road.cc’s favourite cycling destinations in the world: from the Peaks to the Alps and far beyond, here are some of the best places to ride your bike

Cycling meccas like Mallorca and Calpe, legendary mountain ranges such as the French Alps and the Dolomites, epic UK rides… there are a lot of great places to ride your bike, and in this article, we’ve attempted to round up some of the very best. Here are some of the best cycling destinations in the world, including a few of our staff favourites to inspire your next adventure. 

> Want some more ideas? Check out some of the best cycling city breaks

We admit this selection is heavily weighted towards Europe and nowhere near exhaustive – in fact we’ve missed out entire continents – but this is just our favourites, and as always we’re inviting you to add your faves in the comments to be considered for our next update…

Best for iconic climbs: The French Alps

I’ve been fortunate to ride in the French Alps, including some of the toughest efforts up the Col du Télégraphe and Col du Galibier.

One of the most famous climbs in cycling is Alpe d’Huez, which is typically covered in snow during the winter months, so it’s best to visit in summer when the roads are clear. Many of the climbs in the Alps, including Alpe d’Huez, feature consistent gradients that present a significant but manageable challenge for well-prepared riders.

You’re rewarded with incredible views, generally good traffic, and a variety of routes across the region.

Best views: The Dolomites

Crossing the border into Italy, one of the most picturesque places to ride in the world is the Dolomites, featuring Giro d’Italia climbs like the Stelvio and Giau passes.

It’s a demanding place to ride, but the scenery more than rewards the effort. The main challenge in the Dolomites will likely be which climbs to tackle, given the sheer number of options on offer.

Best for racing fans: Belgium

With the Spring Classics season drawing to a close, you may already be feeling inspired to take a trip to Belgium, riding legendary routes from races such as the Tour of Flanders, Omloop or Paris–Roubaix. Admittedly, we do watch a lot of bike racing in our spare time here at road.cc, so it’s no surprise that this pick is steeped in racing history.

The famous cobbled ‘bergs’ are the main attraction: the brutal Oude Kwaremont, the relentlessly steep Paterberg and the Koppenberg, the latter arguably the most savage of them all. Riding the pavé is something of a rite of passage in road cycling, a world away from smooth alpine climbs or sun-drenched Spanish asphalt.

Best for spotting the pros: Costa Blanca

Following on from the racing fan’s choice, if you’d like the chance to rub shoulders with the best (most likely as they pass at speed), then the Costa Blanca is hard to beat. In particular, Calpe and the surrounding mainland Spain roads are a hotspot for pro riders during their winter training camps, and the roads often feature in La Vuelta stages.

Best all-round holiday destination: Mallorca

Mallorca is a fan-favourite in the cycling world, and also one you can likely convince your non-cycling partner to join you on. It offers everything from iconic climbs like Sa Calobra to scenic rides out to the lighthouse at Cap de Formentor, alongside beautiful beaches and coastline.

Mallorca is particularly well suited to less experienced riders as there’s an abundance of bike shops, pre-planned holidays and great routes. The island also offers plenty of flatter terrain, meaning there’s something for everyone.

Best further afield: Northern Thailand

Although I’ve visited South East Asia, I haven’t yet ridden there – but according to one of our writers, Steve Thomas, Northern Thailand is hard to beat for road, gravel and bikepacking adventures.

In particular, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai offer world-class riding, with a mix of mountains, flat roads and rich culture. The roads are generally quiet and the facilities are good too.

Best for staying closer to home

Cycling holidays don’t have to mean heading abroad, and we’re fortunate in the UK to have a huge variety of excellent riding on our doorstep.

While conditions like weather and, in some areas, traffic can be a drawback, there’s no shortage of world-class routes across the country, both on and off-road.

For me, living in Wales, it’s hard to beat the roads on my doorstep. Elsewhere, standout regions include the Lake District, Peak District and Cairngorms National Park in Scotland, all offering incredible and varied terrain.

Best for cafes: Girona

Girona is well known for its cycling culture and acts as a base for many professional riders. It’s particularly famous for its high concentration of cafés, making it a natural hub for coffee stops and pre-ride meet-ups.

Beyond the café scene, the riding is great, with a strong mix of road routes and an abundance of gravel options right on the doorstep. It’s also home to the Traka, a major gravel event held every year, featuring routes from 100km all the way up to 560km.

Staff picks

We’re lucky that cycling is part of our day-to-day lives, which has taken us to some incredible riding destinations around the world. From iconic climbs to hidden gems, here are a few of our personal favourites.

I’ve been fortunate to ride in some amazing places, from the roads on my doorstep in Wales – like the iconic Tumble – and to my time at university in Swansea, exploring the Brecon Beacons, Black Mountains and the gravel tracks around Llandovery.

Further afield, riding has taken me across Europe, and some of the most memorable experiences have come from riding the iconic cobbled routes of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, including the Arenberg Forest and the Muur van Geraardsbergen, where cycling culture runs deep, on the roads and in the museums that celebrate the sport’s history.

Mat Brett: Iceland

Our Tech Editor Mat says that while nothing quite matches the famous climbs of France and Italy for combining spectacular riding with a sense of cycling history, one of the most memorable places he’s ridden is Iceland – somewhere he says he’d “go back to in a heartbeat”.

“I rode around Iceland when I was 18 years old, and that’s long enough ago that a significant portion of Route 1 (the country’s ring road) was still gravel. It’s fully asphalted these days.

What’s good? Everything, but most of all the landscapes. You’ll just be riding along and come across a volcano, steam rising from the ground, a black sand beach, or maybe a lagoon full of icebergs. Admittedly, the weather can be… challenging, but the whole place is just nuts.”

Steve Thomas: Shropshire-Mid Wales borders

Despite having ridden and lived all over the world, feature writer Steve Thomas’ favourite destination for road, off-road and bikepacking adventures is much closer to home – the Shropshire–Mid Wales borders and into North Wales (when the weather is half decent).

“Much of my life has been spent riding the trails and roads there, the sheer variety and amount of superb backroads and bridleways, the dramatic and epic scenery, the accessibility, the ability to slip the traffic with a side turn, it really is hard to beat”, he says. 

Dave Atkinson: The Alpujarras, Southern Spain

Mallorca and Tenerife may be on every cyclist’s radar for a bit of early or late season sun, but one of the founding fathers or road.cc, Dave Atkinson, has chosen a quiet alternative – the Alpujarra region of Spain, sitting south of the Sierra Nevada between Granada and Almería.

Dave says, “Almost deserted out of high season, it’s chock full of beautiful, well-surfaced climbs, and when those give out there are endless gravel routes up onto the high Sierra where the Badlands race is held every year. Accommodation is plentiful and cheap, and you’ll have the place to yourself.”

What’s your favourite cycling destination? Let us know in the comments below.