Alpine Adventure

[-Adam-]

So its 5 weeks on saturday until i make it to my chalet near Samoens in the nothern French Alps. Samoens happens to be at the base of the Col de Joux Plan That famous climb that almost defeated Armstrong and that Landis made look easy

Anyway, i was just wondering if anyone has any advice, tips etc to what i should know about riding in France, but particularly in the mountains. Im sure theres plenty of guys here that have been out there before, so what did you wish you'd known before?

Cheers,

Adam

[huw williams]

take warm clothes - its colder than you think up there.

I'm going to ride up the Galibier this Thursday and there's still deep snow up the top

Lot of people make the mistake of getting really hot and sweaty on the alpine climbs then getting hypothermia on the way down - carry something light with long sleeves on the way up and put it on before you descend.
I've seen people get the shivers on those downhills and start weaving uncontrollably over the road

[richv]

Long fingered gloves are also a must. I descended the Galibier in the snow and rain in the middle of July last year and could barely use my fingers they were so cold. The day before and the day after were hot enough to melt the tar

[Marek]

Also one of those scarf things that you can put up over your ears, I thought my ears were going to crack and fall off when I was cycling with David Findlay in Switzerland last year.

Mind you, it is May so you should be ok.

Cheers

Marek....

[-Adam-]

I don't get out there until the last week in May and the temperatures are supposed to be mid 20's (c) so hopefully cold shouldnt be too much of an issue.

So a jacket and gloves for descending, and maybe ear warmers!

Where im going, none of the passes are over 2000m, and the highest place i plan on visiting is 1930m...

So im hoping i won't encounter too many freezing descents. but i guess the moral of the story is its better to have and not need than need and not have when it comes to gear. Can anyone reccommend a good sized saddle pack thats gonna pack all this jazz in!?

[Ian A4size]

I have been over a few cols Adam and can honestly say until you get down to about a 1000m the wind chill is freezing.

Off the top of Ventoux in september (35 deg +) at the bottom, nigh on fully rugged up till about half way down, when suddenly you realise its pretty warm again- just dont try taking your gilet off while moving!

[Sylv]

I used to live not too far (outisde Geneva) but have not done any real road riding in the area.

Rule is it gets colder by 0.6c every 100m you climb.

Might sound obvious but beware of staying on the correct side of the road when descending - you tend to forget when you are in the middle of the road and coming into a hairpin at 30mph.

Good point about the Ventoux- I'll be there at the weekend - if we can get past the "closed for the season" barriers

[Maria David]

My experience of riding around those is you can't underestimate how cold it'll be up at the top, even if it's warm at the bottom.

You will need an extra layer for the descent. Like you say, AJC, a rain jacket, gloves, ear warmers. I tend to get cold quite easily, so I take an extra hat and leg warmers.

Also, coming down some of the very high climbs are not only cold, but quite technical (especially from Galibier down via Lautaret and col de l'Iseran) so you need to be alert. This means making sure you and your brain are properly fuelled by the time you are going down. So keep stocked up on food.

As for saddle bags, some of the CTCs will have better advice on this. Maybe a bar bag is worth considering. It is possible to fit on lightweight panniers.

As an aside I note you would like to do the Route des Grandes Alpes. If you are doing the whole thing (Thonon les Bains to the coast) you are looking at around 700km cycling, with around 15 cols - 3 of them are above 2,500m. I rode half of this last year, and it was great. I don't think you could do it in a couple of days though !

Happy climbing !

[higg]

Like all the others are saying be prepared for the weather. A windproof is essential, I would also pack a waterproof and decide day to day whether you bring it on your cycle. Keep an eye on the weather forecast when you plan your rides.

Take care on the descents, you may get passed by local riders on the downs but they have been practising their techniques for years and will know all the lines and braking areas (and know what to do when they hit a bit of gravel at the wrong time).

The cafe at the top of CdJP does a "coupe de Maison" which can't be missed if you like ice cream with fresh fruit.

Stay off the main roads where possible it's no fun climbing and being passed by trucks and caravans going flat out but still only doing 20mph.(i.e. the main road between Tanninges and Cluses)

Other good climbs in the area are:

For scenery, Col de Rumsas from the south side (Geneva road), through the plateaus at the top (Praz de Lys) and back down through the forest onto the Morzine/Les Gets road.

For a long haul, the Col de Colombiere from the Cluses has just over a 1000m of climb, you then get into the Grand Bornand valley where you might as well reach over to the Col de Aravis before heading back.

For "unique" architecture, head up to Avoriaz (from Morzine). Very convinient for the mountains, but not very pretty in the summer, does involve 800m of climb though.

There is an area south of Sameons (heading towards Chamonix) that I haven't been to but seen on a map and looks interesting. Let me know if there's any interesting climbs there.

If you want to try the off-road trails in Les Gets or Morzine it is probably worth phoning ahead to book a bike (and picking a dry day). You will need decent off-road skills and a full suss bike if you want to go on the downhill tracks but there are plenty of XC possiblities also.

And mostly, have fun.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

[quote]For scenery, Col de Rumsas from the south side (Geneva road), through the plateaus at the top (Praz de Lys) and back down through the forest onto the Morzine/Les Gets road.

[Elliot M]

i've only done offroad round there but there should be a scenic small but steep loop out of Morzine, up the Avoriaz road but not quite all the way to the top, through Les Lindarets (a village infested with goats, careful!) then round past Lac de Montriond back to Morzine.

[Ian A4size]

[quote]Good point about the Ventoux- I'll be there at the weekend - if we can get past the "closed for the season" barriers

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

[quote]Les Lindarets (a village infested with goats, careful!)