In French “Croix de Fer” means “Iron Cross” and one stands at the top of the Col du Croix de Fer. On our last day in the Alps we drove to the top of the Col du Croix de Fer. We had biked up here from the lodge in the Col d’Ornon valley early in the trip, but this time we planned to descend from the top down the other side to St. Jean de Maurienne and then climb back to the van.
The Croix de Fer
It was cold at the top so we put on vests and jackets, assembled the bikes and headed down. The descent was tough – bad road surface, narrow winding road with traffic, and scary hairpins and drop offs. About half way down as we went through 3 tunnels we got behind an ambulance which we followed for several miles.
Finally, after 15 miles of descending I cried “uncle!” and let Chris and Larry go ahead to descend the last 3 miles to St. Jean without me. I stripped off my jacket and vest and packed them in and on my seat bag and started the ascent. The first 5 miles were really steep but fortunately the traffic had abated and the bad road surface doesn’t matter as much at my slow ascending pace. After going through the tunnels the road moderates dramatically and I enjoyed about 5 miles of 3 to 6% grade climbing interspersed with a few little drops.
Finally I arrived in the ski town of St. Sorlin d’Arves. On the way down I nicknamed it the Village of Morons because so many people were crossing the road without looking, driving very slowly without looking, and generally behaving badly. Things had calmed down and I slowly climbed the steep road through the town. I was worried that it might be unbearably steep, but it was OK.
As I climbed out of the town the road got narrower and the traffic dwindled and the grade eased off to 6-8%. To top everything off I had an uphill tailwind. A quick stop for a candy bar and water and a few photos of the top of the Col and I was off for the last 5 miles of the trip.
the top switchbacks of the Col du Croix de Fer
The road to the top was a joy to ride. The traffic was light, and as I rode I watched the parasailers take off from the side of the Col road to fly, confirming that there are people crazier than me. The day’s totals were 31 miles, 4800 vertical feet. Larry was waiting at the top along with hordes of hikers and tourists on bikes, motorcycles, cars, and RVs. We sat outside on the deck in the warm sun at the cafe with espressos while watching the people and talking with a Belgian bike racer who spends his summers training and racing the the area.
the good life
After a couple of weeks of being a bike bum, of riding and eating and then sleeping, riding and eating more I began to realize that in the USA we often forsake simple everyday joys in our pursuit of goals and careers and the elusive future. Enjoying the here and now is a seductive temptress. The two weeks of bicycling fantasy at the 2013 Chris Harris Fun Tour were a trans-formative time for me. I might just have to slow down and smell the roses a bit more when I return to reality in the USA tomorrow.