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Off to Alpe d'Huez next sunday on my first Alps trip, culminating in the Mega the following weekend.
Obviously planning on riding the quali and main race routes, and the Enduro on the wednesday evening, but what else would you recommend to make the most of being there for a week?
21 hairpins
What davidtaylforth said but do it on some classic 80's thoroughbred Italian steel.
There is a trail map if you google it, I can't be arsed to put the image in a post.
Thing is if you're there for a week and doing the enduro, time will be tighter than you think.
Don't underestimate how hard it is on body and bike.
I found it best to take it pretty easy on the Thursday, maybe play in the snow to get a feel and a couple of qually track runs.
That'll only leave mon and tues to practice the rest.
I still want to do the climb but never seem to have the time/energy. I did the road descent down the other side when the weather closed in 2013 and it was way more fun than fighting the clay.
If your there fornthe mega stick to that, a week is about the right level of prep. Over do practice and race will be rubbish
Your lift pass will give you access to les 2 alps for a day.
Yeah, there's enough marked trails and Les Deux Alpes up the road, especially if you're riding Mega at the end of the week. The tourist information place in the centre of AdH will have a map and route finding is easy anyway.
There's some good stuff starting around Villard-Reculas. Lots of maps here:
[url= http://www.villard-reculas.com/en/vtt-oisans-alpe-d-huez-grand-domaine.html ]Villard-Reculas[/url]
Head over to Oz too.
Plenty trails down from the first stop of the cable car and you can go through the village and get a wee bubble cable car back up.
5 mins of rain and the trails change to become very slidey.
Les Deux Alpes, both sides have good trails, in July I always find them full of brake bumps. Best trail is the Venosc red. Bubble car back up. Although red, nothing hard and its wide.
We camp down in Venosc.
Your bike will take a hammering so maybe replace rear shock bushes etc before going out and take spare pads as they cost a lot more in the resort. And bleed your brake before going.
The resorts have plenty bike shops and will fix your bike 'tout suite' but can be 30E for an hours work eg fixing a buckled wheel or bleeding brakes.
Plenty trails down from the first stop of the cable car and you can go through the village and get a wee bubble cable car back up.
5 mins of rain and the trails change to become very slidey.
Les Deux Alpes, both sides have good trails, in July I always find them full of brake bumps. Best trail is the Venosc red. Bubble car back up. Although red, nothing hard and its wide.
We camp down in Venosc.
Your bike will take a hammering so maybe replace rear shock bushes etc before going out and take spare pads as they cost a lot more in the resort. And bleed your brake before going.
The resorts have plenty bike shops and will fix your bike 'tout suite' but can be 30E for an hours work eg fixing a buckled wheel or bleeding brakes.
This has 84 hairpins in a downhill. It's opposite the 21 haripin road. http://bike-oisans.com/noesit/!/fiche/le-chemin-de-malaine-334888
This site has plenty Enduro type routes. NO cable cars.
http://bike-oisans.com/fr/vtt/itineraires-vtt-oisans
PDF of routes inc. Enduro ones, all without uplift.
http://bike-oisans.com/noewp_telechargements/!/dl_id/5/titre/guide-vtt
And it's due to piss it down all this coming week...
Blazin-saddles - Member
And it's due to piss it down all this coming week...
Of course it is, I've just ordered a new Rock Razor. More annoying my back, left shoulder and right knee are complaining like hell.
Hire a road bike then descend from Alpe D'Huez to La Garde then take the D211A "Balcony Route" to Le Frenay then descend the D1091 back to Bourge d'Oisans. Now you are nicely warmed up pretend you are Eddy Merckx/Bernard Hainault/Chris Froome and throw yourself at Alpe d'Huez.
There's an amazing footpath down to Oz that joins the best bit of the mega track, don't know how cheeky it is now though.