The hills around our location in Gréoux-les-Bains reach a maximum altitude of 600 metres. Our starting point at the tourist office is 350 metres above sea level. But like a long rollercoaster, the route goes up and down again and again. The "Alpes de Haute-Provence" department, between the Verdon and Luberon rivers, is more like the German low mountain ranges than the Alps; you literally gain metres in altitude at every turn. The country lanes on the plateaus provide a breather. Here, we cycle through dense rows of lavender, which bloom in lush purple in spring, the typical postcard and calendar views of Provence.
But even when the guide is busy, there is plenty for bikers to do and discover around Gréoux-les-Bains. Over 300 kilometres of real mountain bike routes are signposted in this corner of Provence. "Real" because these tours also include challenging sections and not just wide forest tracks. But this is not the only reason why we have chosen this region for the "BIKE Dream Tours". In spring and autumn, when the mud is still seeping into your bike shoes in Germany, the climate here is perfect, with excellent, varied cuisine and empty trails. The three hikers we meet along the way are delighted to see us exotic travellers on bikes.
All mountain bike routes are marked with coloured numbers and signs and marked on a separate, rather simple map. There are no precise altitude profiles, but at least the total altitude metres (dénivelé) are indicated for each tour. The level of difficulty of each route is harmonised with the ski slope markings. From blue (easy) to moderately difficult red to challenging black. It only becomes problematic when the markings are missing at junctions because someone has torn them down - or the tree with the bike sign has been felled. Then it's a case of scouting and map interpretation. But Marc regularly rides all the routes and updates the markings - if he's not too busy again. Fortunately, there are detailed IGN maps of the area at a scale of 1:25000.
The tours in this PDF download:
1st St Julien (41.65 km, 1030 m elevation gain, 3 h 50 min)
2nd Ravin des Arnards (33.42 km, 600 m elevation gain, 2 h 55 min)
3rd Lac d'Esparron (48 km, 1180 m elevation gain, 4 h 25 min)
