Oliver & Lasswell Travel Blog: September 2019

Despite the club having arranged a couple of guides to lead us around I had early on decided that I had my own agenda of rides I wanted to do and roads I wanted to see. The first of these was something called the Col de l'Arepettaz that I had read about on a website I had been using as a resource for some time (a far better blog than my lame attempt here--I'm doing this just as a sort of journal in case anyone ever cares to read it):  https://www.cycling-challenge.com/

I haven't even learned the blogger's name, but he does an outstanding, encouraging, dream-inducing, wish-I-was-there job with his efforts. I noted one story in particular here:  100 Cycling Climbs Better Than l'Alpe d'Huez

I knew of, or had heard of, and even ridden some of the 100 he named, but I was needing to focus on climbs near where we were going to be: Annecy, Bourg d'Oisans, Provence, Souillac, and Meursault.

No. 90 was this one:  https://www.cycling-challenge.com/col-de-larpettaz-3/ which it turned out was one of several near Annecy.

Strava file for Col de l'Arepttaz

I was advised I'd have a companion that could keep up--he couldn't--plus he didn't have maps or GPS (at any point during the entire trip). For better or for worse I am a bit of a loner by nature, so riding alone was fine with me.

That said, it was a great little climb. Steady, longish, certainly longer than anything we find around here short of going into the High Sierra. Mormon Immigrant Trail in El Do Co is long, yes, but totally without personality and not that challenging.

l'Arpettaz? About 39-40 switchbacks, about 10.2 miles, 7.2% average, 11.4% max. It was a nice solid opener. I'm very glad I rode it, even if it took bit longer while babysitting. 20 flat miles, 10 miles of climbing, 35 miles of downhill and flat back to Annecy. Ideal.

Sign leading off from D1508 and the bike trail--20 miles from Annecy.

Part way up the climb. Had to stop to make sure my companion made the turn. So shot a photo.

It was looking like it might be cold and wet and foggy as we climbed--we could see the clouds from the valley. We weren't sure what to expect. Turned out to be just fine--cool, not cold, no wind. It really was a beautiful climb.

Just the road sign. The Col de l'Arpettaz doesn't get any love--it's not famous, I'd never heard of it, it doesn't have the signs counting down the kilometers, or counting the switchbacks. But if I lived in the area, this would be a favorite climb to do over-and-over again.

Just another view back down the valley towards Annecy, cows in the lower right. So serene, so pastoral, so buccolic, I just LOVE this kind of thing. Live for it.


A monument at the summit. A prayer to the virgin, saying something like this: Pray to our lady of the mountain pastures Glory to you our lady of the pastures flower bloomed, in the joy of heaven. Protect those who pass in this mountain, those who are climbing and all the inhabitants of these chalets. Our lady of alpine pastures! Help us defeat evil, which roots so easily in the heart of man. That in your immaculate heart is manifested for all light and hope. OK, that's good.