Is this route too far for a day out in the Alps

dave hendy

dave hendy

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My friend has come up with the following day out for the French Alps (weather permitting). My Zumo says it's 241 miles and should take 6hrs 41 mins, but I know it isn't really set for road speeds in the Alps, so I am not sure if it's a bit too much:nenau So do any of you with experience of these roads have any comments?

The route leaves our base just out side Briancon
D902 Col d'Izoard to Guillestre
D902 Col de Vars
D900 to Jausiers
D64 Col de la Bonette + D2205 to St Sauyeur-sur-Tinee
D30 + D28 to Guillaumes
D2202 Col de la Cayolle to Barcelonnette
D900 + D954 to Savines-le-lac
N94 back to Briancon

So with a couple of coffee stops, a lunch stop and some photos can we do it?

Dave
 
double your time, at least,, why go fast,, good scenery,,,
 
ISTR that when I rode from Briancon to Annecy via the Col Du Galibier and Col Du L'Iseron, it took around 7 hours to go 180 miles including lunch and lots of photos. Autoroute estimated 4 hrs 40 mins.
 
Is it too far on those roads?

In a word, no.

It's easily doable.

You are going in June, I think, so you will have the advantage of the longer evenings.

It is only 240 miles, so break it down into bite sized chunks. Say 120 miles before lunch and 120 miles after. Maybe a bit longer before lunch? Tea / coffee break at say 60 miles or 70 miles, perhaps?

My tips:

(1) Start reasonably early in the morning, say 09:00. If some of your chums want to dawdle in bed and not get wheels rolling until 11:00 then you will always be chasing your tails. If you start, wheels rolling, at 08:00 you gain an hour, which is four 15 minute photostops or six if you take 10 minutes at each.

(2) Everyone start the day with full tanks of fuel, so fill up the night before. You don't say what bikes you are on but most bikes will do at least 120 miles comfortably before needing fuel. Everyone refuel when you have lunch at 120 miles, unless you have a bike that will definitely do the full 240 miles with fuel to spare. If everyone refuels then you will not have to have a fuel stop in the afternoon, which will save you more time for pictures and an afternoon break. Refill when you reach your hotel in the evening, so you are ready for the next day.

(3) If you stop for pictures and cigarettes every 10 miles it is going to be a long day, for sure. Just be sensible, if you spend an hour chewing the fat at a photostop or fuel station it will be the equivalent of about 30 to 40 miles travelling.

(4) Try to agree between you whether you have gone to ride your bikes down some great roads or gawp like Japanese SAGA tourists..... :D
 
Wapping said:
Is it too far on those roads?

In a word, no.

It's easily doable.

You are going in June, I think, so you will have the advantage of the longer evenings.

It is only 240 miles, so break it down into bite sized chunks. Say 120 miles before lunch and 120 miles after. Maybe a bit longer before lunch? Tea / coffee break at say 60 miles or 70 miles, perhaps?

My tips:

(1) Start reasonably early in the morning, say 09:00. If some of your chums want to dawdle in bed and not get wheels rolling until 11:00 then you will always be chasing your tails. If you start, wheels rolling, at 08:00 you gain an hour, which is four 15 minute photostops or six if you take 10 minutes at each.

(2) Everyone start the day with full tanks of fuel, so fill up the night before. You don't say what bikes you are on but most bikes will do at least 120 miles comfortably before needing fuel. Everyone refuel when you have lunch at 120 miles, unless you have a bike that will definitely do the full 240 miles with fuel to spare. If everyone refuels then you will not have to have a fuel stop in the afternoon, which will save you more time for pictures and an afternoon break. Refill when you reach your hotel in the evening, so you are ready for the next day.

(3) If you stop for pictures and cigarettes every 10 miles it is going to be a long day, for sure. Just be sensible, if you spend an hour chewing the fat at a photostop or fuel station it will be the equivalent of about 30 to 40 miles travelling.

(4) Try to agree between you whether you have gone to ride your bikes down some great roads or gawp like Japanese SAGA tourists..... :D
Click to expand...

Going by previous trips we will be on the road by 8:30 provided we can get our breakfast in time. I now ride a K1300R (2-up) and our friend is on his CB1300. He smokes and we normally stop for photos/smoke breaks at the same time. His bike is quite good on fuel not sure what my K1300 will be like though:eek:
 
Wapping said:
Let's guess at 50 mpg

19 litre tank (I think) = 4.2 gallons = 210 miles.

It's a breeze.
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50 mpg, that would be nice! I know the GS used to be surprisingly ecconomical on mountain roads not sure the K1300 will be. I usually reckon to fill up by 180 miles, if petrol stations are more limited I will fill up as soon after 100 miles as I find anything.
 
dave hendy said:
50 mpg, that would be nice!
Click to expand...

Just a guess.

Knocking 20% off to bring it down to 40 mpg, will still give you 168 miles. So no sweat starting the day on a full tank, refilling at lunch (120 miles) and then again in the evening, ready for day two.
 
dave hendy said:
My friend has come up with the following day out for the French Alps (weather permitting). My Zumo says it's 241 miles and should take 6hrs 41 mins, but I know it isn't really set for road speeds in the Alps, so I am not sure if it's a bit too much:nenau So do any of you with experience of these roads have any comments?

The route leaves our base just out side Briancon
D902 Col d'Izoard to Guillestre
D902 Col de Vars
D900 to Jausiers
D64 Col de la Bonette + D2205 to St Sauyeur-sur-Tinee
D30 + D28 to Guillaumes
D2202 Col de la Cayolle to Barcelonnette
D900 + D954 to Savines-le-lac
N94 back to Briancon

So with a couple of coffee stops, a lunch stop and some photos can we do it?

Dave
Click to expand...

I agree that anything is doable - but would it make a holiday for you?
241 miles in a day would be way too much for me.
I would program in a second, shorter route of 150-170 miles just in case the weather is slow to clear in the morning.
Just had a look at my PERFECT day of riding in the Picos de Europa in Spain this September - Mapsource says 151 miles - 5hrs 42 mins (because of the low average speed programmed in). Out at 09.30 back at 18:30. Lots of stops for piccies, coffe, lunch, impromptu natural breaks and exploring the oldest Roman bridge in Europe.
 
We will try and mix in some shorter days to ballance out the hard ones mainly to keep the other half happy:thumb We did come back from our last trip in July having done 3200 miles in 12 days with no days off and very little motorway millage rather tired:eek: But we were getting up at 7:00am and going to bed around 11:30-12:00, not a good mix with long hard days!!

So a couple of hard days are OK. I will look at some shorter routes incase the weather is poor though:thumb
 
beemerboy9 said:
I agree that anything is doable - but would it make a holiday for you?
241 miles in a day would be way too much for me.
I would program in a second, shorter route of 150-170 miles just in case the weather is slow to clear in the morning.
Just had a look at my PERFECT day of riding in the Picos de Europa in Spain this September - Mapsource says 151 miles - 5hrs 42 mins (because of the low average speed programmed in). Out at 09.30 back at 18:30. Lots of stops for piccies, coffe, lunch, impromptu natural breaks and exploring the oldest Roman bridge in Europe.
Click to expand...

I would agree with the above, we did this route in September, going up Col du Galibier I was waved around a rockfall, two other bikes behind me had stopped for a ciggy, when they got to the rockfall the road had been closed whilst a JCB did its stuff. then we came across a herd of sheep on the road being loaded into trucks,:D Col de la Cayolle was closed due to early Snowfall and did not open until 12 noon the following day, which gave us the chance to stop in the excellent white Châteaux on the hill in Jausiers. :thumb2
This kind of stuff makes the holiday for me, but would drive you crazy if your on a mission. IMO
 
paintman said:
I would agree with the above, we did this route in September, going up Col du Galibier I was waved around a rockfall, two other bikes behind me had stopped for a ciggy, when they got to the rockfall the road had been closed whilst a JCB did its stuff. then we came across a herd of sheep on the road being loaded into trucks,:D Col de la Cayolle was closed due to early Snowfall and did not open until 12 noon the following day, which gave us the chance to stop in the excellent white Châteaux on the hill in Jausiers. :thumb2
This kind of stuff makes the holiday for me, but would drive you crazy if your on a mission. IMO
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We will have a GPS and local maps with us so will be able to change things as we go if required. We like to have a circular route to aim for but with the mountains there isn't always an easy way back if the weather etc changes. It's nice to know we can do what we set out to do if everything is as it should be:thumb You never know in the mountains one pass might be wet or foggy the next sunny. As you say, part of the fun:beerjug:
 
Of course you can do it. The question is should you do it? I agree with all that's been already written, but wonder why you would want to rush such a potentially great days ride. Also interested to know what your pillion is thinking.
 
Gipsy said:
Of course you can do it. The question is should you do it? I agree with all that's been already written, but wonder why you would want to rush such a potentially great days ride. Also interested to know what your pillion is thinking.
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Well there are so many great roads and so little time!

My wife is usually quite happy as long as she doesn't get too wet or cold and provided we stop when she wants to. She is an excellant pillion and quite experienced at long hard days in the saddle. As long as we have a mixture of long and short days and she gets to do what she wants she will be happy. She wouldn't ride like it on her bike that's why she goes as a pillion on holidays. Maybe one day:thumb
 
dave hendy said:
Well there are so many great roads and so little time!

My wife is usually quite happy as long as she doesn't get too wet or cold and provided we stop when she wants to. She is an excellant pillion and quite experienced at long hard days in the saddle. As long as we have a mixture of long and short days and she gets to do what she wants she will be happy. She wouldn't ride like it on her bike that's why she goes as a pillion on holidays. Maybe one day:thumb
Click to expand...

That's it then.

You are happy.

She is happy.

Fill up the tank and away you go. :thumb2
 
We rode from Grenoble to Sospel, effectively the lower half of the Route des Grandes Alpes, in a day. This coincides with much of your route. We added in a blast up and down Alpe d'Huez and Col de Galibier for good measure.

That's 225 miles, Autoroute says 5 hrs. In reality, we left at 09:30 and arrived in Sospel around 9 pm. We stopped for lunch, numerous photo stops, coffee and ciggie breaks and petrol. I suspect we could have got it down to 7 or 8 hours easily enough.

We had good weather, sat nav to stop us getting lost, and a bloody good argument in the evening as to which was the best pass! (Either Vars or Bonnette was the outcome, although Turini dropping into Sospel was a highlight as well.)

So, I reckon your route is achievable easily enough, just depends on how much time you want to spend admirign the scenery as well as charging up and down the mountains.
 
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