alp d'huez

[KirkKaas]

Can anyone who has been there tell me if I can get there by train from Paris.
Also, recommendations of a place to stay would be great. I plan to travel in July.

Thanks

Kirk Kaas (finally recovering from my heart attack)

[stevep]

bourg d'oisan.
go online and find a place.
easy to do.
not sure about public transit, though. its not far from chambery and not too far from annecy but you will surely need to rent a car.
beautiful area, though. have a great time.
39-27.
radboud.bruinsma@skynet.be
rahboud used to ride with us...moved away. his family had a hotel in bourg d'oisan...he is either dutch or belgian, i forget.
might try him and ask him to forward to his relatives.

[texbike]

Kirk,

As SteveP mentions, Bourg d'Oisans is the closest town to the Alpe. However, I don't remember if they had a train station in town. The closest major city is going to be Grenoble which is a short, easy (and beautiful) drive to Bourg d'Oisans. There will definitely be rail service to Grenoble from Paris. Enjoy your stay. It is a beautiful place!

Also, take a look at: www.tourisme-oisans.com/uk/oisans-station-bourg-oisans.htm for more info.

Texbike

[texbike]

Standing in the middle of Bourg d'Oisan, you will be amazed by the mountains surrounding the town. There are roads all through the area that lead to beautiful, challenging rides. Le Deux Alpes and Cherre Chevalier are close by as is the the Telegraphe and the Galibier. In my opinion, this area offers cycling at its finest. Challenging and beautiful terrain coupled with cycle-friendly drivers, great food, and great camping. July is the perfect time of course! That month usually has a bike race that comes through the area. I can't quite remember the name of it, but it is fun to watch. :)

Texbike

[stevep]

tex is right. as you sit in bourg you will look up and be unable to believe that the road goes up there somehow. you cant really see the road at all from below.
cool from above, though, looking down...and it is a premium nice spot to be.
if you expect to be at that spot at the time the tour goes through you had better get on the hotel pronto... if not you should be ok.

[Climb01742]

grenoble is a good bet for hotels. nice little city. a good base of operations. cool to ride roads with all the graffiti written on them with riders' names. have fun!

[BoulderGeek]

My goal is to spend the summer of my 40th birthday, summer 2007, in "The Valley."

I fell in love with this place. Actually, I fell in love with it in 1987, but didn't know it. Greg Stump shot a lot of the seminal ski flick "Maltese Flamingo" at Les Deux Alpes, Les Arcs, Tignes, La Grave and Chamonix. Visiting in 2002 for the Tour changed my life, and I'm going to rent my house, bag the job, store the crap and move there, for a few months at least. And if I get a job in a ski shop or bar tending, so be it.

Stop this hamster wheel, I want to get off.

So, maybe by race time, I'll have a couch for you to surf. Or at least be prepared to domestique up the Telegraphe, or meet at the top of the Alpe for a cafe.

There's a great little cafe in La Grave, directly underneath La Meije glacier. That's where you get the proper coffee and croissant on your way down to the climb for Alpe d'Huez and 2 Alpes. Or, on your way up to Col du Lauteret or the Galibier. Prime zone.

Don't try to get bagged ice at the Champion in Bourg d'Oisans. N'avez pas du glace.

I'd recommend a night in La Grave or two. Maybe stay up at the top of the Alpe d'Huez one night.

Go over to Valloire and stay, so you can ride the Galibier over,get that great descent, then be poised to drop down the Telegraphe the next day, have lunch, and slog back up it.

I swear our descent down the Telegraphe was 35 minutes at 40MPH. It was a noticably long descent, and a ballbreaking return. Never doing it on standard gearing again. Compact, baby.

[texbike]

I LOVE the Champion in Bourg d'Oisan. They had the best $3 bottle of champagne I've ever had in my life. It tasted great after hauling it up to the top of the Alpe! :)

A couple nights later we camped at a campsite under the glacier near La Grave. The moon gave the glacier an incredible glow. The next morning a lovely French couple on holiday in an RV invited us over for a breakfast of fromage blanc, pastries, and cafe. Good people those French.

Texbike

[bironi]

Sorry, I can't recommend a good place to stay in town. We stayed in a bit of a fire trap, with bad service, but it was worth it for the location.

The first pic is in the town square, about a 1/2 mile from the beginning of the climb. The second pic is at the crest of the steep section at the beginning of the climb.

I saw the race you referred to in 2001. It was a gas! Just be careful on your descent after the race. I was singing my way down, warning those in my path to beware of the weaving cyclists behind. :beer:

[BoulderGeek]

Living the dream, babies!


:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

I just love that area.

But I don't know if I could have hauled a bottle of $3 champagne up the Alpe.

I did have a Jupiler watching Axel Merckx finish first on Les Deux Alpes in 2002. But, some Frenchman carried it up there.

Anyone know someone with a room to rent in that area for next July and August?

[rpm]

I stayed at Velo LaSource during the 2003 tour and enjoyed it a lot.

http://www.velolasource.com/

They have a couple of chalets in Villard-Reculas, which is a little village a few kilometers across the mountain from the town of Huez, which is about 2/3 up the Alpe. The people who run it are ex Harvard cycling team members and a Brit who runs the ski chalets in the winter. The location is fabulous and there are different cost options. You do have to ride up the mountain each day, which can be either a plus or a minus depending on your point of view.

[Ginger]

Hmmmm....my company has an office in Grenoble...perhaps I should push for a two year transfer...

:)

[BoulderGeek]

Hmmmm....my company has an office in Grenoble...perhaps I should push for a two year transfer...

:)

If I had such an option, i wouldn't even hesitate.

Whatever it is, I'll do it for half the cost! ;-D

[EdK]

Be careful on train selection from Paris to Grenoble not all (no TGV) trains allow bikes in luggage. Enjoy!!