If you didn’t know Joe and I are
living in Morzine in the French Alps and on May 5 (less than 50 days away!) our new business Tri4theAlps
will host its first guests.
Tri4theAlps is triathlon, cycling
and activity holidays in the French Alps. We offer a personalized training and
holiday service in what we believe to be the most beautiful place in the world.
I first stayed in Morzine in
2005. At the time I was living in the Brittany region of France racing for the
Cesson Sevinge Olympic Club in the National Grand Prix. Brittany was reasonably
flat and some of the guys were keen to train in the mountains in preparation
for a race in Embrun. I had such great week training in an incredibly beautiful
place. The village was quiet; there was a 50m outdoor pool, hills to conquer
and trails for running. This kick started my professional racing experience and
I was lucky to go on to travel to races all over the world. By 2012 I had lost
the drive to train and compete at the highest level and we were looking for a
new adventure. I had started coaching after completing my Level 2 Coaching Accreditation
I was keen to use my knowledge and experience to help others. The idea of a
training base in Morzine was born. Joe and I traveled back to Morzine and a
group of athletes that I coach who were racing in the ITU World Long Distance
Championships in Spain came over to train before heading off to there big
event. It was a great success and we knew this was something we wanted to build
on. From there Tri4theAlps was born.
So, why Morzine?
Morzine is nestled in the Portes
du Soleil region of the French Alps. It is just one hour from Geneva so access
is easy. The village, founded in 1181, is at 1000m so you get many of the benefits
of being at altitude without compromising your training. The village is well
kept and maintains it’s alpine character. On our door step are Tour de France
climbs Col de Joux Plane (1691m, 11.6km, avg 8.5%), Col de la Ramaz (1610m,
16km, avg 6.1%) and Col de la Colombiere (1613m, 11.7km, avg 5.9%) there are
then a long list of less famous but equally rewarding climbs to keep the bike
interesting. We also cycle down to Thonon on Lake Leman, or Taninges for some
flat roads too. Last year the Aquatic Centre was renovated at it now boasts a
25m indoor and 50m outdoor pool with stunning views of the mountain peaks. We
also swim in the 1500m long Lake Montriond and lakeside pools at Thonon and
Evian. Running is mostly along trails and we drive down to Chamonix for track
sessions. For recovery days there are endless activities to be part of from
taking the chairlifts up the mountains for hiking or mountain biking, canoeing,
rafting, tennis…. the list goes on. It is quite incredible how much there is to
do here. We also like going to the thermal baths just over the boarder in
Switzerland for a relaxing afternoon.
So maybe you can start to see
just why we love Morzine….
www.tri4thealps.com
