GravelUp - Corsica 5 day trip
8th May
“A GravelUp trip isn’t a race, it's an adventure to be shared and savoured. The average speed is the one that allows everyone to enjoy the landscapes we travel through. We start together and we finish together. That’s the GravelUp spirit.”
Sportive breaks is proud to partner with GravelUp a leading gravel biking agency in Europe.
GravelUp has crafted exclusive tours to explore Corsica from a totally different perspective.
Join us for 5 days of adventure with a group of 10 riders at max and expand your own limits and passion for adventures to reconnect with what really matters in life.
The trip starts on May 8th at noon (pick up time at Ajaccio airport) and ends on May 12th at 5 pm (drop off time at Ajaccio airport).
Be ready to feel immersed in nature! This gem of an island is full of gravel paths and tiny roads. Between mountains, cliffs and the sea there’s also deserted wilderness from where you will discover the beauty of the Mediterranean from a totally different angle. The distance for this trip ranges from 70 to 80km daily with an average daily elevation of 1000-1500m.
For the British Cycling Members Free Bike Hire Offer*: please book your trip without bike hire, then immediately afterwards (or whenever is convenient for you within the next few days), please contact our customer team quoting your British Cycling Membership Number and they will add free bike hire (including the size and type you require) to your booking. *T’s and C’s apply and can be viewed here>
Spread your payments: Our payment plan is an interest-free payment method where you will have the opportunity to spread payment for your booking.
Exclusive hotel: 4 nights in an eco hotel near Sartène
Guided Rides : Fully supported and guided rides.
What's Included?
Accommodation
4 nights in an exclusive eco hotel near Sartène
Meals Included
All meals included
Return Transfers
Return transfer from Ajaccio airport
Fully Guided Rides
A professional and local guide leading all rides
Mechanic
Mechanical assistance for the duration of the tour
Wellness Activities
Yoga, meditation and relaxation activities
Also Available at a Supplement
Single Occupancy
Available for a supplement
Gravel Bike Hire
Carbon frame gravel bikes from the French brand ORIGINE available for hire at a supplement.
Packages and Prices
Be ready to feel immersed in nature! This gem of an island is full of gravel paths and tiny roads. Between mountains, cliffs and the sea there’s also deserted wilderness from where you will discover the beauty of the Mediterranean from a totally different angle. The distance for this trip ranges from 70 to 80km daily with an average daily elevation of 1000-1500m.
Prices
- £1809 per person based on two people sharing a twin (2 single beds) or 1 double room (1 bed for couple)
- £2085 based on single occupancy of a room
Included with your weekend
- Return transfer from Ajaccio Airport
- All food for the stay
- Accommodation 5 nights in a double room (single option at extra cost)
- A great welcome pack
- A mechanic who will share his secrets with you
- A professional and local guide
- Unique tracks designed by the GravelUp Team
- Assistance and transportation van
- Wellness activities – Yoga, meditation, relaxation
- Visits to various historical and cultural sites
- An evening of celebration
- A community of enthusiasts
Also available
- Bike rental
Itinerary
Day To Day
We will pick you, and your gravel bike if you are bringing your own, from Ajaccio airport at 5pm.
On Day 1, we will start by getting to grips with the Gravels by exploring the Corsican scrubland – and be warned, it can sting the calves. We will take our time, preparing ourselves physically and mentally for the next 4 days, which promise to be rich in both sporting and cultural terms!
We will welcome you to our base camp, hidden in the heart of the Sartenais. Hidden yes, because our host renovated alone his eco sheepfold and keeps it secret for our greatest pleasure. A real haven of peace to start this unique adventure, to get to know each other and already start to disconnect.
You will be staying in comfortable accommodation: Our passionate host will tell you the story of the eco-shepherd’s hut he built with his own hands. A life project for this epicurean who loves traveling, cooking and meeting people.
Between Corsican vineyards, authentic villages of the center and the mythical needles of Bavella we will make you discover the province of Alta Rocca. The objective is to reach the Coscione plateau which is normally only accessible to hikers. And it is precisely there that the magic of the gravel operates, at ease as well on the roads as on the paths.
On Day 2 we will reach Zonza but first pay a visit to our friends from Domaine de Saparale and visit their winery. Welcome to the Ortolo Vally, famous for its wines and its scenery reminding many about South Africa.
After this local stop, it is time to gain some height and head toward the Alta Rocca. Great Gravel tracks and amazing mountain roads to reach the center of Corsica, remote, wild and with stunning mountain peaks.
Day 3 is the Queen stage of our trip. Warming up around the Bavella peaks with a secret gravel route that only the locals know of. It will bring you, off the beaten track to the village of Quenza from where will start the climb to the mythical Coccione plateau.
We have a special agreement to be able to cross this protected plateau on our Gravel bike. Be ready for wilderness, local boars, horses and cows and watch out for the Pozzin these tiny rivers that are both underground and above ground. We promise you challenge and total disconnection, the perfect place for an unforgettable day on the bike.
Back to the south by the massif of Ospedale and the heights of Porto-Vecchio to come back to our base camp and take the time to realize the adventure that we have just lived.
We will go through some amazing tracks and show you a different part of Corsica center with endless forests and incredible views on the Mediterranean sea.
Our last day brings us to the remote Cala di Conca. Departing from our Base camp, we will bring you by the seaside, with a breathtaking 12km descent on gravel to bring us to a secluded beach… after a potential short swim we will keep gravel riding in the local bush called Maquis to reach the little city of Tizanno and head back to Tribu.
We will close the adventure by a moment of sharing still under the magic of the crossing of the Corsican mountains by bike and the strong bonds that we wove together.
We promise you that after that, you will ask for more!
We will provide a return transfer to Ajaccio airport, dropping off at 5pm.
More About GravelUp
GravelUp are three like-minded adventure enthusiasts, setting themselves apart from holiday companies, as an ‘Adventure Enabler’. Their shared passion for travel and cycling combine to offer tours across the beautiful and unspoiled mountains of Europe on gravel bikes, providing authentic experiences and the best that local areas have to offer.
A small team of experts in travel, working closely with the most experienced local guides and providers to ensure that each trip provides exciting and adventurous gravel riding alongside an opportunity for relaxation and wellness activities.
GravelUp will take you to the summit of remote European mountains, with some testing routes but not against the clock or in competition with other riders – it’s all about being a part of the environment and eco-system and utilising the gravel bike as a means to reconnect to nature and explore the beauty of Europe.
“A GravelUp trip isn’t a race, it’s an adventure to be shared and savoured. The average speed is the one that allows everyone to enjoy the landscapes we travel through. We start together and we finish together. That’s the GravelUp spirit.”
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You're in safe hands
We have a team of highly experienced professionals who have been organising cycling trips for over 25 years. We are members of ABTA and ATOL so book with confidence.
Plenty to choose from
Did you know we offer the biggest selection of European Gran Fondo and Cyclo-Sportive events.
Spread your payments
Our payment plan is an interest-free payment method where you will have the opportunity to spread payment for your booking. *Selected products. Terms and Conditions apply
Logistics covered
We know the routes, we know the roads. We know how the event works and the best hotels for the start and finish. We organise everything for you; transfers, bike transport, additional feed stops, rep support and more.
