Riding the cols: a guide to cycling the French Alps for people who've never done it before

Twenty-one numbered hairpins. A 2,642-metre summit you've watched professionals suffer up on television. The roads that built modern cycling folklore — and a first-timer's guide to riding them without falling apart.

There is a particular moment that every road cyclist who rides the French Alps for the first time describes in roughly the same way: turning a hairpin bend, seeing the road continue upward for what looks like an unreasonable distance, and realising that the climbs you've watched on television for years are not exaggerated by the camera angles. They are genuinely that long, that steep, and that spectacular.

The French Alps are, by most measures, the spiritual home of road cycling. The Tour de France has visited these mountains for over a century, and the climbs — Alpe d'Huez, the Galibier, the Madeleine, the Croix de Fer — carry a weight of history that no other cycling destination in the world can match. For a rider who has never done an Alpine trip, that history can be intimidating. It shouldn't be. These are roads built for cars as much as cyclists, well maintained, clearly signed, and entirely achievable for anyone with a reasonable level of fitness and the patience to climb slowly.

This guide is for the rider who has watched the Tour every July, has a vague sense that Alpe d'Huez is famous, and wants to actually go and ride it without making the trip harder than it needs to be.

How fit do you actually need to be?

This is the question every first-timer asks, and the honest answer is: less fit than you think, provided you're prepared to go slowly. Alpe d'Huez — the most famous climb in the Alps — covers 13.8 kilometres at an average gradient of 8.1%, with an elevation gain of around 1,070 metres. Professional riders complete it in under 40 minutes. Most amateur cyclists in reasonable condition complete it in 75 to 100 minutes. There is no shame whatsoever in the second number. The climb does not care how fast you go up it, and there is no qualifying time required to legally ride it.

The genuine prerequisite is not raw power but the ability to sustain a steady effort for an hour or more without stopping completely. If you can ride for two hours at a conversational pace on rolling terrain at home, you have the base fitness required for an Alpine trip — the climbs will simply take longer and feel harder than anything in the UK, because there is nothing in Britain that climbs continuously for over an hour.

Gearing matters more than fitness for most first-timers. A compact chainset (50/34) paired with a wide-range cassette (an 11-32 or 11-34) will make climbs at 8-10% gradient genuinely manageable for riders who would otherwise grind themselves into the ground on a standard road setup. This is not a concession — professional riders use similarly generous gearing on the steepest Alpine stages. There is no prize for suffering more than necessary.

The climbs

When to go

For a first trip, July remains the sensible choice despite the crowds — the weather is most reliable, every café and bike shop along the route is open, and there is something genuinely useful about riding the same roads while the Tour de France atmosphere is building, even away from race day itself. Whatever month you choose, mountain rules apply regardless of valley temperature: afternoon storms build quickly, and a 1,500-metre descent can be 15°C colder at the summit than where you started climbing. A gilet and a proper packable waterproof live in your jersey pocket for the entire trip, every single day.

Where to base yourself

Bourg d'Oisans is the classic first-trip base and remains the right choice for most riders. It sits directly at the foot of Alpe d'Huez, with the Glandon, Croix de Fer, and Galibier (via the Lautaret) all within comfortable riding distance. The town's entire economy runs on cyclists — bike shops, rental options, and cafés that understand exactly what a rider needs after six hours in the saddle.

Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, in the neighbouring valley, puts the Madeleine, Télégraphe, and Galibier's northern approach within easy reach, and is a sensible alternative base for a second Alpine trip once you've done the Bourg d'Oisans essentials.

Practical notes

Getting there: Geneva and Lyon airports both have direct flights from the UK and are within two to three hours' drive of Bourg d'Oisans. Most cyclists either hire a car with a roof box or use a bike transport service — flying with a bike box adds complexity that most first-timers prefer to avoid on their first trip.

Bike: Your own road bike, properly serviced before you go, with the gearing discussed above. Disc brakes are a genuine advantage on the long Alpine descents — the braking demands are significantly greater than anything most UK riders are used to.

What to pack: A gilet and packable waterproof regardless of forecast. Arm warmers and a light base layer for early starts. Sunscreen and lip balm — UV at altitude is significantly stronger than valley-level intensity suggests, even on overcast days.

Nutrition: Most climbs have at least one café or refuge near the summit, but don't rely on it being open. Carry more food than you think you'll need on any climb over 15km.

The French Alps reward exactly the kind of preparation outlined here — proper gearing, realistic pacing, and respect for the altitude — far more than raw fitness. Riders who arrive expecting to suffer needlessly often do. Riders who arrive with a sensible plan tend to leave already planning their return trip.

Book Bourg d'Oisans for four nights. Ride Alpe d'Huez on day one to get the famous one out of the way. Save Galibier for whichever day has the clearest forecast — the views are the entire point.