CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
A 374 km one-way ride from near Le Cannet, about 7 h 55 of riding. On the way it passes Vence, Scenic stretch near Roquebillière and near Roquebillière. near Mandelieu-la-Napoule is the high point. It tops out at about 1,700 m. It crosses France, Italy and Monaco - carry ID and check vignette or toll rules.
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 25 km this is Route des Grandes Alpes, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Check the pass is open before you commit to it.
Le Cannet climbs the hills directly behind Cannes, and from its upper streets you look down over the rooftops of the city to the bay, the Lérins islands and the red Esterel mountains to the west. The old village at its heart, with narrow lanes, painted walls and small squares, still has a Provençal charm that the busy streets below have largely lost.
Read the complete Fuel stop in Le Cannet write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Alpine Maritime Weekend is where the day begins. Next is High point near Mandelieu-la-Napoule.
Mandelieu-la-Napoule sits at the western end of the bay of Cannes, where the river Siagne meets the sea, and behind it rise two very different massifs. To the south-west, the Esterel is a jagged range of red volcanic rock, plunging into the sea along one of the most dramatic stretches of coast in France. To the north, the Tanneron is a softer range of hills famous for its mimosa, which blooms in brilliant yellow in late winter.
Read the complete Food stop near Mandelieu-la-Napoule write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
You top out here; the road stops climbing. Next is Alpine Maritime Weekend checkpoint 8.
Vence is where the Riviera stops pretending to be the seaside and starts to become the mountains. The old town sits on a rocky spur about ten kilometres inland from the coast, still largely enclosed by its medieval walls, and behind it the land rises in steps of limestone, the baous, towards the high plateaus of the Préalpes. Finishing a ride here means ending among fountains, narrow lanes and terraces in the shade.
Read the complete Vence write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
The route ends here after 292 km. Next is Scenic stretch near Roquebillière.
Roquebillière sits in the valley of the Vésubie, one of the deep valleys that cut into the Alpes-Maritimes north of Nice. The river rushes down from the high peaks near the Italian border, and the valley is steep, wooded and dramatic, with villages perched on the slopes and mountains rising on every side.
Read the complete Scenic stretch near Roquebillière write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Scenic stretch near Roquebillière, about halfway. Next is Photo stop near Roquebillière.
Roquebillière has had to rebuild itself more than once. In 1926, a landslide swept down onto the old village, killing many of its inhabitants, and much of the population moved to a new site on the other side of the river. Then, in October 2020, Storm Alex unleashed catastrophic floods down the Vésubie valley, destroying roads, bridges and houses, and leaving scars that are still visible today. The resilience of the valley's people is remarkable, and the road has been rebuilt with new bridges and protections.
Read the complete Photo stop near Roquebillière write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Photo stop near Roquebillière sits at 195 km, about halfway. Next is Nice / Côte d’Azur return.
Palms, pastel houses and a bay that faces due south: Ospedaletti is the Riviera dei Fiori at its most relaxed, a small Ligurian town tucked between Sanremo and Bordighera with its feet in the sea and terraced hills behind it. The old coast railway has been moved inland into a tunnel, and its former line along the shore is now a cycle and walking path, so the seafront is quieter than you might expect on such a crowded coast.
Read the complete Ospedaletti write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Nice / Côte d’Azur return comes up about 334 km into the recorded legs. Next is Alpine Maritime Weekend food stop.
Cap-d'Ail is the last French town before Monaco, and you can feel the principality pressing against it. The Basse Corniche winds in from Èze and Beaulieu between villas and pines, the rocks drop to clear water below, and then, almost without warning, you are among the towers of Fontvieille. Cap-d'Ail itself is quieter than its neighbour: a scatter of Belle Époque villas, gardens and newer apartments on the slopes above a small cape with coves and a little beach.
Read the complete Cap-d'Ail write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Alpine Maritime Weekend food stop closes the day.
Fuel stop in Le Cannet → High point near Mandelieu-la-Napoule is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
High point near Mandelieu-la-Napoule → Vence is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Scenic stretch near Roquebillière → Photo stop near Roquebillière is 74 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Photo stop near Roquebillière → Ospedaletti is 117 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.