Cycling the Alpes - Marmotte Week

Weather: Its July, but you wouldn’t know it this week in the Alpes. Rain, clouds and snow above 2000 meters. The col de Galibier had snow on it yesterday. Yes, there were cyclists on it, of course, as the road was open and the snow was only a light dusting that didn’t stick to the road. But, it could be an issue as the Tour de France approaches; the weather. So far this ‘summer’ has a been a wet and below normal temperature over most of France. I would expect to see things change completely in the reverse to extreme heat and dryness for the rest of the month, but ….I’m no weatherman!

La Marmotte; takes off tomorrow from Bourg d’Oisans and completes a loop over the Croix de Fer, Telegraph, Galibier, and Alpe d’Huez. More than 7000 participants are expected. The course rolls over closed roads and is obviously one of the most popular cyclo sportives, after Etape du Tour. An incredible number of Belgians, Dutch, and English are here for the ride. All flat landers normally, they love to come climb in the mountains, and they are strong too!

The Ugly American is alive and well in L2A. Spending a week in the Alpes, the week of La Marmotte, is a great time for a cyclist. The routes are covered with riders of all kinds and, well, it’s the Alpes. During La Marmotte it is hard to find hotel space too. I do love Les Deux Alpes, Marmotte or not, but Les Deux Alpes is a ski station even in summer. And the ski attitude is ever present. While most of the visitors here in L2A are Italian, and most of them teenagers, I have come across groups of Americans here for ski training as well. And they didn’t check their ‘ski tude’ at the border. The ski ‘tude’; the hot dogger, too cool Warren Miller dude, the mountain snob. If you’ve ever been skiing in Colorado’s biggest resorts, you’ve seen it. I couldn’t avoid here either, and I insist on speaking French to avoid association.