Ride from the snowcapped mountains of the Alps and finish in the lavender fields of Provence!
Holiday Highlights:
Ride from the Alps to the lavender landscapes of Provence
Stunning and varied terrain from snow-capped mountains to orchards and lavender valleys
Off-the-beaten-track routes using quiet trails and forest tracks
Experienced local guide who knows the mountains inside out
Two-base comfort: no daily packing, just great riding and changing scenery
Alps to Provence e-MTB Journey:
This unique electric mountain bike journey from the Alps to Provence takes you from the wild alpine landscapes of the Southern Alps to the sun-drenched valleys and lavender fields of Provence. Designed for experienced riders who now enjoy e-MTB for the pleasure of the ride rather than technical challenge, the focus is on beautiful trails, spectacular scenery and rewarding days in the saddle.
Riding a mix of forest tracks, flowing trails, accessible singletrack and quiet mountain paths, you’ll explore remote valleys, traditional villages and high mountain landscapes before gradually descending towards the warmer colours and scents of Provence. With the support of an e-mountain bike, you can cover impressive terrain while still enjoying the journey, the views and the atmosphere of the mountains.
This is the perfect adventure for riders who have spent years mountain biking and still love being on the trails, but now prefer great landscapes, enjoyable riding and memorable places to stay rather than highly technical descents.
What the Riding Feels Like
Each day your guide will lead you on a different route through some of the most beautiful and unspoilt areas of the Southern Alps. Starting close to the snow-capped peaks of the Écrins National Park, the journey gradually heads south towards Provence, passing through dramatic landscapes including Ceüse, the Dévoluy, the Gorges de la Méouge and the Montagne de Lure, before finishing among the famous lavender fields.
The aim is to stay off the beaten track as much as possible, using a network of forest trails, mountain tracks and quiet paths that criss-cross the mountains. The riding is generally easy to moderate in technical difficulty, with forest pistes and accessible singletrack adding variety and fun along the way.
Along the route you’ll experience magnificent panoramic views, dramatic cliffs, wild gorges, lakes perfect for a refreshing dip, orchards and lavender fields. This is also a region rich in wildlife — you’ll be riding through wolf country, with frequent sightings of chamois, deer, mouflon, wild boar, foxes, eagles and vultures.
Two Bases, No Daily Packing
To keep the trip enjoyable and relaxed, this is a two-base itinerary rather than a point-to-point tour with a different hotel every night. You’ll stay in two carefully chosen bases, which means no daily packing and more time to enjoy the riding, the landscapes and the local atmosphere. Each day your guide takes you out on a different route, and the journey gradually transitions from the high Alps towards the warmer landscapes of Provence.
Why e-MTB Works So Well Here
Electric mountain biking has transformed riding in the Alps. An e-MTB provides adjustable pedal assistance to support your own effort, making long climbs more enjoyable and allowing you to explore bigger landscapes than would otherwise be possible.
You still pedal and ride a real mountain bike — but the extra support makes steep climbs and longer days much more accessible. For many riders it brings back the freedom and enjoyment of mountain biking while opening up routes that might otherwise feel too demanding.
An e-MTB lets you focus on the ride and the scenery not just the climbs.
We have selected a range of routes specifically adapted to electric mountain biking for this tour with the aim of getting the most out of your e-bikes, having fun and seeing the best of the scenery and views away from the busier traditional mountain biking tracks.
The biking days are between 30km and 60km long with between 700m and 1500m of ascent, which is perfect for optimal battery power and being able to enjoy the ups and downs!
The technical level of the route is easy with a few challenges for those that want to try, all made much more accessible by your electric bike! If you are used to graded mountain bike routes imagine blue routes with some reds.
You are guided for the full trip by Manu, who is a fully qualified, very professional and passionate mountain bike guide who specialises in electric mountain biking. He is local to this area and has contributed to mountain biking guide books as well as putting up some of the way marked self guided routes. If you need to change route, he will know where to go and will be adapting the trip continuously without you even realising so that you get the most out of your trip!
You need to get to Gap where you will be based for the first half of this trip. The hotel is walking distance from the train station. If you need any help working out how to get to Gap, please ask us as we have become experts and working out the best ways to get here!
We suggest meeting the rest of your group in the hotel lobby at 18h30 to meet each other and go out into Gap town for the evening for a drink and dinner. We can advise you on good restaurants and can book you a table in advance if you wish.
The hotel has a secure place to put your bikes if you are bringing your own.
Your guide, will come and meet you in the morning ready to bike with your day pack. He will take you to the park to check everyone's bikes and give any hired bikes to people hiring before setting off.
Once all the technical stuff is to everyone's satisfaction, your adventure begins!
The first day is a beautiful climb through fields and forests into the Champsaur valley, the gateway to the Ecrins National Park and the start of the big Alpine summits. The Champsaur is also famous for its 'bocage' (Manu will explain this en route!) and authentic Alpine farming culture. After a lovely gentle descent you will ride alongside the Drac river with a possibility of stopping off at the swimming lake for a dip! After that, there is one more spectacular climb up through the mountains before another fun downhill back to the minibus.
This is an exceptional day taking you into the limestone massif of the Dévoluy.
Wild and unspoilt, the Devoluy mountains are a haven for wildlife and Manu will take you off the beaten track to places little used by tourists.
Expect to see dramatic limestone cliffs with multicoloured Alpine pastures teeming with butterflies and hopefully some mountain wildlife: mouflon, chamois, deer and boar. wolves are also permanently established in this area!
The biggest mountain in this range, is the Pic du Bure. The plateau of this magnificent mountain is home to one of three space observatory stations in the world, testament to the pure air and lack of light pollution in this part of the Alps
There are two main uphill sections today, split up by a beautiful descent and downwards traverse around the bowl of the Dévoluy mountains at the end of your day.
Ceuse is a world famous climbing destination and whilst you won't be scaling any cliffs, you will experience the same breathtaking views! The mountain hosts some exceptional mountain biking routes with stunning panoramic views over the surrounding valleys.
You will traverse through forest trails skirting around the mountain and then climb up to the plateau, a spectacular grassy Alpine pasture teaming with flowers, butterflies and other wildlife; a stunning contrast with the Alpine woods and forests below.
This morning you will check out of your hotel in Gap and take all your baggage with you in the minibus. Today's ride is between the two accommodation bases taking in the famous Gorges de la Méouges. The Gorges de la Méouges is a 'Natura 2000' biological reserve with magnificent clear blue waters cascading through the rocks creating an array of beaches, waterfalls and rapids.
On today's ride, you will also see vineyards, lavender fields and fruit orchards growing apples, pears, apricots and peaches lining these fertile lands, the change of scenery is quite remarkable!
You will also discover the beautiful medieval village of Serres and have the possibility of a quick dip or even a proper swim and sunbathe at the swimming lake en route.
Sisteron, your next accommodation base is known as the gateway to Provence thanks to its proximity to Provence and its situation: wedged in a narrow gap between two mountain ridges. As a pre-Roman town with 4000 years of recorded history and an impressive citadel built into the rock, Sisteron is an intriguing place to spend a bit of time. We highly recommend visiting the citadel whilst you are here. You can read more about Sisteron on our blog.
A brief return into the Buech valley to attack the ascent of the Col Saint Pierre. A climb up through the calm and peaceful natural Provencal wilderness before going back down to the Jabron valley. This valley owes its name to the river that crosses it and has the charm of rurality, with beekeepers, shepherds, goats and of course lavender ... it is a magnificent natural space away from the main roads - perfect for getting back in touch with what matters.
The objective of the day is to cross the white limestone of the Montagne de Lure (1826m)! By its color, one could believe in eternal snow. And although, you won't see any skiers, look out for paragliders or hang-gliding take-offs. In the footsteps of Giono, a famous French author in love with Provence, you will discover a sumptuous landscape with a view of Mont Ventoux in the distance and an exceptional diversity of fauna and flora.
Today you will make your way back home. There is a train station in Sisteron and we can help you plan your train routes back to any of the main TGV train stations or airports.
We hope you have had an amazing holiday, met some great people and will be going home with lots of wonderful memories!
Who Will Love This Trip?
This trip is designed for experienced mountain bikers who now ride e-MTB and want to keep exploring big mountain landscapes with a focus on enjoyable, scenic riding rather than highly technical terrain.
It’s ideal if you:
have mountain biking experience (you’re confident riding off-road)
now prefer scenic, flowing trails and forest tracks over technical downhill
want a rewarding journey with great views and varied terrain
have years of riding behind you and want to keep exploring big terrain, without chasing extreme descents
You don’t need to be an enduro rider or a bike-park regular — the emphasis is on beautiful routes, remote landscapes and enjoyable riding, with e-bike support to make long climbs and bigger days feel accessible.
This Trip Is Not For…
This trip is not designed for riders looking for highly technical terrain or adrenaline-style mountain biking. If you are seeking steep enduro descents, bike-park riding or very technical singletrack, this may not be the right trip for you.
The focus here is on beautiful mountain landscapes, enjoyable trails and rewarding days in the saddle, rather than extreme riding.
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- Restaurant evening meals and drinks in Gap in the evenings
- Picnic or restaurant lunches (some days will include the possibility of a restaurant lunch and others will require a picnic)
- Your journey to and from Gap
- Tips for the guide
Our Alps to Provence e-biking adventure was absolutely fantastic! The trails were stunning and wonderfully varied, and our guide, Max, was exceptional – always ready with expert tips that made a real difference. My mount…
Sally and the team organised a fantastic week of mountain biking for us around Gap and Sisteron. The logistics all worked perfectly, the hotels and food and drink were superb and the cycling was amazing. Our guides Romai…
Sally and Francois made this trip very special . The weather was perfect, the scenery spectacular. Coming from a place where there are specific mountain biking trails we did find the terrain challenging at times but Fran…
Your trip starts in the town of Gap and finishes in the town of Sisteron, both of which are served by an SNCF train station with links to the major TGV train stations and airports.
BY TRAIN / BUS:
There are direct train links to Gap from Grenoble TGV station there is also an overnight sleeper train from Paris to Gap.
There is also a regular coach service which operates from Aix-en-Provence TGV directly to Gap and Sisteron. Have a look at the time-tables.
From Sisteron you can get the train back to Gap and connect with the various train links from there or go south to Aix-en-Provence or Marseille using the train or coach service.
You can plan your train journey using the Oui SNCF website. This works from all major European cities.
BY PLANE:
The nearest airports are Marseille and Grenoble. From Marseille airport there is a regular coach service directly to Gap every two and a half hours with a stop at Sisteron. From Grenoble you would need to get the airport shuttle to the train station and then a train from Grenoble to Gap.
Please ask us about transport options when you enquire as we have become pros on getting people to this beautiful region!
Guided Alps to Provence e-MTB Journey
Ride from the snowcapped mountains of the Alps and finish in the lavender fields of Provence!
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