Rose Pedals . . .: Uphill . . . Both Ways

Day 1 - Friday, June 9, 2012
Courmayeur Loop to Val Ferret & Courmayeur Loop to Val Veny
32 miles
4,442 feet of climbing

Woke up to a rainy and cloudy day - not a very inspiring way to begin a bicycling vacation. But we’re nothing if not enthusiastic and hopeful. So, in the spirit of optimism, Art and I, along with three other members of our group decided to don our rain gear, brave the rain and give today’s two suggested routes a try. After all, both were loop rides and, since we’re staying in Courmayeur another night, if the weather got really bad, we could just head back to the hotel at any time. It was a chilly morning - only about 48 degrees. Started out looking very spiffy wearing our arm warmers, leg warmers, rain jackets, helmet covers and shoe covers.

Today we had two route options - a 17+ mile loop ride to the top of Val Ferret (pronounced “Feray”) and/or a 14+ mile loop ride in the opposite direction to the top of Val Veny (pronounced “Venie”). Both were good climbs that promised spectacular views of Mont Blanc. Unfortunately, because of the clouds, we did not get to actually see the views. But I'm sure at some point we can find a book with pictures of the views that we missed. : ) We decided to do the climb up Val Ferret first. It was a good climb - about 1,800 feet of climbing in just over eight-plus miles. There were a couple of steep sections of 10 to 14% grades, mainly in the first couple miles and a few at the end. It rained lightly as we climbed but never so hard that it interfered with our visibility. Plus, with all the rain gear we had on, we didn't get soaked. We got to see some very pretty waterfalls in the mountains, along with rushing stream of glacial runoff. I was able to stay warm while we were climbing, but it was a very chilly 8½-mile descent. It was sort of a tricky descent; we had to be careful of our speed because our breaking ability is diminished on wet terrain. At the end of the descent from Val Ferret, we were feeling pretty good and the rain had all but stopped, so we decided to do the other climb. It was shorter in distance, but quite a bit higher in elevation - about 2,700 feet of climbing over seven miles. As we expected, the terrain up Val Veny was quite a bit steeper. We encountered grades of 18%, with most grades being in the 12 to 15% range. It was a very challenging climb, but worth the effort. Despite the clouds, there was much to see. The descent was unbelievably fast (because of all the steep sections) and it seemed like we were back down from the top in no time. We made it back to the hotel by about 1:30 or so. Our bikes were a mess; because of the rain, they were covered in dirt (as were we). The hotel didn’t have a hose, so we “sprayed” our bikes down by squirting water from our water bottles. (In addition to being enthusiastic, we’re also amazingly resourceful.) After we showered and rested, Art & I took a walk around town. At 7:30, we headed over to a local restaurant for our group dinner, which was absolutely delicious. Art & I both had the salad with fresh goat cheese and the salmon entrée. For dessert, Art had the apple cake and I, of course, opted for the chocolate tort. By the time dinner was over, it was 9:30 and we were both ready to call it a night. Despite the rain and the clouds, today’s ride was awesome. It felt great to accomplish those steep climbs. Besides, it beat sitting around the hotel all day. Tomorrow we would be riding to a new location - Arvier. The weather forecast is calling for sunny skies. We’ll take it.