grenoble s river

Grenoble
We are excited to be able to offer our customers cheap Grenoble airport car hire. The airport is sold as being local to Grenoble and Lyon but in reality neither city is particularly close with Grenoble being 45 km away and the city of Lyon being no less than 85 km away.

Begin your trip to Grenoble with car rental offered by two of our leading car hire suppliers. We offer online bookings providing cheap car rental at Grenoble airport. Both of our car hire suppliers employ specialist staff at the end of the telephone waiting to answer any extra queries that may come up before or after hiring a car.

Grenoble is found in the south east of France, close to the French Alps, in the fairly populated hugely developed region of the Rhone-Alpes, commonly known as the Dauphine region.

Grenoble� claim to fame is that it is a high achiever in the world of science, particularly physics, applied mathematics and computer science.

Grenoble� main attraction is its wealth of skiing resorts within an hour� drive. During the winter, the city comes alive with happy-go-lucky slope searchers tuned in for a spot of outdoor recreation. A Grenoble summer, on the other hand, is usually very hot and so it is the lakes rather than the slopes that visitors head for. There is nothing like a cooling swim in a glorious mountain lake while enjoying the incredible beauty of the surrounding mountain landscape.

Grenoble� backdrop is that of a vertiginous mountainscape while the city itself is easily navigated with the crossing of its two rivers, the Isere and Drac. If you are not much of a climber, Grenoble is ideal for you for while steep climbs haunt you on the periphery the city is actually helpfully flat.

The mountain ranges that surround Grenoble are called Belledonne, Vercors and Chartreuse. Stretching towards outer space in the North is the French Prealps Chartreuse chain. From the Lac du Bourget to Grenoble, Chartreuse is famed for its excellent skiing and offers a number of really popular resorts like Col de Porte and La Ruchere. It is here (from with a local monastery) that the liqueur Chartreuse originates. In the West, the area of Vercors is enjoyed especially for cross-country skiing. The last fortnight in December is the most popular at local ski resorts and should be avoided if you prefer quieter skiing conditions.

The Tour de France annual cycling contest encompasses the challenging gradients of these ranges. More than a sporting occasion, the Tours de France is a matter of national pride where its competitors are adored and lavished with the status of national champions. Although the French Alps offer an enormous challenge and are enthusiastically included in the race itinerary, it is not unusual for cyclists to race further afield. The United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland have provided an alternative leg to The Tour on several occasions as have The Netherlands, Italy and Belgium.

If you visit Grenoble outside of The Tour's month of July, do not fear, as the stunning scenery will be here to greet you as will a number of interesting attractions. One advantage is that you get these champion challenging slopes to cycle for yourself. If you don� suffer from vertigo, one of the more popular attractions in town is that of The Bastille. At 300 metres tall, and suitably dramatic, The Bastille sheds an overbearing shadow across Grenoble and contributes the best views of the area. Unlike during the Middle Ages, The Bastille is less forbidding these days and offers a choice of walking up its path or boldly jumping aboard a cable car (Egg) to the top! The Bastille is (thankfully) much more welcoming these days and promises not to annihilate any inquisitors. Honest! For at the top you will enjoy viewing platforms, nature trails and a caf?and restaurant before you are ready to relinquish those lofty heights.

There is more than one way to skin a cat and more than one way to enjoy a spot of sight seeing around Grenoble. Why not indulge yourself and treat yourself to a cruise aboard a Mississippi River Boat? The �ateau a Roue?cruise tours offer tranquillity, history, nature and the breathtaking Vercors scenery.

If looking for variety while visiting Grenoble, then look no further than the Vizille estate. Vizille is situated mid-way between Grenoble and the Oisan Mountains on the Route Napoleon with its Museum of the French Revolution within the chateau as well as an animal park and gardens.

The Dauphinois Museum (Musee Dauphinois) is the perfect choice for cultural heritage information of the region and is a significant find for museum buffs. The Museum itself is intriguingly found within the convent of Ste-Marie-d�n-Haut, a listed building within lovely grounds upon Bastille Hill.

If art is required, a visit to Le Magasin is recommended. One of Europe� leading lights in contemporary European art is situated here in Grenoble. Le Magasin does more than hold exhibitions, it provides training sessions and lectures and prides itself on playing an important part in promoting the contemporary arts.


The Rhone-Alpes

One of France� 26 regions, the Rhone-Alpes region is towards the south located on the eastern edge of the country. Named after the River Rhine and the Alps, the region� capital is cosmopolitan Lyon.





Grenoble Airport
Grenoble Airport is situated 45 kilometres from the city centre and 85 kilometres from the city of Lyon.

There are a number of bus shuttle services to and from the airport. The shuttle four-a-day service runs from Grenoble Airport to the coach station. The journey takes 45 minutes and costs 4 euros for a one-way ticket. The service extends to seven buses a day on Saturday.

A regular shuttle bus service to and from Lyon Part-Dieu terminus runs from Grenoble Airport. The fare is 20 euros one way and 30 euros for a return fare. There is only one a day which leaves the airport at 1.20pm and leaving Lyon Part-Dieu for the airport at 9.30am every day.

Shuttle bus services run from the Tarantaise ski resorts of Moutiers, Aimes or Bourg-St Maurice to and from the airport. This service costs 60 euros for a return (45 euros single) and the ride must be booked in advance at the ticket office in the terminal building.

Taxis are also available from the airport.



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333 King Street East Toronto, Three Gorges hydropower plant creates equivalent of 18 nuclear power plants


Hydro generators from Astom are turning waterpower into electrical energy in the largest hydropower project ever built, the Three Gorges in China.

The world's number one company in hydropower generation is based at the foot of the Alps, in Grenoble, France, where hydropower was born. Casimir Brenier started work on hydraulic turbines in 1854 to convert the power of flowing water into electrical energy. Today, the company he founded is a subsidiary of Alstom Power and the global Technology Center for its hydropower business.
"The US still has the largest hydropower capacity, but Asia, led by China, is the fastest growing market," says Jacques Brémond, Mechanical Engineering Supervisor at the Alstom Turbine Technology Center. "In Europe and North America, power generation exceeds the demands of the population, while in China and India increased capacity is desperately needed."
Filling the energy gap has led to the largest hydropower plant in the world, the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River in China. Alstom is supplying almost half the turbines and generators for the project. The project's greatest challenge was its sheer size. Compare the width of the Three Gorges at 2,4 kilometers to that of a typical dam, which is around 100 meters and you begin to appreciate the scale of the undertaking.

Runner of 425 tons
The main part of a hydro turbine is its runner, where the water flow is converted to mechanical energy. "The external diameter of the runner for the Three Gorges was 23% larger than any other we had produced before," says Brémond. "It was a massive 10,6 meters in diameter with a height of 5 meters." It was impossible to produce the runners in the Alstom workshop in Grenoble. When completed they needed to be transported over the town's bridge, but a single runner's weight of 425 tons was greater than the bridge's 300-ton weight limit.
Consequently, the runners were manu-factured in a specially constructed workshop in La Ciotat in the south of France. The runners were transported by sea to Shanghai and then transferred from oceangoing vessels to riverboats. It takes six of these just to carry the draft tube elbow.

Bearing tests
For the bearings, Alstom started working with Trelleborg nearly 10 years ago. "We were unable to specify Orkot bearings on the left bank of the Three Gorges," says Brémond. "We had little experience with the product at that stage and the customer requested that we design in a known solution."
To support their product, Trelleborg provided details of two independent tests on the bearings specifically for this application. "Based on these reports, we decided to trial it in the wicket gate lower bushes during refurbishment of a Francis turbine in the Liu Jia Xia dam in China. After a few more tests in application, the product seemed successful and was first fitted in full scale on turbines supplied to the Alqueva Hydro Power Plant, Portugal commissioned in 2004," says Brémond.
"After this experience, when specifying equipment for the right bank of the Three Gorges, we persuaded the customer that this type of bearing would be a good alternative.?

How the runner works
In a gravity dam, the water flows down from a reservoir into a hydro turbine. It enters the runner from one side via a spiral case, which distributes the water around the turbine. A distributor with adjustable wicket gates in the turbine controls the flow of water circulating in it. The energy of the water (head and flow) transforms into mechanical energy (torque and rotational speed). This then converts to electrical energy within the generator connected to the same shaft as the turbine. Once the water has been through the runner it goes down a draft tube back into the river.
There were three main reasons for building the Three Gorges dam. The first was to regulate the flow of the Yangtze. Its notorious floods have claimed an estimated one million lives in the past one hundred years. The second reason was to make the river navigable into the center of China. And the third reason for the dam was to generate power. The hydropower plant is expected to create as much electricity as 18 nuclear power plants. It will provide an estimated one-ninth of the nation's energy and replace 40 to 50 million tons of raw coal combustion each year.

An exciting moment
Olivier Calemard is account manager for Alstom at Busak+Shamban France, a part of Trelleborg Sealing Solutions. "Ten years ago the only products we supplied to Alstom were Orkot Wear Rings," says Olivier Calemard. "When I first arrived at Alstom with my 'plastic' bearing they laughed a little. It was so light compared to the metal ones they used; they could not believe it would be strong enough to do a good job." Getting Alstom's business was an uphill battle, but Calemard is certainly not one to give up. "We had to prove that Orkot could stand up to the task," Calemard says. "Alstom would not risk specifying an unreliable component. The cost of replacement of a failed bearing is huge. It took time and lots of independent research and test data to convince them to use the product. Now, however, it is regularly used in the majority of their installations." Orkot bearings are developed and produced at the Busak+Shamban associated manufacturing company Trelleborg Sealing Systems Rotherham. They are also manufactured at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Eugene for the American market. Due to the scale of the Three Gorges, the two sites worked together to fill the order and shared technology. "We do benchmarking of processes across the two sites," says Barry Davies, General Manager of Trelleborg Sealing Systems Rotherham. "This is to ensure product consistency. Working on a project like Three Gorges brings this requirement right to the forefront." << Grenoble is a low leveled town (220m) located between two rivers: Isère at the north, le Drac at the west. They merge at the north western corner of the town. The resulting river, Isère goes round the Vercos mountain range, of which western limit it marks. Then it streams south westwards and at the end throws into the Rh?nes near Valence. Grenoble and its suburbs are surrounded and dominated by three high mountain ranges:

at the north north-east is the regional park of Chartreuse
at the west is the regional park of Vercors
at the east south-east are Belledonne massif, the western head of Alps
The two first ranges are old mountains made of limestone and part of the so-called Préalpes. Their highest peaks overcome the 2000 m elevation (2365 m for the tallest one, the Grand-Veymond). Vercors features roughly a 1100 m high tableland in its north and west part where is mostly concentrated the population, while its south-east part is characterised by a very wild and protected area at about 1600-1800 m elevation bounded by the highest peaks of the range, along the east. This area is mainly accessible by trails or no through roads (pleasant for mountain biking). With regard to the Chartreuse the landscape shows broad and round hills covered by large mountain pine forests. A series of peaks and cliffs mark its border all around.

In the other hand Belledonne, as part of the Alps, features higher and sharper mountains of which highest peaks (nearly 3000 m) remain covered with snow nearly all the year.

Further south of Grenoble extends the Trièvres, hilly land at about 800 m elevation, boarded along the south east by a mountain range, the Devoluy. Beyond the Vercors and the Trièvres extends southwards the Provence, the South East part of France.

All of these areas (except partly Belledonne) are accessible via sealed roads. Many of them feature a long and fairly steep slope from the Isère valley. The typical example is the road to le col de Porte (literally the gateway pass, to get to the Chartreuse inside); it starts from Grenoble to reach the col (pass or gap) at the elevation of 1340 m, 15 km farther. At the west of the town are the St Nizier de Moucherotte's and Lans en Vercors' roads that run to the Vercors plateau (tableland at about 1100 m) and its snowfields in winter. These roads are as long as the road to le col de Porte but less steep. Riding up these roads needs a low geared bike and take a regular and slow pace. As far as I am concerned I prefer these roads than undulating ones like in Britany or some around Canberra, where you need either change constantly gear or engage a high one and try to keep it by forcing. The roads I have just presented support a rather heavy traffic, especially at the start and the end of the workday, and in tourism season. They can be avoided thanks to pleasant small roads. For Chartreuse a road, farther west (col de Clémencière - Sarcenas), runs parallel to the other one until hitting it 3 km before the col. Upstream Isère river, further North East than Grenoble, there is four other uphill roads serving the plateau des Petites Roches (900-1000 m elevation) and three cols (col de Coq, col de Marcieux and col de Granier). The plateau stands below an impressive cliff and overhangs the Isère valley. It presents great views on the Belledonne massif across the valley. An undulating road runs along the plateau and links the uphill roads. The cols de Coq and de Granier allow going to Chartreuse inside.

Across the valley the road network presents a similar pattern over Belledonne range except there is no through road further up than 1260m; Belledonne stands like an impassable barrier.

With regard to Vercors South East, along the Drac valley, a long and high cliff boards the range making impossible its access by roads. In the other hand the western border, downstream Isère, has a few pleasant (uphill) roads accessing the Vecors plateau, between St Quentin sur Isère at the North and St Romam sur Isère at the south. To reach them from Grenoble, either you follow the Isère downstream on flat and scenic cyclepaths and minor roads (to warm up before a hard climb), or you catch the train for Valence with your bike at Grenoble's railway station and get off in one of the stations between Moirans and Valence. The most northern road (Montaud one) has been cut by a landslide; but you can go through by carrying your bike. The others are also quite spectacular, winding a lot and they allow you breathtaking views on gorges. One of them has the particularity to come back 200m higher exactly at its vertical point, after a long hair-pin bend. After reaching the plateau the land becomes rather flat. You can come back to Grenoble by the two eastern and wide roads. They offer you large views over Grenoble and the western side of Chartreuse.

The south of Grenoble, between the Vercors and the Alps ranges offers a lot of possibilities: aerial roads along the Drac and its different dams, running then into the Mateysin's plateau (1100 m); roads over the hilly and scenic Trièvres (around 800 m); roads crossing the superb mountain range of Devoluy (the highest point on the road is 1445 m but the peaks around reach the height of 2800 m). To avoid riding in the southern Grenoble's outskirts, poorly friendly towards the cyclists with its traffic and pollution, you can catch the train for Veynes/Gap/Briancon and get off at Vif. You may decide to stay on board, as the train runs along a very scenic landscape. It can carry you, and your bike, in Provence after the Luce la Croix haute col (Veynes, Gap) or at its route end to the middle of French Alps. From Brian?on (the highest town in western Europe, 1200 m) you can climb some of the highest and famous cols in Alps (cols de Mongenèvre 1850 m, Izoard 2361 m, Agnello 2746 m, Lautaret 2058 m and thereafter the magnificent Galibier, …).

Now I will tell you about the most delightful rides in bike: these are rides in summer through mountains passing cols of which elevations are as high or higher than 2000 m. All around the landscape is dramatic and vegetation free except a thin alpine grass with some flowers: impressive cliffs, very large peaks of rocks often covered by the snow, gullies with very clear water streaming fast. The view is at the same time very open, no forest to limit it, and limited, by the mountains, but that mountains ! you feel ridiculously small. However beware the weather. In mountain dramatic change in temperature and weather condition may occur over some hours, turning the heaven into hell, regardless of the season. When the weather is very hot the descent, over distance as long as 30 km, can be very enjoyable, provided you master it enough and you take care of the cars.

Let me describe the most notorious and mad ride challenge in Grenoble (a local Fitz's hill challenge): Le Brevêt de Randonnées des Alpes. Since the 20's it takes place every two years at around July 14th (the next one is scheduled in summer 1999) and is open to everyone in good condition. Usually it gathers more than 3000 riders of all ages and both sexes. They are split in different categories depending on their ambition and their age. The sportive one consists on few hundred cyclists decided to complete the ride in less than twelve hours time. This category starts at 6 o'clock the morning while the others start between 2 and 4. There is a tourist category which do the loop in two days and spends the night in a hostel at halfway.

Well, what is this tremendous ride ? It starts from Grenoble, goes round Belledonne via Vizille (at the south east), pursues upstream the Romanche river towards famous ski resorts (Alpes d'Huez, les 2 Alpes, Vaugeney, l'Alpes du Grand Serre, …). The first fifty km are smoothly going up, on rather flat roads. Then the road starts to rise in earnest for the first col (col de la croix de Fer, 2065 m) for 30 km (oddly this climb includes also a sharp and short descent to avoid a rock falldown). Just after the col, follows a long and sometime very fast descent (which includes some climbs !) downwards the Maurienne valley (530 m). Some km on a flat road prepares you to climb a 2nd ranked col (le col du Telegraphe 1566 m); then a smooth descent leads you to the town of Valloire (1400 m). From there the road resumes its ascent over a few km, followed by a relative break. After that, and by the time you feel the legs a bit stiff, remains the most serious bit of the challenge; 8 km of very steep and regular road (about 9 % maybe 10 %) to reach one of the highest and beautiful col on road, le col de Galibier (2664 m). Up there usually you find patches of snow along the road to refresh you. Yet the ride is not over by far. A long descent ensues, via le col du Lautarey (2058 m), interrupted by flat and even uphill stretches (not very serious but at the time you will find them extremely difficult). From Bourg D'Oisans you will join the road you took for the way out in the morning, and then go back to Grenoble, the end of this superb challenge. The total distance is about 250 km, bust most remarkable is the overall climb: 4650 m.

This ends the chapiter of Grenoble' s out and about. I hope it has given you the wish to visit this region with your bike.

I make the profit to tell you good bye. By the time this article is published i will be back to Fance, in Paris (not a very pleasant for riding bike, compared to Canberra).




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