This road bike trip for lovers of cols and high mountain cycling is not for the faint hearted. In search of the most beautiful panoramas around the mighty and snow-covered Mont Blanc range, we climb some of the most challenging "hors category" mountain cols in Switzerland, Italy and France: Col des Montets, Col de Champex, Little and Great Saint Bernard, Cormet de Roselend, Col des Saisies and Col de la Colombière. Lesser-known lonely cols complete the picture. During the stages, we discover the varied and spectacular scenery of the Mont Blanc region: from the authentic Beaufortain valley in Savoie, we travel on narrow winding roads through the Chablais and the Val d'Abondance. In Switzerland, the Bernese Alps and the Valais await us, including the chic village of Gstaad in Saanenland, its typical chalets and the Gruyère valley. The long descent back to Chamonix past the Aiguille Verte and the rock faces of the Drus forms the grandiose end of this high-mountain cycle tour around Mont Blanc.
On some of the stages of this trip you can choose between two different routes with varying distances and altitude gain each day (level 2 or 3). For details, see the programme below.
(Price per person)
| Single room accommodation (5 nights) | 365 € /  |
| Extra night in Chamonix in 3* hotel, single room, including breakfast | 250 € / |
| Extra night in Chamonix in 3* hotel, double room, including breakfast | 150 € / |
| Vélorizons cycling jersey (shipping not included) |
75 € / |
| Transporting a rigid bike box or semi-rigide during the trip (or semi-rigid bike bags, which are larger than typical hand luggage when folded: 56 cm × 45 cm × 25 cm) |
40 € / |
| Standard road bike Carbon frame and fork, disc brakes, Shimano Tiagra groupset, 10 speeds, 50/34 - 11/32, aluminium wheelset, model Scott Addict or equivalent, roughly 9 kg |
295 € / |
| Premium road bike Carbon frame and fork, disc brakes, Shimano Ultegra groupset, 11 speeds or 12 Di2 speeds, 50/34 - 11/32, aluminium wheelset, model Scott Addict 20 or equivalent, roughly 8,4 kg |
355 € / |
| Ultimate road bike Carbon frame and fork, rim brakes, Shimano Ultegra groupset, 11 speeds or 12 Di2 speeds, 50/34 - 11/34, carbon Mavic wheelset, model Scott Addict 10 or equivalent, roughly 8 kg |
465 € / |
| E-road bike Carbon frame and fork, aluminium wheelset, Shimano 105 groupset, 11 speeds, 50/34 - 11/32 supplied with 1 x 248Wh battery (+ 1 extra battery 210Wh), model Orbea Gain M30 or equivalent, roughly 13 kg |
635 € / |
In your booking form, please let us know the model you require, your pedal preference and your body size (including frame size and stride length if possible). Thank you very much.
You will receive your hire bike on day 1 of your tour from the tour guide (support vehicle). Bike check on handover and after the tour.
Consumables (tyres, tubes, brake pads and cables) are included in the rental price. Only parts damaged during the tour due to a fall or improper use must be replaced. In the event of theft or loss, you will be charged a lump sum (€2,200 for the standard model, €3,590 for the premium model and the e-model and €5,700 for the super light model).
A timeless road cycling jersey produced in France, inspired by our team and our road cycling trips. High quality, made in France by a Savoy company and with a feel-good character for long days in the saddle. Offered at a great price.
- High-quality SIRTECH + LYCRA textiles
- 3 pockets, one with a central zip + 1 side pocket
- Full front zip
- Half-high cycling collar
- Short raglan sleeves in Lycra with seamless ends
- Gripper at the hem
Available sizes (EU sizing): XXS bis XL
Cut: Slim fit, unisex
Price: see above
Order and further information by e-Mail or ask our leaders while on tour.
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.
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.
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:
Recommendation: |
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.
All self-guided bookings made within 21 days of tour departure will incur a surcharge of 15 € per person.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Full details of our sales conditions are available here
During riding you carry only your day pack. All your luggage is transported each day by the support vehicle.
After breakfast, the support vehicle driver will pack your luggage in the van, distribute cereal/energy bars, and announce the time slot for lunch. The driver can also hand out picnics to any participants who do not wish to stop at the designated picnic lunch stop.
Once all the participants have passed the picnic stop, the driver transports your luggage directly to the following nights accommodation, before returning to wait at the foot of the last climb of the day. He is then available to help any members of the group in difficulty or who encounter a mechanical problem. You'll usually meet the van driver several times during the day, offering the opportunity to fill up with water, change clothing, etc.
Each participant is free to ride at his or her own pace, using the road book and GPS route to navigate during the day. However, the driver is equipped with a mobile phone, and can be reached at any time during the day if a particpant encounters a problem. The driver is also available throughout the trip to provide information and advice.
By plane:
By car:
Route planner: en.mappy.com
You will receive an email 2 weeks before departure, containing all the information necessary for your upcoming tour, including the following navigation tools:
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.
| Operating system | Android | Apple | Windows Phone | Blackberry |
| Compatibility | Version 8.0 minimum | iOS 8.0 minimum. iPhone compatible, iPad compatible if GPS equipped | Non compatible | Non compatible |
Your tour road book will be available to download in your My France Bike Trips customer area. The road book contains:
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.
This trip is fully catered (breakfast, lunch and dinner included). We pay very careful attention to the quality and the variety of your meals. Fresh and local products will be served wherever possible. This trip is also an opportunity to discover the local gastronomy and regional products - l'art de la table!
Please note: If you have any food intolerances, please inform us in the comments field on the booking form.
For lunch, our tour leader will offer you a picnic stop along the route. Our picnics combine a rich salad based on carbohydrates and fresh vegetables with cold meats and cheese, fresh fruit and bread (wherever possible from local producers) as well as sweet and savoury snacks. If you do not want to stop for lunch, we can offer the following options:
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.
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.
- 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.
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 high-speed and regional 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.
All your belongings should be divided into two bags: a backpack and a travel bag.
This is the bag you use every day while cycling. It is kept in the support vehicle (accessible during the lunch stop or carried along on the bike (frame, seat or handlebar bag). This bag should not be too large (up to 15 litres).
It will contain: snack food, camera, waterproof and extra clothing, sunglasses, etc.
This bag will be transported by vehicle from one accommodation to the next. It should contain all the items you won’t need during the day. You can expect to find it at your accommodation in the evening (generally not accessible during lunch).
From the beginning of July to the end of September.
Pick a date of your choice and book for as few as 2 people. We take care of the reservation of your accommodation (with breakfast and dinners), the transport of your luggage for each stage and provide you with detailed travel documents (reservation list, detailed road book with highlighted maps, our navigation app for smartphones and GPS tracks).
An adventure with support.
With our travel documents, our advice and a thorough travel preparation on your part, nothing should stand in the way of a wonderful, trouble-free cycling trip.
Note: On our self-guided tours you ride on your own and without a cycling guide. The tours are specifically aimed at people who want to be independent and have experience in navigation. We cannot be held liable for navigation errors, personal misconduct, carelessness, insufficient timing or misjudgement of weather conditions or emergency situations. Any change of itinerary on your part is your own responsibility.
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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.
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)
