Ride the iconic Tour de France mountain passes on roads reserved only for cyclists. Self guided cycling tailor made for you!
Location: Briançon
Months available: June, July, August, September, October
Please note, the above guide prices are based on 5 nights in budget accommodation (low price) to 7 nights in luxury (high price) stay for 6 people. You can get an indicative price for your dates, party details, accommodation type and duration with the below inclusions by clicking the, "Get Prices for my Party" and follow the instructions or contact us for a more detailed tailor made quote.
Challenge yourself on the iconic climbs of the Southern French Alps: col du Noyer, Galibier, Izoard, Lautaret, Granon, Echelle, Orcieres, Risoul, Agnel, Vars, the tour of the Serre Ponçon lake and other famous mountain roads and experience the dramatic beauty of the mountains as you tick off the hairpins!
With high quality road bikes prepared and delivered to your bike friendly hotel accommodation on your arrival, GPX tracks and detailed advice on all the iconic climbs and circuits, baggage transfers between accommodations and train station or airport transfers included, all you have to do is turn up and enjoy the rides!
In addition this unique self guided cycling adventure includes the possibility of riding on roads exclusively closed for your ride, free from any motor vehicles - just you, the open road, and fellow passionate cyclists.
We will tailor make your itinerary to create your dream Alps cycling trip to cycle the legendary mountain passes and other lesser known but equally stunning rides from our four Alpine bases and optimising opportunities to ride on the reserved cols available during your dates.
If you are looking for a shorter break or weekend, check out our Weekend Cycling Odyssey.
Only in France, the home of the most famous cycling race in the world, the Tour de France, would the authorities be able to justify closing roads just for cyclists to have the pleasure of riding them! In the Southern French Alps, the home of some of the most iconic mountain passes used in the race, this has been a regular event since 1997!
Every year a programme of dates are released and we have privileged early access to these so we can organise your tailor made self guided cycling holiday around them if you wish to make the most of this amazing opportunity.
The roads are closed for the mornings and are available for any cyclist to ride on. Generally the road is closed at the bottom from the junction of the main road joining the climbing route up to the top of the mountain pass. Some climbs are closed on both sides of the pass and other climbs are closed on just one side. In both situations there are people climbing and descending the same road.
The routes to get to the starts of the climbs are not closed but due to the popularity of the event, and number of cyclists, cars on the approaching roads are vigilant and accommodating to cyclists.
The local tourist offices sometimes make the events even more fun by providing refreshment stands and supporters often come out to watch and cheer you on. It is as close as you can get to being in the Tour de France yourself!
The closed cols are not part of a race, they are accessible to any level of cyclist and you will find all types of riders sharing your adventure from professional and serious athletes to families, all with a passion for cycling. There is no pressure - it is a fun, friendly atmosphere!
We use four main cycling bases in the Southern French Alps for this trip; Guillestre, Briançon, Embrun and Gap, carefully chosen for easy and direct access to the legendary Tour de France climbs and routes. Depending on the rides you want to do and the calendar of the closed cols we will design your trip using the most appropriate bases and arrange any baggage transport between the bases.
If you love road cycling and are a fan of the Tour de France and want to tick off your bucket list mountain passes you will absolutely love this trip!
You do need a high level of fitness and to be cycling fit to tackle these climbs and we recommend training in advance. Cycling in the Alps is tough but highly rewarding cycling and you will be pedalling at altitude too. You need to be used to cycling 50-80km with 2000m+ of ascent per day.
If you complete all the climbs on this trip, you will be on an endorphin high for a year!
It is possible to hire electric road bikes for this trip if you want the experience but don't quite have the legs or lungs for it!
This tour exemplifies eco-friendly travel, with easy train access from across Europe, avoiding car use. Your journey through the Southern French Alps is entirely by bike and baggage transfers are kept to a minimum reducing environmental impact.
Your accommodations are in locally owned eco-conscious bike friendly hostels and hotels, dedicated to sustainable practices.
Please have a look at our full carbon report which has been calculated using the Carmacal tool and based on a 7 night stay with two changes of base during the trip.
BY TRAIN / BUS:
WE OFFER A 3% DISCOUNT TO ANYONE TRAVELLING BY TRAIN INSTEAD OF PLANE. To claim your 3% discount, you will need to show us proof of train travel for international routes of over 3 hours that could have been taken by plane. Please ask when you book.
You would need to get to Briançon, Gap, Embrun or Mont Dauphin for this tour depending on your chosen base(s). These are all on the same train line between Gap and Briançon
There are direct train links to all the above train stations from Grenoble, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille TGV stations and there is also an overnight sleeper train from Paris.
You can plan your train journey using the Oui SNCF website. This works from all major European cities.
The indicative quote includes transfers from the nearest train station to your base.
BY PLANE:
The nearest airports are Marseilles (MRS), Turin (TRN), Lyon (LYS) and Grenoble (GNB) depending on which base you are staying in. We can arrange transfers directly from any of these airports for 6 or more people as an additional supplement.
For smaller groups, it will be more cost effective to travel the last leg of the journey on public transport from any of these airports and we can help you plan this journey. Marseille airport is the most straight forward as there is a regular coach service directly to Gap every two and a half hours, from where you can then get a train to Briançon or you can get the shuttle from the airport to Marseille town centre and St Charles train station and get the train directly to and of the train stations on the Briançon line from there. Plan your journey using this website.
From Grenoble you would need to get the airport shuttle to the train station and then a train from Grenoble.
Please ask us about transport options when you enquire as we have become pros on getting people to this beautiful region!
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