The Col de Sarenne sits above the mighty Alpe d’Huez climb and is an alternative route back to Bourg d’Oisans. The road is not for the faint hearted with steep drops and a few sections of unpaved road to challenge even the most experienced cyclist.

Description

The Col de Sarenne is a narrow undulating road that continues on passed the Alpe d’Huez ski resort and tops out 9 km further on at 2000 metres. It is a beautiful road that although close to civilization feels really quite remote, partly due to the fact that parts of the road are a little rough (indeed in the winter this route makes up the longest black ski run in Europe) and partly because it can be very quiet. Once at the top of the Col de Sarenne there is a huge technical switchback road descent down to the Barage du Chambon at the foot of Les Deux Alpes.

The route can also be tackled the other way around from the Barage du Chambon and is a big climb but it does mean that you get to descend the 21 bends of Alpe d’Huez.

Profile

From Alpe d’Huez – west – [Average gradient: 3.8% – Maximum gradient : 9.8% – Distance 9km – Height gain 150m]

From Barage du Chambon – east – [Average gradient:7.5% – Maximum gradient : 13.3% – Distance 13km – Height gain 954m]