Road Biking: 3 Challenges

That kind of ecstatic rush is exactly what you need to get pumped up when you start wondering what you’re doing on your bike (when you could be plopping down on a lounge chair on a patio, a strawberry diabolo in hand…). Keep that in mind when you take on one of the three cycling challenges we’re offering this summer: you, too, are great! Really great!

One rainy day, as you were aimlessly scrolling through the Netflix catalog, you decided to watch their documentary on the Tour de France: *Au cœur du peloton* (no doubt drawn in by the sunny yellow of the yellow jersey).

Two seasons and 15 episodes later, you bought your first road bike, burning with the desire to attack like Pogacar! Except… let’s call a spade a spade… Clipless pedals are kind of your nemesis. So how can you get the most out of your gear as the perfect cyclist?

Start by doing a run & bike with friends on the Voie Verte in Bourg-Saint-Maurice, of course! Here’s how it works: you hop on your bike (with their help if needed to clip into the pedals), then you pedal while they run alongside you (perfect for marathon training, for example). When it’s time to stop, you can count on sympathetic shoulders to lean on if you can’t get your feet out of the pedals.

Do it once, twice, ten times, twenty times. And once you’re feeling confident, you can even consider tackling one of the easy-level bike routes that wind around Bourg-Saint-Maurice (the Balcons de Tarentaise or the Versant du Soleil, for example).

Check out the guide to cycling routes in the Haute Tarentaise:

When you first started road biking, you had dreams of freedom—the desire to set out on Sunday mornings on your bike, following your instincts at every intersection. Sometimes right, sometimes left: what matters is the journey, not the destination!

Except… you quickly realized that the problem with road biking is that it’s done on the road. And you’re not alone on that road. Cars, motorcycles, RVs, tractors… There’s no way to find peace and quiet. To enjoy the fresh air and listen to the birds chirping. So, slowly but surely, you’ve given up on country roads and fallen back on bike paths that you now know a little too well by heart.

The solution? Join a friendly bike ride on roads closed to motor vehicles! Like La Roselende, for example: a beautiful climb of nearly 20 km with 840 m of elevation gain, strictly reserved for bikes (average gradient: 6%; with a few sections at 8%–8.5%, mind you). Registration is free (in fact, you don’t even have to register—you can just show up with your bike on the day of the event).

At the top of the pass: a complimentary snack and live music. It’s a nice change from the roar of engines, isn’t it?

Learn more about the next edition of the Roselende (May 2027)

Your friends and family know it: if you come back from a bike ride and you’re still feeling a little too chilly, you’ll be grumbling all day. A wasted morning. A Strava activity that’s worthless (you’re even tempted to delete it so it doesn’t drag down your annual stats). That’s how you see things—unless your whole body is begging for a nap when you get back.

Don’t worry, we’ve got just the thing to make you sweat exactly the way you like it… A legendary pass, the highest road pass in Europe (2,770 m): the famous Col de l’Iseran! On the itinerary, if you’re starting from Bourg-Saint-Maurice: a 51.5-km climb with 2,150 m of elevation gain (and the option to descend to Bonneval-sur-Arc and then climb back up the other way if that’s still too easy; and boom! 915 m of elevation gain added to the total!).

Even more ideas to check out here (Petit Saint Bernard Pass, Cormet de Roselend…)