A couple of days in the French Alps are well enough to tackle down two of the most epic climbs in cycling: time to climb Galibier and Alpe d’Huez!
To some newer to cycling, they may sound like familiar names, but to the ones growing up with cycling, watching endless Tour de France stages on small televisions in the summer sweltering heat of living rooms without air conditioning, they make them shiver. I am one of those kids growing up playing on the beach with cyclist marbles and cutting out newspaper articles of the 90s cyclists I loved, so to me these two names bring with them all the epic of the history of road cycling, the names are Col du Galibier and Alpe d’Huez.
Inexplicably I never had the chance to ride them, time to tick them off from my to-do list, in one short weekend getaway.
To tackle down both climbs even with a short stay, I stayed in Bourg d’Oisans: at the foot of the Alpe d’Huez, this lovely town is made for cycling lovers, with bike rentals, bike-related souvenir shops and of course boulangeries and cafès for the post-ride treats. In the area there are many Airbnbs and Campings with refreshing mountain view pools. It isn’t the most convenient way to reach Galibier, if you want to take a shorter route, you can check out either Briancon or La Grave area.
From Bourg d’Oisans the Col du Galibier is a total of 46.5 kms for a total ascent of 1810 meters, arriving at 2.642 meters above sea level. Here you can check the route.
Don’t worry: all the first half is very easy and Galiber is a long but gentle climb, with only a few sectors going double digits and yes the last kilometre is a bit rough, but it is the last effort!
The views, especially after the Lautaret crossing, are insane and every pedal stoke will be worth it. After taking the pictures at the top, don’t forget to stop for a slice of homemade blueberry pie at the Chalet before the tunnel, you will thank me later after that sugar rush kicked in!
For dinner, I recommend checking out Cafè du Centre, I found it the more remarkable restaurant in Bourg d’Oisans and their desserts are to die for. Try one of the many dishes with the local cheese like Camembert Roti or Tartiflette. Not exactly light, but regional cheese is exceptional.
The day after you must climb the epic Alpe d’Huez. Alpe d’Huez is only 12 kilometres, but it has an average gradient of 8,6% with some rough sectors, especially at the beginning of the climb. After a small accident with another cyclist, I was left without the lightest gears, so I particularly suffered the first part and had to ride the whole climb on single speed, never been happier to have such a light road bike! I later found out the rear drop hanger was totally broken, so I was kinda lucky in the end.
On the Alpe d’Huez each one of the 21 hairpins is dedicated to a cyclist who won here, and the familiar names of the past will accompany you up, echoing memories and shortening the pain.
And if you want cool pictures of you riding, don’t worry: on all the famous French climbs there are photographers taking pictures of all the cyclists and motorcyclists, so you can later purchase them for a cute (and a bit pricey) memory.
Not only Galibier and Alpe d’Huez, this area is a cycling lover paradise and if you have more days, you must check out also the other climbs, above all the Col de la Croix de Fer and the Tèlègraphe.
If not, like me (at least for this time), then you have just one more thing to do before driving back home: buying the cutest souvenirs to start a new collection!
Ginevra Rides & Travels 