WindlineAbout the race
The Marmotte Granfondo Alpes is a one-day mountain sportive in the French Alps that runs from Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez. The organiser calls it the biggest one-day cycling event of the Alpine summer after the Tour de France, and it is best known for stringing together some of the most famous climbs in French cycling.
The course
The route covers 177 km with about 5,000 metres of climbing. After roughly ten flat kilometres out of Bourg d'Oisans, riders reach the long, uneven Col du Glandon. Timing is paused on the descent so that nobody feels pressured to rush a technical, fast section. In the Maurienne valley the Col du Télégraphe (1,570 m) leads straight into the Galibier (2,645 m), about 2,000 metres of climbing in 35 km, with a feed stop at Valloire between them. Snow banks can still line the road near the top. The descent over the Col du Lautaret returns to Bourg d'Oisans through several poorly lit tunnels, and front and rear lights are compulsory. The finale is the 21 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez, where the first two bends average 13 per cent.
Distances and related events
The Granfondo is the 177 km route. The organiser also stages La Rando des Marmottes, a non-timed two-day option of 97 km and 80 km starting from Bourg d'Oisans and Valloire, and the Grimpée Alpe d'Huez, a 13 km climb only. The 2027 programme lists the Grimpée on 25 June, the Rando on 26 and 27 June, and the Granfondo on Sunday 27 June 2027.
Cut-offs and entry
Two time barriers apply: the summit of the Galibier at 15:30 and the foot of Alpe d'Huez, back in Bourg d'Oisans, at 17:45. Start pens depart in waves from 06:30, with green and yellow first, then blue at 06:50 and red at 07:10. The organiser lists four feed zones, at the Glandon summit (km 36), Valloire (km 98), the Galibier summit (km 115) and Bourg d'Oisans (km 162), with extra water points along the way. Its site has pages on registration, prices and the licence, insurance and medical paperwork it requires, so check them before signing up.
Where to watch
Race numbers are handed out at the Palais des Sports in Alpe d'Huez from 24 to 26 June, and the start itself is in the centre of Bourg d'Oisans. Spectators can wait at the Alpe d'Huez finish, where the pasta party opens at 12:00 and the prize-giving is at 16:00 on race day.
Weather
Late June brings summer to the valley floor but not necessarily to the passes. Riders cross high cols where snow can sit beside the road, so conditions at the top of the Galibier can differ greatly from those in Bourg d'Oisans. This is general background, not a forecast.
SourcesMarmotte Granfondo Alpes home·Marmotte Granfondo Alpes course page