The Critérium du Dauphiné — the week-long WorldTour stage race that serves as the main Tour de France preparation event — takes its name from the historical region in southeastern France that predates the departments. The Dauphiné is not an administrative unit anymore, but it is still a cycling reality: a territory of limestone massifs, river valleys, and col roads that connects the Rhône Valley lowlands to the high Alps in a series of escalating gradients.
La Tour-du-Pin, where the 2026 French national TT championships ran on Thursday, sits in the northern Dauphiné in the Vals du Dauphiné — the agricultural plateau between Lyon and Grenoble. This is the accessible, rolling Dauphiné. Forty minutes south is Grenoble. Around Grenoble, the terrain changes character completely.
The Three Mountain Zones
The Vercors plateau. West of Grenoble, the Vercors is a limestone massif that rises abruptly from the Isère valley floor. The access roads — the routes that climb from Grenoble and from the Drôme valley to the south — gain altitude quickly before the plateau surface levels out at 800–1,200 metres. The plateau roads are quiet and fast, with open views across the terrain that make it easy to maintain pace. The descents back to the valley are steep and technical on the eastern (Grenoble) side. The Vercors is where local Grenoble cyclists ride in spring before the higher cols open: accessible, reliably paved, without the traffic that comes to the Alps proper in summer.
Key climbs: Col de l'Arzelier (1,160m, 11km at 5.4%), Col de la Croix Perrin (1,220m, 12km from Lans-en-Vercors), Gorges de la Bourne road (not a col but a dramatic river-canyon route through the heart of the plateau).
The Chartreuse massif. North of Grenoble, the Chartreuse is the forested limestone range that separates the Isère valley from the Chambéry basin. The climbs here are steeper and more enclosed than the Vercors — narrow roads through beech and fir forest, with gradient spikes that the plateau roads don't produce. The Chartreuse is cycling in a different key: sustained, technical, and quiet. The monastery itself (the Grand Chartreuse, the origin of the Chartreuse liqueur) sits at the head of one of the access valleys and is a standard turnaround point for rides up from the valley.
Key climbs: Col du Coq (1,434m, 10km at 7.5% from Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse), Col de Porte (1,326m, 8km from Grenoble — the Grenoble cyclists' home climb), Pas du Frou on the eastern approach.
The cols toward the high Alps. From Grenoble, two major Alpine corridors head east: the Route Napoléon toward Gap (south, leading to the Hautes-Alpes), and the Romanche valley east toward Briançon and the major col country. This is where Alpe d'Huez lives — 14km at 8.1% from Le Bourg-d'Oisans, 21 hairpins, and the most documented cycling climb in France. The Galibier, the Croix de Fer, the Glandon, and the Telegraphe are all within a day's drive of Grenoble and form the standard Grand Tour climb list that the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Tour itself, and the Giro all visit.
Practical Cycling Routes
The Vercors loop from Grenoble (95km, 1,800m): Start central Grenoble, cross the Isère, climb to Sassenage, ascend via the Gorges de la Bourne to Villard-de-Lans, cross the plateau to Lans-en-Vercors, descend via the Col de la Croix Perrin back to the valley, and return via the valley road. A full-day ride with varied terrain: canyon approach, plateau traverse, fast descent.
The Chartreuse round-trip from Grenoble (70km, 1,500m): North from Grenoble, climb the Col de Porte, descend into the monastery valley, circle back via the Col du Cucheron, and return via the Saint-Ismier valley road. Suitable for a strong half-day or a relaxed full day with a stop at the monastery shop (Chartreuse liqueur tasting is optional but culturally appropriate).
The Alpe d'Huez out-and-back from Le Bourg-d'Oisans (30km round trip, 1,100m): The canonical version of this ride begins and ends in Bourg. The climb's 21 numbered hairpins are numbered from the top, so hairpin 21 is the first one off the valley floor. Each is named after a Tour de France winner. The most visited hairpin is typically the Fausto Coppi one, a third of the way up. The summit resort (1,860m) is functional rather than scenic. The view back down the Romanche valley is the payoff, not the summit.
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The Dauphiné cycling season runs April through October. The highest cols (Galibier, Croix de Fer) are snow-cleared by late May or early June in a normal year. June is the best month: long days, cool mornings, road surfaces in good condition after winter, and the Critérium du Dauphiné already finished so no stage-race road closures.
July and August bring heat at valley level — the Isère valley floor can reach 35°C in a July afternoon. Cyclists start early (05:30–06:00 departures are normal in Grenoble in August) and are back below the treeline before noon. The upper plateau and col roads remain cool through the day.
September is excellent: fewer riders than June, the light changes quality, and the forests of the Chartreuse turn amber-gold. Some high-altitude accommodation closes after mid-September.
Where to Base
Grenoble is the practical hub. France's "capital of the Alps" has all the infrastructure an athlete needs — bike shops, sports medicine, good food, and direct rail connections to Lyon and Paris. The central city is flat and cycleable; the mountain terrain begins inside 15 minutes from the centre.
Villard-de-Lans on the Vercors plateau is the mountain-village option: smaller, quieter, directly on the plateau road network. Good for a mid-week plateau focus with day trips toward the higher country.
Le Bourg-d'Oisans is the specialist option for riders focused on Alpe d'Huez and the Romanche valley cols. A small town built almost entirely around cycling tourism in summer.
How to Get There
By train: TGV to Grenoble from Paris takes 3 hours. Lyon is 1.5 hours away by TER regional train. Bikes on regional trains with a surcharge; intercity TGV requires the bike to be bagged.
By air: Lyon Saint-Exupéry (LYS) is 90 minutes from Grenoble by car or shuttle. Grenoble Airport (GNB) has limited international connections but is 45 minutes from the city.
By car from Paris: 5.5 hours via the A43. The Tunnel du Fréjus or the Mont Blanc Tunnel connects from Switzerland and northern Italy for athletes staging the Dauphiné into an Alps cycling circuit.
What Else to Do
La Villeneuve sports complex in Grenoble has a 50m pool, athletics track, and climbing wall — ideal for cross-training days. Bastille fort (accessible by cable car or foot) overlooks Grenoble from the north cliff face — a rest-day walk with exceptional panoramic views. The Musée de Grenoble has a serious Impressionist and modern art collection that stands among France's regional museum highlights.
Frequently Asked
Does the Critérium du Dauphiné affect visiting cyclists? Stage closures during the event (early June) affect the cols in the high-Alps sector. Outside race days, the routes are all accessible. The Dauphiné's route is public knowledge in advance.
How crowded is Alpe d'Huez in June? Very. Weekends from June to August see hundreds of cyclists on the climb. Weekday mornings before 08:00 are manageable. The Tour de France does not climb Alpe d'Huez in 2026, which slightly reduces the peak-season traffic.
Is the Vercors suitable for beginners? The plateau roads are accessible for intermediate cyclists. The canyon approaches are steep. The high-col routes above the plateau require climbing experience.
Where can I find cycling partners in Grenoble? Connect with athletes training in the Dauphiné via Find Athletes in Grenoble on ZealZag.
For the race report from the French national championships this week, see our French nationals TT field report.