We've put together a Corsican cycling adventure with a difference. Join us for an unforgettable week exploring northern Corsica, and see for yourself the idyllic mix of quiet coastal roads and challenging mountain climbs this beautiful island has to offer.

During six days of riding, you’ll get to cycle well-known highlights such as the northern Cap Corse peninsular, the Desert des Agriates, and Les Calanques de Piana. Our route will take us along beautiful, quiet, coastal roads and we’ll do the main mountain climbs, including the highest road pass on the island, the Col de Vergio (1,477m). But we’ll also get off the beaten track, taking you along a myriad of deserted mountain roads to breath-taking passes with stunning views and exhilarating descents. Corsica is known for its density of Cols, and our route takes in around 70 in the six days.

The overnight stays are planned so that you get to experience both sea-side resorts and mountain villages. The majority of the hotels we stay at have a pool, and many are near the beach. Overnight stays include the bustling town of Bastia, the sea-side resort of St-Florent, the fortress-town of Calvi, and the medieval capital of Corsica, Corte, with its imposing citadel. Evening meals are either at our hotel or a nearby restaurant, where you’ll get to experience local cuisine, and of course, sample some of the local wine and chestnut beer.

Further customer feedback can be found on our Testimonials page. To get an idea of the scenery and terrain throughout the week, please also see the photos from our 2022 and 2023 trips.

Price

£1525 based on twin occupancy. Single occupancy is available for an additional £325, subject to availability.

What’s included

• Pickup and return to Bastia airport or ferry terminal, including bike transfer – see below for details of required arrival and departure times
• 7 nights half-board accommodation in a range of 2, 3 and 4* hotels – bed, breakfast and evening meal
• Support vehicle throughout the trip
• Support cyclist on the road with you
• Luggage transfer between hotels
• Picnic lunches on riding days
• Daily ride briefings, full GPX route files and information

Bike hire

We offer full-carbon hire bikes for an additional charge of £180 for the week if you prefer not to fly with your bike. All our hire bikes come with disc brakes, Shimano 105 12-speed groupsets, 34/50 compact chainsets and 12/34 cassettes.

Itinerary

Our route will be based on the hugely popular one we’ve used for the last three years, with the itinerary as follows. We reserve the right to tweak it based on hotel availability or if we feel that we can improve it further!

• 13th Sept: Arrive Bastia airport or ferry terminal, transfer to hotel (~10mins drive), build bikes. Then – time permitting, go for a ride, and/or go and relax by the pool or on the beach. Evening meal at local restaurant and trip briefing.
• 14th Sept: Bastia to St-Florent via Cap Corse, Corsica’s northern peninsular. 130km with ~1,800m of climbing.
• 15th Sept: St-Florent to Calvi via the Desert des Agriates. 125km with ~1,900m of climbing.
• 16th Sept: Calvi to Evisa via Les Calanques de Piana. 100km with ~1,700m of climbing.
• 17th Sept: Evisa to Piedicroce via the Col de Vergio and numerous smaller mountain cols! 120km with ~2,100m of climbing.
• 18th Sept: Piedicroce to Corte via lots more mountain cols… 115km with ~2,000m of climbing.
• 19th Sept: Corte to Bastia to return in time for a celebratory dinner. 100km with ~1,900m of climbing.
• 20th Sept: Depart from Bastia airport or ferry terminal

The route

Corsica, known as the island of beauty, has so many stunning coastal roads and scenic mountain passes that it seemed a shame to plan a trip that raced around the whole island, missing out the traffic-free wild and rugged centre. So instead of offering a more-traditional tour of the island, or Raid Corsica, we’ve decided instead to see as much of northern Corsica as possible in six days riding, while keeping the distances and elevation gains reasonable!

We start and finish in the bustling town of Bastia, staying at a 4* hotel where we’ll leave our bike boxes for the week while we cycle from hotel to hotel. For those arriving in the morning, there will be time for a short warm-up ride that day followed by a chance to relax by the pool or on the beach before getting to know the rest of the group over a few drinks and dinner at a local restaurant. We will also have a full briefing that evening.

The route starts by cycling around the northern Cap Corse peninsular with its rugged scenery dotted with old fishing villages and the remains of Genovese watchtowers. A corniche road twists it way around the coast and we overnight in the seaside resort of St-Florent, dubbed the St-Tropez of Corsica. From St-Florent, we head up across the barren wilderness of the Desert des Agriates before winding our way inland and up, crossing seven cols to reach the high point of the day, the Bocca di a Battaglia (1,099m) from where we descend the final 40km into Calvi, back on the coast again.

On the third day, we head south along the coast, through the village of Porto and along the spectacular road that winds through the famous Calanches de Piana. These surreal pinky-red granite rock formations are now a UNESCO World Heritage site. From there we head inland again, into Evisa where we spend our first night in the mountains. The fourth day starts with a climb over the Col de Vergio (1,477m) before a long descent to Ponte Castirla. From there we loop up and around, exploring the landscape north of Corte, the geographical and historical heart of Corsica, before overnighting in Piedicroce.

The fifth day is another big day of climbing as we head into the mountains to the East of Corte, crossing numerous cols as we wend our way via minor roads to Corte and our final night in the mountains. We finish with a shorter day, heading north over the last few cols to Bastia and a well-deserved celebration dinner.

By the end of the week, we hope you’ll feel like you’ve seen all the well-known highlights of northern Corsica and its coasts, but also that you’ll have experienced the remote, ruggedness of the interior of the island and the charm of the local Corsican villages; that with each pedal stroke, you’ll have really gotten to know the identity and culture of the island. Southern Corsica we’ll save for another year for those left wanting more…

How fit do I need to be and what should I expect?

As with our Alpine and Pyrenean Raids, stamina, determination and a good base fitness are more important than speed since the days are long and we ride for six days consecutively. The trip is designed to be challenging but doable for a fit, reasonably experienced cyclist. If you are a club or sportive rider and put in the training, you should be fit enough.

The route intentionally takes in a lot of little (and not-so-little!) climbs which you’ll feel in your legs as the days go by. We don’t cover huge distances, but there is a lot of climbing, particularly on the middle days, and so you should expect to be out cycling all day. It is a fully supported ride, so there is always the option of getting in the support vehicle for a rest at any point!

There will be a support rider on the road with the group, and where possible we recommend the group rides together on the flat and rolling terrain since it’s more fun and sociable to share the experience with others. Everyone then climbs and descends at their own pace, regrouping at the top/bottom depending on the terrain and weather. The support vehicle typically leap-frogs the group, working with the support rider to provide support to the group. Clothing, snacks, gels etc. can be left in the support vehicle and collected as needed throughout the day. We stop every day for a picnic lunch, and on some days an additional stop at a café may be possible for a coffee etc.

We like to explore off the beaten track on our trips, and our emphasis is on a challenging, but fun and inclusive trip with plenty of banter and camaraderie, celebrating the trials and tribulations of the day over a few drinks and a good local meal in the evening.

Arrival and departure details

British Airways and Easyjet typically fly directly to Bastia, or a number of airlines fly via hubs in France. There is also the possibility to get the ferry across from France – either independently or potentially with our support driver. Please contact us if this would be of interest, and please check with us regarding arrival and departure times before booking flights to ensure they will fit with our pick-up and drop-off times. We stay at the same hotel for the first and last nights of the trip, and will leave bike boxes/bags at the hotel during the week.