What can one say? The Daddy of them all, the Doyenne of Cyclosportives, this is the star in the calendar, the most difficult one day event for amateur road cyclists in Europe. The route traces a northerly course out from Le Bourg dOisans (the town at the bottom of lAlpe dHuez) over the Col de la Croix de Fer into the Maurienne valley, and then clockwise back to Bourg via the Col de Telegraphe and the 2,600m+ Col du Galibier (by its far harder northern side) - finishing with the ascent to the ski station at lAlpe dHuez. For some reason very popular with Dutch riders, who seem to make up a large proportion of the foreign entry every year (where on earth do they train for this in the Netherlands?!). Not for the timid, it is a case of bon courage if you enter and chapeau if you finish. Anyone entering the elite of amateurs who have climbed 5000m in a day on a bike will be unlikely to forget the experience.

A medical certificate is required to enter this event.