Advice for my trip to the Alps please

[markw996]

About 10 years ago I tagged along with a few friends of friends on a biking trip to Monaco riding my 98 R1, we covered 2500 miles over a long weekend which was a great adventure but left me in agony for 2 days after I got back.

I should have expected it after we woke up and calculated that we needed to average 100mph for 600 miles in order to catch the ferry home!

I've decided that because I have to use up 2 weeks holiday by April 2015, I'm going to buy a cheap comfy bike and bugger off to Briancon (where we stayed) and spend a week exploring the roads and scenery that were just a high speed blur last time around. I've booked 2 weeks off work at the end of March and have been excitedly looking at hotels and maps etc.

I didn't have anything to do with the planning last time, although I seem to remember stopping late evening to ask passers by in our best 'Frenglish' if there were any B&Bs nearby... so it might not actually have been planned at all

Is there anything important I should consider, i.e. road closures and snow drifts etc as I don't remember what time of year we went... just that it was raining & cold when we left the UK

[Tall_Paul]

I went on a snowboarding holiday to the Alps around that time of year (it was in 2002 so can't remember exactly what month it was, either March or April) and I remember walking around in the town in shorts and T-shirt while the locals were all wrapped up. As you went up the mountain on the cable car/ski lift the rain we had some days turned to snow, and the bottom slides were devoid of snow, obviously the tops had plenty of snow.

So I'd think so long as you avoid the high passes you should be fine weather wise.

[annsxman]

All the high passes will most probably be shut so whilst Briancon is a very good base your ability to explore will be limited. The main roads will be open as well as anything that takes you to a ski resort but anything else may well be closed/impassable. Also even if everything was open 2 weeks in Briancon would leave you bored rigid. I'd suggest you travel around a bit - the area to the South West of Briancon and across to the Pyrenees gives you the Route Napoleon and any number of great roads to explore. Hotels other than in the ski resorts should have availability and not be expensive. The Logis de France website is very useful in this respect. Virtually all hotels will have their own website - there is a French government subsidy at work here - so you can check them out and book online.

[Dibble]

I've nothing I can add about the area, having only ever skied there, but for accommodation, "AirBnB" takes a lot of beating. I've also used http://www.bike-stay.net for France.

There's an "AirBnB" app for iOS and Android, as well as a normal website. I've stayed in some places that are easily the equivalent of 5-6 star, but for about £40 a night. I've also stayed in some places for about £12-15 a night, but bearing in mind all I was doing was sleeping/stting/showering, they were dry and clean and well worth it.

[markw996]

Thanks for the advice, I'll check out the websites asap.
Although I've got 2 weeks off I'll probably just go for one week i.e. spend 2 days getting there with a stopover at Dijon, 3 days in and around Briancon, then 2 days getting home again or I risk it being another mad dash.

[Dibble]

If you've got a smartphone, the other thing I'd recommend is the CoPilot app for a SatNav. The whole of western Europe is about 25 quid. Pair that up with a holder from Ultimate Addons and you're good to go. I used these for my Scandinavian trip last summer and it got me to the door everywhere I went.

[Andybow]

Briancon is a great place to stay, but April is still early, you won't be able to go up the col du galibier, lauteret etc, that's a shame as there is some amazing scenery up there! You would be better of staying further south, there will still be loads of cols that will be open just none of the high mountain passes. You have to ride route napoleon, George du verdon etc
This was our jaunt this year.
http://youtu.be/iNMKerlR888

[markw996]

Dibble said:

If you've got a smartphone, the other thing I'd recommend is the CoPilot app for a SatNav. The whole of western Europe is about 25 quid. Pair that up with a holder from Ultimate Addons and you're good to go. I used these for my Scandinavian trip last summer and it got me to the door everywhere I went.

I've not tried it in anger yet, but I have a Nokia Lumia 520 work phone with Nokia 'Here Drive+' with offline maps.
It looks up to the job, just needs a waterproof case and handlebar mount for about £5 off eBay.

Plus if it flies off into the undergrowth.... the IT dept can replace it

[markw996]

Andybow said:

Briancon is a great place to stay, but April is still early, you won't be able to go up the col du galibier, lauteret etc, that's a shame as there is some amazing scenery up there! You would be better of staying further south, there will still be loads of cols that will be open just none of the high mountain passes. You have to ride route napoleon, George du verdon etc
This was our jaunt this year.
http://youtu.be/iNMKerlR888

Great video, inspiring

[black-k1]

Check out some of our previous trips here:

www.old-gits.org/TripHistory.htm

There's a strong possibility the weather will be cold, with snow on many of the passes but you may also get some nice weather. In 2011 in late May we did the Route Napoleon and the temperatures were in the mid to late 20's. In 2013, also late May, all the passes were closed and looked like this:



Either way, enjoy the trip.

[southgate]

My experience of the Alps in spring is also a little unpredictable. Could be wrapped up in warm clothes, slipping around in the snow, could be getting sun burned in shorts and t-shirts.

[Wedg1e]

black-k1 said:

In 2013, also late May, all the passes were closed...

Aye, we've found some of them to be closed in late May on previous trips: this year we went in early September and they were all open
The Grossglockner was frightening the first time I did it (with 12 foot snow walls as in your photo and melt-water on every bend) but great in the dry.

[SteelerSE]

That time of year is it worth getting the ferry to Bilbao and hooning around Spain? Maybe save the alps for another time?

[creampuff]

markw996 said:

I should have expected it after we woke up and calculated that we needed to average 100mph for 600 miles in order to catch the ferry home!

Thanks for that info: I had to do some 100mph+ running on a Euro trip to cover 650 miles in a day.... did you need to stop for wee breaks?

[annsxman]

Andybow said:

Briancon is a great place to stay, but April is still early, you won't be able to go up the col du galibier, lauteret etc, that's a shame as there is some amazing scenery up there! You would be better of staying further south, there will still be loads of cols that will be open just none of the high mountain passes. You have to ride route napoleon, George du verdon etc
This was our jaunt this year.
http://youtu.be/iNMKerlR888

The Lautaret will be open as it's the main road to Grenoble. The Galibier might be open via the tunnel but probably not.

[markw996]

creampuff said:

Thanks for that info: I had to do some 100mph+ running on a Euro trip to cover 650 miles in a day.... did you need to stop for wee breaks?

From what I remember it was the worst ride of my life.

Fuel up & a quick cigarette, pull away from the fuel station and accelerate straight up to 140mph.
Hold that speed until the first person had their fuel light come on at which point we all pulled into the next fuel station.
And repeat.... I guess it was a choice of a cigarette or a slash!

Can't remember exactly, but I know we had to stop for a cigarette before each toll booth on the way down too, just so they couldn't time us between the two tolls to get an average speed

I genuinely couldn't get out of bed the next day due to the stiffness and pain in my neck despite having a semi-touring screen fitted to the R1 and a gel seat

[markw996]

annsxman said:

The Lautaret will be open as it's the main road to Grenoble. The Galibier might be open via the tunnel but probably not.

I just streetviewed it and the Lautaret is the road we took last time. I remember one guy grinding a hole in the fairing on his Blackbird somewhere near that expanse of water, quite frightening at those speeds on my R1 loaded up with soft luggage.

[Greenslade]

With the amount of time you are off I would head for Spain - it will certainly be warmer. Use booking.com on a daily basis to source your next nights stay - I have achieved discounts of up to 70% if you book on the day. Enjoy !

[J B L]

markw996 said:

From what I remember it was the worst ride of my life.

[...]

Can't remember exactly, but I know we had to stop for a cigarette before each toll booth on the way down too, just so they couldn't time us between the two tolls to get an average speed

Well, you lost time right there

The timing between toll booths was trialled a looonng time ago in France between 2 tolls somewhere I can't remember and promptly abandoned.

There are many opportunities for being done badly in France, this isn't one



Disclaimer: gendarmes still love the old method of setting a speed trap a couple of kilometres before a toll, though.

[Andybow]

annsxman said:

The Lautaret will be open as it's the main road to Grenoble. The Galibier might be open via the tunnel but probably not.

sorry ,you are very right!!! Briancon to la grave is a fantastic road!!