I hadn't exactly planned to stay in Brides-Les-Baines on this trip but I thought I'd had enough of blocked roads due to TDF, so I skipped Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, but will hopefully return later. Brides-Les-Baines is certainly not a bad substitute, the town is located in the valley between the major ski resorts of Méribel and Courchevel and is part of the "Les 3 Vallées" ski area, one of the world's largest ski resorts. What makes Brides-Les-Baines particularly interesting for us cycling fanatics with the urge to climb mountains on our racing bikes is that in 2020 a road was built connecting Méribel and Courchevel, so you can admire the mighty Col de la Loze from both sides, the road is also closed to motorists. It is probably no coincidence that TDF was here in 2020, when Miguel Ángel López, from Astana won. In 2019, the exercise bike race Col de la Loze by Brides-les-Bains began to be held. An exercise bike race with 4 different routes, where the toughest is 4377 hm. on only 117 km. on this route the Col de la Loze must be climbed from both sides.
I started by driving up to Lac de Tueda at 1670 m. 5.5 km. from Meribel, a small beautiful lake where you can rest at the restaurant.
When I got home I celebrated Vingegaard's fabulous victory on the Col du Granon, with a new little friend and a local regional dish with special beer, I actually tasted all their draft beers.
The next day the Col de la Loze had to be forced with a hangover, 27 km. with 6.5% in average rate of increase from the Courchevel side, the same side that TDF 2023 will also ride, starting in Brides-Les-Baines. Let me say right away that Col de la Loze is one tough bike climb. However, there are plenty of opportunities for pit stops, in a string of towns that have been awarded 3 flowers by the organization "Villes et villages Fleuris".
The last day awaited the monster climb to the Col de la Madeleine, one of those alpine climbs that just keeps on going up, over a whole 26 km. Fortunately, it flattens out a bit after approx. 10 km., where it also descends slightly for approx. 1.5 km. At the top I was very hungry, but unfortunately it had just passed 3:00 p.m., which in France means zero food and then we talk about the strict curfew in Denmark. I was really hungry, luckily I got help from restaurant Les 2 Mazots who offered me a huge portion of fries.
When you are in a motorhome like me, I would definitely recommend Piat Camping, fantastically nice hosts who speak English and provide a great service. The facilities are really good, for a cheap campsite in France, it should be mentioned here that there are completely ordinary toilets with a seat and paper, you can also regulate how hot/cold you want the water to be in the bathrooms. In addition, there are all the necessary facilities for a motorhome.
My routes.
Climbs:
Col de la Loze
Col de la Madeleine
Le Praz Courchevel
Lac de Tueda
Méribel
Events:
Nice to know:
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