Guided Cycling Tours of the Alps
Sep 29th, 2006, 05:21 AM
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Guided Cycling Tours of the Alps
Anyone ever done one of these and have suggestions? I would like to hit some of the Tour de France or Giro d' Italia climbs if possible, Alpe de Huez etc.
Sep 29th, 2006, 07:06 AM
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Sep 29th, 2006, 08:28 AM
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We have followed the Tour de France for the past 6 years so we are very familiar with the French Alps and these routes.
You can do it on your own for a fraction of the price of a tour. We spent about the same amount of money for 3 weeks in France as we would have for an 8 day tour with a cycling group.
You can fly into Lyon, rent a car and drive about 2 hours to the village of Bourg d'Oisans which is at the base of Alpe d'huez. This is a perfect base for many of the most famous climbs in the French Alps of Letour.
There is a fun hotel there the Hotel Milan, it caters to a lot of cyclist, so they are used to guests arriving for breakfast in their cycling clothes & shoes. There is also a great bike shop in BdO that can work magic, and solve any problem you might have with your bike in what seems like minutes.
You could ride the Col du Galibier, Teleferique, Lauteret, Glandon, Ciox de Fer (sp).
There is a wonderful book available that has 30 routes using Bourg d'Oisans as a home base. You could easily spend 2 weeks here and not ride the same route twice.
We met a lot of people who were traveling on their own.
You can do it on your own for a fraction of the price of a tour. We spent about the same amount of money for 3 weeks in France as we would have for an 8 day tour with a cycling group.
You can fly into Lyon, rent a car and drive about 2 hours to the village of Bourg d'Oisans which is at the base of Alpe d'huez. This is a perfect base for many of the most famous climbs in the French Alps of Letour.
There is a fun hotel there the Hotel Milan, it caters to a lot of cyclist, so they are used to guests arriving for breakfast in their cycling clothes & shoes. There is also a great bike shop in BdO that can work magic, and solve any problem you might have with your bike in what seems like minutes.
You could ride the Col du Galibier, Teleferique, Lauteret, Glandon, Ciox de Fer (sp).
There is a wonderful book available that has 30 routes using Bourg d'Oisans as a home base. You could easily spend 2 weeks here and not ride the same route twice.
We met a lot of people who were traveling on their own.
Sep 29th, 2006, 10:50 AM
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I agree with Celtic if the aspect of being on a tour is not a priority. Although I don't cycle hard, my husband does and from the base of Alpe d'Huez he did a number of climbs. France has wonderful maps and you can usually get cycling routes - just google the regions you are intersted in visiting. Another area to consider is the Vercors, which is a beautiful range with cut out mountain roads and gorges. This area was also a big hide out for the resistance during WWII. I highly recommend this site for cycling, which provides blogs, routes and photos.
www.grenoblecycling.com.
And consider Cycling in France (purple book)by Tim Hughes. Its a few years old, but we found in helpful.
www.grenoblecycling.com.
And consider Cycling in France (purple book)by Tim Hughes. Its a few years old, but we found in helpful.
Oct 1st, 2006, 11:05 PM
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thanks, might try it on my own, though would prefer to try it with group, plus I thought with a guided tour if my legs give out on one of the mountain passes, at least I would have a ride, not sure it is worth the price though
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