Ask any ultra-rider about the world's most beautiful long-distance routes, and the same names keep dropping: Route des Grandes Alpes, LEJOG, North Coast 500. We have put the lists side by side, ridden some of them ourselves, and some of them are in capital letters on our bucket list. In all cases, they are routes that are good to ride on a road bike.
We deliberately focus here on routes where 28-32mm tyres make sense. Although that boundary is shifting: with the current generation of all-road frames and 35mm tyres, you can ride on more and more routes that five years ago were mainly ridden with an MTB. But more on that later.
From Lake Geneva to Nice - Route des Grandes Alpes
This is the route almost everyone starts with when it comes to bucket list trips. Some 684 kilometres from Thonon-les-Bains on Lake Geneva to Nice on the Côte d'Azur, across the most famous cols of the Tour de France.
The Col de l'Iseran (2,770m), the Col du Galibier (2,645m), the Col de la Croix de Fer: you literally drive through it. The roads are well paved almost everywhere and the climbs are steady, rarely really steep, allowing you to drive to 2000+ metres at your own pace. This makes it easier to plan long days without one extremely steep climb breaking everything.
In six to eight stages, this is feasible for anyone who survives a solid Ardennes week. Best season: June to September. That stretch over the Iseran is best done early in the day, before the campers are awake.
Round the Scottish coast - North Coast 500
The North Coast 500 has been called the “British Route 66”: a round trip of some 800 kilometres starting and ending in Inverness, along Scotland's rugged north coast.
With just under 10,000 altimeters and a combination of short, vicious climbs and unpredictable Atlantic winds, no day is ever the same. The Bealach na Bà is the climb everyone is talking about: hairpin turns, stretches of 20%, and, on a clear day, sweeping views of the coast. The fastest known lap stands at 27 hours 36 minutes, for context.
‘Just the mackintosh in the back today anyway, just to be on the safe side,’ falls the comment at breakfast in Inverness. Disc brakes are highly recommended here on the wet, steep descents. Bring 28mm or preferably 30mm.
Across Britain - LEJOG
From Land's End in Cornwall to John O'Groats in Scotland: 1,913 kilometres, fully paved. The fast variant follows A-roads (more traffic), the scenic variant meanders along country lanes.
The surprise is in the south. The endless ‘rollers“ of Devon and Cornwall are more tiring than the longer climbs in the Scottish Highlands. Count on 10 to 14 days if you want to take time for stops along the way, too.
Island hopping over Japan's Inland Sea - Shimanami Kaido
A completely different story: 70 kilometres from Onomichi (Honshu) to Imabari (Shikoku), connected via six islands by bridges with separate cycle paths. Blue lines on the road surface show you the way, getting lost is impossible.
Hardly any climbing or wind. Well: well-constructed infrastructure, silence over the Japanese Inland Sea, and plenty of cafés along the route. This is the route you plan if you want to do something special with your partner or a group that normally doesn't get beyond 50 kilometres.
Tunnels to the Adriatic - Alpe-Adria
The route that appeared in almost every European list in 2025: the Alpe-Adria from Salzburg to Grado on the Italian coast. The route includes some 60 kilometres of old railway tunnels and viaducts through the Julian Alps, completely car-free.
Because this route gets so much attention, it is quieter on the route outside the high season. From Salzburg you'll be fine by train, and from Grado or Trieste you'll catch the train back. In five to seven days you ride it comfortably on a road bike with 28-32mm tyres.
Head in the wind - Pacific Coast Highway
The US west coast of Vancouver to San Diego: 2,900 kilometres, 32,500 altimeters. Ride it from north to south, as you'll have the prevailing wind with you instead of against.
This is a two-to-three week undertaking that requires an endurance geometry to keep your back in one piece. The tarmac is mostly good, the views of the Pacific Ocean are almost continuous, and the coffee stops along the Oregon coast and California are numerous.
The crazy monsters - RAAM, Tour d'Afrique and Friendship Highway
And then there are the routes that many riders discuss at the bar but almost never ride themselves. RAAM (Race Across America): 4,800 kilometres, 53,000 altimeters, non-stop. Winners do it in less than 12 days. Sleep is optional, “Shermer's Neck” (your neck muscles give out) is a real risk.
The Tour d'Afrique from Cairo to Cape Town covers 11,010 kilometres, partly on roads that are getting better but where you don't belong with a pure road bike. The Friendship Highway from Lhasa to Kathmandu goes over 5,220 metres of altitude, where you lose up to 40% of your power.
For this kind of project, you almost need a support team, a big budget and months of preparation. Or just a short circuit in your head. You could also see it that way.
Comparison table
| Route | Distance | Altimeters | Days (realistic) | Best season | Asphalt | Approach bandwidth | Difficulty (1-5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route des Grandes Alpes | 684 km | ~16.000m | 6-8 | Jun-Sep | 100% | 25-28mm | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| North Coast 500 | 800 km | ~10.000m | 5-7 | May-Sep | 100% | 28-30mm | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| LEJOG | 1,913 km | ~20.000m | 10-14 | Jun-Aug | 100% | 25-28mm | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Shimanami Kaido | 70 km | minimum | 1 | Mar-Nov | 100% | 25mm | ⭐ |
| Alpe-Adria | ~410 km | ~4.000m | 5-7 | May-Oct | 90%+ | 28-32mm | ⭐⭐ |
| Pacific Coast Highway | 2,900 km | 32.500m | 14-21 | Jun-Sep | 98% | 28mm | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Practical: this is how you would tackle the Route des Grandes Alpes
Start in Thonon-les-Bains or Geneva. Parking is available in Thonon near the station, stay overnight in one of the lakeside hotels. In the larger Alpine towns like Briançon and Bourg-d'Oisans are plenty of hotels with enclosed bike rooms; in the smaller villages, you sometimes have to call.
End point Nice is perfect: rolling along the promenade back to the station (deliberate choice for headquarters ;)), catch the TGV back north. Pasta, pizza and local cheeses along the way are everywhere. We save the wine for the last evening.
What long-distance routes are we missing here, where you really should ride a road bike? Do you have LEJOG or Alpe-Adria experiences, or a secret Alpine crossing no one knows about? Let us know and we will plan the next exploration!
