With spring weather at the moment we’ve been thinking of getting our mountain bikes out. So it is timely that the Tourist Office at les Deux Alpes have sent us some information about their 2008 mountain bike program. The Blue Riband event is the the ‘Mondial du VTT’ which started at les 2 Alpes ski resort eight years ago. Each year les 2 Alpes further develops this event and they are always thinking of new ideas to satisfy visitors.
Why? Well this is what les Deux Alpes has to say…
The resort likes to be at leading edge of tourism offers. This ensures visitor loyalty and to attract new
guests. We’ve attracted visitors with mountain bikes for the last two decades and the Mondial event has been running for the last 8 years. Today les 2 Alpes is the leading summer mountain-bike spot. In the summer we simply swap our skis for bikes! It is an activity which benefits both visitors and local businesses with the number of MTB days growing ten fold from 20,000 in 2003 to 200,000 in 2007.
Les Deux Alpes has 105km of marked mountain biking trails at all levels, from novice to expert, descending from the glacier at 3200 meters down to the village at 1600m. The lift system is used to access these runs in the summer. All you need is a mountain bike pass, be covered from top to toe by protective wear, have a
readily accessible piste map and pleasure is just a tire width away!
For 2008 les Deux Alpes has invested 60 million euros in mountain biking. The work was carried out over 6 weeks last autumn, before the first snows of winter and the Mondial du Ski. The 2 Alpes MTB downhill is divided into 3 variants: DISCOVERING, SPORTS and PERFORMANCE routes. A number of modules have been added to the trails covering different disciplines. The PIED MOUTET, VALLEE BLANCHE, CRETES, GOURS
and DIABLE have been made more practical and accessible.
Above 2200 meters major work with machines was done to build the new elite SERRE PALAS route. This itinerary is an “A LINE” form reminiscent of the legendendary “Whistler” run. It is a red aerial piste consisting of 36 modules.
A new black run over the “Thuit” itinerary for expert mountain bikers.
LES DEUX ALPES has set the date for the 2008 edition of “MONDIAL DU VTT FREE RAID CLASSIC VTT MAG”, for the 19th to 22nd June 2008. For those who don’t know the Mondial du VTT it is a mountain bike outdoor exhibition where a lot of specialized brands come together to show off their new collections and innovations. This meeting is open to the general public with about 10,000 people are visiting each year.
The “MONDIAL DU VTT” is above all about free testing of mountain bikes. During the four days visitors can participate in accompanied rides or join sporting outings (FREE RAID CLASSIC VTTMAG), family outings (BIKER CROUTE), kids outings (FREE KIDS MCF), initiation outings (FREE RAID DECOUVERTE VTT MAG) or even competitive outings (Mavic FREE TRAIL). There are also dirt, water jump, trial, 4X, short Track open to everyone on les 2 Alpes ice rink, dedicated sessions and lots of game with prizes… In short there is something for everyone, and it is this which has given the Mondial du VTT its reputation.
You can register for the event online from March 10th, 2008 on http://www.les2alpes.com or http://www.mondialduvtt.com .
MOUNTAIN BIKE EVENTS ALL SUMMER - some dates to note
June 14th, 15th/August 29th, 30th: AYTON DAYS
Week end of bike tests for all MTBers in the company of the RIDERS team “AYTON GIANT LES 2 ALPES” (Myriam, Jey, les Nico’s, Fabien et Vincent)
June 19th to 22nd: MONDIAL DU VTT FREE RAID CLASSIC VTT MAG
July 14th: COUPE DE FRANCE FFC, LA TRAVERSEE DE L’OISANS
Oisans crossing starting from les 2 Alpes- 100km and 50 km.
July 18th to 20th: MOUNTAIN OF HELL
Downhill MTB race open to everybody over three days. It is a gathering amateurs and professionals whose main purpose is to excel themselves in a pure and friendly spirit of freeride. They will be maximum 400 riders at the starting point of this real MTB Derby, on the Glacier of Les 2 Alpes. This gives a 2500meter drop over nearly 25km. From fear to smile, from hell to paradise: this is the event “MOUNTAIN OF HELL”, a hard MTB downhill…
August 16th & 17th: ENDURO SERIES – “GLACIER CLASSIC”
There are 5 important dates in the alpine resorts during the summer, one of which is in les 2 Alpes – the finals on August 16th and 17th 2008. Organised by Les 2 Alpes resort in partnership with TRIBE SPORT GROUP and VTT (MTB) mag, this is an endurance run lasting a whole weekend with a specific number of downhill runs against the watch! Pleasure, slopes, magnificient sites and pit-stops worthy of their name for
more than 300 participants. The “Enduro Series” is open to everybody over 14 years old, with categories by age and by gender.
August 16th & 17th: TROPHEE DES NATIONS DU VTT – ENDURO MTB TROPHY OF NATIONS
This is a new event in Les 2 Alpes. The aim is to get teams of three enduro mountain bikers to compete under a national jersey.
