Road bike France

Charming villages, quiet mountain roads and beautiful scenery on this Diois road bike tourRef CR24

The Diois is a superb mix of the Alps and Provence... and a great area for road biking: countless small passes, mountain roads with little traffic (and the Vercors cliffs as a backdrop), charming Provençal villages, and varied landscapes (forests of pine and hardwoods, wild rivers, vineyards, lavender and sunflower fields, orchards...). This is a centre based cycling holiday; you install your base camp in the pretty little village of Chatillon-en-Diois, perfect for a stroll or a drink in the sun after a day of cycling...

Tour without assistance vehicle: from 285€ - Details Duration : 5 days | Level : Customer satisfaction :
- 1 reviews
+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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Highlights

  • Quiet roads and little known mountain passes and cols
  • A delicious mix of alpine and Provençal landscapes.
  • Typical Provençal villages with shaded cafe terraces for when you feel like taking a break...

Description

Comments

  • This tour is available in 3 versions: V1 = 1 wheel / V2= 2 wheels / V3= 3 wheels. Each day you can choose between different itineraries (V1, V2 or V3), with varying distances and profiles.
  • Special offers available for private groups. Please contact us for a quote.

Levels

Every day you will be able to choose one of three slightly differents routes which vary in distance and profile (1, 2 and 3 wheels).

  • Level 1: 50 to 80 km per day
  • Level 2: 80 to 110 km per day
  • Level 3: 100 to 150 km per day

Programme

5 days / 4 nights centre based trip: 3 cycling days + arrival and departure day

The principle of this centre based cycling holiday: we provide a description of 3 daily tours starting from your accommodation, ideally located to allow you to enjoy a different part of the region each day.

Your comfortable guest house is located in the surroundings of the small village of Châtillon en Diois (15 km from Die, Drôme).

Tours: 3 full days (depending on the length of your stay). These tours are different depending on the level you choose (it is also possible to choose different levels on different days according to how you're feeling). 

The description below is an overview of the tours highlights. If you book this tour, you will receive detailed day by day itineraries for the week.

You will discover the following places during your stay: 

  • The Haut-Diois and the Grimone pass, with the famous Gats gorges, Archiane and its impressive cliffs, views of the mighty Mont Aiguille, the Menee pass. 
  • The southern Diois and its numerous quiet passes in the area of La Motte Chalancon... 
  • The magnificent gorges of the Roanne, dominated by the "3 Becs" mountains, and the remote village of Saint-Nazaire-le-Desert… 

But also: 

  • Lavender and sunflower fields, orchards, walnut trees, and the vineyards of the famous Clairette de Die! 
  • Authentic stone villages, typical of the Drome Provencale, and their small shaded squares and café terraces, their labyrinth like alleys... 
  • The elegant Griffon vultures reintroduced above Die and around La Motte-Chalancon.

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Make sure to check our France Bike Trips media gallery in order to get a feel for this trip and this destination.

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Dates

This tour can be booked anytime from April to November.

Available extra services

(Prices per person)

Single room accommodation (4 nights) 180 € / 

Dinners reservations 135 € / 

Vélorizons cycling jersey
(shipping not included)
75 € / 

Transfers:

Transfer Die (train station) - Châtillon en Diois (accommodation) 30 € / 

Transfer Châtillon en Diois (accommodation) - Die (train station) 30 € / 

Road bike rental: see below

Costs and services

Price per person:

The price includes:
  • 4 nights in a comfortable guest house in double rooms (DR) with en-suite facilities
  • 4 breakfasts
  • Carefully designed routes with itineraries on 3 levels of difficulty
  • Our navigation app for smartphones, a detailed road book including maps (digital format) and GPS tracks
What is not included:
  • Lunch and dinners (small village with restaurants approx. 6 km away, or in the main village Die)
  • Your transfer to the meeting place
  • All services mentioned in extensions
  • Insurance, assistance
  • Drinks at the accommodation
  • Visits to museums, monuments and sites not covered by the programme
  • Additional travel related to changes in the programme due to bad weather
  • All personal expenses
  • Everything not mentioned under  “the price includes".

Road bike rental

For this tour you can rent a road bike with us:
  • Road bike rental: upon request

More details about the models on request. Pick up, adjustment and return of your rental bike in our partner shop in Die.

Consumables (tyres, inner tubes, brake pads and cables) are included in the rental price. Only parts damaged on the tour due to a fall or improper use must be replaced.

Don't forget to tell us your height and, if possible, the desired frame size when booking. Thank you very much.

Vélorizons cycling jersey

A cycling jersey to our taste.

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.

Features

- 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.

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.

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

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.

Getting there

By plane:

  • From Lyon or Grenoble airport : you will need to rent a car to get to the hotel.

By car:
Route planner: en.mappy.com


Food

"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:

  • Continental breakfasts taken at the accommodation  
  • Cereal bars and dried fruit during the day
  • Hearty dinners (3 to 4 courses, with local dishes)
  • For lunch, we offer 3 options based on your preferences: 
    • A picnic to carry along in a small backpack. It contains an individual salad (carbohydrate and vegetable based salad), cold meats, cheese and fruit. This picnic can be carried in a small backpack or a handlebar bag. 
    • "Racing food" for those "allergic" to backpacks: energy bars, dried fruit.
    • No lunch organised by France Bike Trips, leaving you free to stop and eat when and where you choose (restaurant, bakery, grocery store...).

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

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.

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

Personal equipment to bring:
Luggage

All your luggage must be distributed in two bags: a backpack and a travel bag:

1/ Backpack (or saddlebag)

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, ...

2/ Travel bag

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).

List of equipment to pack:
For your head
  • A cap or other head protection against the sun
  • A hat or sweat band
  • A bike helmet.
For your upper body
  • Two cycling jerseys or technical t-shirts  (made of synthetic or natural breathable fabrics)
  • A warm shirt or sweatshirt
  • A fleece
  • A waterproof jacket
For your legs
  • Two good quality cycling shorts with chamois (avoid triathlon shorts)
  • A pair of warm cycling tights or leg warmers
  • Trousers
  • Casual short
  • A swimsuit.
For your feet
  • A pair of biking shoes
  • A pair of shoes suitable for the evening
  • Sandals (not compulsory, but nice for warm evenings...)
  • Sport socks.
For your bike
  • Gearing adapted to riding in the mountains: if in doubt ask your local cycle dealer
  • 2 spare tubes
  • Puncture repair kit
  • Spare brake pads (except if you start with new pads)
  • A rear derailleur cable
  • Chain lube
  • A pump
  • A multitool
Other
  • A pair of bike specific gloves
  • A bike lock
  • A headlamp with batteries
  • A pair of spare laces
  • A toiletry kit and towel
  • 2 bike bottles 75 cl (or camelbak)
  • A pocket knife
  • A few plastic bags to protect your belonging
  • A needle and thread
  • A small individual pharmacy: sunscreen (face and lips); band aids + double skin (Compeed); Immodium; pain killers, earplugs, other personal medication.

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!

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.

Average tour rating:

5/5 - 1 Reviews
Brendan H. | Participant rating:
"We were a little apprehensive about having a self guided program and also whether there would be enough variation each day returning to the same village and same accomodation over 5 nights. Our travel dates did not match up with any of the available supported rides so we bit the bullet and planned with our own dates for an unsupported ride- we were not disappointed. Each day was varied and it was great to return to the same base each afternoon, especially as the hostess was so helpful (but not intrusive) and made sure we knew of local recommendations to go for dinner and such. We found having a car was very helpful for also exploring off the bike. The rental road bikes were of great quality- better than expected. The responsiveness of the company for a few logistical hiccups was swift and effective (Dominik). The Die area and surrounds were outstanding in beauty and most of the time the roads were either seasonal passes or main roads with safe margins and respectful drivers. We found the V2 routes challenging without being draining. Would highly recommend especially for a chance to visit somewhere slightly off the beaten track. This was overall a good alternative to the supported ride which we experienced last year with the same company."
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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)