Rocks, forest floor, fire roads
The Ardèche region is certainly not the most well-known mountain bike area in France. Nevertheless – or perhaps precisely because of this – it is a variety-packed trail paradise.
To get started right away from Mas Catalpa, you will find a collection of tours we personally ride at the bottom of the page. There's plenty of trail space here, guaranteed.
Here are the main reasons why we prefer riding here to riding in our home Alps.
With almost 13 hours of sunshine a day in July and still almost 6 hours of sunshine in January, the Ardèche allows extensive tours almost every day. Even in winter, it is usually still warm enough to go for a ride and snow is rare.
Should it rain, it usually does so predictably in short, heavy showers. The ground dries quickly afterwards and you can get back in the saddle by the next morning at the latest.
In midsummer, temperatures can rise above 30°C. Then it is advisable to ride before noon or to take on the woodland trails.
From packed clay forest soil to large slabs of rock, gravel and cobblestone mule tracks, the Ardèche offers everything imaginable in terms of terrain. Most of it is easy to navigate, but sometimes there may be a larger boulder blocking the way that not all cyclists can overcome.
Most of the ascents are also conquerable without electrics, because in the immediate vicinity of Mas Catalpa there are more hills than mountains. Alpine dangers are almost nonexistent.
My personal highlight: clay soil covered with flat gravel on the descent, an interesting mixture of controlled sliding and arm work.
There are tours on all surfaces and gradients around our house. There really is something for everyone here.
Both the rather rough Cevennes and the gentle Provence have given the Ardèche some of their virtues. However, the landscapes close to the rivers are most characteristic, above all the breathtaking Gorges d'Ardèche and the Cirque des Gens. In addition to the Ardèche, the rivers Chassezac and Beaume dominate the area around Mas Catalpa.
On all tours, you will encounter these rivers with their typical riverbank rocks again and again and they will gradually become old acquaintances.
Wooded hills with countless opportunities for ascents and descents rise up between them. Among the wild plants and undergrowth, you will sometimes find signs of cultivation, such as old stone walls and buildings, that indicate the agricultural use of these hills 200 years ago.
So even on the more relaxed bike routes, you won't have a dull minute, and even the “green highway” across the Ardèche is bearable thanks to the varied scenery (of course only as an access route to the next trail).
There are countless tours in the area for all levels of difficulty. In our Komoot collection, you will find a few suggestions that start right outside the house and are constantly being added to and updated.