Cormet de Roselend, Lac de la Gittaz, and 2 Touring Tips

A quick slide show of our perfect day:

Every year thousands of cyclo-tourists ride the Route des Grandes Alpes (RGA). Planning is simple: just stay on the route and you will cycle many of the most famous climbs in France.

But often just a small detour can lead to seeing some amazing sights. This route is a good example.

Detour #1

Cormet de Roselend follows the RGA past the beautiful lake created by the giant Barrage (dam) de Roselend. Just before Col du Meraillet (see map below) is a turn off to Barrage de la Gittaz.

It’s just short ride – through a slightly scary little tunnel – to a fantastic Lake and a stunning straight down view of the dam. Well worth the extra time.

Detour #2

At Col du Meraillet itself, turn right instead of left for a 5 minute detour to the Barrage de Roselend.

You can ride across the dam – which is fun – and the views down the front are incredible. Again well worth the little detour.

Cormet de Roselend

The main climb is fantastic. Perfect weather for Doreen, Eric, Katy and I. We all climbed at our own pace – Eric and I did the Gittaz detour to allow the ladies to catch up. Not surprisingly, there were lots of hikers and cyclists. At the top, we enjoyed a nice picnic – and a very tasty beer. Cheers.

I have written a lot about the main climb before:

• For details of both sides including the south-east side from Bourg St-Maurice see here.
• For a more challenging route up Cormet de Roselend via Col du Pré – and great views of the lake – see here.
• For 10 more great climbs to Alpine Lakes/Dams see here.