French cycling holiday help needed!

dsk699

Hi guys,
Having previously cycled across the Alpes and Pyrenees completing the Raid Alpine and Raid Pyrenean, I am looking at organising a cycling holiday which stays in one single place for a week, as opposed to doing an A to B route. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where a good base would be that would be central to plenty of different Cols and provide a weeks worth of good cycling routes. Alpes or Pyrenees is where I'm wanting to be.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

bernithebiker

Alpcycles for the Alps and Pyrenees Multisport for the .......yes Pyrenees.

I've been with both and both are excellent, with plenty of cols nearby.

random man

Bourg d'Oisans is an excellent base for Alpe d'Huez, Galibier, Croix du Fer and plenty more. Two very good cycle shops in town, but more important, plenty of bars and places to eat

durhamwasp

and seem can be said of Briancon or Le Grand Bornand

daviegb

I've got to weeks booked in the Alps - the last week of May & the first week of June, using two different bases. We're flying in & out of Geneva & will be hiring a car, so we'll be able to travel around a bit.

Week one is in St Jean de Maurienne - we're planning;
Day One - Col du Mollard & Col de la Croix de Fer
Day Two - drive to Bourg d'Oisans then cycle Alpe d'Huez & Col d'Ornon
Day Three - Col de Mont Cenis
Day Four - Col de la Madeleine & Col du Chaussy
Day Five - Col du Telegraphe & Col du Galibier
Day Six - drive to Briancon then cycle both sides of Col d'Izoard
Day Seven - drive to Bourg d'Oisans (again!) then cycle Les Deux Alpes & La Berarde
Day Eight - drive to our second base in Bourg St Maurice & possibly cycle La Plagne in the afternoon
Day Nine - Col d'Iseran
Day Ten - drive to Moutiers then cycle Col de la Madeleine (opposite side to 1st week)
Day Eleven - Col de Petit St Bernard & Colle San Carlo
Day Twelve - drive to Moutiers (again) then cycle Courchevel & Val Thorens
Day Thirteen - Col de Roselend & Col du Joly

If you want more details on any of these climbs, try the link below - it's a great source of routes in The Alps & The Pyrenees.

http://www.cycling-challenge.com/

Feel free to PM if you want any other information - have a great trip wherever you decide to go!

bernithebiker

Where are you staying? B&Bs? Hotels? Gite?
Cheers

durhamwasp

Some serious climbs there, and all off the bounce! nice

daviegb

We've gone for a hotel in both places;

Hotel St Georges while we're in St Jean de Maurienne - 8 nights was 512 euros for a single room (not including breakfast).
Hotel Belvedere while we're in Bourg St Maurice - 6 nights was 528 euros for a twin room (including breakfast).

I had an operation to pin my collar bone on 2nd January, so it was my first day back on the turbo trainer today - while it's not the real thing, it beats doing nothing!

durhamwasp

woah, pricey.... take a tent :-P

dylanfernley

can camp for free in bourg'd --save enough to pay for the whole trip !

Tony09

http://www.bikebasque.co.uk in the French Basque-country.

andrew@snowrace

Panticosa in spain just over the boarder on the coll de portalet half the price of france and loads of cycling just an hour from Pau and closer to the tour passes with some great loops there is quite a good B&B run by an Irish guy Chris www.thepyreneanexperience.com google earth it and you will see how close it is to many of the tour colls. Andy

maison le roux

The Savoie region of the French alps offers many famous col rides including the
Col d iseran
La Plagne
Cormet de Roselend
Petit ST Bernard
Arcs 2000
Col de la Madeleine
We are based in Macot La Plagne which is in the valley heart of all these fantastic rides & can offer good priced self catered or catered weeks for your accommodation here in the alps .
maison le roux macot la plagne