La Grande Traversée du Volcan à vélo

Mountains

Short trip

165 Km

I cycle a lot

Port d'Agrès

Blesle

La Grande Traversée du Volcan à Vélo leads you on a splendid cycling trip through the heart of the Cantal Mountains, crossing the oldest, largest volcano in Europe, going from Lot to Allier Valleys. This demanding route takes you along roads, winding through gorges, around old volcanoes and across high plateaux. The towns and villages of Maurs, Aurillac, Mandailles and Allanche make for fine stops to stock up on local specialities and to meet the locals. The route’s highlight is the ride up to the Pas de Peyrol, a pass at the foot of the soaring volcanic summit of Puy Mary, the greatest reward on this adventure, to tackle on a long weekend or short break.

Elevation of the route

1902 m 2258 m

Waytypes of the cycle route

Cycle path: 2,98 km By road: 182,75 km

Surface of the cycle route

Smooth: 180,78 km Rough: 0,87 km Unknown: 4,08 km

The GT2V: a 160 km-long cycle route between the Lot Valley and the Allier Valley

Layout and signposting along the route

The route is essentially along roads, some of these liable to be busy with traffic (see stage details). The route is signposted with green and white signs for cyclists.

The slopes can be daunting if you’re not used to cycling in mountainous terrain. Have a close look at the gradients and shifts in altitude stated in the relevant stage descriptions. Given that weather can change fast in the mountains and snow can be an issue, always check both the weather forecast and that high-altitude roads are open before you set out. Best tackle this route between mid-May and mid-November.

SNCF train stations along the route

Maurs: regional TER train line to and from Figeac; coach services to and from Aurillac
Aurillac: regional TER trains serving Brive, Clermont-Ferrand and Figeac
Massiac (towards Blesle)

Links with other cycle routes

La Vallée du Lot à Vélo: From Port d'Agrès (departure) you can go to Cahors or continue to La Canourgue.
Via Allier: connection at the finish of the last stage, in Sainte-Florine