The Tour de France Ride

Without road closures, the smart option is actually to mix up both stages 1 and 2 to avoid the busy roads in the Var valley. We head north out of Nice via the Cimiez quarter, full of its belle epoque buildings that line the hill. Climbing already just a few kilometres from the city centre, it’s a big day for the legs.

Leaving the city outskirts, the road traces the edge of the Var valley towards Aspremont which has one of the finest fountains stops in the region. This is not only the route of one of our arrière-pays rides but also the way the first stage will exit the city towards the arrière-pays no less than three times. It's a format designed for spectators to get more than one passing view of the peloton before the lead-out trains blast their way towards the finish line on the Promenade des Anglais.

To link Stage One with Stage Two we use the beautiful small road that descends to Saint-Blaise. Here you skirt the town via the switchbacks above it before traversing the old viaduct bridge that leads to a climb through the olive groves back towards Levens.

The boulangerie on the left of the entrance to the town offers a chance to fuel if you need it. Opposite here is the turning for the Mont Férion Riviera Gravel climb. Today is a pure road day however and what lies ahead provides good reason to continue on the smooth stuff.

From Levens to Duranus the road clings to the rocks on the west side of the Vesubie valley gorges. The term ‘balcony road’ may have been invented just for this stretch alone. After the climb through the hamlet of Duranus there’s a sign on the left marking the ‘Saut des Français’. According to legend, it was here that militia defending the Savoy-governed Comte de Nice (not at that stage part of France), threw French republican soldiers over the cliff to certain death in the late 18th century. Don’t look down if you’re scared of heights.

The balcony road rejoins the main valley road at Saint-Jean-de-la-Rivière, where you can also turn left to climb La Madone d’Utelle. But the Turini lies just ten false flat kilometers up the valley, passing through more deep gorges. Looking up at the surrounding peaks gives a sense of the riding possibilities in this valley - they are plentiful.

The north western side of Turini that will be tackled by the peloton at the end of August is actually the shortest of the three main routes to the summit. Still, with 15km at 7.2% average gradient, this is hors categorie climbing.

Just 2km into the climb, the town of Bollène-Vesubie used to be a mid-mountain, fresh air health retreat for Italian and English aristocrats. Now the visitors from those nations are usually either on motorbikes or bicycles. The labyrinth of routes on this mountain and its history in the World Rally Championship have turned Turini into a veritable playground for two and four wheels alike, thankfully without the crazy numbers to be found on the Ventoux and Stelvio.

Climbing the western side could be broken into three parts – up to and past Bollène-Vesubie, into the middle section which is riddled with switchbacks offering views up and down the mountain, and then through the forest section to the Col. The fastest recorded Strava time is 43:55 by former Dutch pro Remmert Wielenga. A respectable amateur time is anywhere just below or above the one-hour mark.

It’s worth visiting any of the three hotels located on the Col. Each has its own rally memorabilia pinned to the walls, one even has a spectacular pinball machine collection. And after the climb you should have no guilt whatsoever in tacking the blueberry tart that is often on offer at Hotel des Trois Vallées, where the patrons kindly stamp our Brevet cards each year during the Fête des Zinzins event.

The descent back to Nice is via Piera-Cava, down the famous hairpins of ‘la Cabanette’ to Luceram and on to L’Escarène. At L’Escarène you’ll get one of the easiest col collections of your life – one kilometer out of the town takes you up and over the Col de Nice. That said, you’ll have already climbed around 1,800m at this point, so it’s still well-earned.

Arriving back in Nice, it’s not natural to us to climb Col d’Eze instead of returning to the Café. However part of the point of all pilgrimages to pro parcours, such as L’Étape du Tour, is to put yourself through the same challenges. So we turn left up the Grande Corniche, aka Col d’Eze. The stage will actually visit the climb twice, with one full climb followed by a second ascent to the half way point, the Quatre Chemins junction.

We find Col d'Eze is often under-estimated by first-time visitors who ride it straight from the Café. After climbing Turini, it really stings the legs, especially the first two kilometers which average an 8% gradient. For the Tour riders, the Eze loops will probably be where the GC contenders try to gain some time gaps. It's a tried and tested loop that ASO have used to make the Paris-Nice final stage a proper race to the line.

For mere mortals after roughly another 15km and 700m of ascent, the plunge back to the sea will be a welcome finale to a substantial ride. From the alpine peaks of the Turini to the big blue of the Côte d'Azur, it really is a showcase stage for #nicecyclingparadise.

Komoot Route

Coffee stop : Boulangerie Alexis in Levens comes at around 1.5hours into the ride and is perfect to fuel up before heading into the Vesubie valley.

Lunch stop : Hotel les Trois Vallées on Col de Turini has a nice terrace on the Col if the weather permits, or go inside and admire the rally memorabilia that covers every wall.

If you want to fly and ride the Turini and Eze loop on a top of the range bike, you can rent one of Café du Cycliste fleet of Cervélo R5s HERE

Read about other Rides of the Month and find the perfect route by season. Or discover more details about cycling on the Cote d'Azur with our Riding Guide to Nice.