Grand Traverse in France
 

Hello, Anyone done the Grand traverse in France? From Geneva to Nice. I am going this summer and wondered if anyone had tips/advice?Thanks..

Hi there,

That sounds like quite an adventure. I was thinking of doing Paris-Brest-Paris this year, but I will
have to do it in 4 years time now, due to preparations. I have cycled from London to Paris before.
You will love the friendly welcome you receive from the French when you are cycling- you will
be cheered on and respected as you cycle in France.
Good luck with your tour.
Oh yes, if you are camping, you will readily find campsites in France. They are dotted all over the place,
and you can usually just turn up and set up camp without booking in beforehand.
Have fun! I am thinking of doing some kind of bike adventure this year. First thing is cycle 200 miles
to my Mum and Dad's place in the Westcountry! I am just going to plan a route and cover the distance
in one day, stopping off at cafes on the way!

All the best,

Hoppy.

Hello. This is a great project. You will never regret this trip, and may even want to continue from Thonon les Bains (Geneva) all the way to Trieste or to Venice on the Adriatic, through this wondeful Italian (and Süd Tyrol, around Bolzano) part of the Alpine arc. Your best bet is to trust the routes crafted by the famous (here) Georges Rossini, of the Thonon cyclo-club. Nobody can match his route planning skill, even with the best maps you can find. His websites are in French and in Italian (no english, sorry, but I can help if required). You need to email to him (email link on his website or <mailto:georges.rossini@wanadoo.fr>) and send him some money for the organization and cue sheet (he provides hotel lists along the road) and also for the medal if you wish (a beautiful medal). Two routes match what you mention:

Préalpine part 2, clic "Les Préalpes", which goes from Thonon les Bains (50 km from Genève on the lake Leman) to Antibes (close to Nice) through the French préalpes, which means through the magnificent French préalpes, avoiding the highest passes and accumulating, overall, 48 passes.

Alpine part 1, clic "Les Alpes", which goes from Thonon les Bains to Antibes also: 43 passes through the highest passes of this part of the Alpine arc, including the mythic dirt road with the magic (and *very tough) climb from Susa to colle della Finestre and more than 5 passes above 2000 m (like colle Basset) from Susa to Sestriere

You will find our '2006 and '2003 reports of these randonnées, also in French, of the French randonnée Préalpine, which includes a link to a photo album and of the French randonnée Alpine at our Abeille Cyclotourisme website, of Rueil Malmaison near Paris. we actually rode through all of them with panniers and using hotels to sleep. You may want to email me off-forum for more info

HTH