What to do in the Summer in the Alps – part 1 – Cycling

In the Summer some of us sit around in the UK awaiting the ski season to start again, making sure we don’t waste any of our precious holiday on a summer trip, god forbid! Well, what some people don’t realise is that there is lots going on in ski resorts over the summer, and they can be just as beautiful as they are in the winter.

One of the must sees of the summer in the French mountains is the annual visit of the Tour de France. This year it will be travelling through Andorra, Saint Girons and Tarbes in the French Pyrenees. Then the tour moves on to Verbier in the Swiss Alps. Finally the tour goes through Bourg St Maurice, Le Grand Bornand and Mont Ventoux in the French Alps. All of these stages are perfect for viewing, and as usual will probably produce the one performance that will win one of the riders the tour this year. Visit http://www.letour.fr/us/homepage_courseTDF.html for more information on the Tour de France.

Road cycling in the Alps is huge and if you’re a keen cyclist then the must climbs are Alpe D’huez, Col du Lauteret and Mont Ventoux in the Alps and the Tourmalet in the Pyrenees. You don’t need to be an expert to get up these hills, believe me I’ve done them, just a bit of grit and determination. A brilliant website with all the information you need about cycling in the French Alps is Grenoble Cycling.

If you’re a keen mountain biker then most resorts run lifts in the summer and have trails marked similarly to pistes. You can hook your mountain bike to the back of some charilifts and use the bubbles and cable cars of course. Favourite resorts for mountain biking are Alpe D’Huez, Chamonix and Morzine, all of which cater extremely well for mountain bikers. However most other resorts do offer good mountain biking, and in most you will be able to hire bikes so if you haven’t got your own and you fancy a go you’ve got no excuse.

Future posts will look at the other summer activities in the mountains, canoeing, walking, skiing and more!