Route : Tour of l’Alpe

L’Alpe d’Huez and surrounding mountains offer many days of great and varied riding. L’Alpe Mythique has a well earned reputation for it’s grandstand finales – be that for the pros on Le Tour, or amateurs tackling the Marmotte sportive – but there’s so much more to see and experience. With balcony roads, shale, lakes and high meadows, a visit to le Bourg-d’Oisans offers more than just the traditional race up L’Alpe.

This route, which I’ve creatively called Tour of l’Alpe, brings you on to the famous climb twice – once via Villard Reculas and once from Col de Sarenne. Both are great climbs in their own right, with dramatic scenery and two breathtaking balcony roads. Gaining 2,600m in the 83km route, there is nothing flat about this loop and it’s very exposed, so keep that in mind when planning your start time. If you’re looking for a quick route overview, jump straight to our ride summary here!

The route starts in le Bourg-d’Oisans* in the Romanche Valley, at the foot of l’Alpe d’Huez. Head north on the fast D1091, the main valley road, towards Rochetaillee and turn right towards the small town of Allemond. Allemond is a great base for cycling trips, being at the foot of a number of epic climbs – not least the Col de la Croix de Fer/Col du Glandon.

Lac du Verney is stunning at all times of the day – plan an evening return before you end your trip!

Ride through Allemond – making a note to return to Les Gaufrettes waffle cafe another time (you’ve barely done 5km!) – and wind your way up the front of the dam to Lac du Verney. The switchbacks up the dam offer both a great warm up and stunning views. At the end of the dam, a right turn brings you on to the climb of Villard Reculas. This quieter way up Alpe D’Huez is an enjoyable climb and offers grand vistas; first back down to Allemond and Lac du Verney, then later across the Romanche valley.

View across the Romanche valley from Villard Reculas. The road bottom right is where you rode into Allemond

At 9.3km and a 6.9% average gradient, Villard Reculas is a good way to start the day and prepare your climbing legs for the long day ahead. Tree lined switchbacks are the order of the day and classic road markers count down the distance to the top. At the top, the Romanche Valley opens up below you, offering views across toward Col d’Ornon. Drop through the small village and pick up Pas de la Confession, a narrow balcony road which hugs the edge of the mountain and brings you to Huez village, a few kilometres below the Alpe D’Huez resort.

Pas de la Confession – a cheeky bonus climb you can tick off!

Turning right when you reach the main road which makes up the Alpe d’Huez climb, you’ll descend the famous hairpins to number 16 at Garde d’Oisans and take the left turn at the Virage 16 cafe. There is drinking water (eau potable) outside the cafe and it’s a good idea to at least stop and top up your bottles. You’ll have no doubt enjoyed the high speed descent, but as the famous saying goes – what goes down, must go up! Something like that anyway…

A short drop takes you across the Sarenne Gorge and onto the start of Balcon d’Auris. If you’ve ever driven through the valley and looked up to this road, you may be forgiven for thinking it “looks pretty flat”. It’s not flat. But it is breathtaking! Cut into the cliff face, this road hugs the mountain and the chunks of rock scattered across the road, are a continuous reminder of how difficult this must have been to build**

From Balcon dAuris the view back across Bourg-dOisans is incredible

After a few kilometres you reach the end of the balcony road, with an option to continue climbing to Auris en Oisans. Instead, follow the road downhill to Le Grand Chatain and then Le Freney-d’Oisans. From here, pick up the main road, D1091 again, uphill to Le Chambon and specifically the Barrage du Chambon, which offers a fantastic photo op. There’s around 17km of non-stop climbing from this point, so don’t over-cook your effort in an attempt to get off the busy road!

Cross the dam, following signs for Mizoën, with a sharp left turn taking you immediately uphill via some steep, sharp hairpins into the small village. There is a cafe/shop here, as well as a water fountain – you’re about to begin Col de Sarenne, so make sure you’re fuelled and have plenty of water. This climb is very exposed!

Exiting Mizoën, the route up Col de Sarenne is clearly marked, with only one fork in the road and, unsurprisingly, you take the one that heads uphill! The road itself isn’t particularly great, but when ascending, that’s mostly not a problem. Gradients early in the climb are fairly friendly (around 5%, with one 9% km being the exception) and when you reach the forest section, you get some nice protection from the elements and a good chance to meet some of the locals…

Climbing Col de Sarenne- mandatory “jingle cow” selfie

Exiting the tree line, two things become obvious. 1) You are in a stunning valley and fully at the mercy of whatever weather is on hand (two trips, two absolute scorchers!) and 2) you can see the top, you can see it’s a long way away and you can see it gets steep. The sting really is in the tail with this climb, as 3kms at 7% and 8% lead you to the final 4kms which average 9%+ with some much steeper sections.

Despite the heat and gradient, I actually find that rhythm is my biggest enemy at this point (well, alongside my legs and the big lunch I promised I wouldn’t have this time…). It’s not that the tarmac itself isn’t smooth (though it is occasionally broken up) – it’s just lumpy and generally uneven. On a good day, this is a slight frustration, easily countered by the views. On a bad day, it feels like 50% of your effort gives forward momentum, 30% is trying to push you up off the road and 20% is trying to pull you back down the mountain! Lovely.

At the top, all of the effort is worth it as you’re rewarded with some of the best views in the region. Take the time to stop and have a look around – maybe take your shoes off before scrambling up the rocks though!

View back down Col de Sarenne climb

You’re not completely finished with the climbing for the day, but with only 4km of scattered ascent left, it’s nothing like you’ve put in over the rest of the day. Your trip across to Alpe d’Huez is all about enjoying these quiet, largely unknown roads, with views of the meadows above the famous ski resort.

Arriving in the town, the only thing left to do is weave your way through the shops and chalets, then enjoy the excellent descent on fantastic roads back down to your start point in leBourg-d’Oisans. Ice cream is always a great way to end an epic day out on the bike!

Not the hardest, but maybe the slowest 4kms of the day. Far too many people who ride up Alpe dHuez miss out on these views

Have you done this ride? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Happy riding!

* As this is a loop, you won’t miss anything by starting at any of the other towns and villages for this great ride. ** If you’re unlucky enough to find this road closed, which I did the first time, complete the descent back to le Bourg-d’Oisans and take the main valley road toward les Deux Alps. The road can be busy and is less scenic, but it gets you where you want to go!

#coldesarenne #romanchevalley #circularloop #circular #balcondauris #Routes #allemond #alpedhuezvillarreculas