Les Coulmes et Les Gorges du Nan - Geneva South through the Western Alps - CycleBlaze

July 4, 2017

Les Coulmes et Les Gorges du Nan

Another day ride from Pont-en-Royans

The forecast today was quite a bit hotter than it has been plus we've been on our bikes every day for the past week. Time for a break, sort of. But we couldn't resist one more ride in the Vercors before we move south, so up we went to Presles, then up some more past Le Faz to a 3-way intersection of D 31 which we were on) and another road labelled on the map as "RF" and signed to Rencurel. At this intersection there was a parking area, a full-size bus (which could not have come up the route we did, nor the one we descended), a roadie (one of the many we saw today), and one fellow on a motor-assisted mountain bike. The intersection was our highest point today, but there was no indication of its elevation.

Climbing to Presles on D 297
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Looking back
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The view was a distraction from the exertion of the climb
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I tried to zoom in on Combe Laval. Can you make out the road?
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There's a hairpin turn back this way just below that cliff face. You can just see the roadside barrier in the middle right of the photo.
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Then came the descent. We kept stopping for the views of the cliffs and the gorge to come. We saw no motor vehicles on the actual Gorges de Nan roadway below Malleval-en-Vercors, and we didn't think anyone would actually drive it, but then a small La Poste van passed us not far above Cognin. Clearly, the postie knew the road very well.

Descending toward Gorges du Nan
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Another spectacular stretch of road...
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...and we haven't even entered the Gorges yet!
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This and the next few: Gorges du Nan
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Statue of an unknown benevolent somebody, in a hairpin turn above Cognin
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Lunch at a pleasant bar-restaurant in Cognin-Les-Gorges followed by a fairly flat ride back to showers and a siesta at our hotel.

Looking up at Gorges du Nan from the terrasse of the restaurant.
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New and old, Cognin
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New-looking fountain, Place du Fontaine, Cognin
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Even Al is taking food shots! French salads are often creative and colourful.
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51 km, ascent 1144 m, descent 1134 m

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Today's ride: 51 km (32 miles)
Total: 516 km (320 miles)

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