{"id":26250,"date":"2026-02-24T13:40:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T12:40:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyclingdestination.cc\/?p=26250"},"modified":"2026-02-26T13:30:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T12:30:36","slug":"beste-klimmen-racefiets-cevennes-frankrijk-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyclingdestination.cc\/en\/verhalen\/beste-klimmen-racefiets-cevennes-frankrijk-2025","title":{"rendered":"Cycling in the Cevennes - France's Best Kept Secret"},"content":{"rendered":"

The C\u00e9vennes. The forgotten mountain region in the Central Massif. Where you meet more vultures than cars, where the roads are smooth as a billiard cloth and where the climbs are at least as tough as in the Alps. Only: without the traffic jam of motorhomes, motorbikes and loads of cycle tourists jostling each other for the best photo or trying to imitate the pros. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We get it. You think of cycling in France and your head goes to Alpe d'Huez<\/a>, the Tourmalet, perhaps the Ballon d'Alsace<\/a>. Logical. But if you really want to climb this summer on deserted roads, with steep percentages and villages where time seems to stand still, you should head to the Cevennes<\/strong>. Located between Loz\u00e8re<\/strong> and Gard<\/strong>, in the middle of the National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), there is a network of D-roads here that seems to have been built especially for cyclists. Spoiler: it is not, but it feels that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Cevennes,
(c) Arne Schr\u00f6ter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why C\u00e9vennes and not the Alps or Pyrenees?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A fair comparison. The Alps are iconic, the Pyrenees epic. But the C\u00e9vennes has something those two no longer have: tranquillity. We have it briefly in <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/th>Cevennes<\/strong><\/th>Alps \/ Pyrenees<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Traffic<\/strong><\/td>Virtually none. Secondary roads are extinct.<\/td>Crowded in summer, especially on well-known cols.<\/td><\/tr>
Road quality<\/strong><\/td>Surprisingly good, even on the narrowest roads.<\/td>Varying, wear from heavy traffic.<\/td><\/tr>
Season<\/strong><\/td>Lower altitude = cols open earlier, often as early as April.<\/td>High passes closed from October to June.<\/td><\/tr>
Character climbing<\/strong><\/td>Steep, irregular, rhythm breakers.<\/td>Long, constant gradients.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And then there's this: the Vosges and Jura are beautiful, but the climbs there remain more modest. In the C\u00e9vennes, you ride cols of 20+ kilometres with stretches of 15 to 20%. That's a different story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most beautiful climbs in Cevennes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For those who have ever read the book \u2018The Runner<\/a>\u2018 by Tim Krabb\u00e9, can totally empathise with the Cevennes region. The book is set there and with that book in mind, you can explore the region even better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mont Aigoual: the climb to cycle in the Cevennes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mont Aigoual is a climb you can't ignore if you go cycling in the Cevennes<\/strong>. At 1,567 metres, it is, after Mont Loz\u00e8re, the region's highest mountain and the highest point you can reach by bike. The road to the characteristic observatory at the top is literally and figuratively the highlight of the C\u00e9vennes. You won't get any higher here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(\u00a9) Arne Schr\u00f6ter,<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What makes Mont Aigoual unique is the number of ways you can climb it. As many as eight different routes lead to the summit: four via wider main roads and another four via smaller, quieter mountain roads. This makes Mont Aigoual not only one of the most famous climbs in the C\u00e9vennes, but also one of the most versatile. Each side has its own character, its own rhythm and its own views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ascent from Tr\u00e8ves, deep into the Gorges du Tr\u00e9vezel<\/strong>, captures the imagination. Immortalised in the work of Tim Krabb\u00e9, this side takes you from a rugged gorge slowly up towards the bare, open summit. The variant from Rousses is considered the toughest of them all, with steeper sections and a more irregular gradient that forces you to find your pace again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is precisely this variety that makes Mont Aigoual an essential climb for anyone serious about climbing climbing and cycling in the Cevennes<\/strong>. It is a mountain you climb not once, but several times, each time by a different route, each time with a different experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can Mont Aigoual<\/strong> climb via at least eight routes. The most popular:<\/p>\n\n\n\n