Alpine Cols Trip 2025

Alpine Cols trip (2025)

‘Deviation’

A week of lightweight touring taking in some notable French Alpine cols. Simon presents me with a rough circular route scrawled on a map. Anti-clockwise from Chambery.

Four months later and it’s day one. We’re up into the hills south of Chambery, the sharp cliffs of the Chartreuse to our right.

But half a morning’s climbing becomes wasted effort as we are forced to backtrack thanks to a road closure. We seem not to have registered the deeper significance of the word “deviation”. Stunning scenery with mid-level cols to pique our interest. A long day in the saddle ends at a hotel with pool in Uriage, south-east of Grenoble.

Stats: 98km, 2588m of climbing.

Day two and we continue south via Vizille with its chateau which played a significant role in the French Revolution. Gently undulating countryside takes us to lunch at our most southerly point - Valbonnais. A swim in a lake there provides relief from the heat. We’re aiming for no more than six hours in the saddle per day. We head north over the pleasant Col d’Ornon (1371m) towards our hotel in Bourg d’Oisans. The Hotel de Milan is an art deco treasure (think Poirot). Various in-keeping objets - eg ancient valve radios, the lift - are scattered around. The staff are friendly and there’s a well thought-out bike-cave in the basement.

Stats: 85.5km, 1780m.

Galibier

We spurn the delights of Alpe d’Huez on day three. We’ve both done it before - without luggage. So instead it’s a long drag up, eastwards, to the Col de Lautaret. Though a relatively gentle ascent I somehow find it an effort, relieved somewhat by the great scenery. The much steeper climb to the celebrated Galibier follows a picnic lunch in a field away from the bustle of the Lautaret. The Galibier (2646m) is the usual mixture of cyclists, camper vans, high-end sports cars and motorbikes.

We all squeeze into the restricted space amicably enough, taking turns with selfies in front of the relevant road signs. Then it’s down, down, down - a twisting descent northwards to the ski resort of Valloire. A slight ramp up to the Col du Telegraphe (1566m) before another superb plunge into the Maurienne valley.

Stats: 2701m, 107km

Wind

Day four is a planned day off the bike. We stay at a B and B run by the lovely Nathalie and Bruno in Avrieux, a village just up the valley from Modane. Our day includes a stroll up to the 100m St Benoit waterfall and a visit to one of the 19th-century cliff-top forts built to keep the French out of Italy. I am fascinated by a striking windtunnel facility run by Onera - the French aerospace lab. Apparently it’s several tunnels which can blast winds up to hypersonic speeds. Anything from cycles to rockets are tested there.

Stats, 0m, 0km (unless you count walking)

Day five. “Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.” Simon, map in hand, illuminates a series of minor roads which will keep us off some of the busier main drag to the Col d’Iseran (2764m) - gateway to Val d’Isere from the south. Stunning climb. Towards the top I try to distract myself from the effort by working out where I’ve snowboarded in the past on the now snowless terrain. The summit is cold, the descent even colder. Vin chaud in Bar Quinze in Val thaws our extremities (no, not those ones) before the never-ending descent to Bourg St Maurice (where it does in fact end).

Stats: 108km, 2267m

Day six and we climb vaguely north-west from Bourg over two cols - the Cormet de Roselende (1967m) and Col des Saisies (1650m). Psychologically easier than yesterday’s Iseran, we glide up as a persistent drizzle impinges on our serenity. Simon’s Di2 (electric gears) start complaining half-way through. The only option - a recharge of gears and bodies at a hilltop rustic restaurant. Bavette (flank) de boeuf, spaghetti and salad - excellent but not my usual midday cycling fare.

Stats: 2222m, 76km

We wake up in Flumet below the Col des Aravis for our final day’s riding back to Chambery. We opt for less climbing (vraiment?). South-west to the industrial town of Ugine, then north-west to Lake Annecy along a bespoke tarmac cycle path popular with everyone from lycra-clad pelotons to families and elderly shoppers.

 At a distance, the mountains soar on either side. The post-lunch (whopping veggie baguettes) haul takes us through the Parc Naturel Regional du Massif des Bauges, south towards Chambery. A couple of casual cols to keep the legs turning but the picturesque takes centre-stage here followed by a long and busy descending return to our start point.

Stats 1528m, 98km

Details:

Navigation: Maps (eg Michelin Isere,Savoie, 333 local), Googlemaps, Garmin,Komoot.

Getting there: Eurostar to Paris, TGV to Chambery.

Bikes: Rented Scott Addicts, delivered to our hotel in Chambery. Carbon frame and forks, disc brake, Di2 105 gear set-up.

Luggage: Bar bags, frame bags, saddle packs.

Accommodation: B and Bs and hotels, mostly booked the day before or on the day.