Randonnée PreAlpine

Day 1

We collect from Nice airport and TGV station and transfer to our hotel in Nice, just a kilometre from the port and the Promenade des Anglais, playground of the rich and famous.

Day 2

We head inland, leaving the Med behind and heading to the foothills of the southern Alps. Cols Bas and du Buis are ridden today, neither huge but both over 1000m and a good first day’s riding. Our hotel is in Entrevaux. Distance 112km.

Day 3

Today starts gently but by the time we roll into our hotel in Barcelonnette, we will have gone over both the Col des Champs and the Col d’Allos. Both are over 2000m high, the Allos last featuring in the Tour in 2000. Distance 110km.

Day 4

The stunningly blue Lac de Serre Poncon glides into view today as we skirt it to the west and head north through the village of Chorges. We then have a gentle pull up the valley to the bottom of the Col de Manse, at 1268m the first of three sizeable Cols today. The Bayard and the Noyer complete the trilogy before a long freewheel downhill into St Disdier. Distance 120km.

Day 5

Just under 1300m of climbing today means that your legs can recover a bit, and in fact at the end of the day we are at a lower altitude than we were at breakfast. Of course there is still some climbing to be done, but between two harder and longer days this will be a welcome respite. Our hotel is in the town of Die. Distance 94km.

Day 6

Four Cols over 1000m, with a long descent from the Portette make today a real challenge both in terms of endurance and of technical ability. We then loop north and south again to take in the Cols de Gaudissart and de la Machine, before heading along the valley of La Bourne river into Villard de Lans. Distance 117km.

Day 7

The morning starts with a fairly flat section up the valley towards Lans-en-Vercors, before a gentle rolling climb up to the Pas du Mortier, through the tunnel at the top, and around a sizeable descent to the banks of the Isère river. Another climb through the hills north of Grenoble into the Chartreuse, and a long descent to end the day in Chambery. Distance 124km.

Day 8

We climb almost straight out of the door this morning, above and beyond the Col de Plainpalais. After this, however, a long descent and another gentle up and down over the Col de Leschaux bring us to the western edge of the Lac d’Annecy, another beautiful Alpine lake with a superb backdrop of mountains. We go right along the shore of the lake on a cycle path, around the northern edge through the town itself, before a gentle climb up to our hotel in Thones. Distance 99km.

Day 9

The last day of the Randonnée PreAlpine starts with a steady climb to St-Jean-de-Sixt before heading up through the ski resort of Le Grand Bornand to tackle the legendary Col de la Colombiere. A descent into Cluses leads us into the valley of Le Giffre river before the final climb of the trip, and the descent towards Lake Geneva, with views right across to the Swiss side, and our hotel in Anthy-sur-Leman just 100m from the shore. Distance 113km.

Day 10

Time to swap email addresses with your fellow riders over a more leisurely breakfast before departure for Geneva airport and train station.

What’s included

• Coach transfer to and from the local airport or major train / TGV station.
• Character hotel accommodation.
• Buffet breakfasts.
• Gourmet dinners with half-bottle of wine per guest per night.
• Experienced bi-lingual guides.
• Welcome pack with full information, route guides, advice and a water bottle.
• Luggage transfer. When we move hotels your baggage will be waiting for you in your room when you arrive.
• Full minibus back-up and mechanical support, including inner tubes.

What’s not included

• Travel to pick-up points
• Bicycle (you will probably want your own best bike; we do have a limited number of race bikes in a few sizes — please phone or e-mail to discuss)
• Lunches, although we will recommend good spots for lunch. For those who don't want to stop for lunch and would prefer to eat on the road, Tour de France-style, we will, for a very reasonable supplement, provide food suitable to be carried in your jersey pockets.
• Additional drinks or minibar costs (including beers, soft drinks and coffees).