Annecy sits at the northern tip of its lake, with the mountains stacked behind it, and on a clear morning it is one of the prettiest towns in the French Alps. The old centre is a knot of canals, arcaded streets and pastel houses, with a small medieval prison built on an island in the middle of the stream, and the lake beyond is so clean that you can see the bottom a long way out. With around 49,000 people it has everything: fuel, food, repair shops and plenty of places to sleep.
The riding starts at the lake itself. The road around its shore runs through Talloires and Menthon-Saint-Bernard, past old châteaux and stone villages, and then climbs gently through woods before dropping again to the water. It is lovely, and very busy in July and August, when cars and cyclists fill every lay-by. In the shoulder seasons it is a different place altogether, quiet and cool, with clear light on the Dents de Lanfon and the snow just visible on the Tournette. East of the lake the roads climb toward the Col de la Forclaz de Montmin, a modest pass of about 1,150 metres with a good view over the water.
The town's history has been shaped by its position, between Geneva, Savoie and the passes to Italy. For centuries it belonged to the counts of Geneva, and later to the dukes of Savoy, and the little château that rises above the old town was theirs. Today it is a place where paragliders gather on the hills and where the lakeside promenade fills each evening with people eating ice cream and watching the light fade.
As a start and finish, Annecy works very well. Early in the morning the town is calm, with delivery vans in the lanes and the smell of bread in the air, and you can be on the mountain roads within twenty minutes. At night the lights of the old town reflect in the canal, and the cafés along the quay stay open late. Book a bed ahead in summer.