With the area all but confirmed as staging a Tour de France finish in July 2018 and due to many requests we are now taking cycle hire bookings for the event.
For more information please visit our Alpe d’Huez cycle hire for Tour de France page.
The exact dates for the finish in Alpe d’Huez and start in Bourg d’Oisans will be announced on the 17th October 2018 by ASO.
We are offering a 20% discount on all new cycle hire bookings until the end of the year.
If you need cycle hire for the spring classics such as Ronde van Vlaanderen Paris Roubaix Cycle Hire or Liege Bastogne Liege. The summer events of La Marmotte or The Etape du Tour or just general Cycle Hire for Alpe d’Huez for Alpe d’Huez / Galibier or the Croix de Fer then take advantage of the discount until 31st December 2014.
Please note discount applies to new booking only and no other discounts are applicable on top of the 20%
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!
The Tour de France 2014 starts today in Leeds. I hope that it will be more exciting than the Team Sky dominated editions of the last two years. Hopefully, the mix of Contador/Valverde/Nibali will be able to derail the News Corp train.
My prediction for the Tour de France podium is as follows;
1. Chris Froome
2. Alberto Contador
3. Alejandro Valverde
The stage I’m most looking forward to is Stage 13 – the summit finish at Chamrousse . Chamrousse was the first HC climb I ever did and is still my favourite. On the way to Chamrousse they will take a detour into the Chartreuse via the Col de Palaquit – another one of my local climbs when I lived in Grenoble. The More than 21 Bends Tour of the Oisans often takes a detour into the Belledonne mountain range to climb Chamrousse via the Col Luitel.
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.
Following the ascent of Montgenèvre, we continued into Italy via the Colle di Sestriere. The ride is similar to the northen ascent of the Galibier with one col(le) split into two separate climbs. From Cesana Torinese, the climb is 12km long at an average of 6%. As the averages suggest, it is fast and rolling with a couple of steeper pitches upon approach to the ski station. The scenery is stunning with snow-capped mountains and a ravine on your right hand side.
Sestriere was one of the host towns for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games and on the descent towards Pinerolo, you pass the enormous ski jumps which are still in use. The descent is over 50km and very fast. On the descent you have the possibility of following stage 17 of the 2011 Tour de France by climbing the Colle di Pra Martino. Whilst the climb itself is pleasant, the plummet down the other side makes it really worthwhile. This is where Thomas Voeckler bunny-hopped into a driveway. The descent is very steep and the road surface poor. It twists and turns through tiny villages and the poor surface is hidden by the trees. However despite all of this, it is great fun and a worthwhile detour.
Vincenzo Nibali spotted testing his form before the Vuelta
With the Criterium du Dauphine visiting Alpe d’Huez and also the Col de Sarenne on Saturday 9th June this could be an ideal time for you to get up close to Chris Froome and Alberto Contador as they do their last minute preparation for the Tour de France.
We have a few bikes left for the 9th June. Please click here for availability and to book online
We now only have 3 hire bikes left for the Tour de France week in 2013 (11/12/2012)
PROMPT CYCLE CULTURE 