You have probably already assessed your last season. It if was packed, a recovery period is essential, but you will soon be thinking about 2026... and new objectives !
How you plan your training will depend on the objectives you choose. We advise you to read our article Personalise your practice which will give you the keys to refine your assessment of the last season and ask yourself key questions before you tackle 2026.
There is a full schedule of cyclosportives and Gran Fondos. You are bound to find events that suit you. Here are 8 essential criteria to guide your choice.
Date of the event
This cannot only be based on sporting criteria. It must take into account your availability, and your professional and family constraints.
L’Alsacienne takes place right at the end of spring, enabling as many cyclists as possible to have sufficient training.
Profile of the course
This must match your profile as a cyclist, as a flat racer or climber. However, you may decide to choose a route that is in principle not suited to your skills... as a challenge or simply to try something new.
L’Alsacienne is recognised as a difficult Gran Fondo, but it offers alternatives. Other more accessible circuits on the event’s programme provide an initial experience of a mountain cyclosportive
Choice of distance
This must also be personalised and suited to your physical condition at the time. Too many competitors attempt long distances without sufficient training.
When you register for L’Alsacienne, nothing is final. The rules allow you to change course during the event, depending on how you feel on the day !
When tourism and a sports activity go hand in hand
Cycling enables you to discover lots of new places, with varied scenery and the villages you cross. Your curiosity for a region may therefore also guide your choice of cyclosportives in 2026.
Alsace is a region with an exceptional heritage. On 28 June, you will enjoy the beauty of the Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park, with its crests and typical valleys.
The roads taken by the Tour de France are not just any roads...
It is of course a great feeling for enthusiasts to ride on the route of the Big Loop. You may also want to get that feeling.
The Col du Page, the Markstein, the climb to the Col du Haag… L’Alsacienne opens the way, one month before the pack in the 2026 Tour de France passes through. How incredible one month later to see professional cyclists on the slopes that you have climbed yourself.
The atmosphere is an integral part of the identity of cyclosport
Even more important than your performance and the stopwatch. Cyclosportives are popular events where friendliness and pleasure must remain the keywords.
In this video you will see everything that makes L’Alsacienne so successful: smiling volunteers, cyclists of all levels, music, celebration, gastronomy...
Ethics may (should?) also influence your choice
As responsible sportspeople, we are sure to enjoy ourselves if we respect our values and protect our environment. Do we need to go to the other side of the world to take part in a Gran Fondo? Can we organise our trips differently in 2026? Can our purchases of sports equipment be better thought out? That’s a question we can all ask ourselves. Some organisers of cyclosportives are also aware of the environmental impact of their event, and try to reduce waste and their carbon footprint as much as possible. You may also choose to give priority to these events.
For many years, L’Alsacienne has chosen to mainly work with local companies. Each year, it reduces waste at source by giving priority to bulk products, improves sorting and further raises the awareness of all participants.
Registration fees for cyclosportives
These vary greatly, and sometimes require you to buy a jersey, and often a meal. In some cases they are based on purely commercial criteria. The prices may go up depending on when you register. This increase may be seen as excessive
If you register for L’Alsacienne, you will decide on your expenses yourself: meal/jersey/insurance.
Éric GEHIN
Conseiller sportif Breveté d’Etat
DU Biologie de l’Entraînement
