Fri, 15 November 2024
Minimum altitude: 690 meters
Distance: 45.9 km
Slope Aspect: South-East
Vertical Climbed: 1,381 meters (4,531 feet)
Vertical Descended: 1,367 meters
Rating: 5
With fantastic autumn weather, I couldn't resist another big pass. This time the “half” Col du Joly. Half because, like the Sabot two weeks ago, it's only surfaced on one side. It is possible to descend the north side with a gravel bike.
The road to Hauteluce is jammed with construction vehicles hastening to put the finishing touches to the mountain chalets. At the sixth hairpin, I turned off onto the old route de Hauteluce. No one goes this way because it's cut by a landslide and a rickety bridge. The bridge made ominous metallic noises as I crossed it, as if it were ready to collapse into the abyss below.
Once over this hurdle, it was an easy valley road to Hauteluce, then the climb proper. I passed by the chapelle blanche to almost make a loop. Only the last few kilometers to the col were shared.
The Col du Joly is famous for its breathtaking views of Mont Blanc. There was snow on the north side, but the south side was completely dry. The descent wasn't bad, technical and fast except for one downward turn. On the way back, I took the road on the left side of the valley. Now in the sun. This road is not in very good condition. Narrow in places, with a sometimes poor surface. As we approached the Beaufortain, the temperature dropped and frost was visible on the trees. Winter is coming.
Average temperature 8°C. 3C in the valleys (beware of ice), 12C at the col and on the adrets. Great weather. The road to the pass has one or two or two sections of poor pavement, but it's generally fast and technical. A joy. The old Hauteluce road is interrupted interrupted by a rickety bridge, then by a landslide, both requiring precautions. The reward: zero cars.
