The best mountain bike marathon raid in Europe!

 21 et 22 September 2013 

L’ULTRA RAID MTB AU PAYS DE LA MEIJE

110 km, 5500m over 1 or 2 days

Famous peaks, steep glaciers and historic villages, what site could be better adapted for a unique mountain bike event? The best will be surprised as much by its difficulty as the beautiful landscape. The event is taking place thanks to a partnetship between the Tourist Office de La Meije and Jean-Paul Routens.

Starting at the village of Villar d'Arène, the route takes in the famous cols of Lauteret and Galibier. The route then goes across the Cerces massif and joins the Oisans region via the plateau d'Emparis. You go through three regions (Hautes Alpes, Savoie and Isère) for most of the time above 1800 m altitude. This is a real mountain bike event, linking climbs on tracks and paths with single track descents.

The region of Pays de La Meije offers an exceptional scope for mountain bikers who like high altitude. This is a technical course, with flowing climbs and difficult descents all with fantastic views.

With scenery as extraordinary as it is wild, the Ultra Raid de La Meije will give you a visual and physical workout!

You have to climb the mythical col du Galibier- we climb it by a track. Then a great descent towards Valloire. From the Plan Lachat you take a military road, the Rochilleswhich lets you gain altitude, then you enter the beautiful massif des Cerces, dotted with lakes, overlooked by chalk cliffs. You have to keep energy is reserve for riding over the col de La Ponsonnière. A technical descent towards Lauzet before climbing for the last time towards Lauteret then towards Villar d'Arène.

A climb towards lac du Pontet leads you towards le Chazelet by the villages and Les Terrasses. You then climb the wild vallon de La Buffe, where at the end there is a "freeride" or bike-carrying climb to arrive on the plateau d'Emparis. At the other side of the plateau there is a very interesting descent to the village of Besse. A long flowing climb takes you back up to the plateau, an exceptional site in this region of the Alps, with a stunning view over the glaciers and the peak of La Meije. The plateau itself has wide open spaces,