Cycling tours in the Alps and the Pyrenees

The Alps

A gigantic barrier flowing across the landscape from Nice to Vienna over a distance of 1200km the Alps form part of a series of mountain ranges which were formed by tectonic forces at around the same time. The other mountain ranges are the Pyrenees, the Carpathians, the Caucasus and the Himalayas.

Here at Sports Tours International we offer you the opportunity to take up the challenge and cycle across the Alps and the Pyrenees during our self-guided or fully supported cycling tours.

The Raid Alpine and Route des Grandes Alpes

From the Mediterranean to the Adriatic, the complete Alpine traverse is called the ‘Randonnee Alpine’ which has been turned into two multi-day permanent cycling itineraries across high altitude mountain passes.

There are 2 sections; the Raid Alpine from Antibes to Thonon Les Bains and the Raid Dolomites from Thonon Les Bains to Trieste on the Adriatic. The Raid Alpine from Antibes to Thonon les Bains measures 740 km, 43 cols and 18.187 metres of cumulative elevation gain and takes you from the French Mediterranean Alps to the higher Rhone Valley near Lac Leman (Lake Geneva).

The Raids offer a wide variety of different landscapes across prestigious Alpine cols with their breathtaking landscapes and sweeping vistas from their summits like:

• Col de Bonette (Alpes Maritimes)
• Col d’Izoard (Hautes Alpes) with the legendary Casse Déserte, epic theatre of many a Tour de France battle
• The Col d’Iseran (Massif de la Vanoise) Europe’s highest paved road
• The Cormet de Roselend (Massif du Belfort) with its enormous sense of tranquility

Sports Tours International’s Raid Alpine cycling challenge takes you from Geneva to Nice and our Route des Grandes Alpes cycling challenge takes you from Nice to Geneva. The routes and climbs are slightly different. Please check our website to see what’s different about these 2 great Alpine cycling routes.

The Raid Pyrenean

Created in 1950 by the Cyclo Club Béarnais, theRaid Pyrenean  is a ‘randonnée permanente’, open between June 1 and September 30. From the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea (Hendaye to Cerbère) you will scale prestigious cols and some lesser known ones as well. The Raid Pyrenean is a 714km cycling randonnée across the back bone of the Pyrenees and all the famous climbs are featured such as Tourmalet, Aubisque, Marie Blanc, Aspin, and Peyresourde.

This is an absolute classic cycling challenge and every keen cyclist should have done the Raid Pyrenean at least once.

Read here about how to organise your fully supported or self-guided Raid Pyrenean, Raid Alpine or Route des Grandes Alpes

The Alps

A gigantic barrier flowing across the landscape from Nice to Vienna over a distance of 1200km the Alps form part of a series of mountain ranges which were formed by tectonic forces at around the same time. The other mountain ranges are the Pyrenees, the Carpathians, the Caucasus and the Himalayas.

Here at Sports Tours International we offer you the opportunity to take up the challenge and cycle across the Alps and the Pyrenees during our self-guided or fully supported cycling tours.

The Raid Alpine and Route des Grandes Alpes

From the Mediterranean to the Adriatic, the complete Alpine traverse is called the ‘Randonnee Alpine’ which has been turned into two multi-day permanent cycling itineraries across high altitude mountain passes.

There are 2 sections; the Raid Alpine from Antibes to Thonon Les Bains and the Raid Dolomites from Thonon Les Bains to Trieste on the Adriatic. The Raid Alpine from Antibes to Thonon les Bains measures 740 km, 43 cols and 18.187 metres of cumulative elevation gain and takes you from the French Mediterranean Alps to the higher Rhone Valley near Lac Leman (Lake Geneva).

The Raids offer a wide variety of different landscapes across prestigious Alpine cols with their breathtaking landscapes and sweeping vistas from their summits like:

• Col de Bonette (Alpes Maritimes)
• Col d’Izoard (Hautes Alpes) with the legendary Casse Déserte, epic theatre of many a Tour de France battle
• The Col d’Iseran (Massif de la Vanoise) Europe’s highest paved road
• The Cormet de Roselend (Massif du Belfort) with its enormous sense of tranquility

Sports Tours International’s Raid Alpine cycling challenge takes you from Geneva to Nice and our Route des Grandes Alpes cycling challenge takes you from Nice to Geneva. The routes and climbs are slightly different. Please check our website to see what’s different about these 2 great Alpine cycling routes.

The Raid Pyrenean

Created in 1950 by the Cyclo Club Béarnais, theRaid Pyrenean  is a ‘randonnée permanente’, open between June 1 and September 30. From the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea (Hendaye to Cerbère) you will scale prestigious cols and some lesser known ones as well. The Raid Pyrenean is a 714km cycling randonnée across the back bone of the Pyrenees and all the famous climbs are featured such as Tourmalet, Aubisque, Marie Blanc, Aspin, and Peyresourde.

This is an absolute classic cycling challenge and every keen cyclist should have done the Raid Pyrenean at least once.

Read here about how to organise your fully supported or self-guided Raid Pyrenean, Raid Alpine or Route des Grandes Alpes