Moûtiers to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne

June 10, 2025

Col de la Madeleine

This was a tough day! There was a big climb with steeper grades (the average for the entire climb is lower than it feels due to a flat bit in the middle), but all made worse by the heat.

Whenever I swiped from my usual map screen, the temperature was over 30° on the climb, even at the top. This was in the valley bottom, as we neared our destination.

The day started early, for us. We had a simple breakfast in our apartment, with the idea of a coffee stop later (which we never did). But as we wheeled our bikes out to the street, Al’s rear wheel was making a strange tinkling sound. I’d been hearing a funny noise occasionally for the past couple of days and apparently, so had he. But this time we stopped and investigated.

It was a broken spoke. However, both ends of the spoke were in place and the tinkling noise, heard only at low speed, was the outer end piece of the spoke loose inside the wheel. Al has ENVE carbon wheels and they use a different kind of spokes with no nipple showing at the rim. He has spares, since he thought replacement spokes might be hard to find, but now realized what he’d forgotten to pack.

The wheel was just a bit wobbly, and he must have been riding like this for a while since we’d both first noticed the sound a few days ago. Disc brakes aren’t as fussy about wheel trueness as rim brakes so there was no brake rubbing. It couldn’t be fixed in Moûtiers but Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is a cycling town and we had four nights booked there. Onward!

Just as we were about to turn onto our planned route out of town, we saw the “route barrée” sign. We stopped, and a woman leaned out of her upper window (her house was right by thd sign) to tell us the road was completely blocked by a landslide (I think—my French isn’t very good). We got out our phones to look at the alternate way I’d noticed yesterday with a lot of heat. Meanwhile, she came out to tell us to go that way, indicating, then over a bridge, and we would find the way. She was right. It was a pleasant bike path along the river and we joined our planned route in a few km.

I didn’t take many photos on the climb. I had thought I would, but there was a heat haze obscuring the views and there weren’t any new flowers. Besides, it was getting hot and steep. Did I mention the heat?

Not quite the first one, but intimidating!

A pleasant break from climbing, but we’re going to pay for this!

Al was waiting for me at a picnic table near a creek just past the 10 km to go marker. It was shady and relatively cool, but I was still hot. I filled a ziploc bag with creek water and dumped it over my head. That helped. The road crossed many creeks flowing with (presumably) cold water but none were as accessible as this one or I would have done this a few more times.

Al was waiting for me at another picnic table near the 1 km to go marker. There hadn’t been other shady places to wait and he’d been at this one long enough to be cooled off. He copes with heat much better than I do.

View from Al’s waiting spot. I stopped many times so it must have been painful watching.

We each had a cold Coke at the top then started the descent.

Al was intrigued by the way the road just drops away.

We did a little playing with photos. First Al rode away…

And took one of me. The wind of descending was even cool enough that I added my gilet.

At first, it was beautiful, through meadows and pastures, with a few herds and their attendant flies. Then the built-up ski stations of Saint-François-Longchamp and more switchbacks all the way down to La Chambre. Although Climbfinder rates the northern side as slightly more difficult than the southern approach, I’m glad we went up the way we did.

After the road “drops off”, it twists its way down through pastures.

Some of the wildflowers, seen below Saint-François-Longchamp. These were quite small.

Below Saint-Franćois-Longchamp, it was open and green again.

We got a great view of the Lacets de Montvernier from one of the bridges we took across the Arc, the river along this valley. Riding them is one of our plans for our 3 days in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.

We checked into our hotel, dropped our bags, and went out again on our bikes to find a shop that could repair Al’s wheel. I was impressed by the first shop we tried; the fellow we spoke to knew exactly what the problem was as soon as Al wheeled his bike in. He recognized the sound.

Unfortunately, they were unable to help us today and suggested we try another shop, Sport 2000, out in the “zone commerciale” or big-box area. If no luck there, come back in the morning and he’d see.

I waited outside with my bike while Al went into Sport 2000. Unlike most bike shops, it didn’t seem I could take my bike in so I didn’t get to look around. Al reported back that it seemed a decent place, but they didn’t have the time to do the job until maybe tomorrow afternoon, and if a part would be needed, it wouldn’t arrive until Friday. So, fingers crossed for shop #1 tomorrow.

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It was 6 km on top of a challenging ride so I included this in today’s total.

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Steve Miller/GrampiesIf you ride it you should count it!
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4 days ago

Today's ride: 74 km (46 miles)
Total: 702 km (436 miles)

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