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Oh France you pretty thing. The greenery, the open valleys, the mountainous surrounds, and the winding roads which make their way through it all. Pick any road in a mountainous region of the south of France and you’re likely to be rewarded and the D902 Col du Lautaret to Valloire is no exception.
It’s also no stranger to cycling races which accounts for all the graffiti on the road, encouraging elite cyclists on to greater heroics, while weekend warriors huff and puff their way through much like in these Google Earth images.
Starting off with the pass before you, roads disappearing left right and centre, the anticipation of where the D902 might take you is exciting. Slow to medium paced bends and lengthy straights gradually incline seemingly disappearing into the sky with drop offs getting more serious as you progress.
Savour the views but respect the road, there are no barriers here! The further you go the more amazing the mountain ranges get.
And just like that things start to calm down again. A little bit. But don’t get too comfortable because we’re going to climb up again!
And this time there are some super sketchy moments! Watch out for falling rocks and distracted tourists. And cyclists. And motorcyclists.
Eventually you’ll need to head through the tunnel at the mountain top where you can rest the other side and take in the views, or keep going. From here, the road is a little worn by providing a brilliant view of the descent below and what’s in store.
The further you descend the better the road improves, which doesn’t take long. The road starts to open up, things start to get a bit greener, but no less treacherous.
Soon though, things get faster with straighter pieces of road and more sweeping corners. The further you go down, the better it gets. Watch out for cyclists though!
Looking back on the mountain pass you’ve just traversed is spectacular. Seeing the squiggly road beneath guarantees the fun doesn’t stop. Snake your way down, stop to take in the natural beauty or keep going. Now you’re getting into the ‘valley sweeper’ section and it’s a fast flowing drive or ride to Valloire.
