The Marmotte Granfondo Alpes begins at sunrise in the heart of the village of Bourg d’Oisans. As soon as the bell rings, all tension disappears with the first pedal strokes amidst the cheers of the fans. After about ten kilometers on the flat, the first difficulty of the day appears, the Col du Glandon. A long and uneven first climb. Once at the top, safety is the order of the day with the timing system "frozen" for the descent. The goal is to take your time and especially to get through this fast, technical section well.

As soon as you reach the foot of the pass, the Maurienne valley marks the beginning of the main course of the day, with the Telegraphe (1,570 m) and Galibier (2,645 m) sections, totaling 2,000 m of elevation gain over 35 km. The refreshment point in Valloire halfway through the route allows you to recharge before you tackle the majestic Galibier and its walls of snow along the roadside. The descent over the Col du Lautaret back to Bourg d’Oisans allows the body to recover a bit from the effort.

Note: due to the many consecutive tunnels with poor lighting, personal lighting is essential and MANDATORY (light set/visibility vest).

The last climb of the day is the 21 turns of Alpe. It is a real challenge for the cyclists, with the first 2 turns averaging 13%. What a beautiful sight to see all these cyclists conquer this legendary climb, where the Tour de France has written some of the finest pages of its history. Once the finish line has been crossed, it is a special mix of emotion, fatigue, and sometimes pain, but above all satisfaction and pride, visible on the faces of the happy finishers.