French Alps: cycling holidays and sportives

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  • ogs116
    ogs116 Posts: 6
    [/quoteI took 2 days off after the event, and then rode AdH again. It didn't seem half as daunting the second time around, and I felt much stronger all the way to the top.

    Of course, it was close to 40 degrees climbing the alpe late afternoon with 100 miles in the legs :)
  • mr_goo
    mr_goo Posts: 3,770
    Stayed in Samoens this summer. Excellent base for road and mtb.
    Col de Joux Plain starts in village. Over top and down to Morzine, where you can do the climb to Avoriaz or Col de Joux Vert.
    In Samoens there is a little known climb to the Ski Station Samoen 1600. There is a section of 4 kms at 11%, 11%, 11% and then 13%. The road is dead quiet as it only goes to the top of the mountain.
    You can also cycle out of the valley and down into Cluses and across to Grand Bornand.

    There are a couple of bike shops in Samoens that organise the mtb trips, not sure whether road bikes are on their agenda. Just do some research and little bit of planning and do it yourself.

    Am currently coaxing the other half into a return trip next year.
    Always be yourself, unless you can be Aaron Rodgers....Then always be Aaron Rodgers.
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Mr Goo wrote:
    Stayed in Samoens this summer. Excellent base for road and mtb.
    Col de Joux Plain starts in village. Over top and down to Morzine, where you can do the climb to Avoriaz or Col de Joux Vert.
    In Samoens there is a little known climb to the Ski Station Samoen 1600. There is a section of 4 kms at 11%, 11%, 11% and then 13%. The road is dead quiet as it only goes to the top of the mountain.
    You can also cycle out of the valley and down into Cluses and across to Grand Bornand.

    There are a couple of bike shops in Samoens that organise the mtb trips, not sure whether road bikes are on their agenda. Just do some research and little bit of planning and do it yourself.

    Am currently coaxing the other half into a return trip next year.

    Bit gutted that we sold our chalet in Samoens some years ago, it's a great spot, very beautiful. It was just beyond the old bubble lift. That climb to 1600 is very nice, and the Joux Plaine is of course a classic with great views onto Mont Blanc. Riding into the end of the valley (Sixt) is also very nice, and the ride back to GVA isn't too shabby either....
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,124
    If you are doing pre Etape/Marmotte riding then consider Classic Cycling Tours who are in Meribel.

    http://www.classiccyclingtours.co.uk/
    BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
    Instagramme
  • mr_goo
    mr_goo Posts: 3,770
    bernithebiker wrote:
    Mr Goo wrote:
    Stayed in Samoens this summer. Excellent base for road and mtb.
    Col de Joux Plain starts in village. Over top and down to Morzine, where you can do the climb to Avoriaz or Col de Joux Vert.
    In Samoens there is a little known climb to the Ski Station Samoen 1600. There is a section of 4 kms at 11%, 11%, 11% and then 13%. The road is dead quiet as it only goes to the top of the mountain.
    You can also cycle out of the valley and down into Cluses and across to Grand Bornand.

    There are a couple of bike shops in Samoens that organise the mtb trips, not sure whether road bikes are on their agenda. Just do some research and little bit of planning and do it yourself.

    Am currently coaxing the other half into a return trip next year.

    Bit gutted that we sold our chalet in Samoens some years ago, it's a great spot, very beautiful. It was just beyond the old bubble lift. That climb to 1600 is very nice, and the Joux Plaine is of course a classic with great views onto Mont Blanc. Riding into the end of the valley (Sixt) is also very nice, and the ride back to GVA isn't too shabby either....

    Ride to Sixt is lovely. Especially across the plain before the climbing. Quite an amazing landscape. Also good climb upto the waterfalls at Rouget. Would love to have a chalet in the area. One can dream.
    GVA?

    We actually stayed at Verchaix (lower). The climb to the old village and beyond is also lovely, but is up and down only.
    MTB along the Gifre also good fun.
    Always be yourself, unless you can be Aaron Rodgers....Then always be Aaron Rodgers.
  • ransos1
    ransos1 Posts: 34
    ogs116 wrote:
    Of course, it was close to 40 degrees climbing the alpe late afternoon with 100 miles in the legs :)

    Well, there was that too! Never have I been so grateful for someone tipping cold water over my head...
  • shmooster
    shmooster Posts: 335
    davidof wrote:
    If you are doing pre Etape/Marmotte riding then consider Classic Cycling Tours who are in Meribel.
    http://www.classiccyclingtours.co.uk/

    I did Marmotte with CCT this year. Really enjoyed it, lovely bunch who clearly were massively into cycling. They looked after us very well and gave us an insightful session on what to look out for the night before. Almost every issue I saw someone having we'd been warned about.

    Would go with them again, and in fact I still might next year if I can persuade a few friends that it's a great idea to do it again :-)
  • bikergirl17
    bikergirl17 Posts: 344
    and another one for alps cycles ... just fabulous team, really warm and motivating. but it is ride hard, no long stops ( the tuna fish sandwich they had waiting for me at the top of galibier was perhaps the best sandwich ever), finish and relax. i prefer that, but if you like long cafe stops, it is not the group for you.

    i am a much lower calibre than their typical client and they were brilliant in dealing with my slowness.

    and i totally agree one rides into fitness. i like to do two weeks in the alps, and i am always much stronger by the second week. your body just adapts to the climbing.

    i've also stayed in annecy and la clusaz unsupported. access to amazing climbs there -- le semnoz, aravais, columbiere, croix fry, forclaz ... you can even get out to roseland and joux plane if you are up for a 100 mile ride. annecy is easier in some ways, as more amenities and if you want to do a relatively flat ride, there's always around the lake. however, it can feel like quite a slog to get to columbiere and aravais. on flip side, if you stay in the mountains, every ride will involve a major climb.
  • nunowoolmez
    nunowoolmez Posts: 867
    bikergirl17 wrote:
    and another one for alps cycles ... just fabulous team, really warm and motivating. but it is ride hard, no long stops ( the tuna fish sandwich they had waiting for me at the top of galibier was perhaps the best sandwich ever), finish and relax. i prefer that, but if you like long cafe stops, it is not the group for you.

    i am a much lower calibre than their typical client and they were brilliant in dealing with my slowness.

    and i totally agree one rides into fitness. i like to do two weeks in the alps, and i am always much stronger by the second week. your body just adapts to the climbing.

    i've also stayed in annecy and la clusaz unsupported. access to amazing climbs there -- le semnoz, aravais, columbiere, croix fry, forclaz ... you can even get out to roseland and joux plane if you are up for a 100 mile ride. annecy is easier in some ways, as more amenities and if you want to do a relatively flat ride, there's always around the lake. however, it can feel like quite a slog to get to columbiere and aravais. on flip side, if you stay in the mountains, every ride will involve a major climb.

    Cool, this is good to know! I spent 2 weeks in the Alps this summer & although I rode hard I still had plenty of gas left, so this is good to know. I also prefer just to ride without long stops or constantly stopping at cafes. Horses for courses I suppose but I like to keep the momentum going & it's nice to know this is their approach too! The itinery they sent me looks great too, just spot on. It has 3/4 days riding with a couple of days off the bike too. The rides include a climb of The Glandon & The Alpe, which will be nice to do without pressure, & also the Lauteret & Galibier climb, so the reverse of the massive descent. I love that side of the Galibier anyway & haven't done the Lauteret before, so that will be good. Have definately decided on these guys, everything I hear has been awesome.
  • remedy_7
    remedy_7 Posts: 179
    Joux Plane was mentioned a few times above. Anyone know why it was one of the last cols in the Alps to open this year? It is only 1600m and I didn't see any road works.
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Remedy 7 wrote:
    Joux Plane was mentioned a few times above. Anyone know why it was one of the last cols in the Alps to open this year? It is only 1600m and I didn't see any road works.

    Can't say for sure, but it's North facing, and well shaded at the very top, so hangs onto it's snow quite well.
  • remedy_7
    remedy_7 Posts: 179
    The one I cycled was South facing and very hot. Maybe the North side from Morzine was the problem.

    Some of the cols are closed to traffic but un-officially open to cyclists. Cormet de Roselend was open to cyclists for about a month before traffic was allowed. Ventoux is another one.
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Remedy 7 wrote:
    The one I cycled was South facing and very hot. Maybe the North side from Morzine was the problem.

    Some of the cols are closed to traffic but un-officially open to cyclists. Cormet de Roselend was open to cyclists for about a month before traffic was allowed. Ventoux is another one.

    You're right it is South facing, (going up from Samoens) I got muddled up. So there goes the snow theory........
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    Remedy 7 wrote:
    Joux Plane was mentioned a few times above. Anyone know why it was one of the last cols in the Alps to open this year? It is only 1600m and I didn't see any road works.
    The French group their passes into 3 categories (important to through-traffic, giving access to villages and resorts, tourist route), and how much time and effort the local authorities put in to clear a pass depends on which category the pass is in.

    Joux-Plane is in the tourist route category, so the least important category, and clearing these passes isn’t a priority for the local authorities. In the case of Joux-Plane, it’s also no big deal to locals - if anyone wants to go from Samoens to Morzine, they can via Taninges and Les Gets - it’s only 5 km farther than over Joux-Plane, and easier.

    As contrast, the Lauteret is in the category important to through-traffic, so despite its 2000+ m height, the local authorities try to keep it clear the whole year round. The even higher Galibier and Iseran passes are also in that category, so if there’s still snow around down to lower elevations at the beginning of June (as was the case this year*), they and similar category passes would get priority over the passes in the tourist route category, like the Joux-Plane.

    * as evidence of snow at the begining of June, this pic shows at Avoriaz (above Morzine) just then, elevation somewhere between 1800-2000 m.

    snow-in-avoriaz-770x577.jpg
  • remedy_7
    remedy_7 Posts: 179
    I guess that makes a lot of sense. The roads that were late to open were the ones that didn't really go anywhere.

    One interesting thing that I learnt this year, although now obvious, a lot of the roads can be open all the way but still closed to traffic. This is because land/snow slides.
    Cormet de Roselend was a good example. I rode it quite a few times and the road was clear all the way but closed. Snow plough parked across the road. Then when I rode the following week, an avalanche had wiped out the road.
  • Chez-Ray
    Chez-Ray Posts: 8
    Have a look at www.Chez-Ray.com , ''Affordable cycling in the French alps''. There's a great sportive the first weekend in July every year -- 14 Euros to enter with feed stations and a meal at the end ! No need to pay expensive entry for The Marmot or Tour Etape !!
    Come and visit--- HAPPINESS is riding in the sunshine.

    http://chez-ray.vpweb.co.uk/

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