With its surrounding hills in the Rhône-Alpes region, Bourg d'Oisans has become the "capital of mountain cycling."Tour de France 2008: Stage 18 - Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint-Étienne

The Alpe d'Huez is one of the town's most popular bike routes, featuring a zigzag path up and down the hillside.VeloNews: L'Alpe D'Huez (JPG file)

Bourg d'Oisans was the departure town for stage 18 of the 2008 Tour de France. On July 24, bikers raced 196.5 kilometers westward to St. Étienne.Bikeradar.com: Stage 18: Bourg-d’Oisans - Saint-Étienne

There are only three climbs on the route, but one of them is the 2,600-foot Croix de Montvieux, the "most difficult" of the three according to VeloNews.VeloNews: STAGE 18: Bourg d’Oisans—St. Étienne (196.5km)

1. Plumelec
2. Lavelanet
3. Bagneres de Bigorre
4. Cerilly
5. Cuneo
6. Digne les Bains
7. Figeac
8. Foix
9. Hautacam
10. Lannemezan

• Weather: WeatherOnline

• Map: Google Maps - Yahoo! Maps

• Photos: Flickr - Google Image Search

• <iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Le+Bourg-d'Oisans,+Is%C3%A8re,+Rh%C3%B4ne-Alpes,+France&ie=UTF8&cd=2&geocode=0,45.055004,6.029768&s=AARTsJpJW0lE0dGZYRCsAXSV2_ycLaqfsQ&ll=45.05976,6.030293&spn=0.02122,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=addr&output=embed"></iframe>

• View Larger Map</hypertext>

• Google Blog Search: Bourg d'Oisans, France