Road bike France

Quiet mountain passes and beautiful scenery in the volcanic Auvergne regionRef CR33

Cycling in the Cantal, star of the Auvergne! At the heart of the star lies the crater of the highest volcano in Europe and our ideally located accommodation! All around are twelve valleys, like the branches of a star: each day offers new cols, new valleys, new plateaus, and picture postcard scenery… In the evenings, discover the charm and friendliness of our guest house with its cosy decor, local and organic produce, Finnish sauna and Turkish bath.

Tour without assistance vehicle: from 925€ - Details Duration : 8 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

  • Superb accommodation, ideally placed for touring.
  • The quiet country lanes and pretty villages of the Auvergne Regional Natural Park...
  • The enormous potential of the local road network: a real labyrinth.
  • It's Switzerland "without the crowds" !

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.

Programme

Your destination

The Cantal is shaped like a star, with an exploded volcano crater at its centre, and a succession of plateaus and valleys in the surrounding countryside. Each day offers a different landscape, with the impression at times of having ridden into another country! The variety of terrain also offers a great mix between easier and harder stages.

Your accommodation

Your accommodation is located at the foot of the Puy Mary (1806 m), the second highest peak in the Monts du Cantal. It is about 12 km from Murat, about 1h from Aurillac and 1h30 from Clermont-Ferrand. The historic former hotel has been transformed by Stéphane and his wife Virginie into an exceptional guest house and café. It has four lovingly designed guest rooms, all of which combine comfort and ecology, style and authenticity. A hammam and sauna provide relaxation. Food from organic farming and local producers is transformed into delicious dishes.

Our centre-based trip

8 days / 7 nights: 6 cycling days + arrival and departure

We provide you with the description of 7 loops beginning and ending at your accommodation, allowing you to discover a different part of the area each day. Your host, cyclist and connaisseur of the area, is on hand to help choose the loops that suit you.

The following description is a general presentation of the itinerary. Once your booking has been made, you will receive a precise road book of the route 3 weeks before your due departure date. The description of each loop consists of a map with the itinerary underlined, as well as a “road book”, with directions to be followed at each intersection.

Overview of the loops

Le Cézallier (Loop 1): Welcome to Mongolia! Here, there are no trees and few, if any, dwellings. The Cézallier plateau is unique. We cycle at an altitude of around 1,100 metres, as we do for most of the loops on this trip. Wide open spaces and cows reign supreme! We also discover a railway station, now closed, which was built not for the inhabitants, but for the cows... because until a few years ago, these ladies used to travel to their summer pastures by train!

  • Level 1: approx. 70 km / elevation gain: approx. 875 m
  • Level 2: approx. 115 km / elevation gain: approx. 1650 m
  • Level 3: approx. 120 km / elevation gain: approx. 1750 m

The Northern Plateaus (Loop 2): Another wonderful immersion in unknown territory! Once you've conquered the Col de Serre, head north to discover the Trizac plateau and its barren landscape. What an atmosphere! Pass through Riom ès Montagnes, where you'll discover architecture that is very typical of the Cantal region, with the local basalt rock expressing its nuances everywhere. We are also in the land of Bleu d'Auvergne cheese, so a little tasting stop along the way is not out of the question! Return home via the Besseyre, Aulac and Pas de Peyrol passes.

  • Level 1: approx. 70 km / elevation gain: approx. 1,600 m
  • Level 2: approx. 75 km / elevation gain: approx. 1700 m
  • Level 3: approx. 110 km / elevation gain: approx. 2475 m

The Western Cols (Loop 3): We tackle this volcano that has been taunting us since we arrived... Today's stage will be ‘alpine’, let it be known! We head west towards the Col de Serre and the Pas de Peyrol, at the foot of Puy Mary. Then it's the turn of the Néronne, Saint Georges, Légal and Bruel passes to warm up our calves. From pass to pass, we cross the ancient crater and enjoy the medieval mountain villages. In this little corner of France, the mountainous landscapes have their own unique identity. And incredible charm... 

  • Levels 1 and 2: approx. 85 km / elevation gain: approx. 1900 m
  • Level 3: approx. 115 km / elevation gain: approx. 2700 m

A Tour of the South (Loop 4 for levels 2 and 3): Now let's take a breath of southern air by turning south of the volcano! More mountain passes, small mountain roads that are almost deserted, but above all a view to the south where you can almost make out the Mediterranean Sea. Our beautiful loop offers us a complete tour of the ridge that extends from the Plomb du Cantal. Then comes another valley full of character, which Haroun Tazieff himself described with great superlatives. The architecture of the hamlets, which is different again, is also worth a detour. As the ‘Un Tour au Sud’ loop is quite long and cannot be shortened, the level 1 route offers a beautiful excursion to the Limon plateau, a superb basalt plateau nestled between Puy Mary and Cézallier. More beautiful, remote roads... 

  • Level 1 (Limon Plateau): approx. 65 km / elevation gain: approx. 1000 m
  • Levels 2 and 3 (A Tour of the South): approx. 110 km / elevation gain: approx. 2700 m 

La Planèze de Saint Flour (loop 5): Another plateau, very large and probably the most inhabited. Its wealth? The cultivation of blond lentils, which reached its peak in the 19th century and continues to provide a livelihood for many farmers. It feels less like a desert... With the Plomb du Cantal in the background, the Planèze de Saint Flour is a high basalt plateau formed by lava flows from the Cantal volcano. Pass through Saint Flour, a medieval town built on the edge of a basalt cliff. The Level 3 route runs along the Truyère Gorges and skirts the site of Alleuze Castle, a timeless setting used in a car chase in the film ‘La Grande Vadrouille’. 

  • Level 1: approx. 70 km / elevation gain: approx. 1,100 m
  • Level 2: approx. 100 km / elevation gain: approx. 1,600 m
  • Level 3: approx. 120 km / elevation gain: approx. 1,775 m

La Pinhatèle (loop 6): Let's be clear, you can't claim to know the Cantal without having driven along the small roads of La Pinhatèle! Here we are in the heart of a Scots pine forest, a primeval forest that covered the entire region in the Middle Ages. From here, wedged between the two large volcanic massifs of Auvergne, we will have beautiful views of the Cantal and the younger mountains of Sancy. Still on small mountain roads with very little traffic, except perhaps for a roe deer or stag, whose presence reminds us that this is their home... 

  • Level 1: approx. 65 km / elevation gain: approx. 1050 m
  • Level 2: approx. 80 km / elevation gain: approx. 1600 m
  • Level 3: approx. 90 km / elevation gain: approx. 1750 m

The Artense Plateau (loop 7): Head north for this loop on the granite plateau of Artense. We leave the ancient volcano behind and tread on this land of origins. Impressions of Finland in the old forest tortured by the winds and its dark lakes. A world almost devoted to legends. Here, nature feels at ease and human presence is rather rare. 

  • Levels 1 and 2: approx. 115 km / elevation gain: approx. 1900 m 
  • Level 3: approx. 130 km / elevation gain: approx. 2200 m

Distances and altitude gain are an indication only and may vary.

See photos and videos of this trip

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.

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Dates

This tour can be booked anytime from mid-May to mid-November.

Available extra services

(prices per person)

Single room accommodation (7 nights) 375 € / 

Vélorizons cycling jersey
(shipping not included)
75 € / 

Transfers for arrival and departure: on request

Costs and services self-guided tour

Price per person:

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

The price includes:
  • 7 nights guest house accommodation, in double rooms (DR) with en-suite facilities
  • 7 breakfasts
  • 7 dinners (3 to 4 course menu)
  • A carefully designed itinerary
  • Our navigation app for smartphones, a detailed road book including maps (digital format) and GPS tracks
What is not included:
  • Lunches
  • International flights
  • Transfer to the meeting place (transfers available on request)
  • Insurance, assistance
  • Drinks at the accommodation
  • Visits to museums, monuments and sites
  • Additional travel related to change in the programme due to bad weather
  • All personal expenses
  • Everything not mentioned under  “the price includes".

Road bike rental

The bike rental is not possible for this trip.

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

GPS tracks

When you book a self-guided tour, we provide the GPS tracks of the route. GPX type files will be sent to you by mail.

These tracks were created with GPS mapping software. In some places, there may be slight differences between the GPS track and field reality. These tracks are a "plus" that allows you to follow our route, but they do not replace the "paper" maps and common sense when out in the field ...

We ask you not to publish these GPS tracks on the internet. Their development has required many hours of work, both in the field, and in the office. Thank you in advance for your understanding...

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 Clermont-Ferrand or Lyon airport : you will need to rent a car to get to the hotel.

By car:
Route planner: en.mappy.com


Accommodation

The accommodation for this tour is an eco guest house (renovated using ecological materials, and offering local and organic produce) equipped with a hammam (steam room), sauna and nordic bath.

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
Brad C. | Participant rating:
"Cantal is Switzerland without the crowds. Beautiful scenery, low car traffic, polite drivers, masses of alpine flowers, vistas forever, deep forests, cowherds, local cheeses, etc. Fantastic. Especially great were Stephan and Virgine at Alta Terra whose hospitality and excellent food made the trip so enjoyable."
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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)