Between Savoie and Haute Savoie, nestled between natural lakes with pure waters, green mountain pastures and pre-Alpine limestone peaks, lies an exceptional region for amateur cyclists of all levels. The starting point for this four-day loop is Annecy, whose reputation as a ‘cyclist's dream’ is well established. From its canals, narrow streets and breathtaking views of the lake, we set off on day 1 on varied routes to reach our destination, Lac du Bourget: either via the Massif des Bauges with its bucolic roads, or via the hills of the Alby-sur-Chéran and Rumilly area, which take us to the balconies of Lac du Bourget. The more adventurous can test themselves on the slopes of the Grand Colombier with its wonderful hairpin bends. On day 2, from Lac du Bourget, we climb up to the heart of the Bauges, tackling the cols in the south-west of the massif: Col des Près, Col du Plainpalais, Le Revard. We then head east to discover the rich terroir of the Combe de Savoie, with its forts, vineyards and authentic villages, before returning via the Col de Tamié and its abbey. We are again spoilt for choice when it comes to the itineraries for our last day: Col de la Forclaz de Montmin, Semnoz, Col de l'Arpettaz and Col des Aravis... or why not end your trip on a high note with a crossing of the stunning Glières Plateau? A unique holiday tailored to your desires, allowing you to discover our wonderful Savoyard playground.
Make sure to check our France Bike Trips media gallery in order to get a feel for this trip and this destination.
After your trip with us, you also have the opportunity to create your own album with your impressions. We would be happy to do the work for you - all you have to do is send us your photos.
Don't miss new albums in our online gallery with our email notifications! As soon as a new photo or video album is published, you will receive a short e-mail from us. To subscribe, click on "Be notified of new albums" in the media gallery.
A supplement for single-room occupancy will be automatically charged in the case of odd-numbered groups.
| Single room occupancy for 3 nights | 175 € /  |
| Extra night in Annecy in 3* hotel, double or twin room, including breakfast | 120 € / |
| Extra night in Annecy in 3* hotel, single room, including breakfast | 220 € / |
| Dinner in Aix-les-Bains, day 1 | 40 € / |
| Vélorizons cycling jersey (shipping not included) |
75 € / |
Bike rental: see below
Rental road bike models:
| Standard road bike (4 days) Carbon frame and fork, disc brakes, Shimano Tiagra groupset, 10 speeds, 50/34 - 11/32, aluminium wheelset, model Scott Addict 50 or equivalent, roughly 9 kg |
225 € / |
| Premium road bike (4 days) Carbon frame and fork, disc brakes, Shimano 105 groupset, 12 Di2 speeds, 50/34 - 11/32, aluminium wheelset, model Scott Addict 40 or equivalent, roughly 8,9 kg |
265 € / |
| Ultimate road bike (4 days) Carbon frame and fork, rim brakes, Shimano 105 groupset, 12 Di2 speeds, 50/34 - 11/34, carbon Mavic or Syncros wheelset, model Scott Addict 30 or equivalent, roughly 8,4 kg |
350 € / |
| E-road bike (4 days) 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 |
465 € / |
Rental bike equipment (for all models):
Please indicate your choice of model and pedals as well as your height (if possible also frame size and inseam) when filling out your booking form.
You will receive your chosen model from the tour leader on the first day of your tour. He will carry out an inventory of the bike with you, as well as a second inventory at the end of the tour.
Bike “consumables" (tyres, tubes, brake pads, cables) are included in the rental price. Only parts and components that are broken due to a crash and/or misuse will be charged. In the event of bike loss or theft, a fixed fee will be charged (2200 € for the Standard model, 3590 € for the Premium and Electric models and 5700 € 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.
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
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: |
By plane:
Geneva airport: www.gva.ch
Lyon airport: www.lyonaeroports.com
Airport transfers are available on request. Contact us for a quote.
By train:
SNCF: www.voyages.sncf.fr
By car:
Route planner: en.mappy.com
Parking: In the event that you travel by car to the meeting point, we will suggest your some parking solutions.
We favour comfortable accommodation with warm hospitality.
Our standard price is based on 3* hotels or comfortable guesthouses with double rooms and en-suite facilities.
For private groups and self-guided trips it is possible to customise the accommodation (upgrade) depending on availability.
"L'art de la table"
This trip is also an opportunity to discover the famous French gastronomy.
We pay very careful attention to the quality and the variety of your meals. Fresh and local products will be served wherever possible.
Depending on the meals included in your chosen tour:
Please check the "Dates & Prices" section for meal plan details.
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.
We strongly recommend having a medical check-up before your holiday.
- 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 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.
All your luggage must be distributed in two bags: a backpack and a travel bag:
This is the bag or saddlebag (saddle or handelbar) you use every day while cycling, if you choose to take a picnic lunch (see paragraph "Food"). This bag should not be too large (up to 20 litres).
It will contain: a picnic for lunch, snack food, camera, waterproof and extra clothing and sunglasses, ...
This is the bag that will be transported from one accommodation to the next by vehicle. It will contain all the belongings you will not use during the day. You will find it at the accommodation in the evening (or sometimes for lunch).
In order to achieve the planned tour programme, you must:
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!
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.
Please type in your search terms.
You can prefix chosen words with the '+' sign to make them mandatory, or with the '-' sign to avoid results containing this word from appearing, e.g. west +nepal -canada
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)
