It needs to be done and the boxes ticked, no more sitting pondering about how far it is or it doesn’t fit in very well GET IT DONE / PLANNED.
1am Monday morning 16th March 2015 and I’m back up searching for the answers to make the trip easier and get it clear in my head, how and what’s going on, as soon as I’ve got the plan I can RELAX again 🙂
The reason were going climbing / pain in the saddle FUN ??
The climbs we could do if we drove rather than flying, Col Du Galibier(2645m), Aple D’Huex(1860m), Plan Du lac, Col De La Madeleine (1993m)
(all in the same approx area) JUST OUTSIDE GRENOBLE FRANCE ! feel the pain (there’s so many to do OUCH) *** Le bourg -D’Oisons seems the place to be ***
** Useful website / route planning **
100 cycling climbs better than D’Huez they seem to have missed Steppey Lane 😦 HERE – Grenoble climbs HERE
The travel breakdown – for reference mainly to work in time / distance
*** Option 1 DRIVE *** arrive completely nackered #AlreadyFailedBeforeYouStart
Leg 1 – Coventry to Dover 182 / 194 miles depending on route 3hrs 10 mins googlemaps
Leg 2 – Calais to Grenoble 869km / 539 miles Gmaps has gone all foreign on me 7hrs 20mins
Day trip / overnighter to Mont Ventoux from Grenoble 217/249kms (154 miles) 2hrs 44 mins (887 base miles approx)
Fuel van £360 @ £6 a gallon based on 30mpg there and back + extra travel
Fuel car £266 @ 40mpg not including ferrying around to rides, food etc
Toll charges £180+ approx @ 1 euro per 10 miles !! (taken from another blog 2011)
Tunnel is £130 for a small car under 1.8mtrs return – Van was £170
£570 split x 2 £285
Overseas car insurance add on maybe be extra ??
*** Option 2 FLY ***
Airports options – Grenoble BEST or Lyon 65 miles from Grenoble on the toll, Lyon available daily but not from the midlands (Luton via easyjet)
Car hire £211 (£106 each) all in for skoda estate size petrol approx 30mpg (should be better)
Flight price £200 each inc bike / 20kg luggage inc £50 each way for bike on ryanair or £70 easyjet
Bike bag £ Bike box £40 a week to hire (30kg weight on Ryan air 2015) BOX HIRE HERE or buy it outright £445 @ Evans for a polaris pro pod pp
Petrol £100 all in (£50 each) based on Geneva to Grenoble, Grenoble to Bedoin (Ventoux) 480 miles round trip approx inc insurance and breakdown cover being a hire car !!! excess will be high (don’t crash it)
Tolls based on 1 euro per 10 miles (again based on another blog) £50 – £25 a man split
£421 per tour de France rider 🙂 EPIC !! not cheap but also not nackered / worn out £136 more than the car
EasyJet flight from Birmingham but it seems at the moment they only flight once a week on a Saturday fares £40 each way approx
** Best option on flight ** Easyjet Birmingham to Geneva Switzerland seems the logical route with daily flights pretty much and car hire that’s open when needed 88 miles/145kms from Grenoble 1hr 45mins
Monarch also do flights to Grenoble approx £135 at the moment
it seems Saturday / Sunday flights only this time of year not sure if September will be any different being a skiing destination ?? any clues
Option B – stay in Ventoux and pop up to Grenoble area flights seem (Luton – Nimes flight most days and cheaper) 84km drive from airport
More important climb routes – be it strava segs or others
*** Strava segments ***
Galibier From Valloire 10.9 miles – here
Galibier From D1091 5.4 miles – here Col Du Lautaret
Alpe D’Huez from D1091 8.9 miles – here
Strava blog on Alpe D’Huez – HERE pics on *** OULLES *** looks amazing but shortish 10% HERE
Col de Madeleine south 11.8 miles 8% – HERE
Col du Telegraphe 7.3 miles 7% I see Mr Coop and Lord have done this climb – HERE even better Lordy did the Marmotte 2014 HERE
If we fly from Geneva we could stop at Annecy and hit one Sunday afternoon they look nice as well visit this website HERE (37 mins 44km away from airport)
Impressive effort on this blog full map with stars for classics it just seems there’s loads to choice from HERE
Sport the MIND and moving on. 