Col d'Eze, Peille and Col de la Madone
Leaving from Nice
The front East bound mountains of Nice start by the edge of the city. We will go via Grande Corniche on the 18 kilometer climb to Col d'Eze, wich has gradients in the most sections between 7-10 %. So you want to find a good and easy pace to begin with. On your way up, you will have a magnificent view over the azur blue ocean and the bays of Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cap Ferrat, and Beaulieu-sur-Mer. A few kilometers before the top, the road flattens out, so you can get a breath while you take in the landscape.
We pass Col d'Eze (500 meters) and continue to La Turbie. La Turbie is an old Roman town, which has a water fountain and a café area, which are popular places to stop for cyclists. We can stop for a coffee or water break here, before we take off to the next climbs.
From La Turbie, we continue climbing a bit to go to the picturesque mountain village Peille (640 meters). This section starts by a short section with some climb, but soon the road flattens out and you get a chance to roll those legs and change to the big gears for a while.
We can do the tour in two ways - in Peille we can stop and enjoy the scenery of the valley with its olive groves (and a big factory...) - and return towards La Madone. Or we can add an extra hard climb (and about 20-40 minutes to the tour) if you want to do the hairpin 400 meters climb from the valley and back up to Peille.
Although we have done some climbing now, we still have one to go: The famous Col de la Madone (1.000 meters). We are already more than halfway to the top of it though as we follow the way back from Peille and turn off going further up.
From here we have around 5-7 kilometers to climb to the mountain top - with more stunning views along the narrow mountain road. In the summertime some cows live on the top of the col - they are happy to stare at us crazy people dressed in colourful tight outfits, who go on our metalthings with weels.
We descend by the road going down to Menton - a long downhill. Keep focus while you enjoy the beautiful mountain formations and the oceanview.
We can make another stop in Menton, if you need a moment to feel up energy before our ride back the ocean road to Nice.
Please let us know your normal average speed level when booking this tour, so we can match a guide for you for this long ride.
4 - 5,5 hours
Level 3
App. 120 km, 1.300-1.700 meters climb
120 € Individuals
App. 90 km/1.300 m without the climb in Peille
105 € Individuals
Level 2
It can also be designed to a 2,5-3 hours Level 2 route by excluding Peille and Menton. App. 50 km/1.100 meters climb
90 € Individuals
Groups/multiple days - Contact Lifesparkz Bike Tours for your price