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)
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.
A week in levitation on the most beautiful tracks of the Italian Alps! 3rd part of our Great Alpine Crossing on EMTB, this itinerary begins with the wild Val Maira and an incredible track that winds through the high mountains, at the gates of the "Alpi Marritime" national park, the Italian counterpart of the Mercantour national park. Then come the Ligurian Alps, mountains of Piedmont, with their green valleys and slender peaks. We travel at high altitude on the Haute Route du Sel, the historic route between Piedmont and the Mediterranean Sea, on a beautiful itinerary.
This is the first part of our Great e-mountain bike crossing of the French Alps - the easy way.
The ambition of this new and unique crossing, 100 % made by France Bike Trips, is to make the exceptional panoramas and the incomparable atmosphere of the authentic Alpine landscapes accessible to electric mountain bikes.
The majority of the route is composed of fire and forest tracks (wide unpaved roads) and small mountain roads. We have also included short sections of singletrack trails without technical difficulty: not too steep, not too stony, no exposed sections. Very few hike-a-bike sections (only 3 or 4 during for this Alpine route!) are nonetheless necessary to pass the "key" sections of this crossing.
Chablais, Mont Blanc range and Beaufortain: through coniferous forests and mountain pastures, the kingdom of abondance and tarine cows, with the enchanting sound of their bells.
After the great Savoyard valleys of the Tarentaise and the Maurienne, we make our way to the Southern Alps (Queyras) and our Italian neighbours...
A historic route and a stunning itinerary awaits us that constantly switches between the French-Italian border alonng the Ligurian border crest... until we plunge into the crystalline waters of the French Riviera!
Itinerary start: We will meet on the first day at 10:00 am in front of the railway station of Cuneo. Direct departure by bike. If you drive, possibility to park your car in one of the paying car parks of the city.
Benvenuti in Italia! We find ourselves in Cuneo (Cuneo), one of the nerve centres of Piedmont. We stroll through the small streets of the city, and discover the architecture so typical of the Piedmont region (which also includes Savoy, which was part of it until its late attachment to France). We get on our EMTBs and head for the mountains! Soon after leaving the outskirts of Cuneo, we start climbing on a forest track with the goal of reaching Colle del Gerbido (approx. 1300 m). We then switch to the Val Maira (or Val Macra) on our first 600m descent. First night in the Alps.
Distance and altitude gain:
After breakfast, it's time for us to go up the famous Val Maira, which we do on the right bank, taking a little height to avoid staying at the bottom of the valley. Little by little, the valley narrows and the border peaks are revealed. The French border is only a short distance away, marked by a fortress of peaks at 3000 m. We leave the main valley to go into the heart of this wild massif, our very small road serves some isolated houses, then we arrive at our accommodation for the night, the last hamlet before the wild mountains. In these isolated villages, Piedmontese and mountain architecture blend together elegantly. Stone houses, lauze roofs, abundant secular fountains. Overnight in this magnificent setting.
Distance and altitude gain:
The mountains are ours! We take the very small road left the day before and continue to gain altitude, until the road becomes a track. This pleasant track, fresh in the early morning, leads to the most aesthetic alpine level: the alpine pasture. The thorny bushes become rarer, the mineral world takes over! Our trail then winds its way between the surrounding peaks, with an average altitude of 2700 m. Our altitude is around 2400m. At this altitude, the marmots keep us company. After several kilometres, we start our descent towards the Demonte valley. At the bottom of this valley, the Lombarde pass allows us to reach France via the southern resort of Isola.
Distance and altitude gain:
A perfect morning warm-up on a very small road in the forest. We are in the Alpi Marittime natural park, the Italian counterpart of the French Mercantour national park. The gentle slopes we cross do not exceed 1500m in altitude. We plunge down to the Gesso valley before climbing up the opposite bank. The final descent to Limone Piemonte, a small mountain village surrounded by peaks flirting with 2500m. Tonight we enjoy the liveliness of Limone Piemonte, which is also very lively in summer, thanks to all the hikers.
Distance and altitude gain:
Limone Piemonte is the traditional starting point of the High Salt Road. This historic route was conceived and created under Charlemagne. It quickly became one of the most used communication routes between France and Italy. Starting in Limone, the Haute Route du Sel runs through Piedmont and Liguria before ending in Ventimiglia. Just like us! We leave Limone Piemonte on our EMTBs, first on the road to the Tende pass, then on a track that takes us to an average altitude of 2000m. This strategic track was also used during the Second World War. The numerous forts on both sides of the border at the foot of which we ride are proof of this. The track does not present any physical difficulty, which leaves us any latitude to raise the eyes and benefit from this exceptional panorama on the Ligurian Alps on one side, and the Mercantour on the other. We descend to the small town of Mendatica for a night of rest.
Distance and altitude gain:
Under the watchful eye of Monte Saccharello (2201 m), we continue our Salt Route towards the sea. We are in the heart of the Marguareis Natural Park. Still on a superb track, as if suspended from the mountain, which allows us to ride in a wild environment without any technical difficulty on our EMTBs. A real bargain! There are numerous viewpoints over the Ligurian Alps, which are perfect for a photo break or picnic. The trail then follows the French-Italian border fairly closely, before plunging towards the Lago di Tenarda. The stage ends in the small village of Pigna, magnificently clinging to the mountain and adorned with its colourful facades. Ochre and pale yellow contrast strongly with the blue sky.
Distance and altitude gain:
Last day of our crossing of Piemonte-Ligure. As usual, the morning is devoted to the climb to the high point of the day. This morning, we head back to the French border to find our balcony trail, on the Haute Route du Sel. We are much lower than the previous days, so we are in the undergrowth, mainly surrounded by oaks and maritime pines. Fortunately, there are some nice gaps that let us see the last reliefs before the Mediterranean Sea! Talking about the Mediterranean...we now start our slow descent to level 0: first, a nice track leads us to the Roya valley, but we manage to stay at altitude until the last moment, when the first houses of Ventimiglia are revealed. Here we are! We land on the pebble beach with our EMTBs and enjoy a well-deserved swim. What's more, some of us may have opted for the three acts of the Alpine crossing by EMTBs. For them in particular, the moment will be memorable!
Distance and altitude gain:
Itinerary end: Separation at the end of the tour is in Vintimille around 4:00pm.
Distances and altitude gain are an indication only and may vary.
This tour has not yet received any reviews.
