French Alps

Am off to France for a week at the weekend and was thinking of heading for Chamonix and that area anybody got any recomende runs around there....????

Buy the "yellow" Michelin map of the area, and check out the roads with the green lines alongside them.

Anything with a few hairpins or high passes should be fun!

I've driven the Alps in winter to a number of ski resorts, so I can't really help you with good routes for the Summer. A number of friends have told me that the roads are quite busy in the alps during the summer.

I have driven the Massif Cantral during the Summer and winter though. I was there September 2 years ago. Best routes are around the area south of Lyon. I have one favourite route going from Valance to Le Puy (About 40miles south of St Etienne).
The roads are quiet. Loads of 3rd-4th twists and turns through vallies, under viaducts, through tunnels.
The last time I was there, we stopped at the top of Mount Mezanc and suddenly 2 dozen Ferraris arrived. The French Ferrari club must have decided to take the quiet Massif Central for they're trip aswell.
Must say that the sound of a Ferrari F40 screaming, popping and cracking through the vallies at full tilt could bring a tear to a grown mans eye!

Anyway, the Alps are probably worth it but the Massif Central is quiet and I'd be surprized if you saw any cops... Unlike the alps where I was ID'd everytime I went there(in a car). Fortunately I was wearing my get-out-of-jail-free-card (Ireland Rugby Jersey) the time I forgot my lecence!

I can only echo what has already been said, get the Michelin road atlas and plan all the route on yellow and even white roads.

Where a new motorway replaces an old N route, the old road is downgraded to white on the map and is usually deserted. The only downside is that most of the signs seem to get removed too!

I've just returned from a five day trip down through the Indre and Auvergne regions - great deserted roads. The only reason to go on the autoroute is to get petrol on a Sunday!

The Alps are probably busy, certainly around Chamonix - and well patrolled, so I too would recommend the back roads of the Massif Central and just slow down for the villages.

Have a good trip,

Iain

Cheers thanks for that have also been recomended the EN500 from Baden Baden to Baden,will see where I get to..........many thanks

could you let me know when you get back thinking of going there in september would be greatful of any advice.

sure no worries.......

French routes.

Don't know many of the northern Alps, but outside the tourist season (ie all year apart from July/August), the southern Alps have some amazing routes. You can go from Grasse up the N85 (route Napoleon), which is immaculately surfaced, amazing scenery, and fast open bends. Once you get to Castellane, you can either continue round the Gorges du Verdon (world's second biggest Canyon), which is just made for GS's. Small windy roads, with 2000 foot sheer drops over the side of the not very reassuring 1 foot high wall. Might stop cars and bikes going over, but not riders :-O There's a great run all the way round the canyon which goes over the bridge across the gorge. 1000foot drop to the valley floor, and you can bungee it if you like (I never).The other direction (back east) from Castellane, takes you across an amazing plateau above the coast, and goes through Greolieres along a road which has appeared in many films, like Ronin, and Goldeneye at the start where he's racing the woman in the Ferrari. Or there's the sublime N7 which goes through the Esterel national park along the coast to Frejus. Has to be ridden out of holiday season to be appreciated. Then there's the little road to the Madonne d'Utelle which is the only road marked on the whole map of the Alpes maritimes to be 'with caution' as it's frequent landslides and complete lack of barriers to stop you going over the edge..Then the Vallee de Vestibuie, the Col d'Allos (one of the nicest Cols in the Alps)....a lot of nice riding within 1 hour of Nice...Niiiice. You can fly Easyjet, and hire a TDM..not sure about GS hire though..maybe I should start a tour guide business
Oh, and in the three years I've been hooning round down here, I have NEVER, EVER been so much as glaced at by the police...bikes are cool down south, and don't get troubled. Scooters however...

Go a bit further south.

Base yourself around Barcellonette and bag as many cols as possible and the gorges de verdon. Take a trip over to Sestrierre and take the high mountain track to Susa, you'llregret it if you don't and then see my piccies of it... once they're developed that is.