Get a taste of the Tour, with extras on the side

The route

Combining the best parts of Stage 3 of the 2013 Tour de France with Corsica’s highest climb (the 1,477m Col de Vergio) and a few other local cycling secrets, this 199km route showcases the incredible geographical diversity of the island. Cyclist started from the northwest coastal resort of Calvi, which is a 1hr 30min drive from Bastia. The route heads south along the coast on the D81B, before cutting inland on the D81 to Porto. It’s worth continuing 13km south on the D81 to take in the stunning Calanches region before doubling back from Piana to Porto to pick up the D84 and travel north-east to Ponte Castirla. From here a 12km stretch south along the D18 will guide you to the town of Corte, where you can stay the night or take a pre-arranged transfer back to Bastia or Calvi. The Corsica-based Europe Active (europe-active.com) can arrange hotels or transfers for you or your luggage.

How we got there

Travel

To get to Corisca from Australia, fly Virgin Australia (virginaustralia.com.au) to Paris via Abu Dhabi and then EasyJet (easyjet.com) to Bastia in the northeast of Corsica. Car hire was through Europcar (europcar.com), which has a fleet of bike-friendly people carriers.

Bikes

Europe Active (europe-active.com) offers a range of guided and self-guided cycling tours in Corsica, with options for a support vehicle, accommodation and luggage transfers. It also rents road bikes. This year it is providing a special Tour de France itinerary from June 27 to July 3.

Accommodation

Stay in Bastia at Hotel Les Voyageurs (hotel-lesvoyageurs.com), which offers rooms from $80-200