Col D’Ornon.....a nice climb, good to use as your ‘first col’, as it’s never too
steep and with an ascent of 650m, just over half the climbing compared to Alpe D’Huez.
You can take a break at the top when it opens out into a flat valley.
For a slightly harder ride, you can turn off part way up to make your way up to the
village of Villard Reymond. This has a few steeper sections and tops out at an altitude
of 1600 metres.
The left hand photo below is the view from the valley before you start climbing,
and the other photo is the view from near the top looking back down. This is the
first and easiest Col that you tackle in the Marco Pantani Sportive ride (now known
as the Granfondo Les Deux Alpes), a race that takes place every year from the nearby
ski resort of Les Deux Alpes.
At the top of the Col there are a couple of a Gites where you can buy drinks and
get something to eat; a good place to stop for a little while before coming back
down or alternatively heading on down the valley towards Valbonnais, and the Col
du Parquetout or the Col de la Morte.
