Herbouilly, Sassenage, Les Ecouges

From the Rimets lodge, descend to Rencurel then La Balme to climb up the Bourne gorges to the Pont de Goule Noire. Then turn right towards St-Julien en Vercors, which you pass by a few kilometers before turning left onto the Herbouilly road. After passing the Herbouilly Pass, the highest point of this route, descend to Bois Barbu, then turn left to go through Les Olivets and cross the Bourne again. Then turn right towards Les Jarrands to quickly find the Méaudre road and the Méaudret gorges. At the exit of Méaudre, follow the D106 towards the Croix Perrin Pass and then Lans en Vercors. Then it's off for the long descent down to Sassenage, passing through the very beautiful Furon gorges. Arriving at the large roundabout of Sassenage, join the cycle path on the left bank of the Drac river and follow it straight north to Veurey, then cross to the right bank of the Isère river up to St-Gervais. At the end of the cycle path, cross the Isère then the departmental road to reach the small village of St-Gervais, at the foot of the climb of the Ecouges. Pass through the long unlit tunnel (hence the headlamp! Otherwise, you can wait for a vehicle, patience is mandatory, or walk through the old cantilevered road: it can be done easily by pushing your bike in front of you, it's even quite pleasant!). Stop to admire the Ecouges canyon before finishing the climb to the Romeyère Pass. 1.4 km after the pass, turn right onto the côte road for a final small climb then join the Rimets lodge. And there, a good beer and some stretching are called for before the shower!

Note: this loop can be considered even when the Bourne gorges road is closed to traffic, since it avoids the construction zone between Goule Noire and Les Jarrands.