Alpine-Cols

Cycling Tours with Alpine Cols

We make a distinction between cycling tours and coaching camps. The main objective of our cycling tours is to enjoy beautiful scenery and iconic climbs. They typically go from A to B and may involve changing hotels every night. Coaching camps on the other hand are usually based in one single hotel, and the main objective is to help you become a better, faster, safer cyclist.

Different people are looking for different things, so we have tried to be clear about what we offer. To do these things well costs money, so we are certainly not the cheapest option. If that works for you, read on!

COACHES, NOT GUIDES

We do not employ guides: all our staff are officially-certified cycling coaches. They will help you learn to cycle faster and more safely in the mountains.

ICONIC CLIMBS

This is your chance to add your name to the legend of the Tour de France climbs, and we will take you to climb as many as you can handle!

ROADS LESS TRAVELLED

We pride ourselves on our knowledge of the roads less travelled and the hidden gems, where you can enjoy the mountains without the crowds.

GREAT HOTELS

Our clients are past the stage of youth hostels and camp sites. We look for the best possible hotels that remain affordable (usually 4*).

GREAT FOOD

You certainly need to eat plenty of carbs during a cycling trip, but that needn’t mean piles of pasta. Expect top quality meals.

FRIENDSHIP

Last but not least: come as clients, leave as friends! We are doing this to share our passion for cycling, and we love meeting new people.

Testimonials

The week did wonders for me!

Thank you so much for a fantastic week. I truly enjoyed myself every single day. Despite the fact that I was overly defensive descending, I feel as though I learned a lot and gained confidence by the end of the week. Although I have been riding for years, I never had any type of instruction or guidance previously.

On my first ride back today, I could feel a difference in descending and ascending. The week did wonders for me. I loved cycling prior to the trip, but love it even more now. You all did a first rate job organizing and planning for all of us.

David (USA) Sept. 2017

Route des Grandes Alpes

An awesome experience. Here are some of the things I liked:

Great routes: Some great routes with lots of cols I haven’t ridden before. Roselend, Iseran and Izoard were among my favourites. Also Galibier (which I had done before). I think the balance between the standard routes and the challenge to be about right (I did the standard). In general I think the standard routes were hard but doable – even in these very hot conditions.

Great company: It was a great group of people (both guests and staff) to travel with. This include being able to link up with Stephane before the trip

Becoming a better descender: I certainly felt like I became a more comfortable and safe descender during this trip. In part trough the instruction from Russ, but also from descending (slowly) with other people that are better descenders than me and lots of practice during the trip.

Franck: Being everywhere taking care of peoples bodies and bikes

Lars (July 2022)

Route des Grandes Alpes

Thanks for a fantastic trip. It was exactly the right level of challenge I was looking for, gave me a few climbs that were missing from my palmares and felt very rewarding to have completed. I would say it absolutely met my expectations and given my experience with cycle tours, that was a good thing.

I think there were a few things that actually differentiated you from other tours:

1) The option of a post-ride massage was a great help in keeping the legs fresh for the following day and Franck was certainly very proficient in his craft. I’m an experienced multi-day rider and found this very beneficial.

2) Having Franck take some fantastic pictures really added to positive memories of the trip and helped capture what makes riding through the mountains so special.

David (UK) July 2022