To celebrate our 50th birthdays, my friend Graeme and I hit the road in June 2026 with the aim of riding from Paris to Nice over the Alps on our vintage Peugeot road bikes. I love the concept of the ‘Race to the Sun’ and ever since getting into cycling, Paris-Nice has been my favourite race. It usually takes place in spring when Paris is usually wet and gloomy and the Côte d’Azur is bright and sunny and for me it has become a reminder that summer is on its way. Riding in the summer when the mountain passes were open, we were also able to take on Galibier, Col d’Izoard and Col de la Cayolle among others and so we ended up with an incredible challenge that combined many of the best elements of cycle touring.
We completed the 1200km route in 10 days and camped every day excluding a rest day in Briançon. We made a daily podcast called Pain and Fromage which you can find elsewhere on my blog as well as on Apple and Spotify Podcasts, as well as blogging about each day. The blogs on this page will take you through from the initial planning thorough the daily updates and to a final summary of the journey and I hope these provide a good reference for anyone planning to DIY the route.
Likes, subscribes and reviews for both the podcast and blog are very welcome and all blogs are open for comments if you have any questions or further discussion.
Thank you for checking out this page and I hope you’re inspired to take on part or all of the journey yourself.
- Paris-Nice 2026 – the DIY version
I get on incredibly badly with winter, so I always look forward to Paris-Nice. The first major stage race of the European cycling calendar is famed for starting in the cold and wet of late winter in northern France and, over the course of the following week, making its way … Continue reading Paris-Nice 2026 – the DIY version - Paris-Nice 2026 Podcast – 30 Days to Go
30 days before departure, Graeme and I met up online to talk about the ride ahead. We discussed planning, the route ahead, gear choices, fitness and a multitude of other things we’re excited or anxious about. - Paris-Nice Day One: Île de Paris
Today’s ride: 85km, 392m elevation Total so far: 85km, 392m elevation It’s 11am in Paris, and opposite the Gare St Nazare Two middle aged men are fiddling with their bikes. Their coffee and croissants are slowly cooling on the table beside them while the traffic honks slowly past, two lanes … Continue reading Paris-Nice Day One: Île de Paris - Paris-Nice Day Two: The Three Rivers
Today’s ride: 148km, 291m elevation Total so far: 233km, 683m Saturday began with a smattering of light rain that perhaps didn’t bode well, but our preorder from the local boulangerie was waiting for us at reception and spirits were high. After the customary wrong turn at the start, we were … Continue reading Paris-Nice Day Two: The Three Rivers - Paris-Nice Day Three: Loire-en-Bourgogne
Today’s ride: 184km, 662m elevation Total so far: 417km, 1345m elevation Day three was the first day that everything went well, and we really got into our stride. It was scheduled to be a long day of riding, but not a tough one; 184km in rigidly, but almost pan flat. … Continue reading Paris-Nice Day Three: Loire-en-Bourgogne - Paris-Nice Day Four: Bourgogne
Today’s ride: 135km, 1292m elevation Total so far: 552km, 2637m The bonus of getting in late on day three was that we didn’t have breakfast sorted, so we had to stop in the village to get something to eat. So thank you to Patisserie Guillet in Bourbon-Lancy for the friendly … Continue reading Paris-Nice Day Four: Bourgogne - Paris-Nice Day Five: Into the Mountains
Today’s ride: 165km, 1717m elevation Total so far: 717km, 4354m Last night was a disaster. For the first time we had got to camp at a reasonable time, sorted out some dinner and a couple of beers, seared a lovely piece of steak over the Trangia and got some washing … Continue reading Paris-Nice Day Five: Into the Mountains - Paris-Nice Day Six: Col de la Madeleine
Today’s ride: 97km, 1794m elevation Total so far: 814km, 6148m It’s often said that cycling is unique, in that you can play in the same sporting arenas as your heroes. You can’t just rock up at Wembley or Lords and expect to get a run-around with your mates, but you … Continue reading Paris-Nice Day Six: Col de la Madeleine - Paris-Nice Day Seven: Col du Galibier
Today’s ride: 96km, 2605m elevation Total so far: 910km, 8753m It was the perfect French breakfast. A lump of cheese, a hunk of bread, coffee and a glass of juice on a sunny morning in the square. I chatted to two Norwegian cyclists and pulled out my map for us … Continue reading Paris-Nice Day Seven: Col du Galibier - Paris-Nice Day Eight: Col d’Izoard and Col de Vars
Today’s ride: 93km, 2493m elevation Total so far: 1003km, 11248m elevation Rest day in Briançon was magnificent. I got the broken spokes fixed on the bike by the friendly team at Giant, we had a good breakfast and explored the old city, serviced the bikes, and finished the day with … Continue reading Paris-Nice Day Eight: Col d’Izoard and Col de Vars - Paris-Nice Day Nine: Col de la Cayolle
Today’s ride: 103km, 1427m elevation Total to date: 1106km, 12675m elevation The church in Jausiers had one of those bells that rings every half an hour from 6am, making it an effective snooze button. As is normal in such situations, I left it one snooze too many and woke up … Continue reading Paris-Nice Day Nine: Col de la Cayolle - Paris-Nice Day Ten: Alpes-Maritimes and into Nice
Today’s ride: 103km, 1436m elevation Total to date: 1209km, 14111m elevation This morning we woke to another morning of glorious sunshine, and the contrasting sadness that comes with the final day of tour. I did everything ‘for the last time’; waking up to birdsong, emergency waddle to the toilets for … Continue reading Paris-Nice Day Ten: Alpes-Maritimes and into Nice - Pain and Fromage Podcast Live from Nice
We’ve made it to Nice, so please join us in this special episode where we look back at the highlights of our journey. Laurent Fignon said ‘Paris-Nice without Col d’Eze is not Paris-Nice’ and with this in mind we took on the iconic climb yesterday. The riding finally over, we … Continue reading Pain and Fromage Podcast Live from Nice