Ride The Alps

Building on the successes of our road cycling and mountain biking trips of recent years, we are now taking bookings for our 2012 French Alps road cycling tours based in the famous ski resort of Alpe d’Huez.

For 2012, Rockrider and Core-Fitness have joined forces to combine our experience and bring you the best in Alpine cycling tours.

We have built on the best bits of previous events but we haven’t stopped there. We have negotiated new deals with partners in the Alpe d’Huez region delivering a service which covers everything you will need at a price that offers outstanding value.

These trips are the ideal preparation for the Etape, Marmotte or other cycle sportives, or serve as a great challenge on their own if you are looking for something more personal than mass participation events.

The rides are aimed at anybody who wants a challenge and to learn more about cycling in general: groups, singles, clubs, men and women alike at any age. You don’t need to be an elite level cyclist to enjoy these trips, but you will get the most out of the tours if you are a regular committed cyclist comfortable with riding for over 3 hours at a time.

The summary

We’ve always designed our trips based on what we, keen and committed cyclists ourselves, would want from a trip and what would keep us coming back for more.  In short, you will get:

  • Four days with a full itinerary of selected Alpine routes
  • Four nights accommodation on a single room or twin-sharing
    basis
  • Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
  • Secure cycle storage at the hotel
  • Support minibus on every ride with:

    • Mechanical assistance – spare wheels, tools, tubes, pumps
    • Packed lunch including extra food, snacks and drinks
      throughout the day
    • Spare clothing – pack as much as you need for us to carry leaving
      your jersey pockets free
    • Comprehensive First Aid kit (qualified first aider always
      supporting every ride)
  • Support / lead rider on each ride
  • Pre and post ride briefing with unlimited advice on any
    cycle related questions you may have
  • Bike check ups, tune ups and position checks
  • Event memento

Return bike transfers from the UK are available at an additional cost. This is typically cheaper, safer and without doubt more convenient than air transfer.   Why dismantle, bag your bike, then reassemble, when we can drive it there for you.

2012
Dates

We are currently taking bookings for June 14th-18th and August 16th-20th 2012, arriving on the Thursday night and departing on Monday afternoon.

 The details:

We will be based in Alpe d’Huez, enabling us to schedule a full itinerary taking in some of the most iconic cycling routes in the world, right from our doorstep.  You’ll be treated like a pro-rider: each day you will be given a cyclists breakfast, your itinerary plus a pre ride briefing. On each ride there will be a support rider leading the way and a following minibus all day including mechanical assistance, spare clothing and spare food / water. Lunch will be out on the road, where your musette will take the form of a picnic – typically baguettes, croissants, meat, cheese, cereal bars, fruit and lots of water.

After each ride back at the hotel we will meet for a post ride briefing. The idea is for us to help you improve every aspect of you as a cyclist, from what we have seen throughout the day. Information will be given to you on post ride recovery food and drinks, stretching, and the best ways to prepare for the next day. We will look at your bike set up and advise you on your position on the bike and make any changes that could benefit you.

Dinner each night at the hotel will be catered for you as cyclists based around getting the right amounts of carbohydrates inside you for tomorrows challenge. And finally, after your day enjoy a well-earned beer or glass of wine on the terrace, comparing
notes with your fellow riders. (Alcoholic drinks unfortunately are not included in the package cost).

Alpe d’Huez needs no introduction to anybody who follows cycling. For professionals it is the stage everyone wants to win, but only the elite few are capable of getting close.  It’s more than a badge of honour and a stage of the tour – the tour can be (and has been) won or lost on this stage alone, and the race holds the equivalent status of a one-day classic in itself.

For amateurs it – and the Alps in general – hold a similar status.  People travel from all over the world to ride in the Alps and test themselves against the 14km, 21 switchback turns, averaging 7.7% to an altitude of 1120 meters that is the ski resort of Alpe ’Huez.

Other famous climbs you will experience during the trip will include:

  • Col du Telegraph
  • Col du Galibier
  • Col du Lautaret
  • Col d’Ornon
  • Col de Sarenne
  • Col du Glandon
  • Col de la Croix de Fer
  • Col du Sabot
  • Col de la Madeleine

(We may need to change the route based on weather, road closures or conditions, but this is unlikely in the summer months)

For 2012 we are partnering with a hotel located on the famous Alpe d’Huez route that is accustomed to groups of cyclists.  They
provide access to secure cycle storage, food aimed at the demands of the cyclist and free wi-fi to all guests.

Itinerary

You’ll arrive on Thursday night and whilst settling in at the hotel you will meet everybody involved in the trip and receive your itinerary for the next four days.

Friday:

After filling up at breakfast on Friday morning we’ll descend Alpe d’Huez and head out for the first big one. We’ll cover 3-4 major climbs lasting between 4-5 hours. The route will finish by ascending Alpe d’Huez, your first time cycling up the alp
where we will all meet back to the hotel for a recovery drink, post ride briefing, catch up, then dinner.

Saturday:

Today will be a rolling 3-hour ride covering 2-3 climbs, finishing back at the hotel where you can relax and make any final tweaks to your bike before tomorrow’s long day in the saddle. Other activities are available in the region for you to sample today but get ready for another big day tomorrow.

Sunday:

The big one.  We’ll get out early to ensure we have 5-6 hours of riding by the time we finish. Again, we’ll take in a number of well-known climbs before heading back up Alpe d’Huez. Once everyone is back the focus will be recovery whilst we discuss the days ride and all gather for dinner.

Monday:

Given Sunday’s exertions, we will be scheduling a shorter rolling ride like the one on Saturday, although today will finish with an individual time trial up Alpe d’Huez. Your last chance to ride the alp, you can now individually test yourself against the clock. Prizes will be awarded for the best times, but really its just a bit of fun. We’ll head back to the hotel around lunchtime to collect our
bags and depart back to theUK.

We’ll be supporting you in the minibus every day, so if at any time you haven’t got much left in your legs then we will be there to offer encouragement or provide an easier ride to the finish.

Fitness / Experience

There’s no question that these rides are challenging and require a base level of fitness from regular rides of 3-5 hours.  You don’t
need to be a competitive club racer, but any regular rider committed to pushing themselves will be able to confidently manage the itinerary.  Remember that we want you to enjoy yourself and to gain a great deal of experience from the trip– we want you to tell your friends how good it was and come back next year. You can do as much or as little as you want. Even if you want to get in the minibus after 1 or 2 climbs, there’s no shame in that, but by experiencing these climbs with like minded people and getting the most from your body is what cycling is all about.

Requirements

You must have a cycle helmet, front and rear light (for the tunnels, French law) and minimum age is 18. This is due to insurance reasons however please contact us if you under 18 as we can amend our policy.

Why not let us take your bikes for you?

We don’t want to be alarmist and we aren’t saying it will happen, but we have all heard (or had first-hand experience) of the horror-stories of how bikes can be damaged on aeroplanes. Do you really want to leave your bike in the hands of an airline
baggage handler who may not realise how expensive and fragile it is? Do you want the hassle of having to dismantle your bike, bag it and transport to the airport? And then you need to hire a bigger, more expensive car to transport it at the other end.

On the other hand, we know how much your bike is worth to you. We also know how to look after bikes – we have transported our own bikes many times to different events, both home and overseas.  For the same price as (or in many cases less than) an airline will charge you for transporting your bike – we will personally transport your bikes and one bag of excess luggage to France.  Once you arrive, your bike will be ready and waiting for your first day’s ride.  We will then transport it back to the UK for your collection or drop off at your convenience.

It’s just another part of the service and much easier if you plan to head out to France straight after work on Thursday night.

 

Getting there

The only thing we don’t provide is flights or transfers, though a number of low-cost operators fly to Grenoble-Saint Geoirs airport (50 mins / 62 miles) or Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport (2 hrs / 90 miles). Alternatively, why not take the high speed TGV – the Grenoble TGV station is only 38 miles away.

Cost

Total cost for the four days is £695 for a double room sharing. We can partner you up if you are travelling alone or if you have someone you would like to share with then this is no problem. If you would like a single room for yourself the cost will be slightly more, please enquire for an exact cost.

Return bike transfer from the UK is £80 when dropping your bike to us located in Buckinghamshire, or £100 if you require us to collect your bike from you then drop back within a 20 mile radius. Remember we will also take one bag for you so you only need hand luggage on your flight.

Call or email for more information.