Author: Will

Luz Ardiden is a small ski station in the Pyrenées that has hosted eight Tour de France finishes since 1985.

I’ve dreamed of doing this forever. Climb Col du Tourmalet, the most famous pass in the Pyrenées and then go much higher on an unpaved path to the towering Pic du Midi de Bigorre.

High, quiet, beautiful. The route to Cirque de Troumouse just feels off the beaten path. Smaller road, fewer tourists, no ski station, fewer cyclists. My kind of place.

I had previously thought that Col du Tourmalet (2115 metres) was the highest paved mountain pass in the French Pyrenées, but in fact it is Port de Boucharo (2270 metres).

Les Arcs is one of our favourite French high Alps ski stations. The high point is Aguille Rouge at over 3200 metres. I am terrified the few times I have skied down …. but always thought it might be a great cycling goal.

I thought it might be possible to mountain bike into the slopes above Les Arcs via a different valley on little farm tracks. Maybe.

The snob in me enjoys the fact that during my last three visits to Bourg d’Oisans I have cycled something other than Alpe d’Huez. More seriously, this is a sign that there is lots of great cycling in the region.

Deep in the Vanoise Alps, starting in Bozel, is this 20 kilometre climb that ends a few kilometres above the small ski station of Pralognan La Vanoise.

Are you visiting Bourg d’Oisans but searching for something quiet, scenic ….. and easier than Alpe d’Huez?

For the first time in ages (years?), I followed with no idea where I was going as I was with a group of expert route planners.