Courmayeur—Menton French and Italian Alps

We like that you read as required. Check out “Rough Stuff Cycling in the Alps” by Fred Wright and “Bunker Research” by Max Leonard, with photos by Camille McMillan.

There are 17.5 kilometers of gravel distributed over three days, expertly vetted to pass the road-bike suitability test. Road surfaces range from newly paved to not-so-great to hard-packed gravel. To reap maximum benefit from these glorious, virtually traffic-free roads, we recommend at least 28-millimeter tires and a can-do mindset.

In addition to mixed surfaces, many sections of road are narrow, have steep dropoffs and lack protective barriers. Guests should be prepared for double-digit gradients (ascent and descent), tunnels and uneven tarmac.

Most of the parcours are above 1500 meters altitude and as with any mountain expedition, the weather in the high peaks can turn without warning. Experience, skill and good judgment will pay dividends on these high-altitude roads.

See our Trip Category Compare to learn how days on Advanced trips unfold.

Covering these distances and elevations is, without a doubt, physically demanding yet some of the most rewarding riding we hope you’ll do.

Our number one priority is to support you in reaching beyond your comfort level to achieve something truly special. We’ll do tutto possibile to keep your wheels turning but if, for any reason, you can’t make it to the end, you’ll always have a seat in our vehicle to get back safely.

We recommend a consistent training regime of at least 10 hours per week and, if you’re relatively new to cycling, hiring a coach. The end goal is to enjoy the challenge and one of the best investments you can make is to shorten your learning curve. Despite professional and personal demands, we’ve witnessed guests make impressive strides with a focused and consistent training plan.

With 25+ years of cumulative experience, we’re more than happy to share our training, equipment and trip prep suggestions. Join us and you’ll also sign up for a series of emails leading up to the trip along with responsive email support for all your training and trip questions. A-S-K and you’ll G-E-T!

Good thinking! Starting in Lucca can help with adjusting to local time in a beautiful cycling-friendly setting. (We’re biased, obviously.) We’ll arrive a day before the trip starts and have a limited number of spots in our vehicles for transfers from Lucca to Courmayeur. The price for the five-hour transfer (with your bike) is €195 and includes lunch and coffee stops en route.

The per-person prices reflect payments made by direct bank transfer or online transfer services like Wise. We’re a small business operating in a high-tax country and accepting credit cards is an automatic 3% price increase. In an effort to make our trips inclusive, we transfer credit card processing fees to those who choose this payment method. Also see Is Wise safe?

Tips are greatly appreciated to show gratitude for exceptional service. The industry standard is for each individual guest to tip 8 - 10% of the trip price, per team which is then split evenly.