Albiez, base camp for the great Maurienne passes

Albiez-Montrond sits at 1,600 metres, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne at around 550. Basing a cycling trip here inverts the usual logic: you descend first, and the last climb of the day is the one that takes you home. In exchange, four of the best-known passes in the Alps are within a single ride.

The passes, from the doorstep

Col du Mollard, 1,638 m

There is nothing to ride to reach it: the pass is at the edge of the Mollard hamlet. It is the reference climb from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, about 17 km, and it is timed. The three routes up — the timed climb, the panoramic loop and the variant via Albiez-le-Jeune — are detailed in our article on the Col du Mollard by bike.

Croix de Fer, 2,067 m, and Glandon, 1,924 m

The two share the same road on the Maurienne side and split in the final kilometre. From Albiez you join the D926 via Montrond and the hamlets of Entraigues and La Villette, without ever dropping back into the valley — that is the village's geographical advantage, and it does not show on a map.

Coming down the Croix de Fer on the Oisans side, the natural Laitelet lake; near the Glandon, the Grand-Maison reservoir. The circuit linking Glandon, Croix de Fer and Mollard carries kilometre markers over much of its length.

Télégraphe, 1,566 m, and Galibier, 2,642 m

These two mean descending to Saint-Jean and riding back up the valley to Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne. Treat the descent as a warm-up rather than a chore — or drive the twenty minutes and start at the foot.

Climbs on roads closed to cars

In summer the Maurienne closes certain passes to motor vehicles for a morning and leaves them to cyclists. It is free, with no registration and no clock: you climb at your own pace on an empty road. The Glandon and the Croix de Fer are part of it, along with the Galibier, the Télégraphe, the Madeleine, the Iseran, the Lacets de Montvernier and the Col du Chaussy.

The dates change every year and are published in spring. They are worth checking before fixing the dates of a stay: riding the Galibier without a single car happens only a few mornings a year.

The events that come through

The Gran Fondo Les Sybelles, mid-July, starts from La Toussuire and goes over the Col du Mollard, so through Albiez. The routes string together the Lacets de Montvernier, the Col de la Confrérie, the Mollard, the Croix de Fer and the Glandon. Around 450 riders: an event on a human scale.

L'Étape du Tour started from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in 2026, over 170 km and 5,400 m of climbing, via the Croix de Fer, the Télégraphe, the Galibier and Sarenne. The course changes each year and follows a Tour stage.

The Marmotte Granfondo Alpes runs from Bourg-d'Oisans, on the far side of the Croix de Fer. It is the most international of the three, and it deserves its own article: preparing for the Marmotte from Albiez.

The date to watch: 22 October 2026

That is when the full route of the 2027 Tour de France is unveiled. The Maurienne comes back to the programme regularly, and the Col du Mollard itself was crossed in 2006 and 2011. If a stage runs through the valley, accommodation in the area is booked out within days of the announcement — not months.

What staying at Le Mollard actually changes

• No morning transfer. The pass is at the edge of the hamlet, and the Croix de Fer is reached without going back through the valley.
• Sleeping at 1,600 m. Nights stay cool in the middle of July, which counts after a day at 30°C in the valley.
• A south-facing balcony that dries a jersey in an hour, and a kitchen so you are not tied to restaurant hours.

One thing to plan for, because it is concrete: the ski locker is not sized for a bike. Two options on site: lock it on the landing, which is covered and sheltered, or bring it onto the balcony. Allow about fifty steps up from the car park.

For mountain bikes and electric scooters, see BMX, mountain biking and scooters in Albiez. The rest of the season is on our summer page.