Road cycling in Provence - Mont Ventoux, Alpilles, Luberon - beautiful villages and quiet roads

Let the huge selection of tours for cyclists convince you. The mountains of the Vaucluse, the Alpilles, the Luberon and of course the Mont Ventoux. We have put together some tours for you. On request, we will be happy to send our guests the tour dates as a .gpx file for their bike navigation system.

What is special about cycling in Provence?

Cyclists will find an extensive network of routes. There are countless small asphalted roads that run through the plain between the Vaucluse-Plateau in the north and the Luberon mountain range in the south. The volume of traffic is usually very low.

What are the geographical features?

The Luberon offers some crossings in a north-south direction. Here, the wild landscape, which is only sparsely populated, is particularly fascinating. In between there are always beautiful villages and the odd café.

The Vaucluse-Plateau is located north of the Luberon and also stretches in east-west direction through the Provence. Here there are more crossings and pass roads than in the Luberon. Here too, there is little car traffic on many routes.

North of the Vaucluse there is an undulating area with some villages before the terrain rises towards the Mont Ventoux. On the Mont Ventoux there are 3 different ascents starting in Bedoin, Malaucene or Sault.

To the south of the Luberon, the plain of the Durance joins.

Crossing the river Durance in a south-westerly direction, you will come across another mountain range running in an east-west direction: the Alpilles. There are also some attractive roads that cross the Alpilles from north to south. The mixture of Mediterranean vegetation and the bare rocky peaks of the limestone mountain range is also very attractive here.

What is the best season for road cycling in Provence?

In principle, you can go on racing bike tours all year round. Snow is extremely rare in the heartland of Provence, but on the slopes of Mont Ventoux it is different. On the summit, weather changes all year round and snowfall in high summer is possible. For the summit region you should always be prepared for temperatures of about 10 degrees less and for sometimes extremely strong winds.

The average annual temperature in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is 13.5° C. There is a Mediterranean climate, which is also due to its location only 58 m above sea level.

In my experience, ideal times for racing cyclists are the spring months from mid-March to May, as well as autumn, which offers significantly longer warm temperatures than Central Europe. Here you can expect pleasant temperatures from mid-September until November.

In the middle of summer, from mid-June to the end of August, it is best to start your sports activities in the morning, when it is already pleasantly warm. From midday onwards it is too hot for extensive tours, in my opinion. Here the family is happy about common activities. Most of the time there is a shady place in the courtyard of La Marisol to relax with a good book and a cool drink.

Here is an overview of the daytime temperatures in the best months for cycling:

March: 11 days > 15 °C, 2 days > 20 °C

April: 13 days > 15 °C, 6 days > 20 °C

May: 9 days > 15 °C, 14 days > 20 °C, 6 days > 25 °C

June: 3 days > 15 °C, 9 days > 20 °C, 11 days > 25 °C, 5 days > 30 °C

July: 1 day > 15 °C, 5 days > 20 °C, 11 days > 25 °C, 14 days > 30 °C, 1 day > 35 °C

August: 1 day > 15 °C, 5 days > 20 °C, 12 days > 25 °C, 12 days > 30 °C, 2 days > 35  °C

September: 5 days > 15 °C, 11 days > 20 °C, 12 days > 25 °C, 2 days > 30 °C

October: 13 days > 15 °C, 11 days > 20 °C, 2 days > 25 °C

November: 8 days > 15 °C, 1 day > 20 °C

Why is L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue particularly suitable as a starting point for racing bike tours through Provence?

The town is ideally situated within easy reach of all the above-mentioned destinations. You can start with your bike in front of your door without having to move your car. In the city you will find several bicycle shops if you need spare parts or workshop assistance. It is also possible to rent a bicycle here.

At the same time you benefit from the good infrastructure. End the afternoon at the end of a nice racing bike tour in an ice cream parlour on one of the many canals in the city? What could be better?

Why is the holiday home La Marisol an ideal starting point?

Your valuable bikes are safely stored in the sheltered inner courtyard. Frank the owner is himself an enthusiastic racing cyclist and will be happy to support you with valuable tips.

What rules apply to cycling in Provence?

I have summarized some special rules for cyclists in France on a separate page.

The classic: the giant of Provence - Mont Ventoux - 1912 m

From Bedoin, 1600 meters of altitude difference can be covered over 21 km. A "must" for every racing cyclist who travels the region. Joy and sorrow are very close together here.

Important for the tour on this legendary Tour de France giant:

• It is essential to check the weather conditions in the summit region in advance. If the wind is very strong, it makes sense to put the tour on an alternative date
• a temperature difference of approx. 10 °C at the summit is usually to be expected, a dry jersey, arm warmers, knee warmers, thin long-finger gloves and a windbreaker can be very helpful
• Ensure sufficient water supply: Wind, sun and heat lead to strong evaporation. On the way from Bedoin to Chalet Reynard, there is no other possibility of water intake. Further on from Chalet Reynard there is a well in a right-hand bend, which always had water in my driveways. Here you can fill up the water bottles again.

By the way: in 2021 the Mont Ventoux is to be conquered twice at the Tour de France. On the 11th stage, at 07.07.21. At kilometre 23, the riders pass the little town of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, then cross the Col de la Liguiere and Sault to reach the summit. The descent leads to Malaucene before Bedoin has to conquer the summit again in the same stage via the most classic of all ascents. After 199 km the finish line is in Malaucene.

Fantastic: Gorges de la Nesque

Seemingly endless rolling downhill and enjoying nature. Great road layout.

An ideal complement to the round trip on the Mont Ventoux: from Bedoin to the summit, downhill to Sault and return via the Nesque gorge. In doing so, you ride the most famous route to the summit. The descent on the east side to Sault has the advantage that you don't have to brake too much, from Chalet Reynard the gradient is moderate and you can roll through many bends quickly before you have to climb up to Sault for lunch. After refreshments on a sunny terrace with a view of the Ventoux, the route continues on the D 942: first downhill for a short while, then uphill again a few metres via the village of Monieux. From the Belvédère La Castellaras lookout point in the Nesque gorge on the left, the downhill fun begins.

In my tour recommendation, however, one drives the Nesque gorge uphill. This offers two advantages: you have a better view into the gorge due to the line of the road on the valley side and you simply have more time to look uphill. The gradient percentages always remain moderate.

The quiet side: beautiful villages, narrow streets, Mediterranean climate

Especially outside the summer months you can often find dreamlike empty roads through well-known and less well-known villages and well-known and less well-known passes.

Tour dates in komoot

On the following page you will find an overview of my tour recommendations. I have revised them all with the programme komoot: Here you can find the racing bike tours in Provence with starting point La Marisol in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.