Crossing the Alps - Gravel Bike, Cycling road

Day to day

Day 1 - Welcome in Chamonix - Warm up to Hauteluce 

Meeting and briefing with the bike guide. After a small check on the equipment, we start this first day by following the Arve on a forest track in direction of the Forclaz pass (1560m). Going down to Contamines-Montjoie, we follow the small river called Bon-Nant before leaving the main axis to go down on a stony track towards the Joly pass (1989m). After this pass, a long and beautiful descent awaits us to Hauteluce (1150m) where we will spend the evening and the night. 

Distance : 48km approximately

Elevation gain : +2190m / -2080m approximately

Tracks : tarred road, dirt track, stony track

Meals included : picnic, dinner

Accommodation included : hotel

Day 2 - Journey at the fairies

Starting from Hauteluce, we let ourselves go down to the village of Beaufort (750m) before starting a climb to Cormet d'Arêche. On the way which transforms itself little by little into stony track, we go along the big lake of Saint-Guérin before passing in front of the marvellous small lake of the fairies which is close to the Cormet d'Arêches (2105m), place which indicates the end of the climb! Once up there, we let ourselves go down between stony track and small mountain roads until the charming little village of Aime where we will spend the evening and the night in a hotel. 

Distance : 45km approximately

Elevation gain : +1410m / -1875m approx.

Routes used : paved road, stony track

Meals included : breakfast, picnic, dinner

Accommodation included : hotel

Day 3 - Along the Doron de Belleville

We start the morning with a few kilometers in descending false flat before recovering a small mountain road which goes along the Doron de Belleville in a progressive rise which leads us to Saint Martin de Belleville. After having benefited fully from the landscape during this stage, we find ourselves in a charming hotel where we will spend the evening and the night. 

Distance : 33km approximately

Elevation gain : +1280m / -560m approximately

Routes taken : tarred road

Meals included : breakfast, picnic, dinner

Accommodation included : hotel

Day 4 - At the core of the Savoie 

At the departure of St Martin de Belleville, we go down on the last tarred roads before meeting a beautiful track which will make us snake between the mountains throughout the day. After about fifteen kilometers, we are on the pass of the Encombrés (2362m), the highest point of the stage. From this pass, we always follow this track which gives marvelous landscapes of preserved mountain. At the end of this long downhill, we arrive in the valley of Maurienne. Still a small ascent to arrive to Valloire (1400m), village of mountain on the road of the pass of Galibier. We spend the night in Valloire in a hotel.

Distance : 52km approximately

Elevation gain : +1964m / -1941m approximately

Routes used : tarred road, stony track

Meals included : breakfast, picnic, dinner

Accommodation included : hotel

Day 5 - The Galibier and the preserved Clarée Valley

For this day full of landscapes, we go from the Northern Alps to the Southern Alps. No more Savoie and welcome in the Hautes-Alpes. In the morning, we continue on the mythical road of Galibier (2642m). At kilometer 30, we cross a track that we will follow until the magnificent village of Névache. On this track, sometimes on gravel and sometimes stony, after having passed the col de la Pare (2412m) and the col des Rochilles (2500m) a little further, we let ourselves go down passing in front of two lakes (the Grand Ban and the lac Rond) until the charming village of Névache. From there, we descend along a forest track with some passages on road before arriving in Briançon where we will spend the evening and the night.

Distance : 55km approximately

Elevation gain : +1345m / -1536m approximately

Tracks : tarred road, stony track, dirt track

Meals included : breakfast, picnic, dinner

Accommodation included : hotel

Day 6 - Softly in the Queyras

For this day, we go each one at its own rhythm, few kilometers on the stage to rest a little the calves! But all the same a mythical pass, that of Izoard (2360m) where we will take the time to admire the extent of the regional park of Queyras which is in front of us. Promised thing, due thing, we stop in the small village of Ariveux (1560m), some kilometers under the pass of Izoard. For the one or the one who would like to pedal still a little, there is always the possibility of going until the lake of Roue or a whole lot of other paths! 

Distance : 30km approximately

Elevation gain : +1170m / -820m approximately

Routes taken : tarred road

Meals included : breakfast, picnic, dinner

Accommodation included : hotel

Day 7 - Andiamo in Italia 

After the more quiet day of the previous day, we take advantage of our regain of energy to go to Italy. Before crossing the border, we cross a magnificent part of Queyras to finish on the Agnel pass (2744m), the 2nd highest road pass of the French Alps. From there, a breathtaking view on the downhill which awaits us on the Italian side with the lake of Castello in the background. Once we passed the lake, we continue our descent until Sampeyre, a small Italian village where we will spend the evening and the night. 

Distance: 60km approximately

Elevation gain: +1590m / -2190m approximately

Routes used : paved road, stony track 

Meals included : breakfast, picnic, dinner

Accommodation included : hotel

Day 8 - Between Occitan Valleys

From Sampeyre, we ascend with our Gravel Bike, road bike along a small mountain road in direction of the Sampeyre pass (2285m). The ascent is progressive as the beauty of the landscape. The more you go up, the more beautiful the view on the valley is. Once at the pass, we go down on the same small mountain road lost in the Occitan valleys of Italy. After the pass of the Cavallina (1940m), we continue until the small village of Marmora where a charming hotel awaits us. 

Distance : 35km approximately

Elevation gain : +1605m / -1375m approx.

Routes taken : tarred road

Meals included : breakfast, picnic, dinner

Accommodation included : hotel

Day 9 - It goes down in the Piedmont

After a good breakfast already in the Italian way, we leave on our Gravel for a good day. We begin by a progressive ascent on a small road, to the passage of the 3rd pass that we will cross, that of Fauniera (2481m), we will begin a long and magnificent descent on a small Italian road until the valley of Stura di Demonte. From there, we continue between small path and road until the station of Limone Piemonte where we will spend the night (1000m).

Distance : 77km approximately

Elevation gain: +1830m / -2045m approx.

Routes used: paved road, gravel track

Meals included : breakfast, picnic, dinner

Accommodation included : hotel

J10 - On the way to the Mediterranean coast 

For this last stage, we will go at our own pace. We have a beautiful and long day ahead of us. From Limone, we take the direction of the South and its beautiful villages. On the road, we alternate between ascent and descent with 3 passes on the program! We begin with the first and the highest, the pass of Tenda (1871m) which marks the border with France. After a descent on nearly 30km, we go up to reach the small pass of Brouis (879m) before passing the pass of Castillon (706m). Once at the pass, a steep descent at the beginning and then a gentler one, brings us to Menton, a beautiful coastal town on the Mediterranean coast. 

Distance : 87km approximately

Elevation gain : +1945m / -2930m approximately

Routes used : paved road, gravel track

Meals included : breakfast, picnic, dinner

Accommodation included : hotel