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This is a magnificent ride,
ending in the heart of the Écrins.
The road runs entirely through the valley of le Vénéon,
which is well filled with water
that has the green-white color
typical of meltwater, at least during dry conditions.
All around are rugged snow-capped peaks.
This long (over 27 km) climb
is characterized by an alternation
of nearly horizontal and (three)
steep sections.
Cycling starts leisurely
but after two and a half kilometers
the first steeper part pops up (up 8%).
After that, before and when passing Venosc,
climbing is interrupted by two descends,
causing a loss of 43 elevation meters, in total.
After crossing the river
a nasty ramp has to be climbed (250 elevation meters, a steepest kilometer of 12%),
first through the forest,
then in a more open landscape with huge rocks.
Next, one crosses the beautiful, braided river
and there is time for recovery on the almost horizontal road.
This changes abruptly with the beginning of the last steep section
(again 250 elevation meters, up to 11%),
ending in the village of, indeed, la Ville.
The remaining eleven kilometers along a narrow road are not hard,
especially after turning to the left at Champhorent,
and are very scenic.
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