Cyclingtrippers
Nice Big Riviera Climbing Day
Nice

Nice Big Riviera Climbing Day

A bigger Côte d’Azur route idea linking Nice, Col d’Èze, the roads above Monaco and the Madone side of the Riviera.

Distance
85 to 140 km
Elevation Gain
2,000 to 3,500 m
Ride Time
5.5 to 9 hours
Difficulty
Hors Catégorie
Surface
Road
Start
Nice
Best Season
March to June and September to November

This is the ambitious Riviera ride. Instead of treating Col d’Èze or Col de la Madone as separate efforts, you use them as anchors for a full climbing day above the Mediterranean. The result can be beautiful, hard and logistically tricky.

The key is restraint. The hills above Nice and Menton are dense with climbing options, but not every road belongs in one route. Use Col d’Èze for the early rhythm, link carefully towards Menton or the inland roads, then decide whether Col de la Madone fits the day. If the route starts to look like a jagged collection of random climbs, simplify it.

How to Build This Ride

  • Start in Nice.
  • Climb Col d’Èze as the first major effort.
  • Use La Turbie or the roads above Monaco as a connector.
  • Add Col de la Madone if you want the full climbing day.
  • Return to Nice by the safest and most realistic route.

Villages & Coffee Stops

  • Nice is the strongest base. La Turbie, Menton and the smaller hill towns can work as anchors, but you should plan stops in advance. On a route this hilly, hoping to find food when you are already empty is bad planning.

Make it shorter

Ride Col d’Èze only, or start in Menton and focus on Col de la Madone.

Make it harder

Add Col de Braus or Col de Turini only after checking the route carefully. In the briefing, these are not yet fully verified as standalone climb pages, so treat them as optional route planning ideas rather than finished Cyclingtrippers anchors.

Local Notes

The Côte d’Azur is beautiful, but the road network is not automatically relaxed. Traffic, tunnels and busy coastal sections can make or break the route. The best ride is usually the one that avoids unnecessary main road exposure.

This is a flexible ride idea, not a turn-by-turn route. Use the climbs, villages and notes above to build your own GPX in Komoot, Strava, Ride with GPS or another planner before you ride.

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