Your bike in front of a col sign

[bikepacker]

Taken on various tours:

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

From 26 years ago

 

[rualexander]

 

[TheDoctor]

 

[HLaB]

A few years ago now unfortunately

 

[HLaB]

Close as I can get, I didn't see a sign for col de rates.

View attachment 359067

I don't remember it either from the few times I did it but

 

[briantrumpet]

Taken on various tours:

View attachment 361579

Oi, that's my col! (It's a pleasant 2 hour ride up & down it from my French résidence - I'll be there in 10 days' time )

 

[rualexander]

 

[briantrumpet]

View attachment 362354

I hope the weather improved as you descended towards Die. Vercors can be a very unforgiving place - I've been caught out there more than once - 35C and dry in Die, 20C and very wet on Vercors.

 

[rualexander]

I hope the weather improved as you descended towards Die. Vercors can be a very unforgiving place - I've been caught out there more than once - 35C and dry in Die, 20C and very wet on Vercors.

Yes it chucked it down that morning in Vassieux and we delayed setting off until after a visit to the museum and lunch in a hotel, it was easing off by the time we got to the col, and dry down in Die.

 

[briantrumpet]

Yes it chucked it down that morning in Vassieux and we delayed setting off until after a visit to the museum and lunch in a hotel, it was easing off by the time we got to the col, and dry down in Die.

Haha - not unusual. The annual rainfall totals roughly halve from Vassieux to Die. Last summer it was so hot for most of August in Die (35-40C) that I spent a lot of time up on the plateau (roughly 10 degrees cooler), but in August 2015 I only got up there a couple of times, as it was shrouded in cloud most of the time. It's stunning and other-worldly up there when the weather's kind.

 

[Vertego]

 

[jowwy]

My bike is underneath me

 

[Vertego]

 

[Vertego]