Backroad cycling France

An E-bike tour in the heart of the Vercors Natural Park Ref CN84

The Vercors is the vastest mountain chain of the Northern Pre-Alps: its majestic cirques, deep gorges and countless caves paradoxically conceal a green mountain range with ordered and calming landscapes that are easily accessible on E-bike. A ring of cliffs delimits this plateau with its rugged borders, sometimes giving us a feeling of the end of the world that could be perfectly summed up in the song: "J'irai rouler sur le rebord du monde, voir ce que les hommes en ont fait" (I will ride on the edge of the world and see what men have made of it)...

Self-guided tour: from 795€ - Details Duration : 6 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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This tour is designed exclusively for E-bikes

Highlights

  • An E-bike immersion in the Vercors Natural Park
  • A tour in the Vercors Regional Park, a superb plateau where thorny forests, mountain pastures and limestone cliffs alternate
  • An unspoilt and beautiful nature
  • A region full of character and history

Description


Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Villard de Lans

Itinerary start: On day 1, we will meet you mid-afternoon at the hotel in Villard de Lans.

Day 2: Villard de Lans - Autrans

We leave Villard de Lans through the small shopping streets to head north towards Lans en Vercors. We quickly gain height to join a forest track on the ridge line where we ride through clearings and small woods typical of the Vercors to Lans, protected between mountains and plateaus, cliffs, mountain pastures and forests. The scenery is already well set for this first day of cycling in the Vercors natural park, the electric assistance helps us to move with ease in the continuation of the sinuous and hilly route to the resort of Autrans where we spend the night.

Distance covered:

  • Level 2 : approx. 40 km / altitude gain: approx. 700 m
  • Level 3 : approx. 50 km / altitude gain: approx. 900 m
Day 3: Autrans - La Chapelle en Vercors

The first part of our route takes us through the gorges of the Bourne, an impressive corbelled road, with a succession of wild and vertiginous landscapes.  We bypass Saint Martin en Vercors by steep roads between pastures and forests before plunging towards Les Baraques en Vercors and the entrance to the Grands Goulets road. We arrive at La Chapelle en Vercors, a small village typical of the plateau where we can taste some of the local specialities, the Vercors Sassenage blue cheese, or the famous ravioles of the Grands Goulets still made by hand.

Distance covered:

  • Level 2 : approx. 35 km / altitude gain: approx. 700 m
  • Level 3 : approx. 55 km / altitude gain: approx. 1150 m
Day 4: La Chapelle en Vercors - Vassieux en Vercors

Today, we cross the Croix de Châtelard and Carri passes to enter the wild forest of Lente, inhabited during the bellowing season by deer. We return to civilisation at the Chaud Clapier Nordic ski resort, before following a tortuous track between grasslands and clearings characteristic of the Vercors plateau. We descend to Vassieux en Vercors via the Col de la Chau, passing in front of the Resistance Memorial, before entering the heart of this village famous for its museum of the Second World War resistance.

Distance covered:

  • Level 2 : approx. 30 km / altitude gain: approx. 850 m.
  • Level 3 : approx. 45 km / altitude gain: approx. 1100 m.
Day 5: Vassieux en Vercors - Roybon

This morning, we descend to the south of the Vercors plateau, with the Diois as a backdrop, which we overlook from the edge of the Col de Rousset. The next part of our route takes us zigzagging up through the undergrowth of the Vercors integral reserve, to Roybon, where we set up camp in a hostel in the middle of nowhere, a stone's throw from the Herbouilly plain.

Distance covered:

  • Level 2 : approx. 40 km / altitude gain: approx. 950 m.
  • Level 3 : approx. 45 km / altitude gain: approx. 1200 m.
Day 6: Roybon - Villard de Lans

Our last stage, shorter, brings us progressively back to Villard de Lans, crossing the full Herbouilly and Bois Barbu, offering us magnificent views along the way, sometimes on landscapes of clearings and cliffs, sometimes towards horizons of a valley at the end of the world... We reach Corrençon en Vercors, the first stage of our return to civilisation, before winding our way along the winding road of the Côte 2000 to conclude our journey in Villard de Lans. How beautiful the mountain is!

Distance covered: approx. 35 km / altitude gain: approx. 600 m.

Distance and altitude difference are given for information only.

Itinerary end: Around 5pm on day 6 in Villard de Lans.

Dates

Available from the beginning of May to the end of October, on the dates of your choice.

Departures are only possible on the following days: May, June: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday July, August and September: Every day except Saturdays

Costs and services self-guided tour

Price per person for a group of :

Single-room supplement will be automatically added in the case of odd-numbered groups.

The price includes :
  • 5 x nights in guest houses and 2* to 3* hotels in double/twin rooms with en-suite facilities
  • 5 x breakfasts
  • 5 x dinners
  • Daily baggage transfers
  • A carefully designed itinerary
  • Our navigation app for smartphones, a detailed road book including maps (digital format) and GPS tracks
What is not included:
  • Lunch meals
  • Bike rental
  • International flights
  • Your transfer to the meeting place (see paragraph below)
  • All services mentioned in extensions
  • Drinks at the accommodation
  • Visits to museums, monuments and sites
  • Insurance, assistance
  • Last minute booking fee (if applicable)
  • Additional travel related to changes in the programme due to bad weather
  • All personal expenses
  • Everything not mentioned under  “the price includes".

Supplementary services

Prices per person :

Single room accommodation (5 nights) 200 € / 

Extra night in Villard de Lans in hotel, double room, including breakfast 70 € / 

Extra night in Villard de Lans in hotel, single room, including breakfast 120 € / 

E-bike rental : see below

E-bike rental

This trip requires an electric bike adapted to the practice of bike touring on easy roads and tracks. Our bike rental partner provides e-MTBs, to ensure a better progression on the tracks and rocky sections and allow maximum comfort while riding.
If you come with your own bike, an electrically-assisted urban bike is not suitable for this tour.
Battery management: please make sure that you manage the battery so it would allow you to complete each stage, according to the chosen itinerary (level 2 or 3, see the detailed programme). You will not be able to charge the battery during the day. You will be able to charge it every evening at your accommodation.

E-Bike (6 days)
Model Moustache Samedi 27 Off 2 (or equivalent)
335 € / 

Rear pannier hire (pair) (6 days) 72 € / 

The e-bikes are equipped with mudguards, a rear rack and a pucture repair kit.

Don't forget to indicate your height in your booking form.

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

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)