Maritime Alps
There are few regions that can offer you challenging riding through snow-covered mountains in the height of summer
TIMING IS EVERYTHING. On our first big loop through France in 2013, we found ourselves on the southern fringes of the Maritime Alps with a big problem: it was the first week of June and most of the passes were still closed. Luckily, Col de la Cayolle was open – twisty roads threading between high snow walls, with hot sun and cold air.
Going south means the weather seems to get warmer with every mile but some years, altitude holds onto the snow in the Mercantour national park. It’s home not only to La Cayolle but also to La Bonette – famously the highest non-dead-end road in Europe. The pass itself is slightly lower than the more northerly Col de l’iseran, but the loop of tarmac up to the monument at Cime de la Bonette is a 2802m record-breaker.
As well as the passes, this area is rich in amazing gorges – from the tight Daluis on the Var and Cians to the vast Gorges du Verdon, France’s answer to the Grand Canyon. The riding changes in nature as we get closer to the coast, as the fringe of the Riviera is busy and suburban, but there are still amazing, quiet roads way up in the hills – not least of which is the Route Napoleon, which leads from Cannes to Grenoble.