Backroad cycling France

Discover beautiful Uzès, picturesque villages and pedal through vineyards and olive groves on this stunning cycling journey in the Cévennes foothillsRef CN31

The Gard department is the western counterpart to Provence on the other side of the Rhone. With a Mediterranean flair and a hilly world of garrigue, vineyards, olive groves and historic villages, ancient farms and country estates, the Romans already enjoyed themselves in this fertile region. The foothills of the Cevennes offer us ideal conditions for a fantastic cycling holiday, with plenty of rurality, cultural highlights and Mediterranean cuisine. Of the villages between Piemont cévenol and Pays d'Uzès that we will pass through on our 5-day cycling tour. The cultural highlights of our route include the detours to the Pont du Gard (World Heritage Site), the small town of Anduze as the gateway to the highlands of the Cévennes and with its famous Bambouseraie (largest bamboo grove outside Asia), the dry stone huts of Blandas, the beautiful historic villages of Sauve, Sommières, Vézénobres and of course the beautiful town of Uzès. Anyone who refers to the region as the "Tuscany of France" is neglecting the very special charm that this diverse area has to offer.

Self-guided tour: from 645€ - Details Duration : 5 days | Level : Customer satisfaction :
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+33 458 140 435 A dedicated team of travel specialists is available to offer you expert advice Monday to Friday from 9 to 12:30 AM and 13:30 to 6 PM (French time) on the phone, or by email.
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Physical level :  
This tour is E-bike compatible

Highlights

  • An exciting cycling tour, alternating between narrow, remote roads and well-maintained country lanes
  • The scenic diversity of the Gard, the French Tuscany
  • The numerous charming towns and villages with their rich architectural heritage: Uzès, Anduze, Sauve
  • The visit of the Pont du Gard

Description


Day by day

Day 1: Calvisson - Sommières - Sauve

Itinerary start: On day 1, we will meet you at 10am in Calvisson at the "voie verte" car park labelled as such on google maps, 100m from the D40/D40D intersection.
If you wish to come by train, the meeting point will be at the SNCF station of Vergèze - Codognan. Please specify this when you register. This will add 5kms of cycling on the first and last day.

The first day is spent winding through wooded hills, immersed in an agricultural mosaic of vines, olive groves and cereals, with the foothills of the Cévennes in the background. We start off gently on the greenway built on the old Nimes - Le Vigan railway line, in the direction of Sommières. At Junas, we make a short detour to the grandiose site of the ancient Bon Temps quarries, named after the combe that shelters them.
Arriving in Sommières, we encounter for the first time the river Vidourle and the famous Tiberius bridge.
The rest of the itinerary varies between tracks, small roads with little traffic and greenways. After passing through the large town of Quissac, we reach the beautiful medieval (and artistic!) village of Sauve. The Vidourle, which is underground for several kilometres upstream, has the good idea of reappearing here to bathe the feet of the town. If we feel like it, we can end the day with a short walk along the paths of the chaos of boulders of the "Mer de rochers", a unique site located above the village.

Distance covered: approx. 45 km / altitude gain: approx. 350 m.

Day 2: Sauve - Anduze

Today, we head for Anduze, nicknamed "the gateway to the Cevennes". We leave Sauve by the small road to Villeseque, and go to drown in the garrigue. On the way, we pass the asinerie de la garrigue, specialised in donkey milk cosmetics. With the Cévennes in front of us, we drive on confidential itineraries passing by charming hamlets, in the middle of vineyards, oak and pine forests or wheat fields. We reach the heights of Anduze, from where we just have to let ourselves slide to the charming historic town centre and its narrow medieval streets.
We then make a return trip to the famous Bamboo Garden to visit this fantastic exotic garden, unique in Europe, which, through the bamboo, transports its visitors from Japan to Laos via the United States. We then head for our accommodation near Anduze.

Distance covered: approx. 35 km / altitude gain: approx. 450 m.

Day 3: Anduze - Vézenobres - Uzès

We start the longest stage of the route which will take us to Uzès, a magnificent ducal city. Don't worry, the route is easy! Departure from Anduze along the Gardon river and first stop at the Madeleine pottery. We couldn't leave Anduze without discovering this production. Here, eight potteries perpetuate the tradition of production of large vases with garland decorations since 1610. We head for Vézenobres, a beautifully restored and spectacular medieval hilltop village. We reach Uzès through a hilly vineyard landscape. Overnight in or near this pretty village.

Distance covered: approx. 55 km / altitude gain: approx. 550 m.

Day 4: Uzès - Pont du Gard - Capitelles de Blauzac - Russan

This morning, we set off into the Eure valley, while descending this valley in a dream setting, we note the presence of our first vestiges of the Roman aqueduct, which we will find on our route several kilometres further on. As we leave the Eure valley, we take a big historical leap forward as we pass the Haribo museum (which you can visit)! On small roads lined with magnificent dry stone walls, we cross the bucolic countryside and begin our descent towards the Pont du Gard site. We reach the pretty village of Vers-Pont du Gard where a café terrace is open to us for a break over a drink... An open-air trail, "Mémoires de Garrigue", allows us to travel through the history of Mediterranean agriculture and the local terroir before admiring the bridge (by bike!). Classified as a Unesco World Heritage site, this exceptional structure shines in the heart of a magnificent natural setting symbolised by the entrance to the Gardon gorges. We then leave the Roman prowess to reach, after having crossed the pretty villages of Collias, Sanilhac and Sagriès. Through a mixture of tracks and small roads, we then reach our stopover point at Russan.

Distance covered: approx. 45 km / altitude gain: approx. 400 m.

Day 5: Russan - La Calmette - Calvisson

From Russan to La Calmette, we drive through a landscape of agricultural and market gardening plains, dotted with large villages. La Calmette is one of the few villages in the Gard to have been built in spirals, called "circulades". Next, a change of scenery as we enter a forested area criss-crossed by numerous tracks on which we travel. At Caveirac we join a green track which leads us to Calvisson, the starting point of our journey, contemplating the plain of Vaunage bordered by its hills. The loop is complete!

Distance covered: approx. 30 km / altitude gain: approx. 250 m.

Distance and altitude difference are given for information only.

Itinerary end: At 3pm, in Calvisson, at the "voie verte" car park, as indicated on Google maps, 100m from the D40/D40D intersection. This schedule can be modified if you wish.

Costs and services self-guided tour

Price per person for a group of :

The price includes :
  • 4 x nights in 2* to 3* star hotels in double rooms with en-suite facilities
  • 4 x breakfasts
  • 2 x dinners (3 to 4 course menu) on day 2 and 4
  • Daily baggage transfers (only 1 luggage item per person, max 20 kg)
  • Carefully designed itinerary
  • Our navigation app for smartphones, a detailed road book including maps (digital format) and GPS tracks
What is not included:
  • International flights
  • Lunches
  • Dinners on day 1 and day 3
  • Your transfer to the meeting place (see paragraph below)
  • Bike rental
  • All services mentioned in extensions
  • Insurance, assistance
  • Drinks at the accommodation
  • Visits to museums, monuments and sites
  • Additional travel related to change in the program due to bad weather
  • All personal expenses
  • Everything not mentioned under  “the price includes".

Supplementary services

Prices per person :

Single room accommodation (4 nights) 265 € / 

Extra nights in Calvisson or Nîmes : please contact us.

Bike rental : see below

Dinner reservations:

On request, we can book the 2 dinners of your trip in restaurants carefully selected by our teams (budget generally between 30 and 35 € per person, starter, main course and dessert. Drinks not included). Meals are to be paid by you upon arrival at the restaurant. A fixed fee of 25€ per booking, to be added at the time of your registration.

Bike rental

Standard bikes and e-bikes are available for rent.

Standard bike (5 days) 235 € / 

E-Bike (5 days) 345 € / 

Second rear pannier hire (5 days) 25 € / 

*the rental prices include the delivery and colleciton of the bikes to and from Calvisson.

All bicycles are equipped with mudguards, a rear rack, and a puncture repair kit.

Please indicate your height on your booking form.

Electric bikes offer pedaling assistance, greatly reducing the effort needed to cover a given distance compared to a classic "human-powered" bicycle. They offer an alternative solution in two cases: 

  • You do not feel able to complete a level 1 wheel (lowest level) circuit. With electric assistance, this trip becomes accessible. 
  • You would like to complete a circuit with a person who is fitter than you and you are worried that you will be unable to keep up, or that the other person will find your pace too slow.

Private groups / Custom tours

You are a group of friends, a family, a company or a cycling club and you would like to organise a private cycling tour on the dates of your choice. This option is available for guided and self-guided tours.

  • If you are interested in one of the tours presented on our website, we can provide you with a detailed quote based on the number of persons in your group.
  • If you are interested in a custom version of one of our tours, with specific requirements (tour duration, accommodation type, vehicle assistance, airport transfers, bike rental, etc.), we can provide you with a detailed quote based on the number of persons in the group and the group's specific requirements.

For more information or to receive a quote, please contact us by phone at +33 458 140 435  or by email at info@france-bike-trips.com.

Travel insurance

It is important to be correctly insured when embarking on a cycling holiday. We recommend checking the details of your travel insurance (if you have one) and, if necessary, subscribing to our contract below. Please note that France Bike Trips is simply an intermediary between you and the insurance company.

You can choose between these travel insurance contracts while completing your booking form:

  • I subscribe to the "comprehensive multi-risk" insurance cover (4.5%), minimum premium of 15 €:
    This contract covers assistance, repatriation, lost or stolen luggage, holiday interruption and cancellation. To see the full contract, click here.
  • I purchase the "cancellation only" insurance cover (2.5%), minimum premium of 10 €:
    This policy covers cancellation only. To see the full contract, click here.
  • I purchase the "repatriation & assistance" insurance cover (1.6%), minimum premium of 10 €:
    This policy covers assistance, repatriation, lost or stolen luggage and holiday interruption. To see the full contract, click here.

Recommendation:
If you choose to take out a travel insurance policy with another insurance company, please check that the search and rescue coverage is suitable: area covered, expenses included, risks covered (as an indication, a minimum cover of 15 000 € is recommended). Please note that credit card insurance rarely offers this type of coverage.

Booking procedure / Cancellation

How to book

In order to make a booking please fill in the online booking form on the "booking" page of your chosen tour. At the end of the booking process you will be transferred to our bank's secure payment page in order to pay a 30 % deposit.

Last minute booking

All self-guided bookings made within 21 days of tour departure will incur a surcharge of 15 € per person.

Expert advice
  • Unsure which tour to book?
  • Interested in a custom version of one of our tours?
  • Not sure if a particular tour is suitable for your riding style?

A dedicated team of travel specialists is available to offer you expert advice Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm (French time) by phone - +33 458 140 435 or by mail - info@france-bike-trips.com.

Tour confirmation

In order to confirm our guided tours, we need to reach a minimum number of participants (usually 5 persons are necessary). Therefore booking a guided tour does not necessarily mean the tour is confirmed. In the unlikely event that we are unable to confirm your chosen tour, we will offer you the opportunity (no less than 21 days before departure) of switching to another (confirmed) tour, or receiving a full refund.

Self-guided or custom tours: We confirm bookings of self-guided tours and custom tours directly after booking.

In both cases, please await our final booking confirmation before making any travel arrangements.

Balance payment

Tour balance payment must be made no less than 30 days before tour departure. Your travel documents will be sent to you once we have received your balance payment. Road books and maps will be sent to you 3 weeks before departure.

Cancellation

In the event that you are obliged to cancel your tour France Bike Trips will reimburse the entire sum paid for the tour, minus the following cancellation charges:

  • More than 60 days before departure: 5 % of the tour price, excluding insurance premium
  • Between 60 and 31 days before departure: 15 % of the tour price, excluding insurance premium
  • Between 30 and 21 days: 30 % of the tour price, excluding insurance premium
  • Between 20 and 14 days: 50 % of the tour price, excluding insurance premium
  • Between 13 and 7 days: 70 % of the tour price, excluding insurance premium
  • Less than 7 days before departure: 100 % of the tour price, excluding insurance premium

Full details of our sales conditions are available here

How to get to the meeting point

By plane :

Montpellier airport : montpellier-airport.com/

Nîmes airport : www.nimes.aeroport.fr/en

Transfert from/to airport is possible upon request. Contact us for a quotation.

By train :

SNCF  : https://www.sncf-connect.com/

By car :

Routenplanner: en.mappy.com

Parking : In the event that you travel by car to the meeting point, we will suggest your some parking solutions.

Route navigation

You will receive an email 2 weeks before departure, containing all the information necessary for your upcoming tour, including the following navigation tools:

Our dedicated smartphone app

Follow your route with comfort and ease! Thanks to the Velorizons navigation app, download the full trip itinerary to your smartphone, view route maps and profiles, access the list of booked accommodation, services and useful contacts, and use the integrated route guidance (visual and vocal) for navigation.

See the mobile app presentation video

To benefit fully from the app navigation system, we strongly recommend attaching your smartphone to the bicycle handlebar using a dedicated mount. An example can be viewed here.

Velorizons app compatibility
Operating systemAndroidAppleWindows PhoneBlackberry
CompatibilityVersion 8.0 minimumiOS 8.0 minimum. iPhone compatible, iPad compatible if GPS equippedNon compatibleNon compatible
A detailed Road Book

Your tour road book will be available to download in your My France Bike Trips customer area. The road book contains:

  • Full colour maps with highlighted routes,
  • Step-by-step route description,
  • Route profiles
GPS tracks

Tour GPS tracks will be available to download in your My France Bike Trips customer area. The tracks are in .gpx format, compatible with all GPS devices/apps.

Car sharing

If you sign up for a guided tour, we offer you the opportunity to see if you can carpool with other participants to get to the point of departure. To do this, go to "Car sharing" in our website. By entering the complete reference and the date of departure of the tour (available on the registration confirmation that we have sent you), you have access to route details and emails of other participants who wish to carpool.

Group size and guiding

For guided trips we limit the size of our groups from 5 (min) to 12 (max) persons in order to ensure security and conviviality.

You will be guided by English-speaking French mountain bike guides.

No size limitation for self-guided groups.

Accommodation

We favour comfortable accommodation with warm hospitality. For more details, please see the "Costs and services" section.

For private groups and self-guided tours it is possible to choose alternative accommodation (upgrade) depending on availability.

Food

"L'art de la table"

We pay very careful attention to the quality and the variety of your meals.  Fresh and local produce will be served wherever possible.

Depending on the meals included in your chosen tour:

  • Continental breakfasts taken at the accommodation
  • Cold picnics for lunch (mixed salad, bread, cold meats, cheese and fruit). Each participant carries his picnic in his daypack
  • Hearty dinners (3 to 4 courses, with local dishes)

Please check the "Dates & Prices" section for meal plan details.

Baggage

During the day you carry only a daypack for additional clothing, water, food, camera, etc. The rest of your baggage is transferred each day to the following nights accommodation.

Health

We strongly recommend having a medical check-up before your holiday. 

Our / Your state of mind

- A "group" tour: If you join a guided tour, you will be part of a group for several days. This is a superb opportunity to meet new people and share some magical moments. However, a group tour requires that each person show friendliness, openness and mutual respect for their fellow travellers.

- An "adventure" tour: despite the most careful preparation, adventure tours can present unforeseen events. Accepting these risks will help you enjoy your trip to the full, in the knowledge that your guide, our local partners and the entire France Bike Trips team will offer you the most suitable solutions to any given situation.

Bike and plane / train

If you decide to bring your own bike, be aware that transporting a bike by plane or train is no longer an issue. However a few simple guidelines help to optimise the transport and avoid potential damages that could occur.
Your bike must be transported in a designated bike bag (standard size 120x90cm). This maximal size allows you to travel with your bike as "hand luggage" in any TGV and SNCF trains.
It is very important that you protect your bike in the bag. After having deflated the tires, removed the wheels (by removing the quick release mechanisms), pedals and rear derailleur (which is left hanging on the chain), we recommend you wrap your bike inside the bag in a sheet of dense foam (thickness of 3 to 5 cm). A piece of cardboard or rigid plastic positioned between the foam and the inside of the cover can be beneficial to provide more rigidity.

Once folded up the bike bag will take up very little space and will be transported by the assistance vehicle during your tour.

Bike bags are available directly from France Bike Trips at a cost of 70 euros, plus postage.

Your equipment

Equipment provided by France Bike Trips on guided tours:
  • A group first-aid kit
  • A bike repair kit and tools
Personal equipment to bring:
Baggage

All your luggage must fit in two bags: a daypack and a travel bag.

1/ Daypack

This is the bag you will keep with you each day whilst riding. This bag should not be too large (up to 30 litres).

It will contain: a picnic lunch, camera, waterproof and extra clothing, etc.

Each day, your guide will advise you on what to bring in your bag according to the route and the weather.

2/ Travel bag

This is the bag that will be transported from one accommodation to the next by vehicle. It should contain all the belongings you will not use during the day.

IMPORTANT: Your luggage transported from one accommodation to the next must fit in a single bag and must not exceed 20kg.

List of equipment to pack in your bag the day of departure:
For your head
  • A cap or other head protection against the sun
  • A hat or headband
  • A bike helmet.
For your upper body
  • Two base layers (made of synthetic or natural breathable fabrics)
  • A warm shirt or a sweatshirt
  • A fleece
  • A waterproof jacket
For your legs
  • Two good quality cycling shorts
  • Trousers
  • Casual short
  • A swimsuit.
For your feet
  • Comfortable sports shoes 
  • Sports socks
  • Sandals (not obligatory, but nice during breaks and in the evening...).
For your bike

If you rent a bike from France Bike Trips, this material is not necessary.

  • 2 spare tubes and a puncture repair kit
  • Lubricant for chain and derailleur
  • A pump
  • A spare derailleur hanger
Various
  • A pair of cycling gloves
  • A bike lock
  • 2 bike bottles 75 cl (or Camelbak)
  • A small individual pharmacy: sunscreen (face and lips); band aids + double skin; Immodium; pain killers, earplugs, other personal medication.

Self-guided formula

Self-guided tour "user guide"

Active autonomy: what you need to know for our self-guided tours

In order to achieve the planned tour programme, you must:

  • Guide yourself with the highlighted maps and road book;
  • Choose suitable start times adapted to the lengths of the daily stages as well as your own riding pace, and leave an adequate safety margin of time;
  • Obtain daily weather forecasts from your hosts, and take into account the weather conditions when planning journey times;
  • Arrive at the booked guest houses and hotels listed in the programme on the given dates; 
  • Bring the necessary personal equipment to carry out the tour. France Bike Trips equipment list constitutes the necessary minimum;
  • Carry insurance policies and emergency telephone numbers with you at all times;
  • Be familiar with basic first-aid steps;
  • In the event of any problems during your trip, contact France Bike Trips (contact information in your travel documents). Possession of a mobile phone that works in France is strongly recommended.

Self-guided tours are undertaken without a guide and at your own risk. France Bike Trips cannot be held liable for any route error, misconduct, personal imprudence, inadequate planning or inappropriate reactions in the event of incidents.

Any programme change of your own initiative is under your responsibility and at your expense. 

Having said this, with our advice and good preparation, you should be able to look forward to a wonderful, trouble free holiday. Enjoy your trip!

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A dedicated team of travel specialists is available to offer you expert advice Monday to Friday from 9 to 12:30 AM and 13:30 to 6 PM (French time) on the phone, or by email.


Phone number: +33 458 140 435

Contact us

A dedicated team of travel specialists is available to offer you expert advice Monday to Friday from 9 to 12:30 AM and 13:30 to 6 PM (French time) on the phone, or by email.

Please type in your email address in order to access tour details and description

Your email will not be communicated to any third party or company outside France Bike Trips / Velorizons. You may receive occasional emails from France Bike Trips, with the possibility to unsubscribe at any time. CNIL (French National Commission for Data Protection and Liberties)