Cote D'Azur Millionaire ride

ddraver

Hi Guys

After one of the TG Specials where they drove (or whatever) along the Cote D'Azur, I ve always harbored a desire to do a ride along there. A sort of relaxed ride maybe to Monaco (you have to see it once) but stopping off in a few cafes and ordering a lot of tap waters and espressos so we can watch the Billionaires and their Wags frolic on the beach. Rapha/Castelli and sparkling clean bikes obligatory sort of thing (i.e. not very serious)

Has anyone done this? Is it actually doable or is it actually just a horrible series of trunk roads the whole way? In short is my idea a good one or not?

Would be interested to hear your experiences

cc78

There is some glorious riding on the Cote d'Azur but the best bits are inland. The coast roads are busy. Monaco itself is full of tunnels and steep, narrow, traffic-jammed streets; in short, it's not pleasant on a bike.

Stay in Nice, Menton, or one of the smaller towns and you will have a brilliant cycling holiday. If you must visit Monaco then do it by train/bus (or superyacht...).

sancho_panza

http://www.cafeducycliste.com/ride-info ... e=seaside/

this looks pretty good...

fenix

I've stayed a bit outside Cannes. Theoule sur Mer I think? It's awful riding through Cannes and er didn't get as far as Monaco cycling. It's much better going the other way. Quieter roads. Cannes is too busy really. Some great hills inland too.

TG always seem to find quiet roads? God knows what time they film their bits.

Oh we saw Alan Sugar cycling along there too. God he's a grumpy git.

Monaco isn't the best really.

davep1

Go over the border into Italy and then head inland to Apricale, absolutely beautiful and a fraction of the prices in France

ddraver

Sancho Panza wrote:

http://www.cafeducycliste.com/ride-info?rideType=seaside/

this looks pretty good...

It does eh?

We should look into getting back on the train or something so we don't have to do there and back...

lakesluddite

I agree with the post about the best roads being inland.
Last summer I went on a guided ride from Nice, through Monte Carlo and on to Menton then up the Col De La Madone, and I must say the most enjoyable bit was getting off the coast road and going up the climb - until then it had been a constant negotiation of the traffic. This is especially the case in Monte Carlo, as one of the guides pointed out that as the service staff who work there can't afford to live there, everyone commutes in.
Having said that, even though the traffic levels were high, I never felt intimidated or unsafe - the level of respect to cyclists seemed much better than here (or maybe it was a case of safety in numbers).
From one packed bus journey from Antibes to Cannes that I remember from a previous trip, that coastal road is pretty busy most of the time.

mercia_man

I agree with the others. Of course, it's possible to ride the Cote d'Azur but it's a case of using cycle paths and busy trunkroads and dual carriageways through urban sprawl squeezed into the narrow coastal strip. But travel around 10 miles inland from Nice to Vence, for example, and you are in beautiful mountainous and relatively quiet cycling terrain. However, travelling east from Vence to Monaco would be a tough ride as the lie of the land is north to south.

sniper68

I rode inland from Frejus and looped back around to Ste Maxime and took the coast road back to Frejus.The coast road isn't particularly inspiring and is just busy....very busy.On a weekend it's basically a car park as we found out when we tried to drive to St Tropez a few days later.We turned around a it was bumper to bumper from Ste Maxime onwards.
Go inland there's some stunning roads!

My daughter and I had a day in Monaco and although I'm glad I did it once I doubt I'd rush back.

ddraver

Was that weekend or weekday Ibbo?

sniper68

ddraver wrote:

Was that weekend or weekday Ibbo?

It was very busy midweek and VERY busy at the weekend.It was in July so to be expected!

ddraver

may not be worth the faff then

sniper68

ddraver wrote:

may not be worth the faff then

Any of the hotspots are really busy in summer. St Tropez,Cannes,Monaco etc.
It's like London....but sunny,hot and with a sea view.

lostboysaint

Yeah but then you go west of the St Tropez peninsula and the traffic just melts away and you've got the fantastic riding all over (and round) the Massif des Maures, the quieter coastal roads on that south coast and the much nicer coastal towns. If you head inland from there it's possible that you won't see a car for several hours.

ddraver

That does rather negate the point of riding along the Cote D'Azur though

(!!!)

sniper68

ddraver wrote:

That does rather negate the point of riding along the Cote D'Azur though

(!!!)

I'm sure it would be possible to avoid the main roads and ride the Côte d'Azur just slightly inland but you then either miss all the "in" towns or detour into them.
I'm sure I saw a couple of routes on Strava when I was looking to ride there.

grandantipathes

this route I made is excellent (though challenging) and will take you to some of the best climbs, away from traffic:
https://www.strava.com/routes/3629458

ddraver

Feeling like I deserve a sainthood for my patience here...

grandantipathes

ddraver wrote:

Feeling like I deserve a sainthood for my patience here...

Your question has been answered before, the coastal roads are not ideal, because the cars are going pretty quick and it can be dangerous. You won't see cyclists riding along the coast for that reason.. Most people venture inland.
If you still really want to, the stretch between monaco and ventimiglia is good and not too dangerous

lostboysaint

grandantipathes wrote:

ddraver wrote:

Feeling like I deserve a sainthood for my patience here...

Your question has been answered before, the coastal roads are not ideal, because the cars are going pretty quick and it can be dangerous. You won't see cyclists riding along the coast for that reason.. Most people venture inland.
If you still really want to, the stretch between monaco and ventimiglia is good and not too dangerous

Quite, but some people only read what they really want to see

ddraver

LBS - are you saying that the roads along the coast (!) from St Tropez to Cap Benat better?

...cos they would also be fun, but are probably too far out of the way for us...

lostboysaint

Yep, miles nicer. Less traffic, some cracking villages and towns, wonderful beaches and coves, mountains immediately available (turn right if you're going east to west) if you fancy a challenge and a lot more laid back than the stretch from St Tropez round past Ste Maxime and beyond to Cannes etc. The stretch from Cap Benat round Bregancon (where El Presidente has his summer residence) and beyond down to LaLonde and then to Hyeres is fabulous as well, although you won't get as close to the water in a number of places because the vineyards reach down to the beaches from the road.

ddraver

Excellent knowledge!

So the misery starts from St Tropex going East basically...

We'll have to see how we get on...

lostboysaint

Correct. There's a big roundabout/traffic light set up at Port Grimaud on the "entrance" to the St Tropez peninsula (it has a huge Casino supermarket there) and the shit starts eastwards no matter whether you're going onto the peninsula or heading around the N559 towards Ste Maxime. If you head west towards Cogolin & La Mole you wouldn't believe how much quieter the roads are. There's some great places to base yourselves around there which give you access into ST and the "tourist" stuff but also mean that you wheel your bike onto the road and then can either get straight into a climb over the Massif des Maures (something like the Col du Canadel is always great) and then drop down onto the coast road or you can take the slightly more major route along to the Bormes turn-off or meet the LaLonde/Hyeres road. You won't see masses of cars, you will see a reasonable number of cyclists.

Flâneur

As said multiple times between June and August the place is crazy. Get out in May it can be nicer (not saying quiet just less fraught) September is nice time but the weather can be worse. Fair enough out of season some places may not be as open as you would like, but it isn't going to be a ghost town.

As noted St T - Monaco is the horrible bit. St T in the winter is lovely but then I like the feeling of the ghost town when compared to the summer madness.

I'm not sure the Cote D'Azure road would be worth the trouble/effort, every year I am out there I tend to head North or East. Then again I normally stay just east of Monaco, and though fun to do once or twice (just to be cycling beside super cars or have people look at your bike, should you have that bike) it will never be a routine joy. But then you aren't asking for that.

Time it well and you can draft a few of the F1 guys when they go out for a spin

fenix

We did the roads out to St Raphael - that was quite nice. We only found the nasty bits were the big towns - so Cannes etc.
Rest of it was fine really. In Cannes theres always a fair chance of bumping into a ferrari - so cycle safely !

Oh and we saw Stephen Roche too - his hotel is around there somewhere ?

ddraver

From where Fenix?

Tks

JoostG

Spend the last 4 years a week with family in Le Rayol (little to the east of St Tropez). That area is perfect for cycling: the coastal road is busy, but not too busy. With col du canadel, col de Babaou, Route Forestiere (on top of col du canadel) and Col du Périer there are some challenges. You can find nice little villages, vineyards and nature (I spot wild boar every year early in the morning). Mondain St Tropez (harbor and Nikki Beach) is still close by and be reach via La Croix Valmer and Ramatuelle (quiet road).

lostboysaint

You've got your easts and wests confused Rayol is West (actually almost exactly south west) of St Tropez.

fenix

DD - based in Theoule sur Mer - so we could go both ways - East and West and also inland for the hills. Nice location - great views of Cannes across the bay for the fireworks.

JoostG

lostboysaint wrote:

You've got your easts and wests confused Rayol is West (actually almost exactly south west) of St Tropez.

Uhh, yes.... Typing and serving lunch to 2 children. Not a multi-tasker.