The Tour de France is on the TV, Cavendish has win 35 and Pogacar is ripping everyones legs off. In the cycling world, much feels exactly as it should. This is exactly the feeling we have had on our recent trips to the French Alps and the beautiful Lake Annecy.
The concept of Sporta Bike+ was born on the shores of this Alpine gem and our recent trips there have exceeded all our expectations. Rarely has a location given us so much joy on and off the bike - hosting groups was a real pleasure and the feedback has been very kind indeed.
Where is it?
Lake Annecy is 14.6km in length, with the town of Annecy at its Northern tip and Doussard at the south. The Lake sits in the Haute Savoie region of the French Alps and is just a 45 minute transfer from Geneva. The Lake has a fabulous cycle path around it, much of which is on a traffic free path that used to be the old railway line. Through town this can be busy, but it means that your ride to and from the hotel is both traffic free and beautiful.
Our preferred base is on the Eastern side of the Lake in the beautiful village of Talloires. The village has a number of lovely restaurants - ranging from Michelin star restaurants which require very deep pockets to some beautiful more local establishments which provide beautiful food at sensible prices in a relaxed setting.
The cycling
The aforementioned cycle path provides cyclists with a great way in and out of town. It is also the perfect 37km loop on a quieter day or for those who are looking for an afternoon by the pool.
However, you do not have to go far for some wonderful climbs. Within 20km cycling you have the full range of categorised climbs from the HC climb to Cret de Chatillon (Semnoz), the mighty Col de la Croix Fry (1), Col de Leschaux (3) and Col des Aravis (2) and this is only a taster of the routes that can be accessed. For those that prefer the flatlands you can get to Albertville on the bike path for an 80km loop that is pretty much plan flat. It really is very tricky to play down the magnificence of the roads and cycling in the region.
Off bike
The Lake provides the perfect place to recover from a long bike ride, or to relax amidst the mountains and take some time to rest a weary mind and escape life's stresses. Furthermore, we have had a number of triathletes visit the area with us and they love an early morning swim in the crystal clear waters.
Annecy is about a 20 minute bus ride from our base and if you travel in July and August, these local buses are free to use! The town centre is beautiful and a lovely place to take in the local market or visit for a spot of dinner alongside the canals that run through the town.
For thrill seekers, Lake Annecy is famous for Paragliding and we are able to book this for you. Our favoured suppliers jump from the Col de Forclaz peak and land about 500m from our base in Talloires. Whilst this author is petrified of heights.....I am told that it is an amazing experience!
As I have touched upon, the local restaurants are very nice indeed and there is the full array of options from Michelin starred through to informal lake front Pizza.
Our packages
We offer packages for groups of 6 or more people to Lake Annecy. A 4 night stay on a bed and breakfast basis, including flights to GVA, transfers and curated routes start at £745pp (unsupported). For larger groups (10 or more) including Sporta staff on site we prices start at £825pp and we can take bikes down in our van.
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