Itinerary La Marmotte 2018

About the Chalets

The chalets have a very modern kitchen, fireplace and bathrooms. All facilities in Oz are at short walking distance. The living room is located on the first floor. Like with all the other chalets, the first thing you notice is the large balcony with a phenomenal view over the mountains. Next to the large table there are enough places for a comfortable sitting area around the fireplace and a TV corner.

Day 1 Monday July 2

Check in at the  chalet in Oz en Oisans station after 14.00. The tour leader will explain the coming activities and itinerary for this La Marmotte tour package 2016. Evening dinner will be provided.

Day 2 Tuesday July 3

On your first cycling day you will ride Col d’Ornon. The last time Col d’ Ornon has hosted the Tour de France was in 2002. The summit is at 1360 meters. The road surface is good and the gradient is never too steep so that makes this climb prefect to warm up your legs! Total distance 70 kilometres and 1200 climbing meters. Evening dinner and pasta after the trainings ride will be provided

Day 3 Wednesday July 4

This day is slightly difficult than yesterday’s stage as you will climb a really challenger, Col du Glandon. In front of the chalet you will step on you bike and start with climbing to Col du Glandon. It’s a very irregular climb with many undulations and some flat sections. Although the climb to Col du Glandon climbs is not the hardest, it is perhaps the most scenic. The south climb ascent of the Col du Glandon uses the same road as the Col de la Croix de Fer and turns off three kilometres before the summit of the Croix de Fer. Col du Glandon is at 1924 meters heigh. Total distance 60 kilometres and 1300 climbing meters. Evening dinner and pasta after the trainings ride will be provided

Day 4 Thursday July 5 

A big day for all cycling enthusiasts! Today you will tackle “the heroic icon Alpe d`Huez” the most famous mountain in The Tour de France. Cycle the Alpe d'Huez, twenty-one hairpins, 13.8 climbing kilometres (8.5 miles) are waiting for you. Set your personal best time. Hopefully you will climb the Alp d’Huez with a clear blue sky. Relax on top before you freewheel downhill back to the chalet. Total distance 55 kilometres and 1000 climbing meters. Evening dinner and pasta after the trainings ride will be provided

Day 5 Friday 30 July 6

After so many hard days, today’s trainings ride is a time to relax and enjoy. You step on your bike at the Chalet and continue to the Valley of La Bérarde. Once again you will pass impressive mountain ranges such as the Meije. The major climb is between Vencosc and St Christophe. The road to La Bérarde is cut into the side of the mountain and at the end is La Bérarde. Total distance 50 kilometres and 300 climbing meters. Evening dinner and pasta dinner after the trainings ride will be provided

Day 6 Saturday July 7

Day at leisure. Warm up your legs for the La Marmotte Cyclosportive of tomorrow!

Day 7 Sunday 8 July

La Marmotte is one of the most challenging cyclosportives in the world and also called “the Queen mother” off all cyclosportives. The famous Gran Fondo La Marmotte is a 174 kilometres road cycling race featuring 5000 meters of height gain with over 7000 participants every year. The race includes many legendary cols of the Tour de France. La Marmotte starts from Bourg d’Oisans (717m) and finishing at Alpe d’Huez (1,880m), via the Col du Glandon (1,918m), Col du Télégraphe (1,570m), Col du Galibier (2,642m) and the Col du Lautaret (2,057m). 

Day 8 Monday July 9

Departure day…..Time to s ay goodbye. A good flight back home or else a pleasant stay in France.

Airport/ Train Information La Marmotte

Airport
France’s main airports in Paris are Charles de Gaulle and Orly International Airport. There are many flights: for example to/from Madrid, Brussels, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Berlin, Rome, London Heathrow, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Athens, Zurich and many more very important cities from all around the Globe.
Other very important airports are the airport of Lyon (Saint Exupéry) and Grenoble. Grenoble has a small airport with only low cost carriers flying to” The capital of the Alps”. Easy Jet flies to/from London, Bristol and Birmingham. Transavia to/from Rotterdam and Ryanair flies to/from Dublin, London, Edinburgh and Liverpool.Check also Norwegian.com for flights to/from Scandinavian cities.

See websites:

• Paris - www.aeroportsdeparis.fr 
• Lyon - www.lyonaeroports.com 
• Grenoble www.grenoble-airport.com 

The Airport of Geneva is a very important International Airport and its only 1 hour and 45 minutes by car to Grenoble. There are regular flights; for example to and from Paris (Charles de Gaulle), Orly, Newark, Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Munich, Frankfurt, Roma, Madrid, Moscow, Brussels and many more destinations in Europe and the United States.

See website:

• Geneva - www.gva.ch 

Trains
There are regular fares between Geneva and Grenoble Railway station; it takes roughly two hours and thirty minutes. The Airport Train Stations are located below Charles de Gaulle and Orly International Airport. Almost every hour trains leave to/from Grenoble. The train ride takes less than 4 hours. Paris’s main Railway station is Gare du Nord. From here all trains connect you to almost every destination in France. From Lyon’s main Railway station it’s only a one and a half hour ride to/from Grenoble, every hour a train departs to Grenoble. Trains also depart from main Railway station Lyon Part Dieu and from airport train station Saint Exupéry.

See website:

• France railway company - www.sncf.com