Col d'Izoard, Col de Péas and Vallée des Fonts

This drive takes you to the spectacular mountain scenery of Parc naturel régional Du Queyras. This part of the Southern Alps is peaceful and quiet and the landscape is magical with snowy peaks, deep valleys and green alpine meadows. Getting here requires some technical driving skills, as well as the will to walk a few kilometers by hand or on your back. The Col de Péas is only accessible on foot…

This ride starts in Cervières, after which you take a small asphalted path up behind the village. A few kilometers later, you reach Col de Peyron, after which the landscape opens up and you cycle into a vast plateau. You get the feeling that you have arrived in a completely new environment. Upstream you follow the river all the way to Des Fonts, a small mountain village at the end of the valley (with a nice refuge where you can eat and sleep: tip!).

This is followed by a 3.5 kilometer long hike-a-bike to the Col de Péas. Some parts you can cycle, but certainly the last part you have to walk and carry your bike over the steep and technical passage. However, this effort is well worth it. The landscape is enchanting, you can hear the sound of a running stream interrupted by the short, shrill squeaks from the throats of the marmots. In June and July, this mountain landscape is one big field bouquet due to the hundreds of flowers such as gentians, alpine roses, edelweiss and various types of grasses along the path.

Once at the top you will be rewarded with a view far beyond the valley in front of you. From here you get back on your bike and follow a 13 kilometer long descent to the village of Chateau-Queyras. The first 1.5 kilometers on a single track, then a gravel road that continues all the way to the medieval castle village. The Chateau Queyras looks exactly as you would expect from a castle: high walls, round towers and a drawbridge over the moat. In the village you can refill water so that you have enough liquid with you for climbing the south side of the Col d'Izoard.

This climb is 14 kilometers long, runs on asphalt and only gets really tough after Arvieux. The part near Brunissard is certainly treacherous, because the slope is difficult to estimate due to the dead straight road. Two kilometers before the top you pass La Casse Déserte, this impressive rocky landscape with pointed points gives you the feeling of being on another world.

On top of the Col d'Izoard you can refuel at a simple shop, or opt for a break at Refuge Napoléon 1 kilometer further down the descent. Napoleon Bonaparte used the Col d'Izoard in 1815 to lead his war troops through the Alps. Now this refuge named after him is best known for its many home-made cakes. Continue your descent to Cervières, the village where you started this ride.