44|5 Cycling Tours

Nicknamed ‘Pro Ville’, Girona has probably the highest concentration of pro cyclist residents than anywhere else in Europe. And if pros live here you know there’s some good riding to be had! 44|5 has an affinity with Girona, like most others who’ve visited the city and surrounding countryside. The town has a vibrant, colorful old center, dominated by a hilltop cathedral and filled with lovely squares, winding streets and plenty of restaurants, cafes and montaditos bars (Catalan tapas) to fill you up after a great ride. It’s a perfect urban base for a cycling holiday.

And the riding is really something. Girona is located between the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees, meaning you can do a coastal ride one day and hammer in the foothills the next. The pros have their favorite routes and climbs, of course, and we’ll search them out on our BreakAway tour. And make sure you keep an eye out on our rides because ‘pro sightings’ are a common occurrence in this part of the world!

Our latest HighRoad tour is our first foray into the legendary Dolomites mountain area of northeastern Italy. Come with us and climb Giro d’Italia giants like the Gavia, Motirolo, Tre Cime di Lavardo, Giau and, of course, the Stelvio.

Like the Alps and Pyrenees in France, the Dolomites are filled with epic climbs and outstanding scenery. Our HighRoad Dolomites tour will spend a few days in the Dolomites themselves before riding west to climb the 48 switchbacks of the epic Passo dello Stelvio, the most famous of all Giro d’Italia ascents.

In between all your daily efforts we will make sure you are well rested and fueled, with our excellent hotel partners and local restaurants.

The Northern Alps is a treasure trove of giant massifs (Mont Blanc, at 4808 meters, is the highest mountain in western Europe), Alpine lakes and glaciers, and historic Tour de France climbs (you’ll be climbing the Madeleine, Glandon, Alpe d’Huez and the Cormet de Roselend to name only a few). We have also scoured the area to find a few roads that only locals ride. HighRoad Northern Alps has been years in the making and couples perfectly with our original Alps tour – HighRoad Southern Alps, giving returning friends the opportunity to cross the entire Alps range by doing these two tours with us.

HighRoad Northern Alps begins with perhaps the most famous climb of them all – Alpe d’Huez, where we’ll spend a couple of days getting to know the area. From The Alpe we head north for several days of riding up high Alpine cols and descending into glacier-fed valleys. Our tour finishes in the pretty town of Annecy, with it’s famous lake and magnificent mountain views. Like our other HighRoad tours, once you arrive in the mountains, you will be on your bike, not sitting in a van – after your airport pick-up (Geneva) there are no more transfers until you fly back home.

HighRoad Northern Alps is one of our ‘Hors Cat√©gorie’ tours, which are reserved for strong riders who can handle multiple days of long distances and sustained, steep gradients.

For the dedicated cyclist winter is always too long, which is the reason winter and early spring cycling camps exist! 44|5 will be holding its inaugural cycling camp from April 4th to 8th on the Costa Daurada, about an hour south of Barcelona in Spain.

The Costa Daurada is an up-and-coming cycling destination, boasting a mild climate, lots of sun and many miles of quiet and challenging roads. In winter and early spring the roads see a growing number of pro teams coming for a quieter experience than Majorca or Tenerife.

Your 44|5 Cycling Tours cycling camp will be based at the Cambrils Park Resort, a well-managed family and sports resort just minutes from the Mediterranean. Accommodation is comfortable and modern and the resort is equipped with all the amenities you could think of, from a spa/gym to several restaurants, a bar near the huge central pool and even a supermarket. All you need to do is ride, rest and relax!

44|5’s HighRoad Pyrenees bike tour takes place in the 2nd of France’s great mountain ranges (after the Alps), which forms a natural frontier with Spain to the south. The Pyrenees are even more steeped in cycling history than the Alps, having hosted the Tour de France for well over 100 years. Tourmalet, Aspin, Aubisque, Peyresourde are mythic cols with legendary stories being added every year (like Chris Froome’s amazing attack on the descent of the Peyresourde in 2016).

The Pyrenees are different in character from the French Alps, too; with much of the central range being a National Park, we ride through unspoiled nature, dotted with rustic villages and lively spa towns. But your HighRoad Pyrenees tour is no outback camping trip! We have scoured the range for excellent hotels and quality restaurants serving fresh, local cuisine. After a day on the bike in the high mountains, you deserve the comforts of home.

Your cycling tour starts in the central Hautes Pyr√©n√©es, crossing the range in a westerly direction to finish in the bustling resort town of St. Jean de Luz, on the Bay of Biscay. Like our other HighRoad tours, once you arrive in the mountains, you will be riding your bike and not sitting in a van: after your airport pick-up there are no more transfers till you fly back home.

HighRoad Pyrenees is one of our ‘Hors Cat√©gorie’ cycling tours, which are reserved for strong riders who can handle multiple days of long distances and sustained, steep gradients.

For this cycling tour, our signature HighRoad goes off the beaten path with an all-inclusive week in southern France’s C√©vennes mountains. This is the real France Profonde (deep France) and only real explorers are familiar with this area and its hidden roads. For those prepared to climb 1,500+ meter cols, roll across starkly beautiful plateaus and descend through deep river gorges, this bike tour is for you!

And you don’t have to be a hardened explorer off the bike, as each night’s accommodations have been carefully chosen to provide a high quality and comfortable retreat where we will refuel our bodies with an abundance of delicious local food.

Our HighRoad C√©vennes tour starts at the bottom of the Gorges du Tarn, one of the most beautiful gorges in Europe. From here we head east, entering an area of the region dominated by large granite massifs – two of which we’ll climb (Mt. Aigoual and Mt. Loz√®re). After dipping into the wild, forgotten Ard√®che department, we track south on the Queen Stage of the tour, climbing several cols, including our 2nd ascent of Loz√®re and le Tour de France climb of Perjuret.  Our tour finishes back where we started, with a gourmet celebratory dinner and perhaps a chat about where you’ll be riding next time you visit!

Our HighRoad Southern Alps cycling tour is an epic 8-day bike tour that rolls over some of the most outstanding scenery in the French Alps, crossing no fewer than 8 Tour de France mountain passes (including Col du Galibier, Col d’Izoard and Cime de la Bonette – the highest paved through-road in Europe) and finishing on the sparkling Mediterranean shores of Nice!

It’s no lie, these climbs are hard; that’s why we’ve searched high and low for quality, comfortable accommodation and great local restaurants all along your route through the Alps.

Like all our HighRoad Tours, we keep van transfers to a minimum. Once you are in the Alps with us, you will be mostly on your bike all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.

HighRoad Southern Alps is one of our ‘Hors Cat√©gorie’ tours, which are reserved for strong riders who can handle multiple days of long distances and sustained, steep gradients.

This year’s Etape du Tour will take place entirely in the French departement of Haute Savoie, starting on the outskirts of Geneva, in Annemasse, and crossing 5 classified cols (including HC Joux Plane) before plunging to the finish line in the ski town of Morzine.

Your epic day begins in Annemasse, where you quickly start climbing shortly after crossing the start line. In the first 65 km you will climb 4 cols (3 classified), before attacking the last two mountains of the day – the Ramaz and the mighty Joux Plane. You’ll want your wits about you after crossing the last col because your finish comes after a final descent of over 10km.

• Col de Saxel: 4.3km / 4.6%
• Col de Cou: 7km / 7.4%
• Col du Feu: 5.8km / 7.8%
• Col de la Ramaz: 13.9km / 7.1%
• Col de Joux Plane: 11.6km / 8.5%

44|5 Cycling Tours has secured a luxury chalet meters from the finish line in Morzine. We will pick you up at Geneva airport and from then on all your transport, most meals and accommodation is taken care of. We can also help arrange a high-performance carbon-fiber bike for you on request. Let us take care of the logistics and support so you can make the most of your Etape weekend.

Mont Ventoux lives up to its name before you even take your first pedal stroke at the bottom of the climb. The mountain completely dominates its surroundings in the heart of Provence, and with it’s bald summit, gives the impression that it is snow-capped, and therefore higher than its 1912 meters. Mont Ventoux is arguably the most famous and feared Tour de France climb and is justifiably on the Bucket List of any aspiring grimpeur!

Climbing Mont Ventoux is an incredible experience, but there is plenty of amazing riding near the mountain as well. 44|5 offers short, custom cycling tours, centered around your dream climb, with guided rides and cycling-friendly accommodation included.

You would be hard pressed to find two more epic Tour de France climbs than Alpe d’Huez and Mont Ventoux in the same cycling tour, given their distinct personalities.  Alpe d’Huez is in the middle of the high Alps, surrounded by other famous (and beautiful) cols. It is high-mountain riding at its best. Contrasted to this, Mont Ventoux is located in sun-kissed Provence, with its lavender fields, lovely laid-back villages, and endless vineyard roads. The combination makes a perfect cycling experience that allows you to enjoy two of France’s most stunning and varied areas to ride.

Your HighRoad Alpe d’Huez – Mont Ventoux Tour has two ‘bases’: one on top of Alpe d’Huez and the other at the foot of Mont Ventoux, in comfortable 3 and 4 star hotels perfectly positioned for the best riding the areas have to offer.