While Morzine, Avoriaz and Les Gets may be world-renowned for mountain biking, road cycling is also a firm favourite of Portes du Soleil residents and holiday makers. And with so many beautiful cols to conquer, it’s easy to see why! Challenging climbs are rewarded with spectacular views, and road cycling is a fun (and eco-friendly) way to explore the area. So what have our favourite Alpine towns got in store for keen road cyclists this summer?
Road Cycling Holidays and Training Camps
June – September
If you’re a keen road cyclist and you want to get out to the Alps, there are SO many road cycling holiday and training camp options out there. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing chalet holiday with daily rides around the area’s many cols, a focused weekend training camp or a supported multi-day tour, Morzine has something for you. Buzz Cycling, Velovation and YelloVelo are our top recommended road cycling specialists – whether you’re after guided rides or hardcore training they’ll provide you with the ultimate Alpine road cycling experiences.
Morzine-Haut Chablais Cyclosportive
16th June
Widely tipped as one of the most beautiful sportives in the Alps, the Morzine-Haut Chablais Cyclosportive is the perfect road cycling event to kick off the summer. A tour of some of the areas most well-known and stunning cycling cols, it’s a great way to see all that interseason training pay off and start as you mean to go on! There are two different routes, a 100km and a 150km, which one you pick is up to you! Find out more HERE.
One Day, One Col
28th July // 18th august
Offering you the perfect opportunity to tick off some of Morzine’s classic climbs on completely car-free roads, One Day, One Col is is an understated but awesome free event that lets you enjoy the thrills of road cycling without having to worry about traffic. Taking place over two days this summer, you can enjoy the Col de Joux Plane on the morning of the 28th July, while you can ride the Col de Ramaz on the morning of the 18th August. You’ll even be able to enjoy snacks and refreshments once you reach the top!
Morzine-Avoriaz Road Bike Climb
4th August
Started in 1975, the Morzine-Avoriaz Road Bike Climb is one of the town’s longest-running and most convivial road cycling events. Another fun, free and completely open race, you’re invited to come and see how fast you can cycle the 14.6km route from Morzine to Avoriaz. Covering 860 vertical metres with an average 6% incline, it’s not easy, but it will be fun! The time to beat is 33 minutes, which was set by Bernard Hinault 27 years ago.
Cyclo Thomas Voeckler
24th – 25th August
After a successful inaugural edition last summer, the Cyclo Thomas Voeckler is back and better than ever. Developed by former pro cyclist, Thomas Voeckler, and e-bike specialists, Matra, this weekend of road cycling races is designed to accommodate both experienced and novice road bikers. The weekend consists of four cycling tours of varying lengths, which can be completed on an e-bike, and be either timed or un-timed. There will also be a test salon in Morzine and of course, an appearance from Thomas Voeckler himself. Find out more HERE.
Morzine-Montriond Triathlon
1st September
If you like to combine your road cycling with running and lake swimming, why not compete in what’s probably the most beautiful triathlon in the world, the Morzine-Montriond Triahtlon? Organised by our friends at Buzz Events, this sprint, super-sprint and kids’ tri is perfect for beginner and experienced triathletes alike, and it really is very beautiful! Sign up HERE.
Give it a Try…
If you’ve never been road biking before, or if you didn’t bring your bike but fancy giving one of the local climbs a bash, you can rent a road bike from Alps Bike Hire. You can enjoy a range of top quality, expertly-maintained road bikes from Giant or Pearson at very reasonable prices so you can get out and explore on two wheels. You can also rent a great range of Scott road bikes from Torico on Rue du Bourg – Tim and the guys really know their stuff. In fact, Tim even wrote this summer’s #Trending guide for road cyclists in this summer’s mag!
For more road cycling events, make sure you keep an eye on the Source events calendar! We’re adding new events all the time and there are sure to be a few more road cycling themed ones popping up over the course of the summer.
