Cycling the Route des Grandes Alpes: Cycling through the French Alps from Lac Leman to Menton/Nice

By Giles Belbin

A guidebook to cycling the 720km (447 mile) Route des Grandes Alpes through southern France. This long-distance cycle between Lake Geneva and Nice on the Mediterranean coast is suitable for experienced long-distance cyclists and can be cycled in 1-2 weeks.

• Presented in 14 stages between 31-75km (20-46 miles)
• 6 routes variants are also described
• Route takes in 17 major climbs, including the famous Col de l'Iseran (the highest paved pass in the Alps), the Col du Galibier and the Col d'Izoard
• Route passes through Vanoise, the Écrins and the Mercantour national parks
• Overnight stops include Thonon-les-Bains, Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Val d'Isère, Briançon, Saint-Martin-Vésubie, Sospel
• Perfect for cycling late Spring through early autumn.
• 1:150,000 mapping and profiles are included for each route
• GPX files available to download
• Detailed information on preparation, equipment and accommodation

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cicerone Press
• Release date: Jul 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781783629107

Giles Belbin

Giles Belbin is a freelance cycling writer with over 10 years’ experience. He has contributed to many cycling publications including Cycling Weekly, Ride Cycling Review, Rouleur, Procycling and Cyclist. The author of three cycling books, Mountain Kings (Punk Publishing); A Year in the Saddle (Aurum Press) and Chasing the Rainbow (Aurum Press), he has also reported on Olympic and World Championship cycling events for magazines and agencies. He lives in Somerset.

Book preview

About the Author

Giles Belbin is a cycling writer and author based in south-west England. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Cyclist, Ride Cycling Review, Cycling Weekly, Procycling and Rouleur. He first cycled in the French Alps in 2006 while watching the Tour de France, falling off his bike near the top of the Col du Galibier in exhaustion. He has been a frequent visitor since and in 2012 spent two months riding in the mountains while researching his first book, Mountain Kings. The research trip for this guidebook offered an opportunity to revisit some favourite climbs as well as discover some he had not ridden before, with the Col de la Cayolle and the Col de Turini among his first-time highlights.

For a full list of Cicerone books and articles by Giles Belbin, visit his author page www.cicerone.co.uk/authors/.

CYCLING THE ROUTE DES GRANDES ALPES

CYCLING THROUGH THE FRENCH ALPS FROM LAC LEMAN TO MENTON/NICE

by Giles Belbin

JUNIPER HOUSE, MURLEY MOSS,

OXENHOLME ROAD, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA9 7RL

www.cicerone.co.uk

© Giles Belbin 2022

First edition 2022

ISBN 9781783629107

Printed in China on responsibly sourced paper on behalf of Latitude Press Limited.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All photos are by Giles Belbin or James Chant, unless otherwise stated.

Route mapping by Lovell Johns www.lovelljohns.com

Contains OpenStreetMap.org data © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA. NASA relief data courtesy of ESRI

Updates to this guide

While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. This guidebook was researched and written before the COVID-19 pandemic. While we are not aware of any significant changes to routes or facilities at the time of printing, it is likely that the current situation will give rise to more changes than would usually be expected. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/1054/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time.

We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [e-mail] or by post to Cicerone, Juniper House, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, LA9 7RL.

Register your book: To sign up to receive free updates, special offers and GPX files where available, register your book at www.cicerone.co.uk.

Note on mapping

The route maps in this guide are derived from publicly available data, databases and crowd-sourced data. As such they have not been through the detailed checking procedures that would generally be applied to a published map from an official mapping agency. However, we have reviewed them closely in the light of local knowledge as part of the preparation of this guide.

Front cover: Riding to the Col de l’Iseran just outside Val d’Isère (Stage 6)

CONTENTS

Map key

Overview map

Route summary table

Ride planner

Alternative schedules

INTRODUCTION

History of the Route des Grandes Alpes

Connection with the Tour de France

Natural environment

When to go

Riding in the mountains

Bike selection and preparation

eBike riding

Touring options

Accommodation

Food and drink

Getting there

Getting around

Getting back

Safety and emergencies

Using this guide

THE ROUTE

Stage 1 Thonon-les-Bains to Cluses

Stage 2 Cluses to La Clusaz

Stage 3 La Clusaz to Beaufort

Stage 4 Beaufort to Bourg-Saint-Maurice

Stage 5 Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Val d’Isère

Stage 6 Val d’Isère to Val Cenis Termignon

Stage 7 Val Cenis Termignon to Valloire

Stage 8 Valloire to Briançon

Stage 9 Briançon to Guillestre

Stage 10 Guillestre to Barcelonnette

Stage 11 Barcelonnette to Valberg

Stage 12 Valberg to Saint-Martin-Vésubie

Stage 13 Saint-Martin-Vésubie to Sospel

Stage 14 Sospel to Nice

VARIANTS

Variant 1 Saint-Jean-de-Sixt to Villard-sur-Doron

Variant 2 Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne

Variant 3 Val Cenis Lanslevillard to Briançon

Variant 4 Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne to Col du Lautaret

Variant 5 Guillestre to Barcelonnette

Variant 6 Jausiers to Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée

Appendix A Bike shops and Bosch eBike charging stations

Appendix B Recommended cycling essentials checklist

Appendix C Useful resources and essential information

Appendix D Glossary of cycling specific terms

The long road of the Galibier before the hairpin at Plan Lachat (Stage 8)

ROUTE SUMMARY TABLE

The Col de la Colombière climbs above Le Reposoir (Stage 2)

INTRODUCTION

‘The Route of the Alps! [...] It is neither that of Hannibal (…) nor that of Bonaparte (...) Our route of the Alps does not threaten the fertile plains of Lombardy and does not facilitate any invasion (...) Its value, for us, is to be the most remarkable tourist route that France can boast of.’

Abel Ballif, president of the Touring Club de France, 1909

Cycling among mountains is a rewarding experience, with a sense of achievement complementing the spectacular scenery that opens up around every turn in the road. The Route des Grandes Alpes (RdGA) is no exception. From the southern shore of Lac Léman to the Mediterranean-licked promenades of cosmopolitan Nice, the 720km route, which Abel Ballif and the Touring Club de France worked hard to make a reality, traverses the inspiring passes of some of France’s highest peaks, offering the opportunity to explore a variety of national parks and showcasing the striking contrast between the northern and southern French Alps.

The views of Mont Blanc are glorious from the summit of the Col des Aravis (Stage 3)

Split into 14 stages with an average distance of 52km, but with a number of alternative route options and itineraries on offer including a seven-day itinerary for the fit cyclist experienced at riding in the mountains, the RdGA provides the perfect Alpine cycling experience. Remember to carefully and realistically consider your fitness and experience levels when selecting your itinerary and allow at least one day either side of your schedule for travel to and from the route. In reality even the seven-day schedule means at least a nine-day break.

Starting in the lakeside town of Thonon-les-Bains, the route visits the Chablais massif before the pastures of the Haute-Savoie come into view. The route winds its way south via the Colombière, Aravis and Saisies passes towards Bourg-Saint-Maurice and the Vanoise National Park. During the route's opening stages, spent under the shadow of Mont Blanc, a 12th-century monastery and the Beaufortain cheese co-operative offer opportunities to spend a few hours off the bike exploring the history and culture of the northern Alps as well as loading up with local produce.

Through the Vanoise the climbing leads to the famous ski resort of Val d’Isère before heading to the Col de l’Iseran: at 2770m the highest paved pass in the Alps. It is a daunting undertaking – no wonder Maurice Novarina built a small chapel at the top in 1939.

The Col de l’Iseran is the highest paved pass in the French Alps (Stage 6)

From the summit of the Iseran the route descends towards the Maurienne valley, to the Écrins National Park and the Col du Galibier – the favourite climb of the founder of the Tour de France, Henri Desgrange. When the Galibier was introduced to the Tour in 1911, Desgrange was moved to write that ‘All one can do before this giant is doff one’s hat and bow’. The past pedal strokes of the racers of the Tour are never far from you on the RdGA, and a monument to Desgrange now stands on the southern flank of this monstrous mountain.

On the southern slopes of the Galibier, a monument stands in memory of Henri Desgrange, the founder of the Tour de France (Stage 8)

After the Galibier comes a drop to the Col du Lautaret before the route heads to the Queyras massif via Briançon – designated the highest city in France – and the Col d’Izoard. A descent through the natural cathedral of the Casse Déserte leads to Guillestre. The colourful town of Barcelonnette and the remote Mercantour National Park come next, where the spectacular landscape comes complete with a surprising smattering of Mexican-style villas built by immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

From the wilds of the Mercantour the smell of the Mediterranean soon hangs in the air as the RdGA continues southwards, taking in the switchbacks of the Col de Turini, made famous by the Monte Carlo Rally, to the resort of Menton. It then heads west for a blast along the Cote d’Azur’s Grande Corniche to the route’s finish on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice.

With over 17,000m of climbing, the route is a celebration of both the natural splendour and the culture of the mountains. It is undoubtedly challenging and not for novices – if you have not ridden extensively in the mountains, it is better to ride individual climbs to hone your abilities before embarking on such a route – but with developing eBike technology and charging facilities now available along the route, it is no longer necessarily the preserve of the ultra-fit. The majesty of the RdGA is opening to a whole new audience.