Marmotte Recon Weekend

A preview of forthcoming attractions!

This weekend gives you the opportunity to preview the route of the Marmotte which is widely regarded as the toughest cyclosportive of them all. We will be using a similar format and ride schedule to our Classic Cols weekend and cover the course over two days. This weekend is highly recommended if you are not familiar with the route and planning to take part in the Marmotte with GPM10.

Friday 

Arrive at Geneva airport in the afternoon. You will be met and driven in a shuttle to Huez en Oisans: transfer time approx. 3 hours. Unpack bikes and gather for dinner.

 Saturday - Huez en Oisans to Valloires 114km

Head out from Huez en Oisans in the direction of the Col du Glandon (1924m) which takes us through one of the most spectacular mountain passes in the Alps. From the Glandon we will trace the route down the valley and onto St Jean de Maurienne and our last climb of the day the Col du Télégraphe (1566m). Stop over night in Valloires.

 Sunday - Valloires to Alpe d'Huez 65km

After a early breakfast, we depart from Valloires and head 17.5 km up, to reach the ‘ceiling of the Tour’, the mighty Col du Galibier (2645m). The summit views are, naturally, superb. Henri Desgranges, the founder of the Tour, famously described all mountains as ‘pale and vulgar babies’ compared to Galibier. On the long, fast descent we pass the monument to Desgranges. We continue the descent to reach Col du Lauteret (2058m), on the geographical fault line between the northern Rhone-Alps and the Provence-Alps region. It’s a further 38km, down the valley, to the foot of the last climb of the day – the mythical ascent to Alpe d'Huez.

This 13.8 km climb – average gradient 7.9%, with sections of 14% – is almost as iconic of the Tour de France as the Yellow Jersey. Coppi won the stage when it was first included in 1952, after a legendary race with French rider, Jean Robic. It has been included in the Tour almost every year since 1976, and the 21 hairpin bends are named after the stage winners. The ascent is even timed – Marco Pantani holds the record: 37mins 35secs in 1997 – so you can measure yourself against the greats.

From Alpe d’Huez, we descend back down to Huez en Oisans to pack the bikes for the return transfer to Geneva for flights departing 9.00pm onwards.