Menton Cols Loop

This was the first route I rode from Menton, and it remains a perfect introduction to the roads behind the town: a cross-border loop that dips into Italy, climbs two cols, and drops back to the Mediterranean. The route heads east along the coast and crosses the Italian border after about 4 km — the sign is easy to miss. The road to Ventimiglia is flat and fast along the sea. I rode this the day I flew in from Norway — a short spin to loosen the legs after travelling — so I hadn't eaten much, and stopped at the Lidl in Ventimiglia to grab something to eat on the bike. From there you turn north and follow the Roia valley gently uphill; stay on the old road alongside the river rather than the main tunnel — it's quieter and a much better ride.

Col de Vescavo is the first categorised climb — 6.3 km at 4% from the Italian side, starting near Olivetta and topping out on the French border. It's a quiet, steady climb that rewards patience rather than hard efforts. The descent off the summit drops you into Sospel, a medieval mountain village with a 14th-century toll bridge that was bombed in the Second World War and later restored. It's the natural place to break the ride — I stopped for coffee at Le Picoun in the village centre, though the café keeps short hours, so time it around lunch.

Col de Castillon from Sospel is the harder of the two — 6.96 km at 5%, more sustained all the way, climbing through Mediterranean scrub with the valley opening up behind you. Where Vescavo is a quiet border climb the races never touched, Castillon carries the history: it's the final pass of the Route des Grandes Alpes, the great alpine road that ends here above the Mediterranean, and the Tour de France crossed it 27 times, most recently in 1952. From the 711 m summit, it's a sweeping 15 km descent back to Menton through Castellar and Gorbio, with the sea in view long before you reach it. A compact loop that packs in far more than its 61 km suggests.