St. James’s Place - French Cycle Challenge 2017

French Alps Cycle Challenge

2017 “3 days of riding … on the most storied cycling roads in Europe”

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Challenge Dates and Timings

Wednesday 24th May - Travel Out (timings TBC)

Morning - midday - arrive Geneva Airport Transfer to La Clusaz - approx 1hr 15mins Time to grab a snack locally (not included in event cost) Prepare your bike Leg warming ride Evening meal in hotel & pre event brief

Thursday 25th May

07:30 hrs Breakfast 08:30 hrs Depart on Ride 12:00 hrs - 1300 hrs Lunch - feed stations on course 15:00 -16:00 hrs Estimated return to accommodation 19:30 hrs Evening meal

Friday 26th May

07:30 hrs Breakfast 08:30 hrs Depart on ride Adventure Overview 12:00 - 1300 hrs Lunch - feed stations on course 15:00 -16:00 hrs Estimated return to accommodation Nestled between the high ski resorts of and Les Carroz 19:30 hrs Evening meal and the crystal clear waters of Lake Annecy, is the ‘Chaine des

Saturday 27th May Aravis’ - a beautiful compact but breath-taking range of mountains. 07:30 hrs Breakfast 08:30 hrs Depart on ride Visited frequently by the Tour de , and for good reason, 12:00 - 1300 hrs Lunch we have the chance to visit some of the finest and most historic 15:00 -16:00 hrs Estimated return to accommodation cycling roads in France. 19:30 hrs Evening meal - Celebratory dinner and awards

Our routes blend both the challenging high mountain passes, Sunday 28th May with the gentler climbs, valley roads and the stunning ride along Breakfast Lake Annecy, and not forgetting our incredible location in the Final farewells secret mountain hideaway of La Clusaz. Transfer to Geneva Airport Return flight home All in all this is a fantastic 3 day cycling challenge - but for those who put in the training - this will certainly be a feather in the cap! Chapeau - as they say in France - ‘hats off’ to those who manage the high mountain passes of the Colombiere, the Aravis, Les Saisies and the Joux Plane.

You will see that each daily route has an option for a short or long course, in order to accommodate a range of cycling abilities.

There will be 3 official snack/ feed/ drink stations each day - 2 of which will be located on the common section of the long and short course routes - to allow all riders to benefit from our ‘cuisine de velo’!

P 2 St. James’s Place - French Alps Cycle Challenge 2017 Event Cost & Registration

Event Cost = £500 (including deposit)

Registration Fee = £125 (deposit)

Details regarding payment options will be included on the online registration form which you will receive in the New Year.

Included In Event

Experienced cycle leaders Full vehicle drivers and mechanical support First aid cover Airport & Baggage transfers Daily routes Maps On Route waymarking Hotel Accommodation (4 nights) inc breakfast - good quality 3 star accommodation Lunches Dinners Refreshments and snacks on board support vehicles

Pre-Event Cycle Hotline 01823 444 246 or email info@adventure-café.com Excluded from Event

Flights to and from Geneva Single room supplement Drinks - alcoholic and soft drinks Spare parts for bikes Bike hire Damage to hire bikes Travel and bike insurance (Bikes in transit insured with AC)

How to Book Your Place on the SJP French Alps Cycle Challenge 2017

If you have registered your interest with the Foundation team, you will receive an email with the link to the online registration website in the New Year.

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First Ride - Long Course 132km (Elevation 2087m), Short Course 89.6km (Elevation 1239m)

Short course includes the Col du Marais - after 70km - altitude = 847m

Long course also includes the Col de Tamie (938m) and the Le Vorger Climb (720m)

Ride highlights: both routes - Lake Annecy following traffic free cycling route, and pleasant quiet route over the Col du Marais.

Feed Stations (precise locations tbc)

Short Course / Long Course Divide P 4 RideSt. 2 -James’s St. James’s Place Place - French French Alps Alps Cycle Cycle Challenge Challenge 201 20177

Second Ride - Long Course 130km (Elevation 2500m), Short Course 77.7km (Elevation 1770m)

Short course includes the Col du Marais (840m) and the Col des Aravis (1487m) - as well as the climb up to Les Annuits (1014m) - (this final climb is not included in the long course)

Long course includes the above, and the Col des Saisies (1658m)

Route highlights - visiting pretty towns of Ugine and Flumet. Pretty feed station in the village of Serreval and the climb of the Col des Aravis and finally a fast (make sure you stay in control! Check those brakes!) de- scent into La Clusaz.

Short Course / Long Course Divide

Feed Stations (precise locations tbc)

Short Course Crossover Section

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Third Ride - Long Course 138.2km (Elevation 3324m), Short Course 76.4km (Elevation 1596m)

The short course includes just the Col de Colombiere (1612m) - a long climb of over 1100m! So don’t think this is a pushover…..it’s a big one when returning from Cluses!

The long course also includes the Col de Joux Plane - visited some 12 times since its debut only in 1978 - this is a serious challenge with an average gradient of 8.5% over 11.6km - once you have completed the Joux Plane - you still have to return via Les Gets - a climb of 200m before you return to finish off the Colombiere…. n.b. there is an escape option if the Joux Plane is enough, you may return via the flatter easier route via Le Petit Bor- nand. This will save you approx. 500m of climbing without significantly altering your distance.

Highlights: pretty countryside beside Bonneville, pleasant Short Course / Long Course Divide gentle start to the days ride. The historic climb of the Feed Stations (precise locations tbc) Colombiere - featured a whopping 21 times in the ! Short Course Crossover Section P 6 St. James’s Place - French Alps Cycle Challenge 2017 What is this Cycling Challenge Like?

This ride entails 3 days of riding. Typical distances are between 65km and 140km. All days contain an element of climbing, and you should prepare by tackling plenty of hills if you are to get the best from this event. Please note that the short courses contain significantly less climbing.

On this event you will have a choice each day of either a long or short course. We hope the maximum number of participants will be able to embrace the full days riding - but you’ll need to get your training going if you’re to be ready for the challenging mountain and valley roads of the Aravis.

How Fit Do I need to be to join this Ride?

You need to have good endurance for this event. You must be used to doing long rides in the countryside - at least 5 hours. You should be doing regular exercise - with some good cycle training. Your typical comfortable cycling speed will be around 20-22km/hr, and you should be able to cycle at high speed for up to 1hour or 25km. You may also be concentrating on other types of exercise - but for longer periods of time (i.e. sessions in excess of 1.5hrs) - however, cycling is the best preparation (obviously!). You should train on hills in preparation - both up and down. We will have a dedicated training schedule for participants posted on the event wakelet page which you will receive a link to in the New Year.

Style of Ride

Adventure Café will waymark the 2 courses each day - in order that riders can tackle the ride at their own pace. We insist that riders ride in groups of 3 as a minimum at all times. Riders must always carry a mobile phone pre-programmed with event emergency numbers. There will be 3 feed stations set out - at least 2 on the short course.

Ride leaders are also available for those not wishing to navigate for themselves, and wishing for closer mechanical support.

There will also be support vehicles on the course throughout each ride. They will assist in case of me- chanical and to direct riders.

Medical & Insurance

Please ensure you inform us of any medical con- ditions when registering. We need to know if you have any conditions that may affect your safety and comfort on this trip, including heart conditions, epilepsy, diabetes, recent operations and allergies.

Please make sure you have travel and bike insur- ance prior to the event. P 7 Accommodation Details - French Alps Cycling Challenge 2017 St. James’s Place - French Alps Cycle Challenge 2017 Hotel Alpen Roc - La Clusaz - Haute Savoie

3* Hotel with pool and excellent facilities. 3 nights dining on site - varied good quality buffet dining, 1 night in village restaurant.

400m from village square - shops, bars, and all services including cash machine and mini golf are available in town, a short walk from the hotel. The hotel is approximately 1hr 15minutes from Geneva Airport. Secure bike storage on site. Spa/ swimming pool on site.

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Travel Options

Suggested outbound flights are from the UK to Geneva on the 24th May:- arriving to correspond with mid & late morning transfers.

Suggested flights from Geneva to the UK on the 28th May:- flight departures mid and late morning

Once you have booked your flight - please send an email to [email protected] titled “Cycle Challenge SJP Flights”

Please try and use one of the flight options included in the ancillary document. If flying from a different destination please attempt to arrive at a similar time into Geneva - i.e. mid to late morning.

Transfers from Geneva Airport to your hotel in La Clusaz on Wednesday 24th May will be leaving at around 11.00 hrs & 12.30 hrs** Adventure Café staff will be at the airport to assist with your transfer.

Return transfers to Geneva Airport on Sunday the 28th May will be leaving at approx 08.30 hrs & 11.00 hrs**

As the event gets nearer you will need to reconfirm the time of transfer you require.

These transfer times reflect the suitable inbound flight availability, if you arrive outside these times, you may need to arrange a transfer to the hotel**. Please contact Kym Marshall at [email protected] if you have any queries regarding transfers.

** These are approximate until Adventure Café has confirmed flight times from the majority of participants.

Single Supplements

A number of single rooms are available. Please indicate on the registration form if you are interested in taking one of these rooms.

If not, please give us names of those riders who you would like to share with. We shall do our best to arrange accordingly.

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Bike Hire Detail/ Alternative Bike Logistic Arrangements

Alternative Bike Logistics Options

In 2017 we are planning to transfer majority of bikes out from the UK to La Clusaz in the French Alps.

We are anticipating 9 hub locations for collection and return of bikes. In the case that you are not located close by to one of these locations then there are some alternative choices open to you:

1. Local bike hire Similarly to the provision in Mallorca in 2016 - we can offer a limited number of bike hires - of a good quality. These will be either good quality aluminium or carbon framed road bikes. Typically the price for such hire bikes will be between £100 & £140 (not included in event cost) although we shall confirm pricing at time of enquiry.

2. Flying with your own bike Adventure Café will be happy to collect a number of riders and their bikes from Geneva Airport. In order to receive this option you will need to pack down your own bike and pack it safely into a case/ box. Please call the office if you need advice in this area.

3. Couriering your bike to Adventure Café Alternatively you could arrange shipment of your bike from your home direct to Adventure Café in Somerset. We shall then store and transport your bike to France, and bring it back to the UK again - and you can arrange to have your bike collected and returned to your home address. For this service you would need to package your bike in a box - both on the outbound - and ready for the return leg of the journey. Adventure Café would then transport your bike from the UK to France and back.

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