We will meet you at Geneva Airport ready to transfer you to our first night’s accommodation in Thonon-les-Bains. The guides will be on hand to help build and set up bikes and if time permits, you can head off for a ride along the lake to stretch your legs.

This evening we’ll dine together, a chance to meet the rest of the group and hear more from the guides of the journey ahead.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 2,800 Metres Approx

Climb of the day: Col de la Ramaz

We’ll start the day with a short ride to the lake shore, where we can mark the beginning of our journey with that all important group photo, before weaving our way through the streets of Thonon to start the route.

There is nothing too demanding on the first day and it is a great opportunity to find our climbing legs as we enjoy the spectacular scenery. It is not entirely without challenges however, and within the first 20km we will have our first Col under our belts; Col des Moises, closely followed by the Col des Mouilles and Col de Jambaz, all just over 1,000m with little descending between them. A little later in the day we come across the Col de la Ramaz (1,608m) which will be our biggest test of the day.

Our final challenge of the day delivers us to Megève (1,107m), a luxurious ski resort town, considered to be one of the finest in France. It’s well worth taking a wander round the boutique lined streets later, even if it is just window shopping!

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,360 Metres Approx

Climb of the Day: Cormet de Roselend

Our day begins with a short descent out of town, before climbing up to the Col des Saisies at 1,633m. A succession of switchbacks take us down into the valley, ready to tackle the Col du Pré at 1,703m. From the top of the Col du Pré, there are beautiful views of the bright blue Cormet de Roselend lake, a great photo opportunity.

For much of the day we can admire stunning views of the permanently snow-capped Mont Blanc, as it towers above the surrounding peaks.

From the Col du Pré, we then descend to the lake before rising to the Cormet de Roselend at 1,974m.

We finish the day descending to the village of Bourg-Saint-Maurice and our evening’s accommodation.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 2,640 Metres Approx

Climb of the Day: Col de l‘Iseran

This morning we set off to tackle the mighty Col d‘Iseran. It will take a steady climb of nearly 50kms to reach the second highest mountain pass in France at 2,760m, but it’s worth all the effort and the scenery gets ever more spectacular as we reach the top. Here, we regroup to enjoy the magnificent views and wrap up for the lengthy and exhilarating descent taking us to the village of Val-Cenis.

Our route then takes us up along the Mont du Crêt and past the villages of Aussois and Modane, to finally reach our accommodation at Saint-Michel-de–Maurienne, at the foot of the Col de Telegraph. Here we settle down for the evening, enjoying a filling dinner readying ourselves for tomorrow’s challenge.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,120 Metres Approx

Climb of the Day: Col du Galibier

Today is the shortest day of our cycling adventure, but by no means is it an easy one! We spend our day in the company of the Col du Telegraph (1,566m) and its big brother, the Col du Galibier (2,645m), two of the most famous climbs in Tour de France history, which, when paired together as they so often are, makes for an unforgettable day’s cycling.

After reaching the top of the Telegraph, we descend onto the village of Valloire where we fuel up again before tackling the famed Galibier. The last switchbacks to reach the top are simply spectacular!

A swift descent past the Col du Lautaret (2,058m) then takes us into the valley to Briançon, our home for the night.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,600 Metres Approx

Climb of the Day: Col d‘Izoard

A shorter but no less dramatic day awaits, beginning with a morning assault of the stunningly-beautiful Col d‘Izoard (2,361m), a regular feature in professional cycling and a gateway to the high Alps.

On reaching the summit we are welcomed by an unusual and rugged Casse Déserte landscape, where, once again we will don extra layers as we prepare for the descent, two kilometres into which we may wish to pull in to admire the monuments erected to commemorate legendary Tour de France winners Fausto Coppi and Louison Bobet.

Finally, having descended to the town of Guillestre, we end the day with the Col de Vars (2,111m), a spectacularly pretty climb, littered with the remains of numerous Napoleonic forts which hark back to the time when this region of the Alps was the main frontier between France and Italy.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 3,530 Metres Approx

Climb of the Day: Cime de la Bonette

We have a dramatic, challenging and spectacularly beautiful day in store, as we take on the Col de la Bonette. The highest point of the stage, and indeed our entire journey, is the Cime de la Bonette, sitting at 2,802 metres above sea level. The Cime is in fact a supplementary loop constructed 87 metres higher than the actual mountain pass, built with the sole purpose of putting the region on the map and staking a claim as the highest paved road in Europe and the highest point ever reached by Tour de France.

After admiring the magnificent views from the rarified summit, we indulge in a thrilling 26km descent which swiftly delivers us to Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée where we will regroup, before dropping even further into the gently-descending Vallée de la Tinnée.

By the time we’ve lost 2000m in altitude, it is time to start climbing once again as we embark on the Col de la Couillole (1,678m), a relatively minor col, but certainly a dramatic one, into an ever-more Mediterranean terrain. We end this fantastic stage with a spectacular descent through the beautiful Gorges du Cians to our accommodation in Puget-Theniers.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,200 Metres Approx

Climb of the day: Col de Bleine

The high Alps and the majority of the climbing might well be behind us, but with a little over 100 kms of fantastic riding still ahead of us, our final day in the saddle still gives us a lot to look forward to.

Our day begins by crossing the Var river and starting to climb the Col de Saint Raphael (871m). It is the first of a series of relatively minor cols that we will explore via a network of narrow country lanes which wind their way through numerous pretty hamlets and villages such as Sigale and Le Mas.

After completing the Col de Bleine (1,443m), the last significant ascent of our entire journey, we descend onto the village of Coursegoules and the Col de Vence (963m), the very last official col of our cycling adventure, before making our way down to the beautiful town of Vence and then to the Mediterranean coast.

We will reach the Med at Cagnes-sur-Mer, from where we will make our way along the glitzy coastline of the Côte d‘Azur, ending our adventure on the world-famous Promenade des Anglais where we can celebrate with a glass of bubbly and customary dip in the Med.

• Meals: Breakfast

Alas it is time to bid farewell, hopefully with fond memories and a great sense of achievement. After breakfast, we will transfer to Nice airport for our onward journey.