You can expect to ride lots and lots of mountains around Morzine, there is very little flat riding to be done. You should expect to be either climbing or descending with the odd valley road thrown in to ease the burden. Have you heard about the Col du Joux Plane made famous by the exploits of the Tour de France riders? This is literally on the door step and rises up within minutes of leaving the centre of town. There are many other famous climbs in the area; Col de la Ramaz, Col de la Joux Verte and the Col de la Colombiere, as well as many less well known but equally demanding ascents.
Road Biking Season in Morzine
The months of July and August signify the peak season when Morzine town will be at its busiest. But all things are relative and it will not be the scene of chaos it can often be in the winter, more a lively vibe with plenty of outdoor bike riding types milling around in between rides.
There is a good chance of catching the Tour de France in July; the race tends to visit every other year, the stage ending in town often playing a decisive role in the battle for overall honours. However, these two months will often see the mercury bursting out of the thermometer, the tar melting in the road and temperatures often reaching 35 centigrade.
June and September are great months to visit, particularly with respect to the weather as things are sometimes a little bit cooler. The only downside to this time of year is that Morzine itself will be quieter than the peak months and has a reduced number of restaurants and bars to frequent. Not a problem if you go down the self catering route and are keen to avoid the impact of alcohol on your riding abilities. You have probably already guessed that Morzine is not the place to be for a pre season training camp, the ski season is usually in full swing meaning the only way of traversing the Col de la Joux Plane is on a pair of skis or snowboard.
Companies Specialising in Road Biking Holidays in Morzine
Most of the bike specific chalet companies located in Morzine cater for mountain bikers. Currently only EndlessRide offer road specific holidays incorporating the classic chalet holiday experience, full breakfast, afternoon tea and a three course evening meal. This is marketed for June before the Mountain Bike season gets into full swing and can include guiding if required.
The chalet given over to road bike groups is a most luxurious place to spend the week in between riding commitments. There is a garage service staffed by experienced mechanics to assist in the event of mechanical mishaps. During the mountain bike season the company is more than happy to accommodate road bike groups in either the fully catered chalets or in the B&B chalet offering flexible duration breaks. The staff includes experienced road bikers and who can advise on appropriate routes.
There are many winter chalet companies who offer self catered accommodation during the summer in some impressive chalets. This is an option well suited to the more self sufficient road bike groups.
Your Road Bike & Morzine Bike Shops
There are a number of bike shops in Morzine but all cater for the mountain bike fraternity with the exception of the basement of InterSport which has some limited road bike equipment including tyres and tubes. None offer road bike hire meaning you’ll need to bring your own machine, but most serious road riders would want to do this anyway.
The shops can help with mechanical repairs but their spares range will not cover a road bike in the event of breakages. Fortunately road bikes tend to be a more reliable mode of transport suffering fewer breakdowns than MTBs but it is well worth ensuring your bike has a full service before you travel. If you are not mechanically minded then your local independent bike shop can do this for you. Particular attention should be paid to your tyres and brakes - make sure both areas are in excellent condition. It’s always worth bringing a new spare tyre and a couple of extra inner tubes.
What Gears do I Need?
This tends to be dependant on ability and/or how hard you want to try up the climbs. If you are confidant of sailing up the climbs quick sharp which means you’ll be climbing for up to an hour then you’ll need a 39x27 gear. Most fit club level riders able to comfortably cover 3-4 hours or more in the UK will get by on this gear without struggling too much. If you know you’ll take a little longer as your fitness or inclination to ride fast is not there then your bike needs to be equipped with either a triple chainset or a double of the compact variety. This will ensure you have low enough gears to ride comfortably at a pace that suits your level. Remember the climbs may not be that steep but they are long and combined with the heat and altitude may present more of a challenge than you think. But don’t be put off, if you’re honest about your level and use the appropriate gears then it will be a tiring but pleasurable experience as apposed to a trial of Sisyphus proportions!
What's the best way of getting my bike to Morzine?
There are numerous options for getting to Morzine:
By Air - Several airlines from around Europe will get you to Morzine without too heavy a hit on the old purse strings. Flying to Geneva from the UK is the easiest of all options available, check here for further airline information.
Low-cost carriers such as Easyjet or Flybe regularly fly between Geneva and the UK. You then have a number of options to get from the airport to Morzine which are explained in the following sections. A review of airlines terms and conditions in relation to sports equipment baggage indicates that it is highly likely that you will be subjected to a standard charge for taking your bike on board. Easyjet; bmibaby; Aer Lingus; and KLM indicated that there was an average additional charge of between £15 (€22.50) and £25 (€36) to take your mountain bike, one-way.
However, having recently travelled from the UK to Geneva with our mountain bikes on a low cost carrier we feel the need to clarify this minor detail as we ended up getting stung at check in for 'excess baggage'!! Having duly paid the £15 for bike carriage, and with our luggage weighing in at about 20kgs, we were informed that even though we'd paid to take the bike on board, the combined weight permitted for all luggage was 32kgs. Anything over and above that would be subjected to 'excess baggage' charges. Full suspension bikes although light are generally not below 12kgs so our excess baggage payment ended up costing us another £35 - if you have a full downhill rig then I hope you have a heavy wallet to match or are good at trimming your holiday equipment – leave those hairdryers at home!
Our bike was carried in its original cardboard box (the best and cheapest way) so who knows what the charges would have been had it been transported in a plastic case! It is worth noting that a judicious selection of your check-in staff, a friendly smile and bit of banter and you may be on to a winner, particularly on your return from Geneva, no excess baggage charges. I guess that's the random lottery that is excess baggage charges and check-in staff!
The more conventional airlines such as British Airways and its code share partner Swiss airlines permit free transport of bikes providing they fit within the free baggage allowance, and are packed in a hard shelled container.
Packing Your Bike to Fly
There are a few options available in transporting your bike. Hard bike boxes tend to cost in the region of £300 and like a hard case suitcase it will minimise the risk of damage occurring to the your bike. A soft bike bag is the cheaper option, costing around £100. Whilst this will provide your bike with a little more padded protection it is not as reliable as the hard box. On our recent trip from the UK to Geneva, we transported our bike in its original cardboard box, protected the key areas with bubble wrap and cardboard and it arrived safely and undamaged. Most airlines stipulate the following:
Bikes should be contained within a protective box or appropriate bike bag;
Only one bike should be carried per box/bag, and no other items (except protective padding) should be included within the box/bag;
Handlebars and pedals must be fixed sideways against the frame or removed; and
Tyres should be deflated slightly to reduce the risk of damage.
If you are transporting your bike, you should also check out your travel insurance arrangements. A lot of travel insurance companies will not cover your expensive mountain bike without an additional excess payment, and a lot of airlines will not be held responsible for any damage sustained whilst the bike is in their care. Check out your household insurance policy to see whether it can be covered as 'contents away from home'. There may be a slight surcharge for this option, but it's potentially better than having to fork out for a new bit of suspension, or a brand new bike!! We travelled using this option, paying an additional £50 to Direct Line for our £1000 bike. This option offered us up to 60 days European coverage which is plenty for a week's break or month touring the Alps.
Morznet's Top Tip: In addition to bubble wrap, purchase some pipe lagging and zip ties from a DIY store to put around the frame of the bike for protection during transportation. In addition, if you don't have your original cardboard bike box, ask your local bike shop for one. By choice we would always use the manufacturer’s box and have adopted this approach on many flights without damage to our bike. However, it is worth noting that the most frequently damaged part of a bike is the rear gear hanger. Remove the rear gear mechanism and tie wrap loosely to the frame to avoid this scenario. This applies almost equally to disc brake rotors if your bike sports them. Take them off, likewise pedals, its only a five minute job and will prevent you engaging in a fruitless search for an obscure part in resort. Further information on getting to Morzine can be found in our Resort FAQs - Travel and transport section
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