The D902 is the Route 66 of the Alps. Much of it is the Routes des Grande Alpes, and takes the traveller over some of the highest roads and passes in the French Alps. Starting in Thonon les Bains on Lake Geneva, it becomes a little confusing to follow as the road number frequently vanishes throughout its journey. After taking in the Col d'Iserean it disappears only to resurface at Saint-Michel de Maurienne for the hop over the Télégraphe and Galibier before being absorbed into the D1091, which follows the Durance. It then reappears miraculously outside a garden centre in Briançon for the Izoard. It then returns, somewhat needlessly back to the Durance valley at Guillestre then up the Vars where it vanishes once more before resurfacing down in the Ubaye valley for a journey south where it becomes yet another road.
French Departments have their own numbering system and so as you cross into an adjacent Department, the number changes. Proper dinner party stuff.
The first third of the Izoard is easy going and passes through several villages and there is a great view back over the Durance Valley and the Ancien Fort des Trois Têtes perched high on a cliff overlooking Briançon.
The flies came pretty thick and fast through the warm valley and I came up with the bright idea of shoving a banana skin in the cup hanging off my back rack to distract them.
I'd upgraded my cogs over the winter and in spite of the 15kg of assorted gear and gubbins, the 22front/32back was more than adequate for the gradients. I managed granny+1 for most of the 7-9%.It was the heat and residual booze that caused me to groan in despair.
Mind over matter gets you up cols and you have to employ that steely resolve when all manner of cyclists fly past you on their seemingly casual morning spin. They don't grunt or sweat; they even say 'Bonjour' with a happy smile and a wave. All you have to do is beat them to it with an even lighter and airier 'Bonjour'. At a café somewhere a man on a feather-lite carbon wisp of a bike asked how much my bike and gear weighed - 28/29 kg. His was 7kg. He was gobsmacked.
Overall, the Izoard is not as tough as the Galibier and, it too, has a down hill bit or two. It does have its moments though - particularly the last five km. There is a long stretch between 11% ramps and if you inadvertently lift your eyes from the blur of your tyre tread and look ahead, way up high in the distance you can see cars on the final bend, shimmering in the sun. This can be a bit deflating as the mystery of how the climb finishes evaporates - you now know it is up some serious ramps and miles away!
The Izoard is however more spectacular than the Galibier, and the column marking the col is impressive even if it is a bit difficult to get in to a photo.
Just down from the top and around the bend - literally - is an eerie moonscape that provides a reminder that the Alps are not exactly set in stone - the scenery is changing all the time.
What the Izoard also has, for a slightly cautious downhiller like me, are some fantastic stretches lower down the descent where you can open up and use the big gears.
I managed to clock 42.7mph.
Instead of heading back down to Guillestre on the D902, as many cyclists were doing, we hung a left onto the D947 to head up the Guil Valley to Ville Vieille and the Iscle campsite.
Before you get to this site there is a small village beneath the imposing Fort Queyras with an expensive shop/bar but just beyond the end of campsite is a Carrefour, so you can hang on for supplies if you don't fancy shelling out.
This is a nice campsite though the ablutions block is shared with local flies. There is a TV room with a few plugs and a few patches of soft-ish earth.
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