Romain Bardet Experience – Cantal in 4 unforgettable loops

Whether you want to challenge yourself or just head out on a bike ride – welcome to Cantal. Professional French racing cyclist, Romain Bardet, devised four cycle-touring loops here, known as the Romain Bardet Experience – RBX.

Romain has won several stages of the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, but it was in Cantal that he accomplished his first sporting exploits. We invite you to trace his wheels on various routes, designed by him in his homeland. Straddling the Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Natural Park and the Aubrac Regional Natural Park, the department offers hugely diverse landscapes and terrains.

The routes are between 100 and 143 kilometres (62 and 88 mi) and can be completed on their own or over several stages. They take you through the Truyère and Rhue gorges, down the slopes of the largest volcano in Europe, up the Entremont and Néronne passes, and even to the Pas de Peyrol pass, the highest road pass in the Massif. Located at the foot of Puy Mary, it’s classified as a Great Site of France.

Cantal is known for its slow pace of life. On each loop, you’ll come across typical villages, some of which are classified ‘Small Cities of Character®’, or in the case of Salers, the ‘Most Beautiful Villages of France®’. Don’t hesitate to pause to stroll and taste the region’s many culinary specialities. After your adventures, you can relax and stay at the accommodation labelled ‘Accueil Vélo’: auvergne-destination.com/bouger/itinerances-randonnee/a-velo/hebergements-accueil-velo-dans-le-cantal (in French).

You can enjoy most of these loops year round, but they’re particularly pleasant from May to October. The Cantal volcano loop is inaccessible in winter (closure of Pas de Peyrol).

So, ready to jump on your saddle? Whether with family, friends or alone, on a road or e-bike, follow in the footsteps of a great champion and take up the challenge of the Romain Bardet Experience!