An Autumnal Ascent By Bike to Ski Station Risoul (1850m) - Why A Climb Is Never The Same Twice

If we'd ever wondered whether it was as much fun to attempt a big cycle climb multiple times, this, our third ascent to Ski Station Risoul (1850m) from Guillestre underlined emphatically that the answer is yes. Having enjoyed our first climb to Risoul in July, then a second time in August, setting out on this third occasion we had chosen the ascent initially as it was so close to the farm we were staying on and we felt like stretching our legs on the bikes. However, the combination of a beautiful afternoon with autumn sun and crisp, clear autumn hues on the foliage as far as we could see made the experience hugely different from our previous ascents in high summer, underlining that although the route might be the same, a cycle climb is always a new and unique experience.

As we sat at the summit a third time and gazed out across the peaks of the Queyras Regional Park and along the flattened bowl of the Durance valley to the Ecrins National Park and the imposing Glacier Blanc, we also felt it was a perfect climb to begin to say goodbye to what had been our base for much of the summer. With so many peaks, cols and valleys that we had explored outlined (or at least the peaks above them) we could recount clearly just how busy we had been and how much we had done since arriving in July.