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With over cycling holidays (and counting) brought to you by our passionate Skedaddle Italia team, Italy is a world-class destination where we are always excited for folk to explore on two wheels! Always eager to share our local knowledge, we caught up with Naomi, who heads up our team out in Italy. Here are just ...
Customer Story: Cycling Mont Ventoux and Alpe d’Huez
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After a long hiatus, Paul rejoined us on a Skedaddle tour in the French Alps to conquer classic climbs, including cycling Mont Ventoux. Discover his highlights of this epic road cycling trip below.
If there was a prize for the longest gap between Saddle Skedaddle holidays, I might just walk away with it. In the early 2000s, my wife and I enjoyed a few Skedaddle excursions, in the UK and abroad. And then family life intervened. Wind the clock forward to 2026, and finally with more time on my hands, I was ready to get back in the Skedaddle saddle!
Cycling Mont Ventoux & other highlights
I’m quite the pro cycling fan these days. If I’m not riding a bike myself, or planning a future trip, you might just find me glued to the TV, delighting in the athletic endeavours of the likes of Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel, Tom Pidcock and others.
So with a cycling itch to scratch, where better to travel than the heated cauldron of competition where heroes like these contest the Tour de France and its glorious mountain stages? Cue Saddle Skedaddle’s Mont Ventoux and Alpe d‘Huez extravaganza! As it turns out, as a return to the Saddle Skedaddle fold, this one delivered in spades.
Guided
Alps – Mont Ventoux to Alpe d’Huez
Guided Road Cycling Holiday
| Start Date | End Date | Price p.p. |
|---|---|---|
| 16/08/2026 Contact Us | 23/08/2026 | £2,595.00 |
| 26/06/2027 | 03/07/2027 | £2,695.00 |
| 24/07/2027 | 31/07/2027 | £2,695.00 |
- Legendary Tour de France challenges every day
- ‘Warming up’ on Mont Ventoux, the ‘Giant of Provence’
- Blue skies, fresh air and snow-capped peaks
- ‘Top of the world’ sensations on the summit of the Izoard
- Ticking off lots of Tour de France classics
- Riding through Provençal lavender flelds, synonymous with the region
- The final challenge of the legendary Alpe d‘Huez
Over six days of riding we enjoyed lavender fields in Provence, gently rolling hills, open plains, shady forests, achingly beautiful villages, imposing gorges, meandering rivers and still snow-capped mountains.
Oh, and we tackled around ten major tour-favourite climbs; varied in length and steepness, and bookended on the first and last day by the barren, parched Mont Ventoux and 21 hairpins of Alpe d’Huez!
A challenging, rewarding week in the mountains
If you take the plunge with this holiday, it’s unlikely to be an easy week, whatever your fitness level. As the great Greg LeMond supposedly said “It never gets easier, you just go faster”. You’ll enjoy (or endure) short climbs. And long ones. Shallow ones where the gradient flatters, and stinkers where it kicks up and it’s all a leg-sapping grind.
But your heroes’ names will be painted on the roads. There’ll be artistic sculptural homages to the pro peloton. You’ll pass memorials to cycling greats of old. You’ll see stunning big-mountain scenery that makes you shake your head in disbelief. You’ll replenish your burnt calories with excellent French cuisine.
And you’ll do it all with new friends. Plus, in the hands of Skedaddle guides who support you, coset you, laugh with you, suffer over the cols with you, and secretly work like troopers behind the scenes to make your holiday run like clockwork and create memories that’ll last a lifetime.
Tips for cycling in the French Alps
My advice? Pack sun cream in your luggage and pack some climbing into your riding in the months leading up to your trip; your legs and lungs will thank you for it!
I may have had a sizeable gap since my previous Skedaddle getaway. But I’ll definitely be coming back for more soon! Want to hear more about my experience cycling these iconic French climbs? You can read my full travel blog here.
What’s next?
If you love the idea of cycling Mont Ventoux and are feeling inspired to join us in the French Alps, take a look at our Mont Ventoux to Alpe d’Huez holiday page for further details, including dates, prices and availability.
Looking for more inspiration? Don’t miss our road cycling holidays in France, for a full list of our guided tours in this destination.
Guided
Alps – Mont Ventoux to Alpe d’Huez
Guided Road Cycling Holiday
| Start Date | End Date | Price p.p. |
|---|---|---|
| 16/08/2026 Contact Us | 23/08/2026 | £2,595.00 |
| 26/06/2027 | 03/07/2027 | £2,695.00 |
| 24/07/2027 | 31/07/2027 | £2,695.00 |
- Legendary Tour de France challenges every day
- ‘Warming up’ on Mont Ventoux, the ‘Giant of Provence’
- Blue skies, fresh air and snow-capped peaks
- ‘Top of the world’ sensations on the summit of the Izoard
- Ticking off lots of Tour de France classics
- Riding through Provençal lavender flelds, synonymous with the region
- The final challenge of the legendary Alpe d‘Huez
