If you are planning or have already booked yourself on a cycling holiday in the French Alps (or any mountainous destination), there are a few things you should know. Riding in the mountains all day is not like going up your local steep hill a few times. The following tips will ensure that you get the most out of your cycling holiday in the French Alps:
Effort
It is natural to push harder against an increasing resistance (you never pedal as hard downhill as you do uphill). As the majority of your time will be spent climbing, you need to make an effort not to overdo it! Pacing is even more important if you expect to be in the saddle for longer periods of time than you are used to. Some climbs are very long – such as the 45 km climb to the top of the Col du Galibier from Bourg D’Oisans (there are a couple of stretches of flat road but most of it is uphill). You will be very pleased that you have left something in the tank for the last climb of the day, and don’t forget you will probably be riding tomorrow!
Nutrition
As you will likely be riding for a long time, and maybe pushing yourself harder than you would be than back at home, keeping yourself fuelled up becomes even more important. Take at least 50% more than you expect you will need – even if you don’t use it then perhaps someone else in your group might need it to get them home. It’s one thing having to limp home on the flat, but you really don’t want to hit the wall when you have another long stretch of 8 – 10% incline between you and home….believe me, it’s happened to me whilst being on the wrong side of the Col d Glandon and home with 7 km left to go, and it’s much worse in the mountains!
Drinking water is often available in the French Alps from water fountains by the road or in small villages. Take advantage of this by keeping a spare bottle or plastic bag/box filled with a measure of your energy drink powder. It weighs very little and doesn’t take up much space. For example, take the Col de la Croix de Fer (35km, 2000 metres of ascent). A village just under half way up this climb, called Rivier d’Allemont, has a number of water fountains on the side of the road. This is an ideal spot for a refill – you’ll probably have finished your first drinks bottle and this way you save yourself carrying an extra 0.75 – 1.5kg of water – it doesn’t sound like much but it all adds up when the road gets steep – the very first part of the climb is 13%!
If you are expecting to find food along the route don’t forget that some places in France may not be open on Sundays and public holidays (you should be fine in the larger towns such as Alpe D’Huez and Bourg D’Oisans but in out of the way villages like Besse or Laffrey perhaps not).
Climbing
The main thing to remember is that you should not ride up the mountains like the hills back home. Where you can grit your teeth and get over a hill, there is no point doing the same when faced with a 35 km climb ascending 2000 metres, such as the Col de la Croix de Fer in the French Alps. Ride with the effort you would use into a headwind, as opposed to riding uphill. By the same token, don’t be tempted to follow someone who is going faster than you can comfortably keep up with. Again, it would be fine for a short rise, or if you could draft them on the flat, but when it goes uphill it’s just you against gravity and you will soon get found out!
Most of the time you should climb sitting down – this is more efficient. However now and then get out of the saddle for a short time (but don’t increase your effort) to stretch your legs. Lighter climbers will find this easier than heavy ones, and will likely be able to do this more often.
If you need to stop and then start again on an incline, it can be difficult to get your shoes clipped into the pedals in time. An alternative is to turn round and clip in going downhill, before turning round (clearly the road needs to be wide enough for you to comfortably turn). Or you can head towards the opposite side of the road at an angle – this will reduce how steep the road is and give you a little more time to get clipped in. For both options, you need to take care that it is safe to carry out these manoeuvres – check for traffic both ways beforehand and don’t do it if there is a bend nearby which means you could not see oncoming cars.
Descending
Take it easy on the descents. Not only could a crash ruin your holiday, riding in the mountains means occasional sheer drops – great for views but not for falling off! If you are descending at a speed you are confident you could stop if needed means you will be more relaxed (and therefore safer), and able to deal with the unexpected that could be round the next corner. The roads in the French Alps often include hairpin bends (in order to limit steepness of the road – climbs in other countries may often be steeper but less twisty due to the road taking a more direct route). On more major routes the hairpins are quite broad and easier to navigate (such as on Alpe D’Huez), but on other descents such as the Col du Sarennes (the back way down from Alpe D’Huez) the bends are much tighter and the road surfaces not so good. After a few descents on different types of road you will get a feel for the kind of speeds you can take corners at and this makes the whole experience more enjoyable.
Riding with your hands on the drops will give you more braking power than with your hands on the hoods – it also lowers your centre of gravity which is useful for getting round the hairpin bends.
Lastly, use both brakes hard when heading into a hairpin bend so that you ease off them when turning. You should not expect to be turning and braking hard – if you hit a patch of gravel or dust then the tyres could well lose grip. If you have to brake during the corner, ease off the front brake – it’s better to lose traction on the rear than the front.
