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.
Our route:
- Day One: Paris to Moret-sur-Loing
- Day Two: Moret-sur-Loing to Briare
- Day Three: Briare to Bourbon-Lancy
- Day Four: Bourbon-Lancy to Vonnes
- Day Five: Vonnes to Annecy
- Day Six: Annecy to La Chambre (Col de la Madeleine)
- Day Seven: La Chambre to Briançon (Col du Galibier)
- Day Eight: Briançon to Jausiers (Col d’Izoard, Col de Vars)
- Day Nine: Jausiers to Puget-Theniers (Col de la Cayolle)
- Day Ten: Pguet-Thenioers to Nice
- Bonus ride: Col d’Eze
- Paris-Nice 2026 – the DIY version
We’re going to Nice! Find out about our plans for our epic ride across France on vintage Peugeot bikes, to celebrate our joint 50th birthdays. With a nod to Laurent Fignon and an eye on cheese-munching, here’s the route we’ve planned and why we’re doing it. - 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
Rich and Graeme’s epic journey from Paris to Nice is under way! Today’s highlights include a whistle stop tour of the French capital and then an easy roll along the Seine for the first camp. Or so we thought… - Paris-Nice Day Two: The Three Rivers
Moret-sur-Seine to Briare, 148km. Today started brightly and we made good progress, taking in a disused velodrome and a cycle museum as we make our way south through the sunshine along the Scandiberique. But then Graeme’s rear derailleur broke and threatened to derail the whole trip. - Paris-Nice Day Three: Loire-en-Bourgogne
Briare to Bourbon-Lancy, 184km. Hungry, we head out after a big breakfast of scrambled eggs in search of cheese and wine. We find both in lovely Sancerre, and with the main issue of the day ticked off there’s just a hell of a lot of riding to be done. - Paris-Nice Day Four: Bourgogne
Bourbon-Lancy to Vonnes, 135km. Today there was a bit of everything: a long ride, good climbs, thunderstorms in the forecast and of course a mandatory stop for a cheese that Rich had been particularly looking forward to. In the pod Rich witters about warblers and there’s even a big tunnel. - Paris-Nice Day Five: Into the Mountains
Vonnes to Annecy, 165km. A tough day. Today’s ride took Rich and Graeme into the foothills of the Alps. It was a grumpy start, a challenging ride and it took all our mental and physical strength to push through to Annecy – where all the campsites were full. - Paris-Nice Day Six: Col de la Madeleine
Annecy to La Chambre, 97km. A beautiful intro around Annecy lake and through gorgeous Alpine meadows. After breakfast, Rich met a collie that reminded him of home we tackled our first major col, the Col de la Madeleine at 1998m, and finished on a gorgeous campsite. - Paris-Nice Day Seven: Col du Galibier
La Chambre to Briançon 96km. Today’s ride started off gently with a great French breakfast but the work soon began with a long tough climb up two cols. First the scenic Col de l’Albanne, then after Valloire the big one – Galibier at 2642m. A proper day in the mountains. - Paris-Nice Day Eight: Col d’Izoard and Col de Vars
Briançon to Jausiers, 93km. Refreshed after our rest day we tackled a real icon, the wonderful climb up Col d’Izoard, the perfect Alpine climb. After a stunning descent, a puncture and a crash, we were behind again and had to push on hard top get over the last col. - Paris-Nice Day Nine: Col de la Cayolle
Jausiers to Puget-Thèniers, 103km. Rich and Graeme set off for one last big climb, the stunning Col de la Cayolle, which we shared with a bike race. Rich talked through the last stretches of a col and of course there was a very good fromage du jour. - Paris-Nice Day Ten: Alpes-Maritimes and Nice
Puget-Thèniers to Nice, 103km. The last day of our tour. After a leisurely packup we took on the last two climbs of the trip, interspersed with some magnificent scenery, improbable villages and great coffee, before finally arriving on the Côte d’Azur for celebratory beers. - Pain and Fromage Podcast Live from Nice
After arriving in Nice 48 hours ago, Rich and Graeme summarise the trip, discussing the route, gear and their favourite climbs. There is a special fromage du jour that links the first and last days of the trip, and Rich gets something in his eye.