Oisans

High mountains at your fingertips

Les massifs de l'Oisans
Département and Région : Isère and Auvergne Rhône-Alpes (AURA)
Principal passes : col d’Ornon, col de la Croix-de-Fer, col du Glandon, col du Solude, col du Sabot, montée de l’Alpe d’Huez, col de Sarenne
Etape sur Route des Grandes Alpes® : Variante Saint-Jean-d'Arves / L'Alpe d'Huez et variante L'Alpe d'Huez / Briançon

Summary

Suggestions for cycling loops
Our major passes
Events around the cycling events
Biking in Oisans
Summer in Oisans
Other seasons
Other events
Témoignages
FAQ
Access
Contacts
Other villages and resorts near the de l'Oisans

Suggestions for cycling loops around the Oisans

Our major passes

The Oisans is ringed by the great Alpine passes. Le Bourg-d'Oisans at 720 m altitude is at the crossroads of the territory's roads. For many cyclists, it's the starting point for climbing the mythical cols. Especially if they wish to add to their list of achievements le Lautaret (2057 m) and le Galibier (2646 m) on the Hautes-Alpes side, or the du Glandon (1924 m) and la Croix-de-Fer (2064 m) on the Savoie side. Added to these are the local passes, some of them small but strong, such as the col de Sarenne (1999 m) or the Sabot (2100 m). But also the Col d'Ornon (1371 m) and the Col du Solude (1681 m).

Oisans_Col_Series_-_Cols_de_la_Croix_de_Fer_-_Glandon

Cycling events in Oisans

Before mentioning the annual cycling races that punctuate the Uissan summer, here are the major events that very regularly choose the winding routes of the Oisans:

The Tour de France, of course, with the mythical Alpe d'Huez stage and 30 passages since 1952. This year's passage of stage 18 (Vif-Courchevel): July 24, 2025
Le critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

Every summer, a series of renowned competitions take place:

L'Alpe d'Huzes (Dutch charity race for the fight against cancer organized since 2006): 05 June 2025
La GNFY Vaujany: : 15 June 2025
La Marmotte Granfondo Alpes: 22 June 2025
Mountain Of Hell: 20-22 June 2025
Megavalanche de l'Alpe d'Huez: July 4-6, 2025
The BRA, brevet de randonneur des Alpes, held every 2 years alternating with the BRO, brevet du randonneur de l'Oisans: July 12-13, 2025
Urban DH 1800 district: July 26-27, 2025
Triathlon de l'Alpe d'Huez: July 28-31, 2025
Climbing for life: August 21 to 23
DH kids club: August 23 and 24, 2025
GFNY Alpes Vaujany: August 24, 2025
Etape de la Vuelta - passage en Oisans: August 26, 2025
Ultraraid de la Meije September 13 and 14, 2025

Finally, special mention to the Oisans Col Series, a general public event to promote cycling, scheduled every Tuesday morning throughout the summer. The concept is simple: close a road to motor vehicles for the morning. Every Tuesday, the route changes, but what's fixed is that it's free, there's a friendly refreshment bar at the finish, and it's open to all disciplines, from ski wheelers to pedestrians.

Cycling in Oisans

L'Oisans, the land of mountain biking, is peppered with perched, hollowed-out or winding roads due to its demanding relief. Before becoming sporting challenges, they were a technical feat that the cyclist, although in full effort, discovers, fascinated, along the way. The Oisans is made up of six valleys carved out by glaciers, each with its own ambience. Beyond the vertical drop or the famous passes, cyclists also come looking for an experience tinged with human history, heritage and landscapes.

While, of course, we talk gear ratios, pinions and cadence in the evening as we debrief over a drink, we always end with the evocation of an image, a moment, following the appearance of a summit or a charming little chapel. A bike outing in the Oisans is the memory machine in full swing!
Thanks to the electric bike, the steep little roads of the Oisans are open to those with a taste for effort but who prefer to keep it under their pedals.

Summer in Oisans

What to do in summer in Oisans in a few lines? The subject is vast! Rather than quote the long list of mountain activities, here are a few ideas that are sure to hit the spot:

A night in one of the many mountain refuges.
A visit to the summit thanks to the cable cars of the Pic Blanc (Alpe d'Huez), the Meije glaciers (La Grave) or that of Les 2 Alpes.
A hike along the shores of a high-altitude lake, crossing lush green mountain pastures.
A little thrill in complete safety with one of the 7 via ferrata to play at being a mountaineer.

And of course, a host of itineraries on two wheels, on roads of course but also on trails with mountain bikes, electric or otherwise. With three major areas dedicated to DH or enduro downhill (at Alpe d'Huez, Les 2 Alpes and La Grave), the Oisans is as much a destination for road bikes as for mountain bikes.
And for all other activities, from paragliding to rock climbing, horseback riding to accrobranche, whitewater sports to fishing and even summer skiing, take a look at Oisans.com

Coming back in winter

Winter and its beautiful blanket of snow... The Oisans and its high-altitude resorts benefit from long runs with great vertical drops. This is the advantage of being able to reach the Pic Blanc at 3330 m (Alpe d'Huez) or the Girose glacier at 3600 m (Les 2 Alpes) by ski lift, then descend to 1100 m for example.
But that's not all, Oisans is also lucky enough to be home to a ski area like La Grave, totally wild, with marked but ungroomed itineraries for skiing in natural snow.
And on the family resort side, in addition to the small satellite resorts of the Alpe d'Huez such as Villard-Reculas, Auris-en-Oisans, Vaujany and Oz-en-Oisans, the Col d'Ornon offers alpine ski runs of all colors and cross-country ski loops. It has another feature that is unique in France (as far as we know): the entire resort can be rented out! How's that for a private ski area?
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Other events

Among the great events hosted on Uissan soil here are a few highlights:

L'UT4M (ultra trail des 4 massifs) or the Oisans Trail Tour to name but two major trail events.
Tomorrowland Winter (Alpe d'Huez), an electro music festival in March.
The Derby de la Meije, a crazy ski race on the ungroomed itineraries of La Grave in March.

And there are also smaller but much-loved events like the Festival des randonnées musicales de la vallée du Ferrand, the Fête des guides de la Bérarde or the Olivier Messiaen au Pays de La Meije festival with its classical music concerts.
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Services

The Oisans and its 21 communes have all the services needed to welcome holidaymakers and cyclists in particular. Indeed, from the bus station in Bourg-d'Oisans, a range of local lines provide access to the various resorts or villages.

Most tourist localities offer food shops, sports stores and rental accommodation (available on the oisans.com marketplace), some of which have the "Accueil Cyclo Oisans" label with services specific to cyclists' needs: bike-oisans.com/accommodations
Findon this siteall the services and shops in Oisans.

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Témoignages

"What a beautiful region! Fresh air, dreamy mountains, top welcome! bravo! and thank you!" Sarah R.

"A very beautiful region with lots of TOP sporting activities and splendid scenery"Francois and family

"Pleasant setting with lots of activities to do"Carole G.

"The more we come, the more we go back" Medhi S.

"The environment and the welcome is perfect! We enjoyed our stay immensely and will gladly return."Pauline and Marc

FAQ

Can you cycle as close as possible to the Ecrins National Park?
Yes, with the route that joins La Bérarde to Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans.
How many "cyclo" itineraries can you do in Oisans?
20 itineraries available in the "Cyclo en Oisans" guidebook.
What are the "Oisans Col Series"?
In Oisans, every Tuesday morning a different route is reserved for cyclists. Closed to all motor vehicles, the route has no fixed start time, no registration and is free of charge. The only obligation is to have a good time at the ravito on arrival.