Marmotte route

Airbornerodent

Hi all,
I'm going riding in the Alps for the first time next year and need to tap some of your knowledge if poss.

I'm planning to do the Marmotte route in August and will be unsupported as the wife wont be able to get her head around driving on the other side of the road.

Are there points along the route where i'll be able to get food and drink? I'm sure there are as 100+ miles surely can't be all mountain passes, but how often are they? I don't really want to ride carrying everything with me....

Any ideas about what i can expect as far as traffic is concerned around the start of August?

Also, can anyone recommend either Col du Glandon or the Col de la Croix de fer. I'm thinking the latter, but does anyone have any opinions?

Any other thoughts?

I'm also going to ride up Ventoux; does anyone know if there will be drinks available somewhere near the top?

Thanks for your help!

oldwelshman

Plenty of food stops on the MArmotte route and some extra drink stops also. You will get a route map indicating them also. You can get round comfortably with 2 bottles and a few gels as reserve. SOme riders do the wholoe route without stopping but some have support also.
I took extra bottle with juice and salt.
Personally I don't think I needed to stop as much as I did but as it was first time I played safe..
There is not much flat on the route, it is almost all up or down except for the few k from the start and after first climb.Good luck

Ken Night

Airbornerodent wrote:

Hi all,
I'm going riding in the Alps for the first time next year and need to tap some of your knowledge if poss.

I'm planning to do the Marmotte route in August and will be unsupported as the wife wont be able to get her head around driving on the other side of the road.

Are there points along the route where i'll be able to get food and drink? I'm sure there are as 100+ miles surely can't be all mountain passes, but how often are they? I don't really want to ride carrying everything with me....

Any ideas about what i can expect as far as traffic is concerned around the start of August?

Also, can anyone recommend either Col du Glandon or the Col de la Croix de fer. I'm thinking the latter, but does anyone have any opinions?

Any other thoughts?

I'm also going to ride up Ventoux; does anyone know if there will be drinks available somewhere near the top?

Thanks for your help!

There are loads of little villages in which you can get food and drink

Most villages will have at least a "fontane" , there is a good one at the bottom of the Telegraphe, which I always seem to need, (about 100m after the road starts to go up, after a little carpark/bus stop on the L).

There is very little flat!

From Valloire to the top of the Galibier, there is very little-there is the cafe at Plan Lachat, and (just before you do the worst looking of the ramps in that section-and you have plenty of time to admire it as you approach along the false flat to Plan Lachat)

Cafes a few 100m either side of the Col du Galibier

Another very good one at the conjuction of the Galibier road and the Lauteret-very good hot chocolate

Lots of cafes in La Grave a couple of which are good for lunch

You won't want to detour into Bourg, before you climb the Alpe, but there are lots of places you can stop on the Alpe

The Col de la Croix de Fer descent has had road works the last couple of years, meaing you would descend the Col de Mollard (means an extra 500m of climbing )

However if the normal descent is open, I would go Croix de Fer-if only for the romance, and it's not that much extra climbing

Finally, the road from the bottom of the Glandon/Croix dF descent is a main road, and not pleasant at all. It always has a headwind too.

the descent from the Lauteret to BOurg is also an arterial road (goods to Turin via Briancon), and there are tunnels for you to negotiate with the lorries

It's a big day to do on your own, but very worthwhile

Lots of other circular routes in the area too

pneumatic

If you climb the Ventoux from Bedoin (hard) or Sault (easy), you will reach Chalet Reynard which is a huge cafe. It also has a water tap to fill your bidons. After the Chalet, it is the classic moonscape ascent. At the top, you can buy boiled sweets by the ton and there is also a cafe and a gift shop.

richa

Marmotte is a great route. But would be VERY tough solo. Even with drafting, food & water stations, etc it takes plenty 12hrs!!

st68

the col de la croix de fer route was open this summer i descended it in august an its nice route : after a ride from bourg which is also nice

Airbornerodent

Tremendous posts chaps, thanks for all your help and advice!

oldwelshman

Ooops misread post, thought you were doing Marmotte now see you are doing it in August Others have pointed out where to eat and drink, have fun.

Kléber

Ken Night wrote:

Finally, the road from the bottom of the Glandon/Croix dF descent is a main road, and not pleasant at all. It always has a headwind too.

I'll second that, the road is very big and there's a lot of traffic. Some of it has a cycle lane, use this.

On Ventoux, there is a small fountain between Chalet Reynard and the summit on the right of the road, right by one of the left bends and a layby. Worth using.

CumbrianMan

Hi

First on the route is Allemond, but it only comes after about 10km, so a bit too early.
Next up is Rivier d'Allemont. Everything appeared closed when I went thro' in Sep, but there is a fontane on the left hand side as you go through.
Just as you get to the turn off for the Glandon, there's a little place to eat at (nice sun terrace). At the top of the Croix de Fer, there's another little place to eat at (nice ham butties in proper french bread).
At bottom of Glandon, there's St Etienne de Cuines, with plenty on offer.
Coming down C de Fer, there's a few ski resorts (St Sorlin, St Jean) with St Jean de Maurienne at the bottom. Again plenty on offer at the bottom.
Then it's the drag along the valley to St MIchel (plenty on offer), where you turn right to start ascent of Telegraphe.
I would try your best to get a good amount of food down you along the valley road, ready for the ascent.
Once at top of Telegraphe, I think there's somewhere to eat, but a few k's later your in Valloire ski resort, so plenty on offer again.
Then there's the cafe at Plan Lachat, followed by the one's either side of the Galibier, plenty in La Grave, and BDO itself, as mentioned by Ken Night.
There's also a nice little place to stop just after the Barrage du Chambon, where the road turns off to Les Deux Alpes, called the Hotel du Lac. But probably by this time you may just want to whizz on past and get down to BDO, ready for the Alpe :twisted:
I would recommend filling your bottles before you start the Alpe, especially if it's hot, as you'll need them. I filled one with energy drink, and the other with water for pouring over my head. It was that hot !
And finally, once you get into Alpe, there's a stack of places for you to eat, drink and celebrate what torrture you've just put yourself through :!: :!:

We're off to do the same, 2nd week in Sept. Looking forward to it, as ridden most of it in seperate sections, but not as a whole.

Good luck.

Airbornerodent

Again many thanks for your knowledge all. Cumbrianman, hope that you have a great time too!
Mmmm, having said that, I'm not so sure that I should be assuming that I'm going to have a great time.....
Bring it on!!

mrushton

You could do it in style. Alps firm GPM10 do either a Marmotte recon or a classic col trip, the latter covering most of the route. Not cheap, but they look after you, your bike and you get to eat nice food etc

www.gpm10.com