Briancon Day 2 - Col d'Izoard

Day 2 in Briancon began much like the first day with more issues with our bikes. As a result we decided to change plan to do just Col d'Izoard and move Col du Granon to a different day due to a lack of time. As it turns out this was probably a smart move as we quickly realised these climbs are significantly harder than anything you can find back home.

The Col d'Izoard is the first of many hors categorie climbs for the trip and we ascended the climb from Briancon which features a 20km climb at an average gradient of 5.8% reaching a total elevation of 2,360m. The first 10kms or so of the climb were relatively comfortable with the gradient sticking around the 5% level allowing us to punch out a nice rhythm up the climb.

 

This quickly changed for the last 7 kms with long stretches of road averaging around the mid 8% gradients with plenty of nice hairpin turns as we made our way up the mountain. As we approached the summit of the climb, large patches of snow began to appear on the side of the road indicating that the temperature was beginning to drop. Thanks to the relatively steep road, the body temperature was thankfully nice and high and it wasn't until we stopped at the summit that we began to realise just how cold it was. 

Just as we were about to begin our decent back into Briancon, the weather took an unexpected turn for the worst and before we knew it, it had begun to snow. This made for a rather interesting and unpleasant descent. By about the half way mark of the descent we were being hit by large stones of ice which felt like needles. It was by far the coldest I have ever been in my life and before we knew it the top of our legs had gone completely purple and all feeling in our fingers was lost. Our bodies were shaking to the point that it was becoming difficult just to keep the bike straight, not something that you want on the icy roads we were descending. At this point we decided we would stop at a small coffee shop in one of the little towns we were passing through and try to warm up until the weather improved. 

Naturally the second we got back on the road the snow returned but thankfully it wasn't long before we got past it and onto some dry roads to enjoy the last little bit of the descent before heading back into Briancon for a short cruise through the town and back to the hotel. Safe to say there was a fight for the hot shower when we got back.

Tomorrow we venture along the route d'italie and across the border into Italy to take on the colle di sestriere.