A quick ride up to the Col du Lauteret above Prabert, on the Belledonne side of the Grésivaudan valley. I had not ridden this route since 2015, when I climbed it from the south side in 47 minutes.

I started a little later than planned, after a morning walk and the usual bit of faffing around in Crolles.

I had a little over an hour before lunch, so I headed out for a short ride in the Grésivaudan, starting with the new cycle path from Brignoud towards Tencin.

I left a little late, but I wanted to try out the new bike path between Crolles and Tencin.

Cycling in the Alps is starting to get depressing. The PR at the Col d'Hurtières belongs to a certain Colin Savioz on Strava, 24 minutes. I took 50 for 700m over 8km.

I've done ski touring from Theys via les 4 chemins twice, so I know that the road is tarmac as far as the crossroads.

Same route as Friday but on the new bike. A bit hotter todayClimb (24m46s. Average HR 163bpm. VAM 859m) 25m34, 164bpmDescent (6m50s. Max speed 62.9km/h, 48.6km/h ave) 6m17s, ave 52.9 km/h, max 69.

My idea was to test an old bike against a new bike over the same circuit.Climb is 4.04 km over 355 vertical meters giving 8.8% with sections over 10%. 24m46s. Average HR 163bpm. VAM 859mDescent is 5.

Climb to the Col de la Poya is just under 7km at 7.7% for a VAM of 650 m/h. Not too quick but it seemed very steep.

The heat wave finally broke with a return to cooler temperatures, so much so I had to wear an undervest and a cycling jacket in the morning.