Cycling Le Bourg d'Oisans to La Berarde

 

Road Cycling - Le Bourg d'Oisans to La Berarde. 

Most people come to climb classic routes such as the Alpe d'Huez, the col du Galibier or the Col du Glandon. However our area futures loads of other lesser known but routes which should not be missed. In 2013 the Tour du France firmly put the Col du Serrene on the map, by featuring this challenging decent off the back of the Alpe d'Huez before climbing the Alpe for a second time. Thankfully this had two impacts. The first, to showcase this beautiful valley, which turns the alpe d'Huez climb into a circular route and secondly to force the local authorities to upgrade the road surface which historically had been in pretty bad shape.

However other beautiful rides are plentiful, like the climb to Huez via Villard Reculas and the balcony route from Gard to Freney, or the alternate climb to Les Deux Alpes via the Bois du Roy and Bons.

But of all these, in my experience as a cycling chalet owner in the area, the hidden gem really is the route from Le Bourg d'Oisans to La Berarde. It's only draw back it that it is not a circular route, as it ends at one for the more popular entrances to the Ecrins Nationa Park. However this works in its favour as it remains particularly quiet to car traffic and has the back drop of the National park to accompany you all the way.

The route starts easily up the valley from Bourg, before turning right at Le Clapier into the Veneon Valley (D530) towards Venosc. Prior to this village are a couple of short climbs to get the legs going. Venosc, a short branch off the main road is an old medieval village and well worth a visit with cobbled streets and local craft shops. From here there is a tougher climb up to Pan du Lac where you will find a popular bar restaurant for cyclists owned by a lovely couple Monique and Angelo. The final and toughest significant climb, is up to St Cristophe and other beautiful hamlet with an impressive church. From here the climb levels out a little and even descends slightly towards the end. However the views become more and more stunning as you rise out of the valley, with tumbling waterfalls, wild rivers and more picturesque mountain hamlets. 

The ride ends at La Berarde where you will find a number of local mountain restaurants.

For accommodation along this route you could try the Chalet Bourg d'Arud located in the tranquil hamlet of Bourg d’Arud (Commune de Venosc). The chalet can comfortably accommodate up to 14 people across 4 floors and 400m2 of living space. It has 14 bedrooms (many with balconies) and a total of 10 double and 11 single beds, 6 WCs and 4 bathrooms. The ground floor is composed of a fully outfitted chef’s kitchen, an expansive dining area where the restaurant used to be situated and a newly refurbished lounge area.

The living room is ideal for relaxing after a day in the mountains with its 50” plasma screen TV, multi-region DVD player with large DVD collection, and high-end hi-fi system.

The property has a large garden with table and chairs. It's also equipped with wi-fi internet and parking for up to 15 vehicles.

For the summer season, the property is very close to various campsites, hotels and restaurants, an open air swimming pool, impressive children's playground and tree-top adventure trail.