The Baked Beans Tour 2022 - Day 4 Val-Cenis to Gingins

 Today was the final day of our tour, and we would be heading back to my home again. So far we had experienced some pretty intense riding, but I was confident that the planned route still had some surprises in store for us.

After a refreshing night, we were the first for the breakfast buffet. The Hotel l'Outa really offered an excellent selection of bread, croissants, and cereals as well as a cool machine where you could boil your eggs to your own liking. However they had no Kalle's Kaviar, so I decided to pass on the egg. My buddy was impressed by the cups and saucers as they were presented in Swedish colours. I did mention it might also be Ukrainian, but let's accept it was Swedish on our honour...

The plan for today was to start off with the famous Col de l'Iseran, and then head to Val d'Isere for a coffee break and a decision on which way to take after that. In the end, the ride looked like this:

It was actually quite cool at the beginning of the ride, and as we made our way up a narrow valley before the sun reached it, I actually felt a bit cold. It certainly felt good as a change from the previous days, but I knew that the temperatures would soon begin to rise.

At first the climb is steep, the road narrow and no guardrails to secure you from the drop. I can imagine it being quite scary for some, and I certainly would not want to be driving up this with a big car and meeting some other traffic. On our bikes, it was just good fun!

When this first climb is done, we arrived in the most scenic and beautiful valley. It was quite breathtaking, and we were both riding slowly just taking in the view. Unfortunately there was no good place to stop for a photo, but here is one I found that gives you an idea:

The views on the ride up here were simply stunning, with the beautiful morning light making it even more amazing. It was almost challenging to ride as we kept taking in the scenery around us!

After that we tackled the last bit up to the top of the Col de l'Iseran, the highest mountain pass in the French Alps at 2770 metres. Here we had to stop for a breather and a chance to get some pictures of this stunning place.

It was a good thing that we got here as early as we did because it was a Sunday, and on our way down to Val d'Isere we were already meeting quite some traffic. I can imagine the place being very crowded a few hours later, which would have made it a bit troublesome. As it was, we just got the best experience.

In Val d'Isere we stopped for some coffee and discussed the rest of the road. Our initial plan was to head down into the valley and follow the quickest route past Albertville and then bypass Annecy by going through Thones. 

However, by the time we got to Bourg St. Maurice, a slight mishap with the GPS had us heading back up the mountain again and it became clear that we were on the better option. The road by Albertville may be a bit faster, but it is also longer and so very boring. Instead, we found ourselves on some amazing roads and arrived later in Thones right on schedule.

First up after Bourg St. Maurice was the wonderful Cormet de Roselend. This is a mountain pass culminating at 1'968 metres and the road up was amazing. At times it was so narrow it would have been difficult for two cars to meet, but for us, it was not an issue. 

From there we first pass the Lac de Roselend, over the Col de Meraillet and then head down the valley to Beaufort before again heading up on the other side through some really narrow roads again, always being amazed by the wonderful surroundings. Finally, we are back in the valley at Ugines, and when we pass Saint Ferreol it is time for our final climb of the day on our way towards Thones.

We are by now really hot, a bit tired and very hungry. So we find a nice restaurant that has a shaded terrace and relax for a while with a huge salad for lunch. It is nice to be able to stretch your legs, especially knowing that now we do not have much further to go before reaching our home in Gingins.

The rest of the ride is quite uneventful, although we meet a surprising amount of traffic on the small sideroads between Geneva and Gingins, and we find out later that this was the result of the highway being shut down due to an accident. So, even though it was a bit annoying to take these roads there, it turned out to be a good thing as we would have had other issues on the highway.

Once home we race to get out of our riding clothes and jump in the pool. It is with a satisfying feeling of accomplishment that we later indulge in a barbeque and (for me) some nice wine. It has been four amazing days of riding, and our heads are full of beautiful images that will linger for some time.

Some statistics for the day:

Total 261 km

City pointers

• Val-Cenis
• Val d'Isere
• Bourg St. Maurice
• Beufort
• Ugines
• Saint Ferreol
• Thones
• Gingins

Mountain passes

• Col de l'Iseran 2770m
• Cormet de Roselend 1968m
• Col de Meraillet 1605m