Page 20 - TT2018 Official Routebook

Day Seven: Thursday - Chantermerie to Longchamp 1650 – 190miles

What was possibly the trickiest day to plan actually turned out to be the easiest and although it will
be a hard day’s drive, it comes with a price tag of 190miles, perfect!

This is our ‘High Alpine Pass Signature Day’ with four of the six passes above the 2000m mark and
one of which is the highest in France, the Col de I’Iseran (2764m). All bar the last forty miles or so
and for the second time this week, we’ll take big chunks of mileage out of the Route des Grandes
Alpes. For those of you who want to give the Signature Day a miss and opt for a lazy day at the hotel,
there is a short cut that should get you there in 60miles. But seriously, to miss it you must be ill-in-
the-head or damn-right-bonkers!!

The day kick offs with a ‘pootle-not’ up the D1091 to the Col du Lautaret (2058m). This is a fast and
yet sometimes busier road, that curves its way up the valley with plenty of opportunities for fast
despatching. I have blatted through this pass at night with the Dark Knight for protection, en route
to Grenoble to pick up James. On Lotus lights, it is not for the faint hearted. At the Col you may
recognise the Hotel, which I refer to as the ‘Cow-Licking-Hotel’ or the ‘he-who-must-be-obeyed’
hotel, which we have stayed at during previous trips.

We then turn right and up and over the first monster pass of the day, the Col du Galibier (2645m)
which has a narrow single lane tunnel controlled by traffic lights at its summit. I have been here with
Irish at night, in thick fog for a late arrival with the group in Gap. A very eerie place indeed. In fact,
this was the year I met fellow Toadsters, Rich and Midget that very next morning. That year the
group had two bad accidents, were escorted out of Germany by helicopters which resulted in the
timely demise of the SELOC Stelvio as we know
it today. Back to business though and on with Cormet de Roseland
the descent to Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne and
the smaller pass, Col du Télégraphe (1566m).
Col des
We then have to take in one huge intake of Cylotourists
breath. The next 60 miles is like one crazy, bad
arsed, elongated pass road that winds its way
up, with switch backs, tunnels, galleries,
balconies, huge drop offs a plenty, to the Col de I’Iseran
highest pass of the day Col de I’Iseran (2764m).
Then, with spade loads of the same, we start Col de la Madeleine
heading down via the ski resorts of Val-d'Isère
and Tignes and eventually to Bourg St Maurice
for a well-earned tank of fuel.
So, can there be anything more to this Toadsters
heaven on earth? Oh god yes, two of my all-time
favourites!! Col du Télégraphe
Col du Galibier
First up is the Cormet de Roseland with the
stunning Lac de Roseland just after its summit.
Made famous for the very rare occasion that all
the Toad Tourist groups combined together for
a collective mass ‘Col’ bashing. All at full chatter,
Col du Lautaret