Col Du Galibier (Alt. 2646 m)

The northern ramp is currently not great from Valloire to Verneys but enjoyably none-the-less, riding through Verneys in September was an experience as it had no road surface at all, some lads from the road works dept had dug up the fecken lot leaving me to ride my R1150RT through town like it was a bloody 1200GS Adventure but I’m sure they’ll have it nice and shiny again for us by next season.

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The road from Verneys to the summit was resurfaced in 2004 and it’s mostly still in good condition, however sections of it were again being re-surfaced which slowed things down, but as the views through the high alpine valley as the road runs along the river are stunning I really didn’t care in the slightest.

The scenery becomes more and more dramatic riding through the valley and climbs quickly towards the heavens at the end.

Nearing the summit you will have the choice of entering the next valley via a traffic light controlled one way tunnel or another small road which leads right up over the very top of the Col.

The road over the tunnel to the summit is a ridiculously steep and slightly terrifying section of road. DO NOT TAKE THE TUNNEL, this is an experience not to be missed and there is parking at the top where you can pull in and take in some seriously indescribable views! !

If you’re unfortunate enough to have a vertigo issue like myself there is a refuge just before the tunnel on the south ramp where you can buy a drink, lunch etc and try to calm down a bit and get your head straight. As for myself, riding over the very top had me bloody terrified; the road is narrow with the edge leading to a sear vertical abyss and a certain death. There are also a number of banked and difficult hairpins, navigating these on the old heavy RT which is dreadful with slow turns anyway made the whole experience a sweat inducing, nerve wracking, fear factor 10 ordeal.

So much so that I have no shame admitting that I took the tunnel on the return journey. With the memory of nearly dropping the RT twice, the near heart attacks that came with that, and the moist feeling in my underwear weighing heavily on my mind the decision was made to get a more suitable bike for these roads! One thing is for sure however, no one could ever forget riding over Col du Galibier!

The road surface of the south ramp is not great either for the most part, apart from the summit section which is newly surfaced the rest is choppy. From the foot of the southern ramp of Galibier is a T junction, looking south, left brings you into Briancon, a good town to base yourself for a few nights which I’ll get to later.

If you go right along the D1091 into Col du Lautaret you have access to a number of exciting high alpine roads, pastures and passes. Firstly Col du Sarenne (Alt 1989m) and it’s famous nearby switch back road (D211) to the ski resort of l’Alp du Huez. Just south is the D211, a rather mad road clinging along the cliffs over the Gorges de l’Infernet and the Bourg d’Oisans valley. To the north is the grandiose Col du Glandon and Col del la Croix de Fer. To the south is Col D’Ornon (D526), the list goes on but is out of the scope of this blog. Be warned however, many of these passes are difficult, the Col du Sarenne being a perfect example, the last time I tried this road it was impassable on the RT from the western side. Many others are definitely not enjoyable or just plain impossible on big road bikes like my beloved RT. A fact that has me seriously looking at the likes of the Triumph Tiger 800 XC, which would suit the smaller, less used alpine roads in the area far better.

Briancon

Briancon is a fair-sized fortified town of around 11,000 inhabitants and at an altitude of 1,326 metres it’s the highest city in the E.U. with a history dating back to pre roman times with several buildings classified UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It’s not exactly a party or touristy town in the general sence, nor is it pretty, and if it wasn’t for its location you might not really be bothered visiting it, but you have to remember this is a working town, originally a military town and not some fluffy village on the Cote d’Azure. There is also a large military barracks still in town, although most of the soldiers have been shipped off to Afghanistan. The old town and fort with its interesting history is easily worth a walk around if not overly exciting. That said, I return here year after year as you could spend a week in Briancon and not get to explore all the high roads great and small, north, south, and west of the town.

Not many roads directly east of Briancon I’m afraid, unfortunately the French Government in their divine wisdom planted the massive Parc National Des Écrins right next door and refuses to cut it up with tarmac for the likes of bikers. And if you’re thinking of off roading in that area forget about it, it’s protected and only welcomes hikers and cyclists. I’ve already just described what’s north of town, check out my last trip report to read about what’s west of town (the Italian Aosta Valley) as well as south. But I will be going into more detail (inc videos) of the routes south of town in my next post.

In winter Briancon is a ski resort so it has plenty of accommodation on all levels including an Ibis which has secret hidden underground supermarket directly beneath it for some reason. My guess, there is either an epidemic shoplifting problem here, or they are just plain terrified of all the shifty looking leather clad blokes that descend on the town in summer. Of course there is also a ship load of lycra wearing lads with shaved legs and designer wrap around sunglasses mincing about, but if those dude’s are shoplifting I definitely choose not to imagine where they are hiding their ill-gotten items.

My personal favourite place to stay while in Briancon is most definitely the Auberge Du Mont Prorel (www.hotelmontprorel.com) run by Julian & Jeanine Candy, run by a friendly and welcoming English couple. It’s only got 2 stars, but in my book it really should have 3. While the rooms are small, they are clean, quiet, well decorated, functional and very cosy; open the windows in summer and you might drift off to sleep to the sound of the stream running behind the hotel.

Downstairs is a large English/Irish style bar which satisfies my semi alcoholic and talkative Irish nature. It also has a pool table I might add and a big, bizarrely decorated tiled fireplace. I could not decide if the fireplace was an eyesore or not, but after a few pints and striking up a conversation with an American chick I could not have care less about that. It also has a restaurant serving good home style food rather than the French/Alpine menu’s of other nearby local restaurants, and with a good pizzeria just up the road and it’s ideal location close to the old town it really can cater for everyone’s taste’s. Breakfast is also generous with a very good range to choose from to get your day started, it’s happily well worth the price of a stay and ticks off all the boxes for me as it has that home away from home feel. It doesn’t have a locked garage for motorbikes, but it’s car park is well in off the road so I wouldn’t be worried about leaving my bike there at all. I honestly look forward to returning, and in the context of a “bike tour on a low-mid range budget” that’s about as high a recommendation as I can give.

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In the next post I will be going over the Col d’Izoard (Alt 2361) with its unique rock and cliff formations and the mad glory that is Col de la Bonette (Alt 2715) and it’s the infamous Cime de La Bonette, a tear drop stretch of road off the Col that reaches 2860 meters, the highest paved through road in Europe along with some totally sweet vids to go with it

Road conditions; check the status of the Cols/Passes:
InfoTrafic: Alpes Du Nord
Bison Fute

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Next: 2011 Alpine and Pyrenees Tour. Day 5

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Tags: Alpine, Alps, Alps Motorbike Tour, Best Biking Roads, BMW Motorrad, Cime de la Bonette, Col d'Izoard, Col de l'Iseran, Col des Saisies, Col du Galibier, Col Du Mont Cenis, Col du Petit St.-Bernard, Cormet de Roselend, Gorges de Daluis, Gorges Du Verdon, Lac de Roselend, Mont Ventoux, Motorcycle Touring, R1150RT RT, road trooper, Route des Grande Alpes, Tour France