GTMC - Grand crossing of the Massif Central by mountain bike

GTMC - Grand crossing of the Massif Central by mountain bike

Mountain bike from volcanoes to Mediterranean Sea through Cevennes
4 routes - 5 or 6 days or the whole lot (16 days)

Massif Central is a widely spread mountain, it includes the chaîne des Puys (ancient volcanos) and the languedocian limestone plateaus. The highest point is the Puy de Sancy, 1885 meters. By mountain bike you ride on dormant volcanos, you climb up to the plateaus after having crossed the deep Tarn gorges. Amazing nature, plenty of different lands and typical housing are everyday's gifts along this trip.

We offer 4 routes among which you can choose to discover 4 aspects of the natural and historical heritage.

 

- From chaîne des Puys to Cantal : Volcanic mountain bike - 5 days
- From Margeride mountains to Tarn gorges : Ancient cows and carnivorous plants - 5 days
- From tarn Gorges to Salagou lake : Medieval paths and Templar order - 5 days

- From from the Grand Causses to the Mediterranean sea : 6 days

Trip highlights: 

From the Puys chain to the Margeride

- course through the volcanoes of Auvergne

- the Sancy massif and volcanic lakes

- the vast expanses of the Cézallier

From the Margeride to the Gorges du Tarn

- the Margeride forest massif

- the high-altitude barrens and its granite blocks

- the northern ambience of Lake Charpal

- the sensation of Mt Lozère, roof of the Cevennes

- the birth of the Tarn

- Florac, the Cevennes capital

From the Gorges du Tarn to the Lake Salagou

- the gorges of the Tarn

- the crossing of the steppes of the Causse Méjean

- the ascent of Mt Aigoual

- the Dourbie gorges

- the Larzac causse

- the descent towards the Languedoc garrigues, vineyards and olive trees

- the red ruffles of Lake Salagou

From the Grands Causses to the Mediterranean sea

- Larzac, land of pastoralism

- the built heritage

- the "player" paths by diving into the Languedoc!

- the Salagou and the contrasts of colours

- the scents of the scrubland

- the pleasures of the table without forgetting the Languedoc wines ...

- the arrival at the edge of the "Grande Bleue" and the "splash" to close the GTMC !

TYPE OF TRIP: 

 

Guided Tour
A fully qualified MTB guide provides his services for party of 4 minimum
 
Independant Tour
We provide you with the maps and the road book. The accommdation and the catering will be reserved for you.

Travel advisories: 

Hello, Fred,

Everything went very well: we had a splendid time!

    From a sporting point of view: top! The distances you planned were perfect for our level: about 4 hours of driving per day, so quite intensive, but not too much either. From time to time, some technical trajects, but most of them perfectly feasible.
    From a nature point of view: absolutely top top top top top ... What a beautiful region !
    From an organization point of view (incl. route preparation): perfect ... we had no problem at all !
    Concerning the accomodations: all very good ! A special remark for the meals, which were everywhere very good. The only remark at this level, the 4th gîte compared to all the other accommodations, the evening meal was at a much lower level.

Conclusion: apart from this last point of attention, it was simply a splendid week that we will remember for a long time to come!

Kind regards,

Legal Jobs - Australia - September 2019

Hello, Fred,

Thanks again for the organization. We really enjoyed ourselves and this ride was exactly what we were looking for (discovery, sporting challenge, good time with friends). What impressed my friends the most was the welcome in the gites and guest rooms and especially the quality of the meals. They didn't expect to eat so well and so much (nobody lost weight despite our 4 hours of cycling daily ...).

We thought the signposting and the diversity of the routes were great. We never get bored with too long a portion.

Cyril - Bouches du Rhône - May 2019

Hello, Fred,

For us, not much to say, welcome in the perfect gîtes, superb landscapes, climbs sometimes a bit rough, but we are not champions.... A beautiful discovery, with a lot of pleasure.

The next objective is to finish this crossing.

With again our thanks for the perfect organization.

Aude and Denis (from Switzerland)

Dear Fred,

We just wanted to write and let you know how much we enjoyed the VTT holiday you organised for our group on 8th October, starting from Millau.

The organisation was very good and we were particularly impressed with the accommodation and French hosts you had picked. They were all very friendly and hospitable and their accommodation, cooking, breakfasts and packed lunches excellent.

The weather was very kind to us, which made the biking very enjoyable.

Thank you again. We look forward to the next one!!

Kind regards

Gill & Phil

 

From Millau to Cap d'Adge, 6 days of mountain biking on well-chosen routes through rich and varied landscapes. Very reliable organisation and a choice of accommodation full of pleasant surprises. The route is finally quite pleasant despite the hot weather in July. Thank you Languedoc nature, thank you Fred.  

Emmanuel - (Switzerland)

 

Hello, Fred,

We got home safely and still have our eyes full of beautiful images.

We enjoyed great weather conditions. Not a drop of rain and pleasant warmth. Swimming in the river and Lake Salagou.

GPX maps and tracks were very useful. The beginning of the trail was well marked then nothing or almost nothing.

We liked the proposed route very much. It seemed a little more difficult from a technical point of view than last year. It's not a criticism, but we sometimes had the impression that we had deliberately looked for the most technical trails when we would have been satisfied with the parallel white path instead of taking a trail that was rather difficult to pass everything on the bike. Maybe it would be good, for some sections, to indicate the 2 variants by indicating the differences in technical difficulties in order to satisfy all the participants of a group of different levels.

On the accommodation side, everything was perfect. Reception, meals, accommodation and picnic ok, even really good for some.

Taxi back also ok.

So full satisfaction. The bike breakdown service was also impeccable and very much appreciated.

So thank you for the organization and good follow-up and very cordially.

Monique + the team - From Switzerland

 

Hello, Fred,

We returned to Burgundy after a great stay in the surroundings of Sommières, a charming little town where we continued to make some surprising encounters.

Little by little, we returned to everyday life, and we will keep very vivid memories of this magnificent week spent on the roads of the Massif Central and Languedoc (from Florac to the Salagou Lake).

Thanks again for the preparation and for the return to Florac.

Looking forward to the next Languedoc Nature trip, we wish you an excellent season and all the success, well deserved by the proposed organization.

We searched, but in the end we found nothing negative about our stay. We have only one suggestion for improvement for the breakfasts of the stages which seemed light to us, and which could be more "sporty" and, at the very least, propose fruits and yoghurt.

For the rest, nothing to say, bravo to all the service providers who received us, thank you for their warm welcome and their kindness.

Very friendly

Caroline & Gilles (Beaune)

 

Good morning, sir,

 

Very beautiful raid, under the snow and in the cold the first 2 days.

The accommodations are very correct sometimes a little old but authentic, that's what we like.

Some imperfections in the GPS tracks.

But we are used to it and a bit of intellectual effort during the pedaling doesn't hurt and the "road book" pack was complete and well done.

We are not yet decided for next year for the continuation of the GTMC .

See you soon maybe.

Eric (Paris area)

 

 

Dear Fred,

It was fantastic for everyone!

First two days were quite hard due to the weather: all day rain, wind and hail... thereof we had splendid weather conditions

Then Tom, Gert and me we added every day an extra circuit to reach around 70km and 1800 alti meters.

All the different overnights were al fantastic with their local and special charms and surprises every evening...

Also the return drive was good and the used trailer was of good quality for the bikes.

 

Remarks:

    Last day was not so good MTB ridable... we lost a GPS there so I you would hear from it...
    I would not allow my team mates anymore to cancel the picnic... I and others missed it...
    We expected like on GTJ that you would have joined us on an evening...

 

Regards and thanks,

 

Sven

 

Good morning, sir,
All in all, the crossing by mountain bike went very well, as well as the repatriation of the luggage. Overall the kilometers, the variety of terrain and the time spent on the saddle were in line with our expectations. The diversity of the accommodation and the table d'hôtes or gîtes were perfect and interesting and the picnic and meal services were of high quality with very good products each time.

We were delighted with this first experience and we hope to contact you again for new horizons.

Thank you again and see you soon,

Florence and Stephane

 

 

Lovers of Grande Traversée mountain biking (Jura, GTMC, Herault, Saint-Jacques...), we have found with Languedoc Nature, experience, know-how and organization. But these qualities can also be found elsewhere....
So the most of Languedoc Nature is the service, availability and assistance seven days a week.
During our last hike, we experienced many technical problems. Thanks to LN for always being there and giving us the right advice."

Gerard - A passionate mountain biker

 

 

LEVEL: 

 

You are going to practice a sport during several days and we advise you to do some sport to be fit and physically trained. You can bike during several weeks prior to your arrival. It is even better if you bike all year long in order to get or reinforce your resistance. Going to the fitness club or jogging can also help you to prepare your trip.

Across Causse Mejean in south Massif Central
PROGRAM: 

 

From chaîne des Puys to Cantal - 5 days

Volcanic mountain bike

Day 1 : From the Chaine des Puys to the Cantal region

38 km - difference in height: +720 / - 420 m

Day 2 : A rough and wild nature on volcanos

53 km - difference in height: + 1355 / - 1165 m

Day 3 : The Cézallier Plateau

62 km -difference in height: + 1115 / - 1060 m

Day 4 : At the entrance of wild Lozere

50 km - difference in height: + 545 / - 870 m

Day 5 : Margeride

53,5 km - difference in height: + 1250 / - 925 m

 

 

From Margeride mountains to Tarn gorges - 5 days

Ancient cows and carnivorous plants

 

Day 1 : From the entrance of wild Lozere to deep forests

51 km -difference in height: +1020 / -930 m

Day 2 : Biking in Margeride

46 km - difference in height: + 830 / - 1170 m

Day 3 : Biking on the Mounts Lozere

49,5 km - difference in height: + 1065 / - 1055 m

Day 4 : Impressive ride down into the Tarn gorges

59,5 km - difference in height: + 1630 / - 2060 m

Day 5 : Impressive ride down into the Tarn gorges

36 km - difference in height: + 1220 / - 630 m

 

From tarn Gorges to Salagou lake - 5 days 

Medieval paths and Templar order

 

Day 1 : Ride up from the Tarn gorges to the Méjean plateau

50 km - difference in height : +1780 / -440m

Day 2 : Biking in the steppe and inside an amazing chaos. Ride up on the Aigoual mountain

50 km - difference in height: + 1255 / - 1430 m

Day 3 : Cross two steep gorges

54 km - difference in height: + 900 / - 1205 m

Day 4 : the larzac plateau

47,5 km - difference in height: + 900 / - 830 m

Day 5 : Riding to the Herault river gorges

54,5 km - difference in height: + 1355 / - 1780 m

 

 

From the Grands Causses to the Mediterranean sea - 6 days 

 

 

Day 1 : 49 km - difference in height : + 1025 m

Day 2 : 46 km - difference in height : + 1035 m

Day 3 : 36,5 km ou 49,5 km (avec option boucle secteur Lac du Salagou) - difference in height : + 835 or 1105 m

Day 4 : 35 km - difference in height : + 605 m

Day 5 : 41,5 km - difference in height : + 385 m

Day 6 : 57,5 km - difference in height : 560 m

 

PERIODS

 

From May to October

La prestation comprend

• Accommodation in gite for groups, hotels or in B&B.

• Breakfasts, packed lunches and dinners.

• The road book and the maps in the self guided trip

• luggage transport

La prestation ne comprend pas
• Personal expenditure

• Comprehensive insurance (4,5%)
• The service of a guide
• The bike rental

COME BY TRAIN: 

We all know the impact of our car travels on the environment. Driving to the holidays location can produce a large amount of CO2 because of the long haul distance to get away...
Therefore, if low impact mobility interests you, Volvic (From chaîne des Puys to Cantal),  St Chély d'Apcher (From Margeride mountains to Tarn gorges ), Alès (From tarn Gorges to Salagou lake) or Millau (from Grands Causses to Mediterranean sea) welcomes you. A bus or our minivan can take you to your accommodation.
Check your journey by train with SNCF or OUIGO and contact us for any further information