy the laws of physics.

We finally did emerge from the gorge into the very picturesque, and in its own right dramatic, village of Pont en Royans, but after what we’ve just been through, it just looked ‘nice’.

We’re staying here for 3 nights and will be doing unloaded day rides in other Vercors gorges. Our senses will continue to be overloaded.

Okay, if you’ve made it this far you’ve already seen quite a few pictures and endured my over laboured description of the Bourne Gorge. However, you have to SEE it to even begin to appreciate it.

So apologies, but there are a lot of pictures to follow, and they are only a small fraction of what I shot. This might feel like one of your interminable visits to your Aunt Betty where she forces you to sit on the couch beside her and wade through the album of photos from her holiday in Palm Springs with her dear friend Agnes, but please bear with me, they are vey meaningful to K and me.

Within 100 m you are winding your way down this.

Then this, you can see puddles on the road under the overhanging rock from water percolating through them

In my write up I said the canyon was 20-50 m wide. Better change that to 5 m. Countless small tunnels like this

This just kept going on for several kilometers

Finally it looked like we were reaching then end. It took us about an hour to get this far with our constant stops to just take it all in

Well, that’s it. We’re now at Pont de la Bourne and the valley is opening up to the west. The road branches in two with the south branch heading off to St Martin en Vercors in the high alpine valleys

…. And the north branch continues down the Bourne to Pont en Rayons

Off we go savouring the experience we just had of the Bourne gorge

Looking back up the gorge from the village of Balm de Rencurel we were still giddy with what we had just experienced

But passing through this portal we recognized that it was far from over!

Short tunnel after tunnel as the road slinked its way down the vertical walls of the canyon

While stopped to get a picture of this exposed overhanging corner, these two cyclists flew past me.

Pasted up against the rock wall, I got my picture ….

And then within seconds two cars came by and abruptly stopped …. And you can see why. This is insane! How is this ever going to work. I was thinking that at least on my bike I could squeeze past and leave this gong show to sort itself out - or not - after I watched it for a while

Amazingly, while I stayed plastered against the rocks, with a little maneuvering of the cars, and the inching forward progress of the bus, it made it through and everyone was on their merry way. You had to see it to believe it!

Once I stopped looking at the road, the beauty of the canyon took centre stage

And then we were truly done. K was thinking of adding this natural attraction to the day until she saw the tiny 15% grade sign on the right. Not today

The final run into Pont en Rayon which is in a stunning setting

Yes, we are in awe of a higher god, and we know which one it is. On previous European trips we often spend a lot of time in churchs and cathedrals. I find them interesting and sometimes beautiful, but none of them compare to this.

Entering Pont en Royans. It’s a pretty small place and this is the main focal point. Our hotel for the next three nights is the light brown building along the river on the left. Plain and functional with a stunning location.

The view of Pont en Royans that’s been mailed around the world on about a million postcards. That doesn’t make it any less beautiful

SOTD - Bohemian Like You by that classic Portland band, The Dandy Warhols. This is one of my fav ‘feel good party vibe songs’. I used it as SOTD on our Cross Canada trip when we rode over Bow Summit, one of the best days (for both K and I) on that tip. I think it deserves a rerun for a stunning day like today!

Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles)
Total: 272 km (169 miles)

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Rachael AndersonGreat ride and photos! I went back to our journal when we toured in this area and it was great to see again.
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1 year ago

Kirsten KaarsooThe ride was almost unreal. Very awe inspiring.
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonThanks for taking us back there. One of the all-time best places we’ve cycled. Glad it was so great for you too.
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1 year ago

Kirsten KaarsooIt goes both ways Scott. You and Racheal inspired us to visit. 😊
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1 year ago

Jacquie GaudetI want to go back!
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1 year ago