Annecy - July 4 to July 7
After meeting in Geneva on Saturday morning, we head off towards Annecy via Bellegarde sur Valserine and one of the Tour de Frances HC cols, the Grand Colombier. We will staying in the idyllic town of Menthon St Bernard on the opposite side of lake Annecy and will make this our base for the next three nights. Day two will see us ride the route from stage 20 of the 2013 Tour de France culminating in the Semnoz before enjoying the old town of Annecy that evening. Day three takes us through some of the less known back roads of the Aravis mountain range and we finish our tour on day four after a return to Geneva via the col de la colombière, the vallée verte and the charming medieval town of Yvoire.
Number of days: 4 days (4 nights) Price: CHF1,550 Total distance: 524km Total elevation: 10,636m
Day 1 (Saturday July 4) - Geneva to Menthon St Bernard
Distance: 140km Ascent: 2205m
After a restful night and welcome dinner the evening before, we will depart Geneva and ride towards Bellegarde before climbing the col de la Grand Colombier and then continuing towards Menthon St Bernard for arrival at our hotel later in the afternoon. This town is situated on lake Annecy and enjoys breathtaking views over the Alps. This will be our base for the next 3 nights, so we can get settled in and there is no need for upheaval every day
Day 2 (Sunday July 5) - Menthon St Bernard to Annecy Semnoz
Distance: 133km Ascent: 3505m
Today we will retrace the stage 20 route from the 2013 Tour de France. Riding through Annecy we will climb the Mont Revard before culminating our day on the Semnoz climb and then returning to our hotel for a lakeside aperitif and dinner i the old town of Annecy.
Day 3 (Monday July 6) - Aravis loop
Distance: 104km Ascent: 2037m
Today we ride around lake Annecy and over col l'Elpine then around the back end of the Aravis mountain range before returning to Menthon St Brnard. We will explore some of the less travelled back roads in this region offering some spectacular riding and scenery.
Day 4 (Tuesday July 7) - Menthon St Bernard to Geneva
Distance: 147km Ascent: 2889m
Our final day will take us back to Geneva via the col de a Colombiere, which has featured on many occasions in the Tour de France. Our day continues as we ride into the Vallee Verte and to the medieval town of Yvoire, where we will stop for lunch. An easy spin of the legs along the shores of lake Léman will have us arriving back in Geneva later in the afternoon for the end of our tour. A farewell dinner will give us the opportunity to share some great memories.
