Epic Road Rides

There’s the well-known cycling route around Lake Geneva (aka the Tour du Lac Léman) for starters, but it’s also really easy to access famous cols like the Col de la Colombière, Col de Joux-Plane and the Col du Grand Colombier. What's the most famous cycling route around Geneva?The classic ride for most local club members is the “Tour du Lac”, which you can ride in a one day, 180km loop of Lake Geneva. Here’s a GPX for a 90-km ride that will take you to Col de Cou and Col du Perret, another lesser-known climb. n’t want to get in the way of one of them!When cycling along the western shore of Lake Geneva, shortly after leaving the city, take the time to climb slightly higher above the Lake, through villages such as Genthod, to enjoy incredible views back over the Lake and across to Mont Blanc.

It will focus on the best bases for cycling in the French Alps and the best cycling climbs in France, with the aim of helping you narrow down the regions/climbs you want to tackle on your next cycling holiday in the French Alps. From these towns, you can tackle the Tour du Lac Leman and there’s plenty of climbing, though it’s not the really famous sort (Col du Grand Taillet, Col du Corbier and Pointe de Trechauffex for example).Another Tour de France favourite, the fearsome Col de Joux Plan, is situated near to Morzine and is usually climbed together with the nearby Col de la Ramaz. Moving south towards Bourg d’Oisans, you start to get into consistently higher ground and what you might term as “typical Tour de France terrain”, including some of the best cycling climbs in France. Here you will find some of the most famous cycling climbs in the Alps, including the Tour de France’s most classic climbs, such as Alpe d’Huez with its famed 21 bends, Col du Galibier, and the Col de Madeleine.

All of the routes you suggest in your "best cycle routes of Scotland" article are brilliant and are the ones that locals rave about. Want to know more about cycling in Scotland?Don't miss our overview of the best places to cycle in Scotland, our pick of Scottish cycling routes, our Q&A on the NC500 and our in-depth guide to cycling Edinburgh. Round the Isle of Wight cycle route (aka Isle of Wight Randonnee)When to go where Epic Road Rides’ readers tell us that the main reason they come back to us is for our content. If we love your product and think our readers will too, Epic Road Rides will write articles that are about, or mention, your product or destination and then promote them across social media.

What’s your favourite easy cycling routes in North London (and why)?If I want a ride that’s under an hour then I’ll do a small loop close to home that takes me through residential areas that aren’t too busy on a weekend morning. Any final words of wisdom/road cycling tips for beginners?Seriously, make sure you enjoy riding your bike, whether that’s riding with friends or planning a great coffee stop. An emergency snack is also a good shout – coming across a closed café or having to ride a further distance is not ideal, but having something to keep you going will make it a little better!On the subject of repair kits, don’t feel you need to know how to repair everything that could go wrong with your bike. Road bike tyres can be quite hard to get back on the rim, so try out those tyre levers from the comfort of home!Buying road bikes: tips on where to startBuying a road bike can be a minefield and also a lot of money to spend.