Mountain Biking in France

THE MOUNTAIN BIKING

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Similar to the grades in skiing, mountain bike trails in France use colour codes to tell you what to expect. Most trail centers have trails to suit all levels: green – novice, blue – beginner, red – intermediate, black – advanced. You’ll get the most out of your mountain biking trip if you choose trails that are tailored to your ability.

There are plenty of fireroads and gentle trails for novice mountain bikers, but there’s also fast, rocky downhill runs with jumps and berms for experts. If trails aren’t graded, generally you can gauge the difficulty of the trail by the distance and altitude climbed, so it’s down to you the rider to make the call as to the suitability of a trail depending on your ability, i.e. don’t strike out on a 50 km loop over the Vercors plateau if it’s been 6 months since your last big ride!

Mountain biking is well established in France, the FFC (Fédération Française de Cyclisme) together with local clubs have worked hard over the years to develop both the trail network and the signposting. The FFC is focused on improving and expanding the network of trails and as a result anywhere where there are hills, there are good cross-country mountain bike trails.

The thing to bear in mind about XC mountain biking in France especially in the French Alps and the Pyrenees is that the riding is on another level. There’s no way you can get a measure on French mountains without visiting them. The sheer scale of the climbs you’re expected to peddle up is astonishing. But the rewards of your hard work are equally mindblowing. Miles of fast flowing natural singletrack and epic descents over thousands of metres of vertical drop.

Ski resorts have adapted their lift systems and trail networks to accommodate bikes in the summer months, and trail builders are constructing some really nice flowy trails aimed purely at putting a smile on your face. Freeride mountain biking is exploding in popularity with bike parks rivaling those across the Atlantic popping up in some of the bigger resorts.

Meanwhile, as more kilometers of trails are built, so the number of tougher, higher altitude XC rides increases. Having said that, mountain biking is much more of a mainstream sport in France than it is in the UK and mellow mountain biking for pure enjoyment is all the rage, with the sport’s popularity boosted by high profile events like the Roc d’Azur, the Trans-Provence and the Megavalanche.