Le Parc naturel régional du Vercors is a mountain massif in the South of France to the west of the Alps. See map, and see here for more geographical info. Up until six years ago, I had never even heard of it. Now it's one of my favourite places to ride. It features a wide variety of different terrains - massive vertical cliffs, deep gorges, grassy plateaux, huge areas of forest - and some of the most dramatic roads I've ever seen, such as Combe Laval, Gorges du Nan, Gorges de la Bourne.
And there is hardly any traffic. As you can see from the posts below, I have been there in May, July and September. Never have I seen it busy with tourists or even cyclists/climbers/walkers. The road surfaces are all in exceptionally good condition, as is the norm for France. There are plenty of forest roads and tracks to explore as well, such as the ride to La Moliere.
The Vercors is a veritable cyclists' paradise!
My Rides in the Vercors
Col de la Machine
A bike ride around Combe Laval clockwise, via the Col de la Machine to see if I could view the D76 balcony road from the other side
Col de Tourniol
Another wonderful ride in the Vercors region of France, taking in the Col de Tourniol and the Relais de Musan
La Molière
Cycling in the Vercors, this ride takes a forest road to col de la Molière from where there are excellent views towards la Chartreuse
Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte
Went in search of three maidens but they were stony-faced
Canyon des Ecouges
A bike ride around the northern tip of the Vercors massif to climb the Route des Ecouges to the tunnel, returning via the Gorges de la Bourne
Les Glovettes
No churches, no clocks, no cows. Sorry
Tunnel Mortier
A bike ride in the Vercors to Le Tunnel Mortier, closed years ago due to a landslide but still accessible to cyclists
Tunnel des Ecouges
A brief exploration of le Tunnel des Ecouges and a look at the old balcony road that was closed years ago due to the danger of rock fall
La vallée de la Vernaison
A ride down the beautiful Vernaison valley on a scorching hot day…
Col de Rousset
A bike ride down from Col de Rousset to Chamaloc, then back to the top. This hairpin-fest of a road is the southern entrance to the Vercors.
Col de la Bataille
Ride to Col de la Bataille taking in a few other cols on the way
Rencurel
A short evening bike ride from Chorance up the Gorges de la Bourne to Rencurel, in the Vercors national park, France
Châtelus
Beautiful peaceful climb, then great descent. 25°C. Amazing landscape!
Presles
Climb to Presles – first ride of my cycling holiday
Gorgeous Narnia (aka Gorges du Nan)
An amazing bike ride through the Gorges du Nan, followed by a climb to Col de Mont Noir and an exhilarating descent via Gorges de la Bourne
Cirque de Combe Laval
A bike ride in the Vercors from St-Jean-en-Royans up to the Col de la Machine via the hair-raising D76 Cirque de Combe Laval 'balcony' road.