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The turquoise blue waters of the Verdon river brings a touch of the Mediterranean sea to the mineral mountains of the Southern Alps. From its source near the Col d'Allos, between Ubaye and Mercantour, the Verdon cuts a 175km-long furrow, bounded by vertiginous cliffs and overlooked by aesthetic peaks. It is also the link between the Alps and Provence. What better way to build a great touring MTB holiday? So we set off from Barcelonnette or the Col d'Allos to reach the source of the Verdon in just a few pedal strokes. This is followed by some magnificent, fun mountain sections, before slipping into the gentle Provençal villages as the days go by. The larch trees gradually give way to fields of lavender... What never changes is the pleasure of riding on a carefully chosen itinerary, with some great sections on single-track trails - the nerve of the mountain biker!
Itinerary start: Rendezvous with the organization team is on day 1 at 9am at Manosque SNCF railway station. On request we can book the previous nights accommodation for you in Manosque.
Rendezvous in the morning in Manosque, then transfer to the Col d'Allos. We mount our mountain bikes at the top of the Col d'Allos, at the source of the Verdon, and saddle up for this Verdon crossing. We start with a roller-coaster section through the mountain pastures dominated by the mineral peaks of the Mercantour, then embark on a long, twisting and very playful descent that leaves the grassy areas to enter the larch forests. We reach the village of Allos. Climb back up on a forest track through the heart of the Vacheresse wood, before plunging down to the edge of the impetuous Chadoulin torrent, which we follow back to the village of Allos, where we spend our first night.
Distance and altitude gain: approx 20km and 750m
Leaving Allos on a climb, first on a small tarmac road, then on a track. A pretty balcony path, judiciously placed between the Autapie ridges and the bed of the Verdon, leads us gently towards Colmars, with its French and Savoy forts, and the narrow streets of the town we visit. We head south again, this time on the left bank of the Verdon. The roar of the Verdon can be heard from the little path, and sometimes the track, that we take. The valley is narrow and magnificent. We descend to the edge of the Verdon at the village of Beauvezer. Although we're at our lowest point, by the water's edge, we're still at an altitude of 1,150 metres. We then set off to climb a small tarmac road until we reached our gite for the evening. We then set off on a pretty loop that takes us first to the superb abandoned village of Peyresq, built in the early 13th century on a rocky outcrop. This is followed by a fine descent, albeit a little technical, before returning to the road and heading back up to the gite. Night in the gîte.
Distance and altitude gain: approx 35km and 1400m
A superb day's mountain biking awaits us, thanks to the beauty of the terrain that we'll be crossing in its entirety from north to south: the Montagne de Maurel. We'll start by descending into the valley and then, in the morning, we'll gain altitude again via a tiny road and then a forest track, at the foot of the almost perfect dome of Petit Cordeil (1780m). The trail is not very tiring and we soon reach the 'grassy' level of this beautiful mountain. We've entered the Haut Verdon Regional Nature Park. Here, silence reigns: an area of active pastoralism, the mountain pastures of Montagne de Maurel are an invitation to contemplate. Our route takes us to the summit of this mountain range, at an altitude of 1770 m above the Verdon riverbed. Splendid! Now it's time for the descent, or rather the descents... because we're going to enjoy a very fun first section in the forest, during which all our senses will be on alert! We plunge down towards the Issole valley, before setting off again on an uphill trail. The aim is to find another beautiful, twisting descent that the locals know all about... warnings to those who love hairpins! Soon, our stage for the day begins to take shape: on the banks of Lac de Castillon, we arrive at Saint André les Alpes. We settle into our gîte for the night.
Distance and altitude gain: approx 40km and 1250m
The Castillon artificial lake is around 8km long, between Saint André les Alpes and Castellane. Highly sensitive to light, its waters can be turquoise blue on a clear day, or a dark blue-grey if the weather's not so good. As always with mountain biking, we like to get a bit of height, so we set off on a cool morning ascent along a forest track until we reached an altitude of 1300m, 400m above lake level. We'll probably spot a few paragliders taking off from Chalvet, above Saint André les Alpes. We pass the ruins of the abandoned hamlet of Courchons, before continuing along a pretty balcony section, then a very nice descent to the lake (swimming possible). A superb descent to Castellane, one of the liveliest villages on the Verdon route. While we're sure to enjoy a break on the terrace, the day's not over yet! We climb back up to the hamlet of Chasteuil and its superb stone houses. Crossing a wide plateau suspended above the Verdon gorges gives us a feeling of being at the end of the world... We plunge down to the village of Rougon, perched at an altitude of 930m above the local "Grand Canyon", carved out by the tumultuous waters of the Verdon. The view stretches out into the distance, towards the Var. From Rougon onwards, the Verdon winds its way through the impressive gorges for which it is famous. Gone is the mountain torrent we experienced at the start of our journey... Now we've arrived at La Palud Sur Verdon, where we'll be spending the night.
Distance and altitude gain: approx 50km and 1400m
For once, we're warming up with an out-and-back on a small tarmac road, to take in one of the best views of the canyon carved out by the Verdon. The viewpoint at Trescaire is almost 350 metres above the Verdon's turbulent waters. We return to La Palud before reaching the superb little ruined village of Châteauneuf les Moustiers: facing the possible aggressor and protected at its back by the cliffs of the Mourre de Chanier (1930 m), the site was highly strategic and was chosen by the Moustiers to establish the seigniory of Castellum Novum in the 11th century. Following the ancient Roman road, we gain altitude towards the Col des Abbès, geographically wedged between Mont Chiran to the north (1905m) and the crests of Montdenier to the south (1450 m). In the distance, the Provençal vegetable garden: the Valensole plateau stretches its hectares of cultivated fields into the distance in a canvas of bright colours, depending on the season. We return to our gite in the hills above Moutiers Sainte Marie, which we will visit in the morning.
Distance and altitude gain: approx 30km and 1200m
An invigorating wake-up call on a fairly demanding trail to one of France's most beautiful villages, Moustiers Sainte Marie. Narrow, winding streets, a medieval atmosphere, the famous Sainte Madeleine cave, little terraces by the water... the village is simply sumptuous. We're sure to enjoy a cool drink or coffee after wandering around the village. We got back on our bikes for a climb up to the Valensole plateau. Yesterday, the transition between the Alps and Provence had already begun. Today, we're taking it one step further with this superb Provencal stage on the Valensole plateau overlooking Lac de Sainte Croix, the pearl of the Verdon. Its turquoise waters are an invitation to take a dip, which we're sure to do soon! We're heading for the small village of Sainte Croix du Verdon and taking our time to enjoy the lake. We're not even at 500m altitude any more, and the waters of the Verdon really don't have the same temperature as they did at the start of our journey, much to our delight! The rest of the route is a real beauty, as we follow the Verdon bed on a balcony, between the Lac de Sainte Croix, the Gorges de Baudinard, Saint Laurent du Verdon and Quinson, with its narrow Provencal streets. We settle into our gîte for the last night of this week's mountain biking.
Distance and altitude gain: approx 55km and 1000m
After a short climb in the morning, we easily extricate ourselves from the small basin in which the village of Quinson is nestled. Then, following a network of tracks across a plateau, we continue along the Verdon, which winds its way some 150 metres below us into the "low gorges". Arriving at Esparron de Verdon, we discover the Lac d'Esparron, a superb turquoise setting in a rugged landscape. Once again, it's probably a good time to change into a swimming costume and take a dip. After a few more efforts on a rollercoaster route (but in the shade!), we'll be back on our bikes to reach the little spa town of Gréoux les Bains. If we feel like it, we can wander through the narrow streets of Gréoux, even if some of them are a bit steep! A final short climb of 150m takes us to the Provençal town of Manosque, and marks the end of this Transverdon!
Distance and altitude gain: approx 50km and 700m
Itinerary end: Separation at the end of the tour is in Manosque at 3-4pm. On request we can book the following nights accommodation for you in Manosque.
Distances and altitude gain are an indication only and may vary.
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