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From Mende, at the foot of Mont Lozere and Margeride, to the beach of Sete along the Mediterranean Sea. A superb crossing: - the granitic "High Cevennes": Monts Lozere and Aigoual, southern edge of Massif Central - the calcareous "Low Cevennes": country of the famous "Causses" Mejean, Sauveterre and Larzac, cut by the deep gorges of the Tarn or Vis. - the "Mediterranean Cevennes" of Lingas Massif, schistose and interspersed with "gardons" (small rivers). The natural singletrack in these unique and varied landscapes promise pure MTB pleasure. Passing the dam of Lac Salagou, next stop: The Mediterranean Sea at Marseillan Plage, and the deserved cooling off after a stunning MTB week!
Itinerary start : Rendezvous with organization team is fixed on day 1 at 9am at SNCF train station of Mende. On demand we can book for you one night in Mende for the previous day.
From Mende to the pass of Croix de Berthel, it is by the entire crossing of Mount Lozere through its limestone foothills that we begin our journey towards the sea. After leaving Mende, we directly climb up to the first "causse": that of Mende... To access the granite of Lozere, we bike up the valley of Valdonnez and Bramont gorges. Like on a "Nordic" ride we flirt with round granite summits: few pedal strokes and we reach the foot of "Finiels" (1699 m), the high point of Mount Lozere; the Peak Cassini (1680 m), birthplace of the first topographical map in history; and on a clear day, view on the Alps. We cross the high valley of Tarn at "Pont du Tarn" and bike up on a demanding fireroad to the pass of Croix de Berthel.
Distance covered: 65km / Altitude gain: 1600m
Like Stevenson and his donkey Modestine, more than a century ago, we cross Bouges Mount (1421 m) via Sapet pass and the crest of Ramponenche. After the passes of Ancize and Perpau, we bike down to Florac, the capital of "Camisard Country". After leaving Florac we ride in the famous Tarn Gorges… And even if the tradition is to bike in the Tarn Gorges on its famous touristic road, as purists, we will offer us the superb technical single track on the other side of the river, from Castelbouc to St-Enimie. We then push or carry our bike up to St-Chely-du-Tarn, where a few kilometers on the road allow us to smoothly end up the daily stage along the gorge up to the village of Malène.
Distance covered: 70km / Altitude gain: 1500m
Today we continue on the great Causse of Mejean which parts the Tarn and Jonte canyons: white limestone surface like on the moon and discontinuous steppe carpet. This beautiful plateau is punctuated with sheepfolds made of stones and huge sheep's herds. There is no water, only griffon vultures (the "bouldras" hovering over the Gorges of Jonte) and mountain bikes… Desert atmosphere! Close to the Chaos de Nimes le Vieux, it is from the Perjuret Pass (1023m) that we tackle the big mountain stage: the ascent of the Cevennes' giant: the Mount Aigoual (1565 m), crossroads of storms and climatic barrier between Massif Central and the Mediterranean sea. Nice single tracks and fire-roads will be on our way to L'Esperou.
Distance covered: 60km / Altitude gain: 1200m
After the pass of Esperou (1329 m) we bike on the ridge of Lingas mountains, last southern foothills of Massif Central. We climb up to the pass of "l'Homme Mort" (1310 m) and the St-Guiral Peak (1366 m), before hurtling down 500m to Alzon. Arrived in Alzon we reach the valley of Vis river, whose bed is dry ("sec" in French), and thus the name of the pretty village of Vissec... After this, the river flows into the gorges between the great causses of Larzac and Blandas and reappear at the mill of Fou. Ten kilometers of single-track dream, on the balcony path above Vis and the Cirque de Navacelle. Night in Navacelles.
Distance covered: 60km / Altitude gain: 1000m
We are only midway in the gorges of Vis. Technical mountain biking on a balcony path above the river. Then, ascent onto the southernmost extremity of Larzac and the last peaks of the Grand Massif: the "pioch " culminating at 800 meters above the sea nearby… Short crossing of the Larzac plateau, then we ride down on its southern side to reach the Salagou lake, one of the favourite spots for mountain bikers in Montpellier. Night not far from the eastern banks of the lake, towards the village of Clermont l'Hérault.
Distance covered: 40km / Altitude gain: 800m
The day marks a real shift from the now familiar mountain vegetation to more Mediterranean vegetation. We slalom over the last mountains of the Massif Central, passing by the royal factory of Villeneuvette. The horizon stretches out little by little. A new landscape, that of vineyards planted on hills, which we ride along beautiful paths to the heart of the historic town of Pezenas.
Distance covered: 75km / Altitude gain: 1000m
Between vineyards and garrigue, this last day will be very pleasant, and much less physical than the previous ones. For good reason, the ground is getting flatter and flatter. We are able to ride, however, some nice singletrack. The last part of our route takes us on a cycle path along a channel, before ending up with our feet in the water, in the small village of Marseillan Plage.
Distance covered: 30km / Altitude gain: 200m
Itinerary end : The trip ends in Sete at 2 pm. On demand we can book for you one supplementary night in Sete or organize a transfer back to Mende.
Distance and altitude gain are an indication only and may vary.
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