Cycling Holidays in La Giettaz

As any cycling fan will confirm, the French Alps are the Nou Camp, the Old Course, Yankee Stadium and Centre Court rolled into one: mythical terrain where the sport's champions show off their incredible talents.  La Giettaz is right at the heart of it, located only 4km from the famous Col des Aravis, which has featured on the route of Le Tour de France no less than 39 times, including last year's race.  Chalet La Giettaz is an ideal base for cyclists of all levels who wish to experience these iconic mountain roads for themselves.

The area is hugely popular with amateur cyclists, and there are many routes of varying levels of difficulty clearly marked on maps available from the Tourist Office. In addition to the Col des Aravis, the Chalet is also close to both the Col de la Croix-Fry and the Col de la Colombière, with some of the legendary Tour de France climbs, including Alpe d'Huez and the Col du Galibier, just a couple of hours' drive away.

Less arduous routes can be found around the shores of Lake Annecy, which has clearly marked cycle paths covering almost the entire perimeter of the lake (a circuit of about 42km) and plenty of places to stop for refreshments along the way.

Each apartment has its own secure walk-in storage cupboard, so you can bring your own kit with you.  We also have a selection of tools available for tuning up between rides.  Group bookings are always welcome at the chalet.

Cycle hire is available in La Giettaz, or in many of the villages in the area.

And don’t forget, our hot tub and sauna will be waiting for you to relax those aching muscles at the end of each day!

There are a number of cycling events taking place in the area this summer:

Le Tour de France 2011

Last year's race passed directly in front of the chalet, as you can see from our fantastic pictures on this page.  The spectacular sight of over 100 racers (and the team caravans!) flying past our front door on the descent off the Col des Aravis was a highlight of last summer and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole day.  This year, the Alpine stages are concentrated further south, however we do have plans to run a trip from the chalet to watch the penultimate stage of the race, the Time Trial in Grenoble on Saturday 23rd July.  Please contact us for further details.

Time Megève Mont Blanc

Now in its 8th year, the Time Megève Mont Blanc cyclosportive event has quickly established itself as one of the most prestigious one-day cycling events in the calendar. Taking place on Sunday, June 12th, the route starts in Sallanches and passes through La Giettaz on its way to the finish in Megève.

Giettoise Bike Week

The Giettoise Bike Week is a week of cycling-themed activities taking place in and around La Giettaz.  This year's event runs from Saturday 25th June to Friday 1st July, with a selection of events in and around the village, catering both for serious cyclists and casual fans alike.  The centrepiece of the week is the 9km time trial climb of the Col des Aravis, taking place on the opening Saturday of the week.