{"id":17315,"date":"2024-03-05T11:50:54","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T10:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyclingdestination.cc\/?p=17315"},"modified":"2024-03-05T11:50:54","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T10:50:54","slug":"cycling-in-meribel-mottaret-col-de-la-loze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyclingdestination.cc\/en\/verhalen\/fietsen-in-meribel-mottaret-col-de-la-loze","title":{"rendered":"BIKING IN M\u00c9RIBEL \u2013 COL DE LA LOZE"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE REGION OF THE THREE VALLEYS IS TRYING TO CONVINCE BIKE LOVERS.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you talk about cycling in the French Alps, you tend to immediately think of the Alp d\u2019Huez, the Galibier Telegraph and the Glandon, and places like Le Bourg D\u2019oisans or Valloire, but anyone who has watched the 2023 Tour de France and the 17e<\/sup> Etappe voor de geest haalt weet now that the Col de la Loze is a mountain to be reckoned with. Located between Courchevel and Meribel, this challenging climb is one that Pogacar has been working on hard. We (Sjoerd van Bemmelen and Dennis Knuist) know how that felt now too. At the invitation of M\u00e9ribel<\/a> We came all the way here, a 10-hour drive from the Netherlands. Our reception by Marie was very warm and welcoming. She immediately made all the information available to us and gave us all kinds of tips for a great stay! We\u2019re looking forward to it. Do you want to join us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FROM SKI TO BIKE PLACE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The places and M\u00e9ribel<\/a> Courchevel is especially known among winter sports enthusiasts for its beautiful and challenging slopes, but since the tour visited here for the 2nd time, they have been working hard to win the hearts of many cycling enthusiasts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COL DE LA LOZE is the attraction for the public<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Of Col de la Loze<\/strong> It is officially 10.1 km long and has an average gradient of 8.6% with peaks of 13, 15 and even 20.9%. It is a monster of a climb, in the truest sense of the word. It is a crowd-puller, but you don\u2019t get any rhythm for a moment and the last 300 meters are like riding straight up. The last seven kilometers are car-free and that\u2019s very nice to cycle and once you\u2019re up there, there\u2019s the serene tranquility of magical mountain peaks, a clear blue lake and Mont Blanc as a backdrop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Steep and straight up!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Love from La Loze<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

OUR STAY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We are staying in M\u00e9ribel Mottaret, one of the highest-located ski villages in France (1750m). Our apartment is on the 1st floor.e<\/sup> floor of a large complex and offers space for 2 people and our bicycles. It is fully equipped for a carefree stay. There are shops and a supermarket right around the corner, so we are well-equipped. We are here at the invitation of M\u00e9ribel to participate in The escape from the Col de la Loze<\/a> a two-day cycling event consisting of a race and a time trial uphill. Nobody else but Thomas Voeckler is our host these days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enjoying in the village<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On the first evening we were invited to have dinner at a restaurant. LE80<\/a>, a quite hip place right at the beginning of the main shopping street. Many types of burgers and pasta here (also vegan). A DJ provides entertainment while you eat. A nice addition and the food is also just delicious! Right after that we took the opportunity to explore M\u00e9ribel ourselves. M\u00e9ribel is located a little lower than where we are staying (1450m). It\u2019s a village with many shops, restaurants and coffee bars. But since they have been winning the hearts of our cycling enthusiasts, they also have several bike shops and service points for maintenance. We discovered that it\u2019s not a sleeping town during the summer. There are plenty of bars, there are certainly tourists, and there is plenty to see!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IT'S ON THE GO! DAY 1<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first day of L\u2019echapp\u00e9e du col de la Loze is a 67.3 km race and almost 2600 meters of elevation gain. We gather in the heart of M\u00e9ribel. The weather is beautiful and promises to be a great cycling day. The organization has set up a tent here and we are handed our starting number and transponder from there. At 9 o\u2019clock we start counting down and it\u2019s RACE TIME. We descend in a group from M\u00e9ribel towards Brides les-Bains. Almost 15 kilometers downhill. From there it\u2019s up and down through small French villages and over nice short climbs towards Bozel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along the way, there are many volunteers who ensure the safety of the participants and we are also provided with food and drink. From Bozel, we climb towards Champagny and Vanoise and from there towards Courchevel to finish at the very top of M\u00e9ribel Mottaret. The prize-giving takes place at the finish in M\u00e9ribel Mottaret and none other than Thomas Voeckler (ambassador of M\u00e9ribel) presents the prizes. The winner comes from Belgium and completed the course in a stunning time. It was a beautiful warm day, with lots of cycling and climbing that we ended with a good espresso and lunch at caf\u00e9 Jack in the heart of M\u00e9ribel. This caf\u00e9 is a real recommendation for good coffee \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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