French alps – where to base….

Due to training conflicts with my partners racing i cant go to california as planned :(

Going to france instead – taking ferry from newcastle to amsterdam

If you were taking a van with road bikes and xc mtbs for 3 weeks where would you choose to park the tent ?

Also i mentioned this to a guy i met at a party a few weeks back and he was telling me about some mega road ride possibly called the cockerel/rooster/chicken ride that took in alot of the big cols. – cant find any info on the internet other than the chicken run by white room :)

Basically i want to ride as many of the famous climbs as i can and do some mtb while im there.

Also , anyone used secure carparking at lyon airport would you consider leaving the van parked up with bikes inside ? Thinking we might fly up to paris to see the champs elysse tdf finish while we are there.

Briancon

Briancon would be good for the road (or Vanosc/Bourg d’oisans) but XC might be a bit limited. Having said that, there are a few waymarked trails going out from Briancon towards Montgenevre.

Pyranees might give more scope for a Xc and road combo, somewhere close to Luchon or Lourdes (tourmelet etc).

Thinking we might fly up to paris to see the champs elysse tdf finish while we are there.

I was at a finish years ago when my sister lived in Paris, it was an occasion but I wouldn’t break up a trip to the alps to do it again. Really busy, difficult to see anything and not very interesting to watch. If it was me, I would miss out on the logistical hassle and watch it on the tele.