France – Exploration notes

Who never dreamt of cycling on the French Riviera? You can feel the breeze of the Mediterranean sea and be transported, in less than 35 minutes time, to the Pré-Alpes d’Azur park, its 1,000m+ climbs and peaceful villages. My (Axel) hometown, Le Cannet, stands literally at the doors, between the spectacular blue water of the sea and the climbs to enter the Alps.

At first, I was supposed to attempt “under the radar” to do the recce of #bikingmanFrance route alongside the french veteran Romain Level. All our plans to organise expeditions had been cancelled over the past months (I was supposed to fly to Sri-Lanka with Romain and Simon Noel to explore the island back in March).

Surprisingly, things got better quicker than we expected in France and we decided to set off for a Côte d’Azur mission. Its goal? Setting off on one of the most epic Sprint BikingMan route (1,000km – 20,000m vertical) with few hardcore veterans of past races. In no time a team of 6 riders was ready to set off followed by a media crew and a roadsurfer camper van!

Here is the full story of these 4-5 days of riding from dawn till dusk in Southern France with Romain Level, Xavier Massart, Fabian Burri, Jacques Barge and Christophe Iliou. Several other riders joined us on the route: Hervé, Greg and Serge, a big respect to them for joining the gang !

#BikingManFRANCE

When you set off for a 1,000km super hilly route, catching some good sleep is key. All the veterans arrived from different places (by car or train) and what usually happens on recces happened once again: we were late to take off. With a (very) short night and a strong morning coffee, we set off from Le Cannet village, next to Cannes, and started warming up the spirits on quiet back roads to reach Gourdon and the Caussols’ plateau. This first climb is a section of the IronMan Nice and immediately set the tone for what we were about to experience: it will be steep, there will be a million climbs but every single one of them will be unforgettable.

The first day target was to cross the Alpes-Maritimes and Var regions to reach Gréoux-les-bains, 232 km away from our starting position. Between Le Cannet and Gréoux, we would have to face the Pré-Alpes d’Azur park, the infamous Lachens climb and the dreadful “route des Crêtes” next to the Verdon river. The several “boulangeries” breaks really helped us get into a good friendly pace. No one was attacking, everyone knew the recce “real start” would not be before day 3…

Setting off at dawn during the early days of summer is a magical experience when you love riding bikes. The light is peculiar, the smells of Provence are overwhelming. It almost feels like your brain is turning all the smells into the ingredients in your mouth. When passing along typical Provence wineries, I could almost feel the liquid in my mouth. A recce “at home” is also a good opportunity to explore famous back roads with friends. As we were approaching the Sainte Baume national park, we were joined by Serge, an incredible cyclist who patiently described us the numerous surprises of the day.

Despite the indisputable beauty of the scenery and the villages we were crossing at light speed, the “Giant” was on my mind. Joining one of the legendary climbs of the Tour de France is always something, especially when you’ve never climbed it. The Ventoux haunted me the entire day and I was torn between unlimited excitement and the fear of the unknown. The Sainte Victoire mountain, Aix-en-Provence, the Luberon national park and so much more beauty we saw on the way, galvanized my legs as we reached the camping spot with a direct view on the “Géant de Provence”. That pizza we shared with the BikingMan gang and the media crew will never be forgotten, it’s been an epic night under the stars.

In Bedouin, we found the best bakery before the crowd would gather. Hot coffees and French pastries were on the menu to fuel enough energy to eat the giant. One by one, after finishing our cup, we set off before 8:00 am without a single soul around in the ascent. The Mont Ventoux is a myth but it becomes a reality as you start climbing the mountain. The range of atmospheres between the forest area and its arid summit can’t really be put in words, it’s one of these climbs that stick something to your heart.

We had the mountain for ourselves. Almost no cyclists and only 2 cars passed along. I could enjoy the entire road and zig-zag with joy and excitement. A flashback of the Pantani / Armstrong battle struck me as I reached Chalet Reynard and pushed my heartbeat past 155 bpm. The antenna at the top looks like a human wart on the mountain yet it felt like a relief to see it as the altitude started to be felt at 1,909m. Rows of lavender and vines were our hedges of honor after climbing the giant. My mind was dizzy as we crossed the Provencal Drome towards the Perty climb before a stunning end of the day in the Méouges gorges. The arrival in the Hautes-Alpes marked the moment when we started to fire at each other’s on every hill. We reached Tallard village with sore legs but smiles on our faces.

With 12,000m vertical already in the tank, Southern France region was already “tattooed” on us. The Hautes-Alpes added some spices to the experience. Following part of the Embrunman route, the view on the Serre-Ponçon lake was priceless as we left the Écrins national park with its amazing geology behind us. This part felt like downhill skiing with bikes ! The masterpiece of this recce was just a few kilometers away: La Bonette climb, proudly standing at 2,802m, the highest paved road of Europe.

I had already cycled from Saint-Etienne de Tinée to the summit but never from Jausiers. It felt like “home”, as if I got transported to Peru and its never-ending climbs. 24 kilometers and a vertical total of 1,589m that took everything from me. I rode side by side with Romain Level and the oxygen drop really tricks you well as if you were climbing at 4,000 meters. The reward on top, as we stood in front of the La Bonette official sign, was speechless. An open view on the Alps with unlimited mountain ranges as far as our eyes could see. The sun slowly faded and we peacefully free-wheeled on the long descent to Saint-Etienne de Tinée where a delicious restaurant and camping awaited us.

As we rolled down to Saint-Sauveur sur Tinée, the melancholy that marks the approach of the end of an adventure arose. The course kept bringing more surprises, climbs, gorges and mountains but I could already feel in the veterans’ eyes that we were about to reach the end of this epic ride.

For the drama that the last day brings, it is turning that stage into the “mental Queen stage”. The memories collide in your mind and before you can even say goodbye, you reach the French Riviera and its coastal jewel.

BikingMan France will take place during summer 2021. If you fancy an ultra adventure in France, make sure to connect on the link below to receive all major notifications.

Be prepared, Southern France takes everything from you. The only wish afterwards is to come back again, and again, and again…

A massive thank you to the great support we have received to organize this recce:

• Krono (the official timer of the BikingMan)
• Ortlieb (for the bikepacking bags)
• Roadsurfer (for the media crew luxury van)
• Solosalita for testing their summer kit.