Alps - suggestions?
Discussion
So, boss is on my case to take some leave (never a bad thing) - likely last week august/first week sept timeframe.
No real idea what to do/anyone to go with at that sort of notice, so pondering taking myself down to (say) bourg d'oisans or somewhere like that and riding up a bunch of mountains. Has been vaguely on my to-do list since being in the area for the alpe d'huez tri, always seemed a pity to 'just' ride the alpe.
Any advice / suggestions: good time of the year? companies to go with rather than being billy, or just get on with it? Alternatives?
Cheers..
No real idea what to do/anyone to go with at that sort of notice, so pondering taking myself down to (say) bourg d'oisans or somewhere like that and riding up a bunch of mountains. Has been vaguely on my to-do list since being in the area for the alpe d'huez tri, always seemed a pity to 'just' ride the alpe.
Any advice / suggestions: good time of the year? companies to go with rather than being billy, or just get on with it? Alternatives?
Cheers..
JFDI would be fine but I always enjoy it more with some company so if I was on my own Id probably bunk in with a local company running a chalet
Bourg would be great however Lautaret and the Galibier are currently cut off due to a tunnel failure so youd have to loop north on a biiiig day out to take these in
And August is still school holidays however September wont be
Bourg would be great however Lautaret and the Galibier are currently cut off due to a tunnel failure so youd have to loop north on a biiiig day out to take these in
And August is still school holidays however September wont be
You'll love it.
For Telegraphe and Galibier (and Lauteret if you like), drive over the CdeFer one day (on a day after you've ridden it, to not spoil this ride if you plan to do it) down to St Michel du Maurienne, park there and ride there and back, Valloire is handy for lunch. That way you get the awesome descent/s down Galibier too
Everywhere there is awesome - apart from the valley road St Jean de Maurienne to St Michel de Maurienne.
For Telegraphe and Galibier (and Lauteret if you like), drive over the CdeFer one day (on a day after you've ridden it, to not spoil this ride if you plan to do it) down to St Michel du Maurienne, park there and ride there and back, Valloire is handy for lunch. That way you get the awesome descent/s down Galibier too
Everywhere there is awesome - apart from the valley road St Jean de Maurienne to St Michel de Maurienne.
the road between bourg and la grave is shut with a 2:30hr detour by car. its a pain in the arse, but if you have a few days down there its worth it.
we were there a couple of weeks before the tour. we stayed in la grave (booked before the landslide) and did lauteret, galibier, and telegraph (easy side) and back to la grave in a day. fabulous days riding.
after chatting with our group, we then decided to decamp to the other side of the blockage, and managed to hire some cheap apartments at deux alps. from there we did alp d'huez, and then the balcony road up to the top of d'huez the next day, then carried on up the col du saurene. i also managed to do deux alps a couple of times.
we didn't have long down there (three days) but we all agreed the glandon looked epic, and will see us return to do it, maybe next year. i thought croix de fer looked ok, but a very busy road, and not the most spectacular around. we all agreed, the quieter cols were the most enjoyable, no traffic, great views etc, though d'huez was very special.
do it, you wont regret it, and when you get back, your legs will feel epic!
we were there a couple of weeks before the tour. we stayed in la grave (booked before the landslide) and did lauteret, galibier, and telegraph (easy side) and back to la grave in a day. fabulous days riding.
after chatting with our group, we then decided to decamp to the other side of the blockage, and managed to hire some cheap apartments at deux alps. from there we did alp d'huez, and then the balcony road up to the top of d'huez the next day, then carried on up the col du saurene. i also managed to do deux alps a couple of times.
we didn't have long down there (three days) but we all agreed the glandon looked epic, and will see us return to do it, maybe next year. i thought croix de fer looked ok, but a very busy road, and not the most spectacular around. we all agreed, the quieter cols were the most enjoyable, no traffic, great views etc, though d'huez was very special.
do it, you wont regret it, and when you get back, your legs will feel epic!
mrspablo bought me the "mountain high" and "Mountain higher" books for christmas last year, they are full of good climbing routes, mostly there-and-backs but you could easily make them loops. The "Mountain higher" book has loads of the less climbed roads and some look epic. Well worth investing in them for the pictures alone but the routes look superb, I cant wait to get started planning a trip out there...
There is a google map at the bottom of this page for the first books 50 climbs.
http://www.cycling-challenge.com/book-review-mount...
http://www.cycling-challenge.com/book-review-mount...
If you're looking for accommodation, I can vouch for http://www.cyclingascents.com
Absolutely first class.
Kevin is a Brit who knows the area well and has a comprehensive workshop if needed.
Absolutely first class.
Kevin is a Brit who knows the area well and has a comprehensive workshop if needed.
Bourg is probably the best place to base yourself - I stay in a chalet literally metres from the ramp on the Alpe, been staying there for the last 15 years on a yearly basis. As has been mentioned, the roadblocks around the Lautaret are a real ball ache however, even off the top of my head I can think of at least 20 or 30 climbs you could do within a fairly small radius. You could quite easily fill a week's riding, no probs.
http://www.lacascadesarenne.com - this is where I stay, you might find it helpful.
http://www.lacascadesarenne.com - this is where I stay, you might find it helpful.
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