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MTB and Cycling in Oisans |
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MTB Trails
in Oisans :
- » Cross country
- » Freeride
- » DownHill
- » Raid
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Season's events
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MTB and Cycling in Oisans |
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Season's events
DownHill
This is a route for the high season, using cable cars.
For more information, call 04 76 79 22 00.
This route enables you get a feeling of the ‘Mountain of Hell’ race, without competing with all the other riders! This fast route is really fun, especially in the lower part just before Mont-de-Lans.
Take the Jandri express cable car up to an altitude of 3200m from Les Deux-Alpes and roughly follow the line of the cable car on the forest track. 700m further on, where there is a break in the slope, take the canyon to the left which, carefully hewn out, looks a bit like a giant border cross. Iron posts mark the entrance. From here, there is a superb view over the Muzelle and its glacier.
Ride to the small Serre-Palas lake, which you leave to your left to ride the two or three minutes up to the col. Drop down 200m from the col, leave the forest track near the Jandri pylon where there is a break in the slope. The shale and sand terrain is pleasant to bike on. Follow the axis of the Jandri to a black and white weather marker to which snow sensors have been fitted. Go off to the right from the marker and go down extraordinary glens of shale sand to the grassy bottom (the Col des Gourses).
Once on the flat, turn off onto a path on the left. This is a very steep section, where the less experienced can easily walk.
Back on pasture land, take the single track that runs along the mountain side. Follow the path to the ‘Chalet des Fées’, followed by the forest track which gradually climbs up to the Lac du Plan and to the Grand Nord and Bellecombe chairlift departure point.
Follow the track to the mountain restaurant ‘Le Patachon’. Take the path to its left and continue on to the chairlift. Pass under the net and ride down the switchbacks facing Les Deux-Alpes.
After the bends, turn left onto the track and then right before the bridge and the sledging run. Go over a bridge, past some tennis courts and then under a bridge. Then turn left and almost immediately right. Cross the road and the gate opposite. Turn right and follow signs for ‘Bons – Mont-de-Lans’. Then follow ‘Mont-de-Lans’. Once at Mont-de-Lans, take the chairlift located opposite the tourist office.
An alternative route:
From the ‘Patachon’ restaurant, you can also follow the ‘Chemin des sapins’ to the left, passing under the Jandri cable car and then a ski lift. The track then crosses the lower ski runs, before coming out at the tennis courts.
When cycling on snow, if it’s too soft the bike sinks in, and if it’s too hard, there’s no grip! The ideal compromise of soft snow on a hard base is rarely found, especially in summer! There’s no use in putting on crampon tyres, hard downhill tread rubber will do fine. Riding on snow calls for a certain amount of practice and daring, even though the – inevitable – falls are without serious consequences. Disk brakes are essential.
The ‘Mountain of Hell’ is a very popular free-ride race. The 3600m departure on the glacier is particularly spectacular, somewhat resembling a game of billiards. However, the 2003 winner reached a speed of 112 km/h on the snow!
For more information, call 04 76 79 22 00.
