Alpine Cycling - Are You Up For the Thrill?

An Alpine cycling holiday may strike you as a fantastic idea and you just can’t wait to give it a go. Perhaps, though, you are a little bit concerned about your fitness and health levels and wonder if you are going to be up to the physical challenges involved?

Health First

To begin with, it’s important if you are harbouring any secret health concerns that you discuss them with your doctor in advance of booking your holiday. No article like this should ever be interpreted as being qualified medical advice, because it isn’t – and you also shouldn’t self-diagnose.

However, let’s assume that your general health is fine but you are worried about things such as fitness and endurance. The first thing to keep in mind is that an Alpine cycling holiday is only what you make of it. Contrary to perhaps your worst nightmares, many of the cycling tracks and roads in the Alps are not vertical inclines, but relatively gently rolling flat tracks that closely hug the bottom of some of the spectacular surrounding valleys. So, it’s perfectly possible to have a great holiday here on two wheels and never really need to punish yourself at all in terms of tackling very steep and lengthy gradients.

Each to Their Own

Then there is the sometimes-secret concern over posing. Once again though, you have no need to worry. If you are on a biking holiday in an area such Morzine for example, you are going to see people of all ages and fitness levels cycling around to explore the local environs. You are not going to be surrounded by supermen and superwomen or be ridiculed because you’ve come back and admitted that you’ve only done a few gentle flat kilometres that day. It’s nobody else’s business but yours.

Even if you have little or no significant cycling experience, you should be able (in many resorts) to hire bikes and spend some great times enjoying the quieter and less demanding cycle tracks around these beautiful mountains. Of course, if you haven’t cycled for many years then it might be sensible to anticipate a few aching muscles, joints and posteriors - at least until such time as your body starts to adapt to your Alpine cycling holiday.

Where To Go?

You’ll normally find that plenty of people in the area, particularly those providing your accommodation, will be only too happy to give you expert advice and guidance on some of the gentler local cycling expeditions that are available. It’s also possible to buy books or find guides online that are specifically aimed at recreational cyclists with little previous experience and only modest levels of fitness.

Everything around these mountain resorts is geared up to cyclists and walkers during the summer months. There will be plenty of places to rest and take refreshments and you will have a great time. You may well find you’ve become addicted to Alpine cycling and next year might be time to try some more challenging trails…

Liz Olkowicz is the Business Development Manager for Ski and Summer Morzine, a tour operator, based in Surrey, offering tailor-made holidays. If you're looking for a thrilling active holiday, Alpine cycling could be the sport for you. Morzine is the perfect location from which to explore the French Alps on a mountain bike, so for a great-value Alpine holiday, call us.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.