A dream day [for strong]

You'll probably have to wait a bit for the nice weather for this one, as some passes are closed for a long winter period. But if you're in Annecy between May and September and looking for a great outing, look no further!

With 4 passes on the program, you will normally have plenty to do in terms of altitude difference, going from the classic Col de la Forclaz on the edge of the lake, to the little-known Col de l'Arpettaz, to the classic Col des Aravis and finally to the Col de la Croix Fry to conclude it all.

But be careful, the rest of the route isn't necessarily very flat. In short, a wonderful day of memories is in store.

We start gently by following the left bank of the lake, on the heights of Veyrier on a balcony, then head towards the Col de Bluffy, leaving the beautiful Château de Menthon on your right. Behind it is the Col de la Forclaz, your next target. You can probably already see many paragliders there. After the Col de Bluffy, you turn right to gently reach the foot of the Col de la Forclaz. You have 7km left to reach it, but be careful at the beginning, which is not very difficult because the last three kilometers will leave you with some memories! Once at the top, enjoy the view and savor the height taken over the lake.

Who says climb, says descent, and this one is fast (be careful it can also be dangerous because the road is sometimes narrow, especially after the village of Montmin).

You now have a little over 10km of flat terrain to stretch your legs before the next, which is the biggest section of this route, the Col de l'Arpettaz. It's not very well known, but believe us, you'll be delighted to have discovered this pass—we'll bet!

16km at an average gradient of over 7%, but above all, 48 bends for your greatest cycling pleasure in search of Alpine gems. Once at the top, the view is magnificent. You can have a snack at the refuge and enjoy this atmosphere, or you can switch from the mid-mountains around Annecy to the high mountains! Be careful once again of the descent, which is narrow and winding.

At the bottom, you'll catch up with the Val d'Arly road, which will take you tobogganing down to the foot of the Col des Aravis. Be careful, this road isn't really flat so you don't burn any cartridges. Arriving in Flumet, turn left (to the right is the Col des Saisies and straight ahead is the climb to Megève).

The Col des Aravis via Flumet isn't insurmountable (12km at an average gradient of 5%), and it's relatively easy up to the village of La Giettaz. But from the village, while you can enjoy the scenery, the road becomes more challenging but remains steady all the way to the summit.

Once at the top, you switch towards La Clusaz on a beautiful and wide descent (this time). But don't rush too quickly towards the Aravis resort because your route turns left towards the Col de la Croix Fry. The advantage of arriving from the Col des Aravis is that you have less than 4km of climbing to reach the summit. The descent is once again beautiful and quite long (almost 13km) with a breathtaking view of the Tournette. Once at the bottom, head towards the Thônes valley but we suggest you return via the balconies, it's quieter and prettier before returning to the Col de Bluffy, the crossing point at the start of your outing.All you have to do then is slide down to the edge of the lake to finish your wonderful outing and enjoy a refreshment stop and/or a little swim in the lake!

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