The way points of this bicycle route:
Route starts from Le Diat, a short sharp drop down from St Pierre de Chartreuse. The first few km are a gentle descent down from the Chartreuse plateau towards St Laurent du Pont.
Turn right here to visit the Chartreuse monastry
This is where it gets tough - the downhill section won't have warmed you up for steep climb on a fairly rough surface. The first 3 km are 11.5, 12 and 10% according to cyclingcols.com and the rough surface makes it seem steeper. Some sections are only just ok on a road bike - I got up puncture free anyway!
Somewhere round here there is a long dark tunnel. Fortunately it is dead straight so keep your eyes fixed on the exit ahead! I fell off though, so maybe walking would be the safer option.
Once out of the tunnel the road flattens a bit and there are great views back up the gorge.
Road surface improves somewhere around here - thank god!
Fairly fast descent on good surface
Turn right here to lengthen the ride and add in two extra cols: Clemenciere and Vence.
