Classic Cols Weekend

The legendary climbs of the Tour de France

The Classic Cols weekend provides you the opportunity to ride in a region steeped in tour history and one of the most spectacular mountain passes in the alps. Our route follows a similar one to that of the Marmotte Cyclosportive and covers the Col du Glandon, Col de la Croix de Fer, Col de Mollard, Col du Télégraphe, Col du Galibier, Col du Lauteret and finishes in Alp d'Huez.

While cycling the route in late September 2005 with Pro-Cycling's editor Pete Cossins we were both struck by the beauty of the autumnal colors and how quiet the mountain roads were. With this in mind we have again opted to run these weekends in September so you will be able to sample some of the stunning colors and scenery captured in the images used in the Pro-Cycling feature by photographer Richard Lundberg.

Day one (114km)

Head out from Huez en Oisans in the direction of Col de la Croix de Fer (2067m) which takes us through one of the most spectacular mountain passes in the Alps. On the way we take a short diversion to the top of the Col du Glandon (1924m) and then head on over the top and towards the Col du Mollard (1638m) where we take a technical descent to St Jean de Maurienne and onto our last climb of the day the Col du Télégraphe (1566m). Stop over night in Valloires.

Day two (65km)

After a leisurely breakfast we leave Valloires and head up to the 'ceiling of the Tour' the Col du Galibier (2645m) where the summit views are panoramic and stunning. From here we descend to the Col du Lauteret (2058m) and then head 38km down the valley before we reach the base of the last climb of the day L'Alp D'Huez 1860(m). This is probably the most famous of all the Alp climbs and its place in the recent tour history is made clear from the signs counting down the initial steep hairpin bends and the writing on the road all the way to the summit.

After the climb we descend back down to Huez en Oisans to have a few beers and watch the sunset behind the mountains!!