Les Sept Laux (including Pipay & Prapoutel) is a small ski station in the Belledonne Alps between Chambéry and Grenoble. Much higher – hike-able in summer – is a plateau with 7 small lakes.
Both Col du Barriol and Col des Ayes will appear in the 2013 Critérium du Dauphiné. The route will follow the first 19 or so kilometres of the above profile, but descend when they reach Col des Ayes.
Starting in St. Pierre d’Allevard this is a very pleasant, quiet route, not too steep, with huge, huge Alps on the left for the entire ride. Nice.
Just above Col des Ayes the road splits. I rode both segments: To Prapoutel and to Pipay. The profile above just shows Pipay (1572 metres) . Prapoutel is a little lower at 1355 metres – roughly 6 kilometres above Col des Ayes.
Pipay:
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Prapoutel