Road Cycling Holidays Alpe d'Huez and Bourg d'Oisans in the French Alps with Tour d'Oisans

Marmotte 2011

tourdoisans — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:56:48 +0000

We have now started taking provisional bookings for our Marmotte 2011 week here in Bourg d’Oisans.

Since the entries closed for the 2010 La Marmotte we have had a good number of people enquiring about accommodation for 2011 !. All the details can be found on our La Marmotte 2011 page where we are currently taking bookings for our full Tour week running from Bourg d’Oisans. In addition if you book this with us then you can also get a 10% discount on our two La Marmotte Prep weeks running in 2011. The first is the last week of January running in sunny southern spain and the second is in June running from Bourg d’Oisans.

The rest of our accommodation for 2011 will be announced in the autumn of 2010. You can pre register your interest here and be first to hear.

Villard Reculas and Alpe d’Huez March 2010

tourdoisans — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:53:33 +0000

Another two and a half hours out on the roadbike on friday starting from our base in Bourg d’Oisans riding out to Allemont turning off towards the cold north facing switchbacks of the road to the small ski resort of Villard Reculas. The road upto Villard Reculas has really been beaten up by the weather this year and in places the road was still covered in snow. Once passed Villard Reculas I stopped and took some photos of the Alpe d’Huez 21 bends. The road from Villard Reculas brings you out just below bend 6 of Alpe d’Huez where you can turn left and follow the famous climb all the way to the Ski Resort. The descent down was freezing!

Oulles and Col d’Ornon

tourdoisans — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:46:50 +0000

March sees the snow starting to melt in the valley where we live in Bourg d’Oisans and some of the smaller (1300m+) climbs become more accessible and the weather a little warmer. March is when I traditionally up my riding in preperation for the summer ahead. My first big ride in the area took me up to the tiny village of Oulles at 1410m above sea level.

As you can see from the pictures there was still a little snow on the roads and loads on the mountains above. Once I descended this I took a right and made my first ascent (its the descent in our More Than 21 Bends Tour) of the Col d’Ornon (1371m)

Summer 2010 Availabilty in Bourg d’Oisans – April 2010 to Mid October 2010 (and Sierra Nevada January 2011)

tourdoisans — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:41:22 +0000

We now only have limited availabilty for the following weeks on our cycle Tours based from Bourg d’Oisans. We also the only company in Bourg d’Oisans where you can reserve your bikes online with our Bike Hire service – all guests staying with us will recieve a 10% discount

April 2010

All Tour weeks fully booked
We have various self supported bed and breakfast and self catered options available thoughout April

May 2010

15th-22nd fully supported tour week £365 GBP per person or £55 GBP per person per night - limited availability
22nd-29th fully supported tour week £365 GBP per person or £55 GBP per person per night ride the Challenge du Dauphiné Vercors sportive - - limited availability
We have various self supported bed and breakfast and self catered options available thoughout May

June 2010

5th June 2010 Marmotte Prep Week with Dauphine Libere in Alpe d’Huez - £450 GBP (7 nights) or £505 GBP (8 nights) – limited availiability
More Than 21 Bends Point to Point Tour £795 GBP (7 nights) 895 GBP (9 Nights to include Dauphine Libere – limited availiability
Very limited availability on a self catered and bed and breakfast self supported basis

July 2010

All Tours fully booked – please contact us about 2011
Very very limited availability on a self catered and bed and breakfast self supported basis

August 2010

7th-14st fully supported tour week £365 GBP per person or £55 GBP per person per night
We also have various self supported bed and breakfast and self catered options available thoughout August
21st-22nd – Marco Pantani Cycling Sportive flexible stay supported and bed and breakfast available.

September 2010

9th September – Fully support – Croix de Fer, Col du Telegraphe, Galibier,Alpe d’Huez weekend £55GBP per person per night – limited availability
Flexible stay Tour weeks please contact us. £55 GBP per person per night or £365GBP per person for 7 nights.
We also have various self supported bed and breakfast and self catered options available thoughout August

October 2010

Various options until 16th October 2010 please contact us

January 2011

29th January Winter Spanish Cycling in the Sierra Nevada – Half board with supported rides with a local guide £450GBP for 1 week.

Challenge du Dauphiné Vercors Sportive

tourdoisans — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:18:11 +0000

Ideal early season training for La Marmotte Sportive or what ever event you are planning to do this summer. The Challenge du Dauphiné Vercors Sportive event takes place on the 23rd May 2010 in and around the “smaller” mountains of Grenoble and is run to tie in with the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré Professional Stage Race which is fininshing in both Grenoble and Alpe d’Huez this year . Stay with us for a long weekend or for the week and travel with us to do this event on the Sunday and depending on your legs ride parts of La Marmotte route on the rest of the stay with us.

The sportive is available over three lengths – 66km, 123 km and 173 km and can be booked online here

Spain cycling holidays – Sierra Nevada

tourdoisans — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:02:42 +0000

Bourg d’Oisans is a great place to live for the cycling but from Mid November to the end of February its difficult to get the riding in (unless you count the gym at Alpe d’Huez). For this reason and also to provide our guests with some early riding for La Marmotte over similar terrain we are off to the Sierra Nevada in Southern Spain for a weeks cycling from the 29th January 2011 for one week.

The price for the week is £450 GBP per person and includes a guide for the week, bed and breakfast and evening meals and airport transfer from Granada Airport. We can also arrange airport pickups from Malaga airport (50GBP return per person). If you stay with us during summer 2010 or book for our La Marmotte 2011 accommodation then we will give you a 10% discount on the price of the Spanish holiday.

We have chosen the Sierra Nevada because the temperature will be in the low 20’s and Phil knows the area well from holidaying and cycling there before moving to Bourg d’Oisans. We are borrowing our friends traditional style villa in the village of Monachil. It is well set up with 8 single beds and 3 bathrooms and bike storage.

We will be riding between 60-80 km a day in a relaxed manner with coffee and lunch stops. For those that do not know the area the Sierra Nevada is a mountainous area (not unlike the Alpes) and features frequently in the Vuelta a Espana.

Oisans (and more) cycling events 2010

tourdoisans — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:30:15 +0000

There is a bucket load of cycling events in the area this year. Here is a list with relevent links back to our website for more information. If there is no link then just contact us and we will help you out

3rd June 2010 – Alpe d’Huzes Dutch charity event - 6 or more times up Alpe d’Huez in a day.
23rd May 2010 – Challenge du Dauphiné Vercors. €30 entry. 173km, 123km, 66km.
11th June 2010 – Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré finishes in Grenoble
12th June 2010 - Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré stage race climbes Alpe d’Huez (or add it to our more than 21 bends tour)
27th June 2010 - La Vaujany Sportive.
30th June 2010 – Prix des Grandes Rousses
3rd July 2010 - La Marmotte Sportive
4th July 2010 – Climbing the Alpe d’Huez (Also throughout July and August on Thursday morning)
16th-18th July 2010 – Matinales Cyclistes de la Lignarre 3 timed climbs from Bourg d’Oisans
19th July 2010 – Timed climb to La Garde en Oisans
20th July 2010 – Timed climb to St Christophe en Oisans
27th – 29th July 2010 – Alpe d’Huez Triathlon
21st-22nd August 2010 – Marco Pantani Cycling Sportive

Marmotte Entries 2010 closed – Marco Pantani Sportive instead ?

tourdoisans — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:01:41 +0000

Bad news for those trying to enter La Marmotte 2010 – it appears that the entries are now fully subscribed. More information can be found on the organisers website. It does appear however that you can still enter La Marmotte by entering the Trophee de l’Oisans which is a 4 race series over the week of La Marmotte taking in the Le Vaujany Sportive, Prix Des Grandes Rousses, La Marmotte and the Alpe d’Huez timetrial on the Sunday.

We still have some availabilty left in our hotel accommodation in Alpe d’Huez – more information on our La Marmotte Accommodation page.

We are also running 2 La Marmotte weeks here in Bourg d’Oisans one running in June which also takes in the Dauphine Libere stage race that finishes on Alpe d’Huez and also one in September. The Marmotte Prep week in september will also be taking in an optional drive to the infamous Mount Ventoux.

Also if you are looking to do a sportive in the area then there is the excellent Marco Pantani Cycling Sportive in August which takes on some equally impressive (The Col de Parquetout for example) but less well known climbs in the Oisans area.

Cycling Alpe d’Huez in February

tourdoisans — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:43:40 +0000

With some loverly early spring weather and the temperature in Bourg d’Oisans at 3 degrees I cycled the 21 bends of Alpe d’Huez. Alpe d’Huez itself was bathed in sunshine with a temperature of 9 degrees. After dropping the bike off with Helen at the minbus I swapped into my skiing gear and managed a couple of hours of skiing before the 75 minute ride up started to take its effects on my legs !

Lance Armstrong to ride Dauphiné Libéré 2010

tourdoisans — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:48:47 +0000

Lance Armstrong has announced he will be riding the Dauphiné Libéré 2010 which comes though the Oisans on the 11th (Grenoble) and 12 th June 2010 (Alpe d’Huez). For accommodation on our cycing week here in Bourg d’Oisans see our special Dauphiné Libéré 2010 page.

Winter Ride Bourg d’Oisans to Vaujany

tourdoisans — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:41:59 +0000

Cycled up to the ski resort of Vaujany today (about an hours ride mostly uphill from Bourg d’Oisans) and met up with Helen. We then spent the afternoon in the Vaujany Sauna and Jacuzzi. While we were sitting about in the Jacuzzi the weather came in a little so jumped in the minibus and drove back to Bourg d’Oisans.

Alpe d’Huez and Vaujany cycle ride in January

tourdoisans — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:26:36 +0000

This week with good (if very cold) weather I have got three bike rides in, as well as a load of skiing in Alpe d’Huez. On Tuesday I cycled up the 21 bends of Alpe d’Huez – this is now my 19th consecutive month that I have cycled it at least once. On thursday I did a couple of hours skiing before retreating to the Alpe d’Huez gym for an hour of interval training on the stationary bikes - a little boring but neccassary as i start to gentle ease back into training for our first proper cyling guest in mid April. Saturday I cycled the south facing climb up to the ski resort of Vaujany where I meant the family for a swim in the fantastic pool.

How to enter La Marmotte ?

tourdoisans — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:47:12 +0000

We get asked quite a bit about this at Tour d’Oisans.

You can enter online at the following site:

http://www.sportcommunication.info/GT/index.php?langue=2

This is the version that is in english (kind of) anyway follow the instructions through choosing the “registraion online” menu option. If you have entered before then they will have a record of you otherwise just enter your name and it will come up with a link just below “MY NAME IS NOT ON THE FOLLOWING DATABASE”

TIP:lastname is actually your firstname !

click on this link and you should be away !! . Good luck - the website is “typically french” and prone to crashing so keep trying because the sportive itself is fantastic.

One other thing you will need a doctors certificate (which you can download from the site) or a racing licence to enter.

Once you have an entry form check out our website for La Marmotte Accommodation. The best place to stay is in Bourg d’Oisans but all the best accommodation tends to get booked up the September before. Alpe d’Huez is also a good base because it is at the finish of the event. Anywhere else and there is a lot of travelling to be done at the end of the event itself.

Marco Pantani Memorial Cycling Sportive 2010 Accommodation

tourdoisans — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:13:08 +0000

The 2010 dates for the Marco Pantani Memorial Cycling Sportive 2010 have been announced as the 21st and 22nd August 2010.

We are now taking booking for our main cycling accommodation in Bourg d’Oisans so that you can combine this event with some other riding in the area. We are also offering accommodation at our friends in the Hotel La Meije in the centre of Les Deux Alpes or we have some self catering stays available for 1 week or more starting from £400GBP.

For more information please visit our Marco Pantani Cycling Sportive page and read a little from the 2009 Sportive day here .

Alpe d’Huzes Accommodation in Alpe d’Huez

tourdoisans — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:16:11 +0000

We are now selling Alpe d’Huzes accommodation with our friends at the 3 star rated Vallee Blanche Hotel just 100 metres from the finish line in Alpe d’Huez.

BOOK ONLINE HERE NOW >>

The hotel boasts secure communal bike storage.
A restaurant, lounge and bar area with a sunny terrace, free WIFI access and Satellite TV.
The majority of the rooms have private balconies with stunning views over the Oisans.
All rooms have private ensuite facilities.
Flexible stay starting from 3 nights.
Rooms start from just £37 pppn.
Half board and full board available for an additional charge.
Fully automated online booking service.

Alpe d’Huez Accommodation for La Marmotte 2010

tourdoisans — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:06:47 +0000

We are now selling La Marmotte Accommodation with our friends at the 3 star rated Vallee Blanche Hotel just 100 metres from the finish line in Alpe d’Huez.

BOOK ONLINE HERE NOW >>

The hotel boasts secure communal bike storage
A restaurant, lounge and bar area with a sunny terrace, free WIFI access and Satellite TV.
The majority of the rooms have private balconies with stunning views over the Oisans
All rooms have private ensuite facilities.
Flexible stay starting from 3 nights.
Rooms start from just £45 pppn.
Half board and full board available for an additional charge. Transfer Service for you and your bike from Grenoble.
Fully automated online booking service.

Introducing the More Than 21 Bends Tour

tourdoisans — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:23:47 +0000

A fair few customers last year thought it would be good to do a point to point tour in the regions – so we have set up “More Than 21 Bends“ a week long fully vehicle supported road cycling tour starting and finishing in Bourg d’Oisans. As part of the week you will stay in Bourg d’Oisans, Saint Jean de Maurienne, Briançon and Les Deux Alpes and climb the major Tour de France climbs of of Alpe d’Huez, Col de la Croix der Fer, Col du Glandon, Col de la Madeleine, Col du Télégraphe, Col du Galibier, Col d’Izoard and the Col du Lautaret and the less well know but equally fantastic Les Deux Alpes, Col de la Morte, Col d’Ornon and the Col de Sarenne

For more information please visit our More Than 21 Bends website

6 Days of Cycling – Grenoble

tourdoisans — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:08:07 +0000

The end of October sees the start of the 6 day winter cycling circuit where the pro riders have traditional made their money over the winter period. We went to see the saturday night version of the event that starts at 7PM and ran through to 2AM.You can either sit in the stalls round the edge or book one of the tables in the middle of the velodrome and enjoy a slap up meal. As well as cycling there is a host of other stuff going on from – singers, a live band, circus acts and magicians. Sometimes it all seems to be happening at the same time so while you are trying to work out who is winning the maddison there will be a singer blasting out Frank Sinatras “My Way”. We will run a Grenoble Cycling 6 Days Long Weekend in 2010 to include riding Alpe d’Huez and also a huge meal in the centre of the Velodrome - so visit our website for more information.

Last Summer Guests Leave Bourg d’Oisans – October

tourdoisans — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:12:57 +0000

Our last set of summer guests left us this weekend after enjoying some superb weather (if a little fresh on the downhill descents). Our two guests flew into Lyon and cycled to Bourg d’Oisans – some 164 km. They finally reached our house in Bourg d’Oisans at 7:30 PM tired – but we made sure they had a big meal waiting for them as part of their stay. Over the next few days they tackled St Christophe and of course Alpe d’Huez where they both posted credible times. At the end of their stay they both admited that cycling is not their usual sport !

We are now shut for November while we do a bit of painting and add some improvements to the house including satellite tv to go with our free WiFi service. We are taking booking over the winter for Skiing in Alpe d’Huez and Les Deux Alpes both on a bed and breakfast basis in our house and with our friends the Hotel La Meije up inLes Deux Alpes. We also have a selection of apartments in Bourg d’Oisans

In Search of Robert Millar

tourdoisans — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:09:17 +0000

I have just finished reading this book. It is a great insight into the legend that is Robert Millar – and one of the reasons in 1984 that I got into cycling and especially my love of the mountains. Millar had all his Tour de France wins in the Pyrenees but the author still talks of the great battles he had in the Alpes and especially Alpe d’Huez and the Col du Galibier.

The book can be found in all good bookstores but better still why not visit us here on one of our Cycling Holiday and read it for free.

Two new rides from Bourg d’Oisans

tourdoisans — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:18:46 +0000

Over the last couple of weeks I have tried a couple of new road rides- The first, last week was up from Allemont on the Route de Clot. The there and back trip is just under 40KM with a sharp climb passed the Allemont church up to 1293m. The road runs out here so it was back the same way to Bourg d’Oisans.

The second ride today was from Bourg d’Oisans up to Bons – just below Les Deux Alpes. This was a very similar climb a long a sheltered wooded road before opening up to fantastic views of Auris en Oisans. Once you go through Bons you can either take a right and climb up to Les Deux Alpes or descend back to Bourg d’Oisans. The total distance again was about 40km.

2010 Dauphiné Libéré to visits Alpe d’Huez

tourdoisans — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:06:40 +0000

The 2010 Dauphiné Libéré (running from the WC 5th June 2010) and the warm up for the Tour de France will be visiting Alpe d’Huez on the 12th June 2010. It will also be visiting the nearby city of Grenoble on the 11th June. We are running our Marmotte Cycling week the week before or our More Than 21 Bends Point to Point Tour the week after the event and you can stay for an additional £55GBP per peron per night if you can stay for an extra night to catch Lance Armstrong and the other major tour contenders riding the event as part of their preperation for the Tour de France 2010.

Tour de France 2010 Route – no Alpe d’Huez but….

tourdoisans — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:41:26 +0000

The 2010 Tour de France route was announced today and although there is no Alpe d’Huez stage this year – stage 9 will head over the Col de Madeleine and this ridable from Bourg d’Oisans over the Col du Glandon (as used in La Marmotte sportive in July). Stage 10 from Chambery to Gap also looks interesting and could possible come very close to Bourg d’Oisans. This would make an ideal base to catch a bit of the Tour de France and also ride some of the climbs with us. The route will go up over Laffrey (30km) and we would then return to Bourg d’Oisans via the Col d’Ornon (2KM)

Stage	Type	Date	Start and Finish	Distance
P	Prologue	Saturday 3 July	Rotterdam > Rotterdam	8 km
1	Flat	Sunday 4 July	Rotterdam > Bruxelles	224 km
2	Hilly	Monday 5 July	Bruxelles > Spa	192 km
3	Flat	Tuesday 6 July	Wanze > Arenberg Porte du Hainaut	207 km
4	Flat	Wednesday 7 July	Cambrai > Reims	150 km
5	Flat	Thursday 8 July	Épernay > Montargis	185 km
6	Flat	Friday 9 July	Montargis > Gueugnon	225 km
7	Medium mountains	Saturday 10 July	Tournus > Station des Rousses	161 km
8	High Mountains	Sunday 11 July	Station des Rousses > Morzine-Avoriaz	189 km
R	Rest Day	Monday 12 July	Morzine-Avoriaz
9	High Mountains	Tuesday 13 July	Morzine-Avoriaz > Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne	204 km
10	Medium mountains	Wednesday 14 July	Chambéry > Gap	179 km
11	Flat	Thursday 15 July	Sisteron > Bourg-lès-Valence	180 km
12	Hilly	Friday 16 July	Bourg-de-Péage > Mende	210 km
13	Flat	Saturday 17 July	Rodez > Revel	195 km
14	High Mountains	Sunday 18 July	Revel > Ax-3 Domaines	184 km
15	High Mountains	Monday 19 July	Pamiers > Bagnères-de-Luchon	187 km
16	High Mountains	Tuesday 20 July	Bagnères-de-Luchon > Pau	196 km
R	Rest Day	Wednesday 21 July	Pau
17	High Mountains	Thursday 22 July	Pau > Col du Tourmalet	174 km
18	Flat	Friday 23 July	Salies-de-Béarn > Bordeaux	190 km
19	Individual time-trial	Saturday 24 July	Bordeaux > Pauillac	51 km
20	Flat	Sunday 25 July	Longjumeau > Paris Champs-Élysées	105 km

Cycling Oulles in October

tourdoisans — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:32:29 +0000

This is my favourite climb in the area and is accessible most of the year due to its south facing nature. It climbs over 7km and as you can see from the profile is steep and is good to ride from Bourg d’Oisans if you only have a shot window of time!

Col de Parquetout via the Col d’Ornon

tourdoisans — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:23:52 +0000

For the first time since the begining of May we have not had any guests in so I took the oportunutity to try out a new route for our 2010 holidays. This 90 km ride takes in the Col d’Ornon first and then onto the Col de Parquetout (as used in the Marco Pantani Cycling Sportive in August) I followed the Col de Parquetout over the top and towards La Mure before taking a right and retracing my steps back over the Col d’Ornon and Bourg d’Oisans (or Col d’Ormon as it seems to be called on the other side) . With effectively 3 cols this was a long and tough ride.

Col d’Ornon – September

tourdoisans — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:34:54 +0000

We are coming to the end of our last Tour Week here in Bourg d’Oisans and today we took a ride up the Col d’Ornon.

With all the major cols still open we are taking last minute bookings for bed and breakfast basis until 25th October 2009 for just £35 per person per night in a twin room (single person supplement £10 per person per night) on a self supported basis. If you want to travel light we can also provide bike hire (various sizes from 50cm – 59cm).

We are also now taking booking for the winter skiing and boarding season for Alpe d’Huez and Les Deux Alpes.

La Marmotte Col du Telegraphe and Col du Galibier – September

tourdoisans — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:57:40 +0000

Bit of a mad day here at Tour d’Oisans with 2 of our guests riding the full La Marmotte route, 3 guys riding the Col du Telegraphe and Col du Galibier and one guy just wanting to do the Col du Galibier. We managed to fit it in with a drive to the bottom of the Telegraphe in our minibus where we set 3 off. We then drove to the top of the Telegraphe where we let the last man off. I waited for them at the top of the Galibier where they all decided to descend back to Bourg d’Oisans. The two guys doing the full La Marmotte route finally arrived back after dark at 8:10 PM !

Col de la Croix de Fer and Col du Glandon in September

tourdoisans — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:06:50 +0000

With 5 of our guests tacking Alpe d’Huez today myself and one other guest, up to Eric the Red Col du Glandon and Col de la Croix Fer der. As you can see from the photos it was pretty wet and cold up there but through the cloud you could just make out the glimpses of the mountain side quietly turning a brown color as autumn approaches.

7 guys from Ireland do Alpe d’Huez

tourdoisans — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:35:25 +0000

Seven guys from Ireland are here for a long weekend on our hire bikes with the aim of beating Sheryl Crows time up Alpe d’Huez. Their times ranged from 66:10 – 113:44

Col de la Morte and Col d’Ornon

tourdoisans — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:14:50 +0000

These two 1300 metre climbs are part of The Marco Pantani Cycling Sportive held in August. We tackled the route from Bourg d’Oisans over the Col de La Morte and then onto Valbonnais and finally over the Col d’Ornon and back to our base in Bourg d’Oisans. Its a total distance of 100 km with 1800 metres of vertical height gain.

Bourg d’Oisans – Col du Lautaret – Col du Galibier and back

tourdoisans — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:26:33 +0000

This is an epic climb pretty much starting 5 KM outside of Bourg d’Oisans and ascending firstly to the Col du Lautaret at 2055m and 40KM and then the Col du Galibier at 2645 metres and 49 KM. The Australian guys staying with us this week had the option of an uplift to half way to miss out some of the 800 metre tunnels but decided they wanted to ride it. This is an out and back ride with the return leg making 49KM of La Marmotte route.

La Marmotte 2010 dates announced

tourdoisans — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:08:21 +0000

The 2010 La Marmotte event will be held on the 3rd July 2010. Please visit our La Marmotte Accommodation page for more information on our accommodation in Alpe d’Huez and Bourg d’Oisans.

We are also providing two tailored weeks from our base in Bourg d’Oisans for La Marmotte training.

Accommodation for Alpe d’Huez EDF Triathlon 2010

tourdoisans — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:56:44 +0000

The dates for the 2010 EDF Alpe d’Huez triathlon have been announced as the 27th-29th July 2o10. For more information on our accommodation options in Bourg d’Oisans – just at the base of Alpe d’Huez please visit our Alpe d’Huez Triathlon Accommodation page.

4 Australians do Alpe d’Huez

tourdoisans — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:50:24 +0000

Four of our australian guests cycles the mythical 21 bends today recording some excellent times. As we are so close to the base of the clim we did a 20 minute warm up out towards Venosc. Their times can be found on our customer Alpe d’Huez Times page

Alpe d’Huez before during and after photos

tourdoisans — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:39:44 +0000

Two of our guest rode the Alpe d’Huez switchbacks today to put their times on our website…

Marco Pantani Memorial Cycling Sportive 2009

tourdoisans — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:27:43 +0000

Two of seven guests today took part in the Marco Pantani Cycling Sportive. As we are based in Bourg d’Oisans we took them up to Les Deux Alpes for the start at 8AM. John and Simon had a long hot day in the saddle with temperatures hitting 39 C. The route was slightly changed this year missing out the climb of Villard Reculas up to Alpe d’Huez and instead cycling up to bend 16 of Alpe d’Huez before traversing across to Freney d’Oisans and then the final clim of Les Deux Alpes.

The rest of us cycled up to St Christophe en Oisans and La Barade and back !

Alpe d’Huez timetrial from Bourg d’Oisans

tourdoisans — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:45:09 +0000

Every thursday in July and August there is a mass start timetrial up Alpe d’Huez starting from our base town in Bourg d’Oisans. This is actually the first time I have competed in the race and managed a new personal best time of 55:49 almost a minute off my previous best. I rode with a couple of other guys for most of the climb before losing out to both of them with about 3 bends to go. For the record the winning time was an amazing 40:16 !

50th Birthday ride up Alpe d’Huez

tourdoisans — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:54:32 +0000

One of our guests this week Peter a bush fire fighter from Australia rode up Alpe d’Huez today for his birthday treat. He left early to beat the 30 plus degree heat and recorded a very good Alpe d’Huez time of 75 mins and 35 seconds on one of our hire bikes.

EasyJet release flights for next summer – Book La Marmotte training week ?

tourdoisans — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 07:32:37 +0000

Easyjet have for the first time released their flights for the early part of next summer 2010. You can currently fly from London to Lyon for under £100GBP where you can then either catch the bus to Grenoble and Bourg d’Oisans or we can arrange an airport pick up for you. We are also offering the first of our La Marmotte Prep weeks in June as well at this year prices until the end of September 2009. We also have a large selection of Hire Bikes available as well !

Cycling Alpe d’Huez, Col du Galibier, Col de la Croix de Fer and Glandon in October

tourdoisans — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:20:13 +0000

Just to let you know that our cycling season extends into the middle of October as the weather is still really good.

All the major cols will still be open so you can ride Alpe d’Huez, Col du Galibier, Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Glandon, Col du Lautaret, Col d’Ornon and also the Col du Telegraphe as well as all the other beautiful but less well known climbs in the area.

For more information on bed and breakfast (with free bike hire) or self catered accommodation in Bourg d’Oisans please contact us here

one of our guests riding the col du galibier in october 2008

Cycled Up Alpe d’Huez while the Tour de France was at Mount Ventoux

tourdoisans — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:40:15 +0000

While the Tour de France was at Mount Ventoux a long with most of our guests I cycled up Alpe d’Huez testing out some new jersey for next year – they are made by Columba in a sportwool fabric. Check the guys out at the following website – http://colomba.cc/index.php as they will be making us a special version of the jersey.

Anyway here are some Tour de France fact about Alpe d’Huez.

The first stage was in 1952 with Fausto Coppi winning the stage. This is also the longest stage to Alpe d’Huez of 260KM
The tour did not come back until 1976 and it was won by Joop Zoetemelk
In 1979 the Tour de France fininshed twice on Alpe d’Huez with Joaquim Agostinho and Joop Zoetemelk winning again
Interestingly between 1952 and 1978 the climb was classed as a 1st catergory climb since then it has become a HC climb
In 1984 an amateur Luis Herrera of Columbia one the stage
The first english speaking person to win the stage was Andrew Hampsten in 1992 Lance Armstrong then won it in 2001
The stage has been won by Netherlands 8 times, Italy 7 times, Spain 3 times, Portugal 1 time, United States 2 times, Switzerland 1 time, Columbia 1 time, France 1 time and Luxembourg 1 time.
Due to their early domination of the Alpe d’Huez stage the Dutch very much consider it their mountain and have an anual Alpe d’Huzes event (although they have not won here since 1989)
At the time of writing the Tour last visited in 2008 – its expected and hoped it will return in 2010.
The Tour has visited Alpe d’Huez 26 times
Bourg d’Oisans at the bottom of Alpe d’Huez started the 2004 Time Trial up to Alpe d’Huez a total of 15.5 KM. It was won by Lance Armstrong in a time of 37:46 minutes

La Marmotte 2009 week photos from my guests at the Croix de Fer and Glandon

tourdoisans — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:49:16 +0000

Photos of some of our guests from La Marmotte 2009 event staying with us in Bourg d’Oisans.

La Marmotte 2009 Video

tourdoisans — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:16:57 +0000

To view our 2009 La Marmotte video please visit our site. At the same time you can also register your interest in our accommodation for 2010. We are also running two La Marmotte training weeks in September 2009 and June 2010 from our base in the centre of Bourg d’Oisans – just 100 metres from the start of the Sportive.

Photos from Alpe d’Huez during La Marmotte 2009

tourdoisans — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:15:40 +0000

The rain came towards the end of the day in Alpe d’Huez but it seemed to cool the riders down after a very hot day in the saddle. More photos from the sportive today. The riders had already climbed the Col du Glandon, the Col du Telegraphe and the might Col du Galibier. Some were feeling the effects…..

La Marmotte 2009 at the Col du Lautaret

tourdoisans — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:24:22 +0000

More photos this time from the Col du Lautaret during La Marmotte 2009 where we were supporting our guests today.

La Marmotte Start photos Bourg d’Oisans 2009

tourdoisans — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:34:41 +0000

We walked the 100 metres from our base in Bourg d’Oisans to the start of La Marmotte to cheer our guests on today.

Col du Galibier – La Marmotte Week

tourdoisans — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:23:29 +0000

As part of our La Marmotte week we take our guests to Valliore at the base of the mighty Col du Galibier. The aim is then to ride back to Bourg d’Oisans. This is a good 60 km of La Marmotte route. While our guests rode up I took these photos.

Preparing for the Alpe d’Huez climb on La Marmotte route

tourdoisans — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:47:02 +0000

As part of our La Marmotte route here in Bourg d’Oisans we take our guests on a fairly hard ride up Alpe d’Huez mid afternoon so that they can climitise to the likely weather conditions on the day of the sportive itself. A fairly fast pace was attained with one of our guests John Brunt achieving a 59:40 time up Alpe d’Huez.

Bourg d’Oisans to the Col du Glandon – La Marmotte week 2009

tourdoisans — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:39:01 +0000

We took a group of our guests up the Col du Glandon and Col de la Croix der Fer as part of their La Marmotte week today based in Bourg d’Oisans. The weather was fantastic and there was a real buzz on the two cols with at least 100 cyclist on top of the Col de la Croix de Fer.

Twin Six Alpe d’Huez T-Shirts

tourdoisans — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 06:43:43 +0000

We now have a range of Twin Six t-shirts available for 25 Euros when staying with us on our cycling holidays in Alpe d’Huez and Bourg d’Oisans or you can buy directly from our online shop here