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Anyone ridden this or recommend a similar and nearby off-road mountain pass to tackle (less than interested in Morzine uplifts and have 'pass' on a family holiday.
Thanks
Which route ? You have a TdF climb to Lac Joux Plan / Les Gets or a gentler "main road" route direct to Morzine. The road climb to Morzine is much more gentle and you see all sorts of groups riding up inc kids on adventure holidays. It's quite a busy road. The TdF climb would be quite an effort on an MTB in my view, the local VTT map has some trails that involve riding up about half of the climb on the road before descending. The bottom half is the steepest, the top half is in full sun. The view of Mont Blanc from Joux Plan is spectacular on a clear day. A number of STWwers have ridden that climb on road / cx bikes
We rode the excellent Les Gets/Samoens descent and then had a taxi booked back to Morzine.
YGM
If you are talking about the road then it's the TdF classic Col de Joux Plane. The stats from Mountain High are 11.6km (the climb that is), 989m altitude gain, avg grad=8.6%, max grad (@1km)=12.5%. Alternative route: Route des Nants (10.9km @6.5%).
I've done it a couple of times on a road bike and it's *hard work* took me well over an hour. Definitely needed the 34x25. Loved it though. Presume you'd be riding off-road down to Morzine? It'd be 'interesting' on a mtb (it's pretty fast, thanks to the driver in black T5 with UK MTB plate who let me past at the top 🙂 ).
I loved OT personally but not beloved by either M. fignon or a certain mr Armstrong... This is the climb that got Landis popped back in '06 🙂
Mrs Stoner riding col du joux plan tomorrow as part of http://www.1jour1col.com/
The climb from the morzine side has been closed to all traffic since a landslide in April. Cyclists have been able to carry bikes past but it's not encouraged I gather. Mrs Stoner will be riding down to samoens from morzine via the Les gets col with a group, then riding up from samoens side and back down the same way.
Where will you be based? I did a cracking 4hr off road ride yesterday using uplifts (plenney, chavannes and mont cherie) it's great for linking sections, you don't have to do DH descents. Knackered today. Even with uplifts I must have climbed 4000ft.
Stoner, I'm planning on riding Joux Plane on my road bike tomorrow, heading from Les Carroz to Samoens and up. Thanks for the info re the landslide. Shame, as the descent into Morzine is fun! If the group can take one more, I'm up for it.
I think the plan of riding up and down the samoens side is so as not to piss of anyone from the départment/conseil general while they're fixing it, but I wouldnt be surprised if a number go straight over the top anyway and portage past the works.
I dont know anything about the organisation Im afraid, but we' will be popping into the OdT in Morzine in 30mins to "register" or find out more. I will post up here this evening if I learn anything more useful.
That's great. Thank you.
Looks like a route labelled 'voie communale no1' on strava Map, up from Samoens, but on closer inspection it looks more like a road than off-road route. Should have done a bit more research into routes before coming - maybe I'll try to pick up the xc map...
domderbyshire
Mrs Stoner just back in. There's no formal group heading round from Morzine, but she's going to be riding over to Samoens and then up the CdJP anyway. I've suggested she might want to meet you at the foot of the climb and she'd be up for that. Of course if you are both climbing at completely diff speeds then there's no problem the two of you making your own progress and catching up back at the top. From there depending on how hard they are policing people going over the morzine descent, she may drop down back to Morz that way, rather than back around through Tanninges.
If you fancy a climbing partner, let me know. She'd be aiming to get to the office de tourisme in Samoens at around 9:30ish.
If the weather's nice it's worth stopping at the cafe at the top of the Joux Plan. View is fabulous.
Definitely needed the 34x25
I was on the lowest of my triple last year, 30x30 !
Stoner - great. 9:30 at Samoens OdT it is. I'll be on a black Giant Defy and wearing a blue and white top, but no pink carnation.
You'll never manage that if you can't lock out your forks. 😉
Stop stalking onzadog 😉
Dom, excellent Mrs Stoner will be on a planet x sl, black carbon, blue top. Have a good climb. Sounds like too much hard work to me. The kids and I will be working on our lounging techniques.
I'll be lounging later. I'm going to come back down to Samoens and meet my family there for lizard catching and playing in the river. I may cycle back to Les Carroz or bung the bike in the car...