The 2019 La Marmotte Alps Cycling Sportive will take place on Sunday 7th July 2019. As per usual bike rental for the 7000 competitor strong La Marmotte will be in high demand.
More Than 21 Bends still have a few self catered accommodation in the heart of Bourg d’Oisans left for the event and booking this and your cycle hire at the same time will provide you with cheaper cycle hire.
Stage 13 of this year’s TdF travelled south from Saint-Etienne to Chamrousse – a summit finish southeast of Grenoble in the Belledonne mountain range. The climb is roughly 21km long and very regular on a wide, well surfaced road. The resort was used for the 1968 winter olympics and many of the Olympic ski runs are still in use during the winter.
In contrast to this ascent, there is a more taxing route up. The Col Luitel joins the Romanche Valley with Chamrousse 1750. The road is narrow and poorly paved. You climb over 800m in 8km and the gradient only gets steeper as you climb. The Luitel brings you out about 6km from the summit of Chamrousse 1750.
For this year’s Tour de France tour, we took the guests up the Luitel to watch the stage finish. The day was superb with fantastic weather. Watching the finish on Chamrousse was much different than AdH the year before. The crowds were less and you were able to ride unhindered almost to the finish. We were stood just before Nibali’s attack. He looked very composed in comparison to the others – riding closed mouthed and seemingly putting nothing through the pedals!
Chamrousse is my favourite climb and without a doubt the best descent in the area. Come ride it with us on the Tour of the Oisans!
We are pleased to announce that we will be offering Cycle Hire from Lourdes in the Pyrenees for the Etape du Tour 2014 through More Than 21 Bends Cycling Holidays.
Bikes will only be available opposite Lourdes Train station from 4PM – 7PM on the 18th July 2014. All bikes must be returned on the 21st July 2014 between 9 and 11AM in the morning or after the event on the 20th July 2014
Group Cycle hire bookings for Etape du Tour
Delivery of large group booking of cycle hire will be considered but please contact us before making a booking. Bikes can only be delivered to Pau , Hautacam or Lourdes. A delivery charge may be implemented.
Following the success of the Alpe d’Huez range, we have added a new Ventoux line to the PROMPT collection. The design is exactly the same as before and maybe purchased as either a jersey or t-shirt.
Ventoux Jersey
Ventoux T shirt
On Wednesday, Hattie & I drove to Provence to ride the Ventoux for the first time. Starting from Sault, we rode towards Bedoin via the stunning Gorges de la Nesque . Rather than heading straight to the Ventoux, we turned back towards Sault and rode the 10km ‘Col de Flassan’. From the top, we looped back to Bedoin and began to climb. The Bedoin Forest section is notoriously hard. The Inner Ring puts it best; ” For the unprepared the 10% slopes become a series of leg-presses: 50 reps a minute for the next hour. For those in better condition or just equipped with low gearing it becomes a winch-like effort.”
From Chalet Reynard, the gradient eases and the iconic calcified summit of the Ventoux is visible. The climb is like no other for most part the famous passes of the Tour de France cut through the mountains. However the Ventoux goes right over the top giving you a spectacular view of Provence. Although the Ventoux dominates the landscape and the cyclo-tourism of the region, there are plenty of other fabulous roads in the area if you are planning to stay for a few days.
Hattie and Me at the Summit
Climbing towards the summit after Chalet Reynard
If you haven’t climbed the Ventoux, what about the More Than 21 Bends Alpe d’Huez & Mont Ventoux Tour where you will tackle all the ascents of the Oisans followed by a trip to Provence to scale the Mont Ventoux.
Below are a few shots of PROMPT bikes on last weeks Alpe d’Huez to Italy tour. We are now approaching the end of the season and so the ex-rental bikes are available to buy as a complete bike (€1200) or frameset (€600). Do not hesitate to contact velo@prompt.cc if interested.
French-Italian Border (Col de Montgenevre)
Andy on the Col de No-Name (warm-up for the Colle dell’Agnello)
Chris exhausted atop the Agnel
Andy desperately trying get the whole building into shot!
Prompt & More than 21 bends on the Col d’Izoard
Phil & me on the Col de Montgenevre
Last week on the Alpe d’Huez to Italy tour, I climbed some new cols. I will blog each one of these cols with some pictures from the tour. The ski resort of Montgenèvre forms the border between France and Italy. From Briançon the climb is 11km long and averages 4.5%. It is a lovely climb and is never too taxing. The descent towards the Colle di Sestriere is fast and flowing on a great road surface. However there are some long avalanche tunnels as shown below.
Tunnels on the descent of Montgenevre
In the week leading up to the Marmotte, riding in the Oisans is hectic. The roads are busy with cars and cyclists. However most ignore the lesser-known ascents in favour of Alpe d’Huez and co. Whilst the smaller climbs may lack the prestige of their neighbours, they provide some of the steepest, most beautiful rides in the area.
The climb to Villard Reymond is hard – 9km at 8.5% from La Pallaud. The climb twists and turns up the side of a ravine under the cover of pine trees until opening onto a mountain plain at 1610m altitude.
The gradient is never constant – short ramps are followed by brief periods of rest. The first 2km offer a nice introduction. You begin climbing straight away however the gradients are not too severe. The middle section is really tough; the hairpins had me prodding at the levers in the faint hope that there was still another gear. The final 1.5km proved easier as I wound through fields towards the village.
Above the fields soar two 3000m peaks – Le Grand Pic d’Ornon and Le Grand Renaud. The village has 37 inhabitants and is famous for its production of Génépi – alpine plants that are used for the production of liqueurs such as Chartreuse and Absinthe. Once at the top you have the option of continuing to Villard Notre-Dame and descending back into the valley through a succession of long unlit tunnels. However the road joining the two villages is poor and is better ridden by mountain bike. I prefer to avoid the tunnels and enjoy the technical ride back down. Below is a picture of Hattie at the top modelling her Alpe d’Huez cycling jersey and waterbottle.
Strava – http://app.strava.com/segments/1677004
Next up – The climb of Maronne (and hopefully a Strava KOM!!!!)
We are pleased to announce that we will be exclusively offering PROMPT.CC hire bikes to all guests on their More Than 21 Bends Paris Roubaix weekend.
To secure a hire bike for the weekend please contact us in the first instance or reserve your bike with your Paris Roubaix Cycling Holiday.
The full carbon bikes will be set up with 25mm tyres and super tight bottle cages so your bidons do not go flying as soon as you hit the first Pave section !
PROMPT CYCLE CULTURE 