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Day 1On our first day, we welcome you to Villa Romarine and we cycle for a few hours to get to know our area, followed by an introduction to breathing and relaxation techniques and a nice dinner 12:00 Welcome and check-in at Villa Romarine. 12:30 Introduction. We introduce each other and the program, get a snack/ light lunch and set up private/rental bikes before heading out on the bikes. 13:30 – 16:00-(16:30) Cycling: 43 km / 750m+ Var River plateau. ROUTE: www.strava.com/routes/3184554100545199946 From Villa Romarine at 420m altitude, we start cycling by passing through Carros Village and continue cycling to the lower part of a village called Broc. The view from this quiet road over the Var valley with the Alps in the background is incredible. We descend into the valley and climb up to another very pretty village called Gillette where we can enjoy the view and have a coffee at the local café (the climb is appr. 8 km/4-5% steady climb. If the legs have not quite woken up after the travels for the climb it is possible to leave it out). We cycle back along the river Var by a long flat cycling path before climbing back up to Villa Romarine. 16:30-18:00 Private time and relax at the pool. 18:00-19:00 Breathing. An introduction to the physiology and mechanism behind breathing and our respiratory center. Focus will be on how you can improve your breathing with different techniques. By applying these techniques, you can get more energy when you ride. The introduction is a combination of a presentation and exercises. 19:00 Dinner. Day 2This is our Queen stage on the bike. We cycle in the mountains West of Nice through stunning landscapes and have coffee and lunch breaks in small villages dating back from medieval time. Back at the villa we do guided relaxation- and breathing exercises for an active recovery by the pool. 8:00-9:00 Breakfast. 9:30-15:00 Cycling: 90km / 1400m+ Col de Vence. Route: www.strava.com/routes/3184562670696006230 Today is a pure mountain day, our Queen stage, where we explore the raw and impressive mountain plateau West of Nice. Col de Vence (963m) is one of the most famous climbs near Nice and local cyclists often frequent this 10km climb for training. It is a category 1 climb, a long steady climb with gradients 6-9%, where you gradually reach rocky areas that have a moonlight feel to them. At the top we enter quiet mountain roads surrounded by forest and stunning cliff formations. If we feel like having a café stop after the climb, we can visit a village not far from the top. When we feel ready to continue, we do so until we reach a village called Gréolière for lunch at a local restaurant (apr. 45km into the ride). After lunch, we descend through another road surrounded by trees and pass a river with waterfalls next to us. Back at the side of the mountain that faces the coast, we cycle up to Tourettes-sur-Loup. This is another village where it is worthwhile to stop for a moment and enjoy the scenery, perhaps enjoy a drink at a café before our final kilometers and return to the villa. 15:30-16:30 Breathing retraining, stretching and relaxation. Stretching and relaxation of the muscles at the lower back and legs. We use techniques from Fysio Flow/ Fascie Flow in a combination with breathing techniques, so you can fully relax and get the best recovery possible. Furthermore, we will focus on breathing techniques that will increase your performance on the bike. 19:00 Dinner. 20:00 Nutrition for cyclists. Our guest chefs will introduce us to nutrition for active people in a short interactive presentation while we enjoy the dessert of the day. Day 3Cycling through Nice, where we will challenge the climb of stage 21 in the Tour de France, Col d’Eze. Lunch in Nice, before cycling back to the villa, where we do some guided stretching and active recovery by the pool. 8:00-9:00 Breakfast. 9:30 – 15:00 Cycling 95km / 1.160m+ Nice, Col d’Eze. Route: www.strava.com/routes/3184569823992796758 On the third day of cycling, we descend to Nice and ride along the cycling path at the Promenade des Anglais and the azur colours of the sea. The sea changes colour every day in shades of blue turquois. Our challenge of the day is climbing Col d’Eze (507m), which is a category 2 climb, and a favourite of local riders at all levels. At the harbour in Nice, we cycle through town to start the climb. It is appr. 10 km of 5-10% to the top. Do not be surprised if we are overtaken by a young speedy professional rider or two. The fastest climbers in the world train on these roads on their way to/from Monaco. Tina has met Pogacar and Geraint Thomas here multiple times. Look forward to the views over Cap Ferrat and the Mediterranean as we climb. They are amazing! We make a stop in La Turbie to get a coffee and a nice view to Monaco. The descend is via a beautifully curvy road, which takes us to the sea level at Cap d’Ail. We ride by the coastal road through charming places such as Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Villefranche-sur-Mer. We cycle back in to Nice and have lunch at a beach restaurant before our return to the villa. 15:30-16:30 Relaxation and breathing exercises. Relaxation via breathing. We carefully work through the full body through relaxation exercises and breathing techniques. Some repetition on breathing exercises that we have worked with in the previous days. The focus will be on mobility/flexibility around the ribcage (thorax). 19:00 Dinner Day 4On our final day we finish our active long weekend off with a morning training where breathing techniques are used to relieve your sore muscles. We will combine breathing exercises with Fysio Flow / Fascie Flow before we check-out 8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast. 9:00-10:30 Fysio Flow / Fascie Flow. Through this mellow morning training we get a moment to integrate the impressions from the days that we spent on the bikes while losing up tight areas in the body by the things we have learned about breathing techniques and relaxation. 10:30-11:00 A recap of the days that we spent together. 11:30 Check-out and goodbye. Approach to cyclingOur approach to cycling during the event is that it is about enjoying the ride!
Our motivation for these rides is not racing the roads but enjoying cycling them. The pace will be moderate for mountains – depending on the participants it can be between 17-22km/hour in average. Remember, that you will have a quite different average pace in mountain areas than on the pure flat. We will make sure that everyone gets to enjoy cycling in their pace, we wait for each other and can split into smaller groups for some sections if there are big differences of pace. We can also add an extra challenge for the most eager riders. There will be time for stopping to take a photo or suggest having a coffee stop if you see a cute café (and need a break more than put in the program). By combining the rides with breathing and relaxation exercises we aim at giving you a new knowledge about your body and learn about a way to become a better cyclist - one breath at a time. In one of the last weeks of the year I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Hopeful New Year.
I don't know about you but during these years cycling saves my sanity and helps me to be of strong health during stressfull times. Cycling is such a unique way for us humans to move through landscapes in a way where we are connected to our physique, mental state, social ways and natural surroundings at the same time. In the past years where Covid-19 has changed our daily living and ways to be in the world cycling has for many been an escape, a new hobby, a new sport and for a lot also an alternative way of transporting one-self from a-b instead of going by public transport. Cities have speeded up their transformation to becoming (more) cycling friendly and there is a lot going on in the world about cycling in general. For instance the professional sport is becoming more inclusive with a strong movement in women cycling. From a female cyclist's standpoint this is about time! and I am happy to see how the current female cycling stars inspire girls to jump on the bike. I am personally among the first waves of women in Europe who fell in love with cycling and adopted it as my sport in a world of men. I was part of a movement in Northern European countries (probably around the same time in the US) in the 2010s which now grows day by day. I am happy when I now go for a ride from Nice and meet more female riders out and about than when I first moved here in 2015. We also have changes in the common purposes for why people cycle. When I entered the sport around 2009, normal amateur road bike riders measured each other's standards by how quick they could ride, how far and how many mountains they could conquer in one day. Now normal has changed as cycling is so much more than about going the furthest, the quickest, while conquering a lot of mountains for the "check it off the list" sake or winning races. Billions of people use cycling as a way to travel and discover landscapes and societies in a movement of finding happiness by being slow and embracing people and nature. Sustainable living and -traveling, good health and well-being, having fun on two wheels of many kinds and getting to know people by and while sharing this playful way of discovering land is why I started to guide and organise tours with Lifesparkz Bike Tours in 2016. I am grateful for sharing moments with kind and curious people from many backgrounds who have cycling as a common way of discovering. Thank you to everyone of you who I cycled with in the past years or collaborate with to create cycling adventures for others. I am now excited to see what is in the box for us in 2022. For me and Lifesparkz Bike Tours 2020 was about survival and staying sane! 2021 has been about patience. In 2022 I will be carefully hopeful that the World will stabilise in the new normal and that I again can welcome more of you from around our precious globe to cycle in Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes. With warm wishes of safe and happy holidays. Tina Owner of Lifesparkz Bike Tours, December 2021 Distance: Loop: Nice, Aspremont, Correns, Nice - 50km Climb: 840m+ (Col de Châteauneuf-Vielleville 630 m+) Main routes: M114, M719, M815, D15 Close to: Duranus, Aspremont, Tourette-Levens, Levens, Correns Level of difficulty: Moderate Season: Spring, Summer, Fall Col de Chateauneuf de Contes is one of the many climbs in the Alpes-Maritimes near Nice that is known by locals but often don't make it to the cycling tour books. If you ever participated in the Nice-Paris Challenge, you have passed this shorter climb as it has so far been an integral part of the Spring cyclosportive. You can easily integrate the climb into a longer route. You can do the climb from both the Eastern and Western side. We suggest here a shorter loop from Nice, taking you through Aspremont village, climbing from the Eastern side and going back via the low land North-East of Nice. Nice - Aspremont - Tourette-Levens Aspremont and Tourette-Levens are villages located in the lower mountains only 10 km North of Nice. One way to get there is described here. You can also cycle to Aspremont from the center of Nice via M114 the areas Cimiez and Rimiez, where you quickly rise above Nice and get some nice views over the town and towards the sea. It is a steady climb to Aspremont, which is around 520 m above sea level. It is a nice place to stop for a coffee and a view towards the Var valley. In Aspremont, you make a turn on the road towards Tourette-Levens. Tourette-Levens - Chateauneuf-Vielleville You get a nice and beautiful descent from Aspremont to Tourette-Levens. You will see road signs that you are on the Routes des Bréa. Routes des Bréa refers to touristique roads in the backcounty of Nice where you find historic sites of the "School of primitiv Nicois" in mainly chapels and churches that dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries. In Tourette-Levens you turn left towards Levens. Shortly after you reach a round-about from where the climb to Chateauneuf-Vielleville starts. Col de Chateauneuf climb from the East The main climb to Col de Chateauneuf is a relatively easy climb when you do it from the Eastern side; rather short, only about 5 km, and with the main sections of real climbing in the first 3 before the road flattens out as you approach the pass below Chateauneuf-Vielleville. Gradients are 4,5% in average and with a maximum of 8%. You rise above the green valleys to the peak that is marked by a big iron cross. You can pause and say a little prayer, because the real challenge is the downhill! Bike n'Roll to Contes If you recently started cycling in mountains this descent is a great challenge to practise your technique on the downhill full of sharp hairpin bends. It is easy to gain speed, however daredevils watch out, as it is easy to become too confident on your skills for turning, especially if the conditions are a bit to the moist side. We have witnessed cyclists happily racing passed us one minute, just to find them a few seconds later lying by the road side as they miscalculated the road and slid in a turn. When you reach Contes, make a right turn in the main crossing towards Nice. The main roads back to Nice are quite busy, so we recommend cycling on this section out of rush hours or on a Sunday where there is less traffic. It can be easiest to find you way if you keep to the right side of the Paillon river, but you can follow roads on both side of it. Be aware of an intersection, where it is tempting to follow the major road with the sign towards Nice - this is not a cycling road! But you can either follow a cycling track on the right side of the river - and follow it as it crosses the river and reach D2204 on the left river bank. Or follow the minor road D2204 on the left side of the river already from the round-about close to La Pointe. Happy Cycling! :) Tina Baltzer Owner of Lifesparkz Bike Tours. Distance: Loop of Nice - Vence - La Colle sur Loup - Cagnes-sur-Mer - Nice / 72 km Climb: 800 m+ Main routes: M118, M/D2210 and D6 Close to: Col de Vence, Gourdon, Gattières Level of difficulty: Easy - Moderate Season: All year around A loop that will take you through charming villages, wide curving roads in good conditions and magnificent views to the Alps and the ocean. As soon as you have passed Nice airport and crossed the Var, you ride in to St-Laurent-du-Var and start a shorter climb from the sea level and up to 300 meter. You can cycle through St-Laurent-du-Var town and find the road towards La Gaude, which offers a steady climb with moderate gradients between 2-6% in average. At the bottom of the village St-Jeannet you can have a coffee break at the big cycling friendly café Auberge des 4 chemins. In the round-about at St.-Jeannet you follow the road towards Vence. The majestic rock formation North of Vence rises above you as you cruise the main road that curls through the lower mountain side.
The hills are green even in Winter and the sea view never bores the eyes. You pass through Vence - if you are up for a challenge, you can take a trip up to Col de Vence at 900m. However, you can also simply cycle through Vence and continue of the false flat road section to Tourettes-sur-Loup, which is another super picturesque village of the Côte d'Azur. When you come to the other side, look out for some nice photo opportunities! You have now a long nice descent in front of you on a an easy downhill. It is easy to speed on this downhill, so be aware of traffic! At an intersection where you see the road towards Gourdon and the Caussols Plateau you make a left turn to Nice. You will soon ride on the left side the Loup river. In Summer it is pleasantly cool on this road - in Winters you get a chill wind in your face. There always seems to be more wind in this valley than on the other roads. Make your way towards La Colle-sur-Loup and continue to Cagnes-sur-Mer. Soon you are at the sea front making your way back to Nizza la bella. |
AuthorTina Baltzer, owner of Lifesparkz Bike Tours. |
Look forward to biking with you!
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