See the Criterium du Dauphine Libere with AlpCycles.com

AlpCycles.com invites riders to their ‘patch’ in the Alps on roads that the Criterium du Dauphine Libere will be racing on the same week – discount too for VeloUK readers … 

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See the Criterium du Dauphine Libere with AlpCycles.com

You can ride this awesome alpine loop (described below) and watch the pro Riders fight it out in the 70th Criterium du Dauphine on the same roads with Alpcycles by booking onto their Weekend in the Alps “La Madeleine, Serpentine of the Alps” package

The Cormet de Roselend Loop

Ade, from AlpCycles.com writes — For this ride, we thought we would take you on an alpine classic, and one of the Alpcycles team’s favourite loops. Over the last 10 years, we have taken hundreds of cyclists on the Cormet de Roselend loop that connects the Beaufortain valley and the Tarentaise valley in the Savoie Region of France and we like to climb the North-western side from Beaufort. It is a favourite with the staff team too and often is ridden as a group ride when we are not at work.

We are lucky enough to be able to ride this loop from our front door and this loop is so appealing for me personally because it has a bit of everything. We start the ride from Brides Les Bains, then head down the valley with a nice rolling 30kms to Albertville, which is great as we can ride together as a group and the back roads are generally very quiet so can happily run as a peloton only having to line out now and again.

Heading out to Beaufort and on the climb

Normally, if in mid-summer with clients, we will grab a bidon refill at a bar just before Albertville as once we head through the back of Albertville and on to the road towards Beaufort, the ride starts to get a little more gritty!

We have to be very careful with clients on this route as people have a tendency to go too quick on the rolling roads towards the Cormet de Roselend and can end up blown before they hit the main course of the day, so we constantly remind people that the roll to the climb is just the starter and main course is still to come.

The road towards Beaufort is quite tough going as it starts with a small climb then slowly just grinds its way towards Beaufort and the foot of The Cormet and it can be very difficult for our guides to keep groups together and normally on some of the draggy climbs, the groups will splinter and we will carry on in a few smaller groups, then regroup in Beaufort for another bottle refill and quick feed.

Factoid: Beaufort and the Beaufortain Valley is famed for its great alpine cheese called Beaufort.

So, now for the main course at 20.3kms, climbing to 1967m at 6% average topping out at 10% and already with nearly 65kms in your legs already, it’s all up as the climb starts off fairly draggy and once you get up into the trees, the views back down are breath taking. The climb snakes up the Col de Meraillet for 12km to the Breath-taking Lac de Roselend then you get 2kms rest bite of downhill then you climb the last 6 kms to the summit.

Near the summit of the main climb on the loop and riding through the snow 

These are my favourites as it is so wild up there and everywhere you look the scenery is just blow away. We then regroup, rack the bikes at the top, put people back together by having some food from the support vehicle and get your shot by the ‘Col’ sign before getting your wind breaker on for the descent!

This is one of our favourite descents after all that hard work it is 20 kms downhill! Towards Bourg St Maurice, the top of the descent is big open switch backs which can be taken at a good speed as you can see what’s coming up the road fairly well and I am not even going to disclose top speeds from some of my guides on one certain section!

Then after the descent runs flat for a while, you drop into some of the tightest twisting switchbacks around which need to be respected and taken with care…..but if ridden well are safe and amazing! These were famed in the 2007 TDF stage for taking out Michael Rogers and all the Australian riders in the race in one stage. Also, if you look really carefully on one switchback, it say ‘Johan in yellow’ and this was where Johan Bruyneel famously flew off the road into a ravine in the 1996 TDF and it was all caught on camera and then rumour has it, that a few years later he crashed the Postal team car on the same bend!

Once you reach Bourg St Maurice. it is time for a quick coffee and most people are smiling from ear to ear after the descent. Then,  it is time to take a spin back to base in Brides, a ride that is mostly downhill by the river on a cool twisting cycle path. Normally, if some people are looking like they have had enough, we will load the bikes on to the van at Aime but if you still have some KMs left in the legs, the little kick back to the Hotel from Moutiers will sort that!

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I love this ride as it has everything – it is up, down, great scenery, flat and rolling and coffee and most of all it’s a tough loop and you get home tired but stoked and that’s what it’s all about for me.

You can ride this awesome Alpine loop and watch the Pro Riders fight it out in the 70th Criterium du Dauphine on the same roads with Alpcycles by booking onto their Weekend in the Alps “La Madeleine, Serpentine of the Alps” package which runs from Thursday 7th June for 4 nights.

This package is also perfect for road cycling couples and friends. The package includes: 4 nights Half Board accommodation, Wellness Suite, airport transfers (GVA), fully guided & supported rides and more, as well as the chance to watch the Criterium du Dauphine.

Alpcycles are offering all VeloUK 5% off of the webprice for their last few prices. Just quote “VeloUK” when you get in touch and they will do the rest!

Links:
https://www.criterium-du-dauphine.fr/criterium-du-dauphine/2018/us/overall-route.html
https://www.alpcycles.com/cycling-events/a-weekend-in-the-alps.html#itinerary-1

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