French Alps Road Cycling Holiday Grand Tour

Overview Destination Accommodation Program Essentials

Check dates

Check Availability

Overview

ROAD CYCLING DOESN'T GET BETTER THAN THIS

Flying in:

Geneva

Start point:

Thonon-les-Bains

Flying out:

Geneva/Nice

End point:

Menton

Getting there

This guided French Alps Road Cycling Holiday takes you from the heights of the Northern Alps to the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Discover and pedal all of the mythical cols and legendary routes that lay in between.

With this fantastic 8 day tour, you’ll have an experience of a lifetime and be provided with challenging rides along the way. Most routes follow the all-famous Le Tour des Grandes Alpes – the ultimate historical route through the heart of the Alps.

With diverse terrain and an alpine climate, you can push your fitness and skill with the moderate to high altitude climbs and demanding daily distances on this French Alps cycling holiday guided tour. After all, these roads are included on the Tour de France!

Breathtaking and legendary views

Highlights of your trip

Tour de France Rides

Legendary Tour de France cols and rides are all part of the incredible itinerary. Now that is something to tick off the bucket list! You'll receive full support throughout the trip, including luggage transport, so you can focus on pedalling.

Diverse Terrain

This tour takes in a huge variety of landscapes, from alpine vistas right down to the glistening coast. Fantastic panoramic views span across the entire Alps range. Each day offers two routes with varying distances and profiles.

Comfortable Hotels

Across the 7 nights, you'll enjoy comfortable accommodations ideal for resting after long days in the saddle. There will be opportunities to meet non-riders and have a catch-up in the evening at the end of the day.

Destination

French Alps

Thundering gorges, rolling valleys, and cloud-topped peaks of mountains. The French Alps are a raw paradise for cyclists and explorers. The terrain is incredibly diverse and offers some challenging routes for the more technical riders who want to push their climbing skills on legendary mountain roads. The French charm oozes into the rich blue skies and continues through to the jaw-dropping backdrops of the Alps and coastal ranges. Culture and history beat through the roads and buildings in this region. It doesn't get much better than the French Alps for road cyclists.

Discover More

Weather

Pick your season and prepare well. Spring to Autumn has the best weather conditions for mild riding through mountains with the warm sun on your back. Coastal regions can get blustery as winds come off the ocean. Winter is challenging with snow higher up.

Terrain

France offers an incredibly diverse range of terrain suitable for any level of rider. However, this tour through the Alps is challenging with some intense climbs through the alpine mountains. Be prepared for tackling up to 3000m altitude gains in one day and covering on average 100km daily.

Culture

The French cycling culture is highlighted in the Alps with the superb roads and Tour de France influence. Bicycle touring is a popular way to explore the country and is welcomed in all the rural areas. Drivers are courteous and locals are friendly towards tourists.

45.9044° N, 6.4234° E

There's even more to discover on your trip.

Accommodation

Comfortable 2-3* Hotels and Guesthouses

All the hotels and guesthouses along the route are in a comfortable 2-3* range.

They are all well-positioned for the start and end of day riding, complete with secure bike storage.

A support vehicle will be assisting you for the entire trip, moving your bags between the locations and ensuring you can fully relax after reaching the next stop.

Accommodation

Meals Included

This guided tour includes all meals.

Breakfasts, picnic lunches, and dinners from a 3 to 4 course menu are included over the 7 nights. All you need to worry about is what you want to drink with each meal.

We also recommend you bring your favourite energy gels and bars to carry with you for a mid-ride energy boost.

Program

Day 1

Thonon-les-Bains to La Clusaz

Distance

90 km

Altitude gain

2200 m

Distance

90 km

Altitude gain

2200 m

Meet the team and the rest of the group at the Thonon less Baines SNCF railway station at 9 am. We will jump straight on the bikes and warm up on the quiet mountain roads of the Col de Jambaz.

Highlights:

Ride the beautiful Vallée du Giffre and Val d’Abondance (optional)
Cycle the “Portes du Soleil” area of Morzine, Les Gets, Avoriaz (optional)
Discover the Diable gorges and bridge (optional)
Views of the Mont Blanc range
Col de la Colombiere: the first difficulty of the week, and the first real mountain pass of the Alps
Le Grand Bornand, a reputable ski resort

Passes of the day:

Col de Jambaz, 1027 m (optional)
Col de Joux Plane, 1712m (optional)
Col de la Colombière, 1613 m

Day 2

La Clusaz - Bourg Saint Maurice

Distance

90 km

Altitude gain

2600 m

Distance

90 km

Altitude gain

2600 m

Day 3

Bourg Saint Maurice - Aussois

Distance

95 km

Altitude gain

2500 m

Distance

95 km

Altitude gain

2500 m

Day 4

Aussois - Briançon

Distance

100 km

Altitude gain

2200 m

Distance

100 km

Altitude gain

2200 m

Day 5

Briançon - Jausiers

Distance

90 km

Altitude gain

1800 m

Distance

90 km

Altitude gain

1800 m

Day 6

Jausiers - Beuil

Distance

90 km

Altitude gain

2200 m

Distance

90 km

Altitude gain

2200 m

Day 7

Beuil - Roquebillière

Distance

85 km

Altitude gain

1700 m

Distance

85 km

Altitude gain

1700 m

Day 8

Roquebillière - Menton

Distance

70 km

Altitude gain

1450 m

Distance

70 km

Altitude gain

1450 m

Essentials

Getting there

Information to help you book your flights and get around.

Any questions about flights and transfers? The Epico team is here for you. Ping us via the chatbot in the corner of your page or send an email to [email protected]

Flying in

Fly in airport options: Geneva.

When best to arrive: in the evening the day before the tour starts.

Where the tour starts: we meet at 9:00 at the central railway station of the French town Thonon les Bains.

Transfers: we highly recommend you book optional airport transfers that we offer, this way we can guarantee a seamless and hassle-free travel experience.

Extra nights: we recommend you book an optional extra night in Geneva that we offer; the tour starts in the morning and you’ll want to be fresh!

Flying out

Fly out airport options: Geneva or Nice.

When best to depart: in the morning the day after the tour ends.

Where the tour ends: in the afternoon in the town of Menton.

Transfers: we highly recommend you book optional airport transfers that we offer, this way we can guarantee a seamless and hassle-free travel experience.

Extra nights: we recommend you book an optional extra night near the airport that we offer; the tour ends in the afternoon, packing up and transferring takes time.

What’s included in your trip

7 Nights Accommodation

7 nights in 2-3* hotels, double room with en-suite facilities (single room available as an extra)

All Meals

7 breakfasts, 7 picnic lunches, 7 dinners (3 to 4 course menu)

Guide and Support

Trip leader in support vehicle, luggage transfers, and tech support throughout the tour

GPS Tracks

Comprehensive navigation app for smartphones, a detailed digital road book with routes, and GPS tracks

Extra

Bike rental

Only €275 for the entire trip

High quality carbon bikes are available for rental from €275 for the tour duration as not always is getting your own gear to another country suitable for you. To make sure you get the maximum from your tour, we’ve partnered with some of the best brands in cycling to give you the latest choice of kit.

Tailored to your body size and in perfect technical condition. You can select this option when you proceed to checkout. Price includes comprehensive insurance, mechanical service and components.

CARBON ROAD BIKE

Fitted to you and in perfect condition

More things to maximise your trip

EXTRA

Single accommodation

€140 per person for entire trip

If you’d like a whole room to yourself, that’s no problem. For an extra €140 for the trip duration, you can enjoy the comfort of your own room. Just select this option when you proceed to book your tour.

EXTRA

Airport transfers

From €140 per person

Transportation for you and your bike from the nearest airport to the start point and back is available to book for €140 (round trip). You can select this option when you proceed to checkout. Contact us if you have any questions.

EXTRA

Extra nights before and after the tour

From €190 per person

The tour starts in the morning and ends in the evening, plus airport transfers take time. We recommend that you fly in the day before and fly out the day after to maximise your trip. You can book these two additional nights for €190 when you proceed to checkout.

What's not included.

Flights

Flights are not included in the tour package. Please follow our advice about which flights will be best suited for this tour. Reach out to us if you have any questions about flights.

Health insurance

We strongly recommend that you obtain a dedicated health insurance that covers your sport activities. Reach out to us if you have questions about the insurance.

Choose when you want to travel

After selecting the date of travel, you will be able to enter the detail of who is traveling and see further options for accomidation and cycle hire, subject to the operator.

Don't see the travel dates you want or have a special request, such as adding a non-rider, please contact us.

Saturday

2 Jul 2022