What a tour! The Vercors Massif, a dramatic sweep of limestone escarpment that lies at the foot of the French Alps is known by cyclists for spectacular roads and breathtaking scenery of cols, dizzying cliffs and tumbling streams.

It’s a mix of grottos, cliff-hewn tunnels, limestone caves, high pastures and forests and tiny villages. Within the area lies the National Parc Vercor, the biggest national park in France. What it has in abundance is breathtaking beauty and amazing views in every direction. Water is everywhere, coursing down rivers, gouging out gorges over millennia and shaping the terrain in weird and wonderful ways as it winds its way to the Rhone Valley. Man then carved narrow roads and tunnels through sheer rock walls at enormous human cost for trade. These are the roads you’ll ride.

After leaving the valley floor, you will have a steady climb to slip into the narrow gorges as you wind your way into the lush, green plateau itself, where you’ll be rewarded by a superb panorama of limestone cornices and 1000 foot cliffs reaching to the sky.

The villages are authentic, unspoilt and charming, the inns welcoming. Under the pastoral exterior, this high plateau was a natural fortress and a stronghold of the French Resistance in WWII.

While the lowlands wilt under the summer sun, the high plateau enjoys moderate temperatures making it ideal for cycling in July and August. But if you want to see it in all its finery, come in the autumn when the hills explode in fiery reds and yellows. This tour includes a number of long ascents on the first day. This tour is recommended for more experienced cyclists who can manage more challenging terrain.