Day 1 - Arrival in St Paul de Vence 

Ron and Sharyn from Idaho, Julie from Montreal and Ramsey and Sue from California made it to our start hotel. Ramsey and Sue came the long way by motorcycle from Mieming over the Dolomites. They are already warmed up. 

We had a great dinner at our charming Hotel Lrs Messugues.

Day 2 - Vence - St Michel l'Observatoire

Frist riding day, a really good one. Canyon du Verdon with great twisty roads, little medieval villages, superb food and breathtaking scenery. 

Day 3 - St Michel - Avignon - 240 km

On our second riding day we had a lot of highlights.  Roussilion, the Ocre town with colourful rockformations, Gordes, the monastery of Senaque, Canyon de la Nesque with spectacular scenery and riding and famous Mont Ventoux, the mountain of winds. And it was windy up there! But the view from the top was just breathtaking. We could see the Mediterranean and the high Alps from there. Wow!

Day 4 - Avignon - La Muse - 260 km

After a relaxed morning ride along the river Rhone, we got to the Cevennes, where twisty mountaim roads were waiting for us. A lot of riding fun on empty roads!

The hotel La Muse in the Canyon du Tarn is just perfect for our resr day tomorrow. 

Day 5 - Restday La Muse - 180 km

On our first restday, some of the group decided not to rest and go for a ride. Julie, Sue and Ramsey enjoyed the challenging roads and the visit of a stunning cave.

Day 6 - La Muse - Loriol - 290 km

Riding through the Tarn Canyon and the Ardeche Canyon was a blast! Coutless curves and excellent road conditions. It was riders paradise!

Day 7 - Loriol - Chambery - 260 km

Riding the Vercours mountain passes was so much fun. The Combe Laval with its road carved out of vertical stonewall was the scenic highlight. Our picnic at a beautiful spot at the river was also wonderful. 

Day 8 - Chambery - Arvieux - 200 km

Today was the first day of the high Passes. The weatherforcast was bad, but we were lucky. The first 3 passes were fine, without rain. Col de Glandon, Col de la Croix de Fer and Col du Lautaret. Beautiful scenery and many hairpins. The last pass Col d' Izoard, over 2300 meters high, surprised us with light snowfall! But the group was brave and we made it safe to our hotel. 

Day 9 - Arvieux - Jausier - 205 km

The weather changed our plan. We went over Col de Vars and had a Cappuccino in Italy at the Col de Larche.

In the afternoon 2 fearless riders, Julie and Ramsey joined me for a ride to Col de la Bonette and Col de Allos.

At the Bonette we had some intense snowfall and at the Allos quite heavy rain. But we still enjoyed the ride and improved our riding skills in wet conditions. 

Day 10 - Jausier - Vence - 250 km

Unfortunately our last riding day,  but propabely the best and most intense one.

Starting out in sunny conditions over the Col de la Cayolle was spectacular and cold. Later on it was getting warmer and we had fantastic riding through the gorge de Dalouis and several mountain roads with no name.

A perfect end of a great tour. I am proud of this group and hope to see everybody again on another trip.