Chorges / Gap / Tallard

This stage may be less spectacular than the more northerly ones, but it presents an enjoyably wide variety of landscapes. Riding through the Avance Valley, you pass peaceful meadows and herds as well as farming hamlets. Away from any bustle, meander along country lanes, with, as backdrop to this bucolic setting, the peaks of Le Champsaur and the Pic de Bure. The little city of Gap, surrounded by such grand summits as Céüse and Charance, provides a lovely urban stop, with its historic centre, lively café and restaurant terraces and facilities for cyclists. Leaving town, tackle this stage’s final climb to Châteauvieux before racing down to the Château de Tallard and the Durance River, enjoying the hint of Provence in the air!

The cycle route

Leaving Chorges, you ride into the undulating area of the Val d’Avance, cycling along narrow but generally quiet country lanes. However, the two spots where you have to cross national roads require care. You cycle into Gap via the Tokoro shopping area (zone commerciale) and a section of greenway leading you right into the town centre. Do watch out at crossroads in town, though. Leaving Gap proves pleasant, going along a separate cycle lane, then a bucolic cycle path running beside the Luye River, before you join a secondary road for Châteauvieux. After one final climb, enjoy the pretty, peaceful descent to Tallard.

Don't miss

• Chorges: a lively little town with pedestrian streets at the foot of mountains; weekly market; close to tracks leading to the nearby beaches and watersports centres on Serre-Ponçon Lake, notably the Baie Saint-Michel, easily accessible by bike.
• Val d’Avance (La Bâtie-Neuve, La Bâtie-Vieille): a valley with a rural atmosphere and quiet country roads.
• Belvédères, or viewing points, over to the Pic de Bure and Céüse summits: open landscapes stretching as far as the dramatic Dévoluy and other mountain ranges.
• Gap: the historic city centre; the cathedral; the Domaine de Charance, a park with fine views over town; the lively central restaurant and café terraces. Specific cycling facilities: Mobil’idées, offering participatory workshops; bike repair companies; a handful of secure, free bike shelters.
• Châteauvieux: a village with plunging views over the Durance valley and the most southerly village along the cycle route before you enter Provence.
• Château de Tallard: a remarkable medieval fort looking down on the Durance.