Hideaway in France - gîtes in the Pyrénées near Carcassonne

Road cycling in the Pyrenées

Road cycling areas in the Eastern Pyrenees.

As with the walking paths, it is impossible on the scale of the map above to give even an idea of the routes that are available - there are just too many. Instead we have marked out 'areas' of routes, using the area names that are used by the guidebooks.

Routes in The Ariege

Touring

The 'official' Ariege cycling guide has details for 16 tours of between 20 and 80km. These tours can be downloaded and have maps, full details of changes in height, places to stop for restaurants or supplies and so on. The guide also shows the full 'Tour de l'Ariege' of 450km, but we've yet to find anyone willing to do all of it!

We have copies of these routes, and they are detailed on the Ariege tourism website, but we cannot link directly to them as the site keeps changing and the link becomes quickly out of date. So, we recommend you click this link, then you should find the tours somewhere under 'velo'!

These routes provide a good starting point, but as with (for example) the lake district in England, we have found that it is just as enjoyable to take the map, look at where the route goes, then modify it with your own diversions, places to visit and stopping points.

Hill climbing

The Ariege also boasts of 24 'Grand cols' to be tackled - these are climbs from the valley to a mountain pass:

• the shortest rises 362m in 5km to a pass at a height of 1112m
• and the longest is a 1281m climb in 18.6km to a pass at 2001m
• the majority rise 600-900m in 8-15km

The route of the Tour de France

Many visitors also like to retrace the path of the Tour de France. This usually passes through the Ariege, and our Tour de France page shows where the route has gone during the past few years.

Routes in The Cerdagne / Capcir

The Cerdagne and the Capcir are the names given to two of the ranges of mountains East of the Ariege. With many summits above 2500m, and the Pic Carlit at 2921m, this area takes in some of the higher and more rugged scenery and is only for serious hill climbers who enjoy challenge of hundreds or thousands of metres of ascent and descent with fantastic views and superb scenery.

Routes in The Aude

Closer to the coast, the Aude takes in routes at lower altitudes, often among vineyards, woodland or between river gorges. These routes are generally more level than the Ariege or the Cerdagne, and the countryside is more arid.