Looking for the perfect cycling destination that combines cool mountain air, diverse terrain, and legendary routes? Welcome to Lacaune, a hidden gem nestled at 800 meters above sea level in the Tarn department. Here’s why this should be your next cycling adventure.

Why Lacaune? The Summer Escape You’ve Been Looking For

Let’s face it—summer in the plains can be brutal. But in Lacaune, you’ll enjoy five to six degrees cooler during the day and refreshingly cool nights. Perched high in the Monts de Lacaune, this charming village offers the perfect escape from the heat, whether you’re a road cyclist, gravel grinder, or mountain biker.

How to Get There

Lacaune sits at the crossroads of several stunning territories, including the Monts de Lacaune and the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park. Access is straightforward:

• From Toulouse: about 1.5 hours via Albi or Castres
• From Montpellier: about 1.5 hours via Béziers

Terrain for Every Cycling Style

One of Lacaune’s greatest assets is its incredible variety of terrain. The region offers:

• For road cyclists: A succession of small cols that will delight any roadie, with well-paved routes winding through dense forests and scenic lakes.
• For gravel and MTB riders: Extensive forest paths and trails that will make any off-road enthusiast feel right at home, with dramatic granite formations and open moorlands to explore.

The region’s terrain is incredibly diverse, ranging from dense forests to the unique granite blocks of the Sidobre plateau. There’s virtually no limit to how you can mix and match routes—from easy family rides to seriously challenging epics.

A Playground for All Levels

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, Lacaune has something for you. The area is an FFC-certified mountain bike area with over 1,300 km of signposted trails. The tourist office provides detailed maps and route suggestions to help you plan your perfect ride.

Route Highlights

Road Cycling Routes:

• The Tour des Lacs: A beautiful loop around the lakes of the region, a bit of gravel involved between km 55 and 58:
  • GPX File for le Tour des Lacs (68km, +1000m)
• The October Rose 2024 Route: A scenic ride through the Monts de Lacaune countryside :
  • GPX file for Octobre Rose 2024 (78km, +1320m)

Gravel & MTB Routes:

• The Classic Ride: A moderate loop through the Monts de Lacaune with stunning views of Lake Laouzas and the surrounding forests:
  • GPX File for Gravel Heaven ( 60km, +1230m)
• The Short Ride: A short gravel loop for an easy day.
  • GPX File for Gravel loop (31 km, +611m)

A Region Steeped in Cycling History

The Tour de France has made Lacaune legendary, tackling the Col de Sié multiple times—in 1954, 2013, 2018, and again in 2025. But it’s not just the pros who get to enjoy these roads. The region also hosts amateur events like the Greentour Triathlon at La Raviège and has even hosted the French Mountain Biking Championships in nearby Brassac. The combination of natural beauty and world-class terrain makes this a true outdoor playground for cyclists of all levels.

Plan Your Trip: Bike Rental in Lacaune

Ready to explore Lacaune on two wheels? You can ask for a bike rental in Lacaune at Bicicleta Maurandy, located at 17 rue René Cassin, this shop offers mountain bike and electric-assist bike rental, along with repairs, servicing, and sales of bikes and accessories.

The other options to rent at bikerentalfrance.com for an Allroad bike rental with 38mm tires ready for both road and gravel:

Useful Resources

• Tourist Office: Office de Tourisme du Haut-Languedoc – your go-to for maps and local advice
• Events: Check out the Greentour Triathlon du Haut-Languedoc for race dates and community events
• Brassac MTB team

Whether you’re seeking a weekend escape or a week-long adventure, Lacaune delivers. With its cool mountain air, incredible variety of terrain, and deep cycling heritage, this is a destination that deserves a spot on every cyclist’s bucket list. Come ride the soul of the Haut-Languedoc!

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La Passa Pais, from Mazamet to Bedarieux

The Passa Païs means »cross-country » in Occitan. It takes you from Mazamet in the Tarn to Bédarieux in Hérault. Crossing the watershed at the Col de la Fenille. This symbolic passage marks the transition from an Atlantic to a Mediterranean climate. A fascinating diversity of scenery is along the way.

The route winds through lush valleys, past medieval villages, and under shady chestnut groves. It has ever-changing views that will have you stopping for photos at every turn.

A path away from traffic

With its compacted gravel surface and moderate gradient—a legacy of its railway past—the Passa Païs is suitable for all levels. It’s perfect for families, leisure cyclists, and those on trekking or gravel bikes (check our rental bike options here). The route passes through several charming villages including Olargues (one of France’s most beautiful villages), Saint-Pons-de-Thomières, Lamalou-les-Bains, and Labastide-Rouairoux, offering plenty of opportunities to refuel, explore, or simply soak up the local culture

Plan Your Trip with Ease

Getting to the route is simple. From Toulouse, you can take the TER train to Mazamet, with dedicated bike carriages available. Alternatively, you can extend your adventure by connecting to Béziers or Montpellier.

Whether you’re seeking a peaceful day ride or a multi-day cycling holiday, the Passa Païs promises an unforgettable adventure. Come and discover why this former railway line is now one of France’s most beloved cycling routes

For more information, visit the official Passa Pais website, check bike rental options and SNCF for train and bike options.

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One of the most popular ride in Occitanie

Riding the Canal du Midi is a firm favourite among recreational cyclists—and for good reason. Following mostly former towpaths along the historic Canal du Midi, the route stretches from Toulouse to Sète, covering roughly 250 kilometres on traffic-free paths. It’s a ride that offers both tranquility and variety, though the surface isn’t always uniform.

Leaving Toulouse and crossing the Haute-Garonne department, you’ll start on smooth asphalt. As you push further into the Aude, however, the track turns to gravel and, in places, becomes noticeably rougher. For those sections, a mountain bike would feel right at home—but we’d recommend a gravel bike fitted with 38/40 mm tyres, inflated to around 3.5 bars (55 psi), for the perfect balance of comfort and efficiency. See our rental bikes !

A Canal Steeped in History

The Canal du Midi forms the eastern half of the wider Canal des Deux Mers, the ambitious waterway that links the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. The western stretch, from Bordeaux to Toulouse, is known as the Canal Latéral à la Garonne, while the eastern section—Toulouse to Sète—is the Canal du Midi itself.

This vision belonged to Paul Riquet, a 17th-century engineer whose revolutionary idea was to ease trade across the southwest of France. At the time, it was nothing short of a feat of genius. Boats had to navigate a succession of locks along the way, each one unique in design—and each a testament to Riquet’s ingenuity.

What to See Along the Way, riding the Canal du Midi

At first glance, the canal can feel deceptively uniform: long, straight stretches lined with rows of plane trees and framed by still water. But this was never designed for leisurely sightseeing—it was a working highway for commerce. That said, there are plenty of ways to enrich the journey.

Consider detouring into the rolling hills of the Montagne Noire, the sun-drenched Lauragais plains, or the wild beauty of the Minervois. Side trips to picture-perfect villages like Limoux, Minerve, or Lagrasse are well worth the extra miles.

The One-Day Challenge riding the canal du Midi

For the adventurous, there’s another option: tackle the entire 250 kilometres in a single day. It’s a formidable challenge—one that demands serious preparation, both physically and logistically. You’ll need to think carefully about pacing, nutrition, hydration, and of course, the weather.

On average, riders complete the journey in 11 to 12 hours of saddle time. The usual strategy? Set off from Toulouse around 5:00 AM, ride through the day, and arrive in Sète early enough to catch the train back. It’s a long day, but for those who crave a true test of endurance, it’s an unforgettable ride.

Ressources

Here are some websites to look at to prepare your trip:

SNCF website: to book your return trip to Toulouse from Sète.

Please note that you can take the train with a bike in the Ter IO trains (regional trains). In summer you need a booking. The booking system for bikes is not really well designed for regional and trains are often overbooked with bikes. We recommend just to show up in advance enough to secure a spot. On Intercités trains, bookings are mandatory for cyclcists and bikes (10€ for a bike). On high speed trains (TGV), bookings are mandatory too.

Canal du Midi website: plenty of information about the itinerary

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The main goal is cycling in the Gers but it is much more : 4 french departments of Occitanie are visited: Haute-Garonne, Gers, Tarn-et-Garonne and Lot-et-Garonne.

Here is the route: Toulouse, Levignac, Sarran, Laréole, Mauvezin, Saint-Clar, Lachapelle, Auvillar. Valence-d’Agen.

First bit : Toulouse to Lareole (48 km)

To exit Toulouse, it is pretty ok with the big cycle paths which have thrieved last years. It is a bit tricky when leaving the city with busy streets where cars can speed even if there is not too many.

Quickly, after 15km, we are on small roads, steep climbs but short.
The route leads to Sarran, a circulade of the Gers which has timber houses and a nice Coffee book shop where it is nice to have a break reading books, eating a tartine!

Next stop is le Château de Laréole, a renovated castle with concerts and entertainment on August weekends.

Second part: Château de Lareole to Lachapelle (42 km)

Next village is Sarran, a circulade of the Gers which has timber houses and a nice Coffee book shop where it is nice to have a break reading books!

Cologne and Mauvezin are the next crossed villages with both nice medieval market hall.

Saint-Clar is on the road next, it host another picturesque market hall.

Lachapelle is in the Tarn-et-Garonne. Is it built on a rock. The Chapelle and the ancient templar castle are one of the Highlight of the ride. The Commanderie was built by the templar knights and the chapelle which was in the castle is since the …th century belongs to the village.

Third part : Lachapelle to Valence-d’Agen train station via Auvillar (21 km).

From Lachapelle, Auvillar is just 14 k away and mainly downhill. Ovelooking the Garonne river (and the Golfech nuclear plan in distance) the village is a center of potery art and every year a major national potery market takes place.

After all these km, we reach Valence-d’Agen to take the TER back to Toulouse. 10€ to 18,80€ depending of the time of the day. One hour ride. Book your ticket on sncf connect and your bike (for free) on velo serein.fr . Bookings for bikes are mandatory between July 1st and August 31st even on TER train. Conductors can be consilliant if tere are not too many bicycles on the train but it is better to have a booking, it is free.

Check the train schedule and prices on sncf-connect .

You can rent a bike from bikerentalfrance for this adventure, contact us to book your rental bike

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Toulouse and the Tour de France.

The city was numerous times stage start or finish start of the Tour de France since the 40’s. Stages would usually come from the Pyrénées to end in la « ville rose » or vice et versa. Other races like la ronde de l’isard, la route du Sud or le MIDI libre went through the town too.

Toulouse, a cycling friendly city

There are numerous bike shops in the city and the suburb, many bike paths and car drivers are more and more aware of cyclist (they keep yelling at them time to time even if they don’t run over them!). Les toulousains use their bikes a lot either for communting during the week or sport on weekends.

Toulouse start of rides towards cycling heavens

Toulouse is in the middle of several areas which are perfect for cycling, good roads, good mountain bike tracks, scenic roads in the countryside…

South of Toulouse, the Pyrénées are not far, about 2h drive for the Tourmalet! But you have a quick access to Hautacam, Luz-Ardiden, Aubisque, Andorra…

The canal du Midi and latéral à la Garonne is also a quieter way for the recreational cyclist, it leads From Bordeaux to Sète, via Agen, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Narbonne…

Spain is not far as well, Girona is 2h30 drive away and Barcelona 3h30. That gives plenty of option for epic rides via the Costa Brava

Bike Rental Toulouse : Map of Area

How to access to Toulouse?

The train station in Toulouse is gare SNCF Matabiau

Aeroport International de Toulouse – Blagnac

Autoroute du Sud de la France

We deliver your rental bike in Toulouse for free. Contact us for a quote for your rental bike delivery.

L’article Toulouse cycling hub in Southwest France (Bike rental) est apparu en premier sur Bike Rental France.

Cycling with goals is always more motivating, espeacially in winter when outside temperature is closed to 0°C . Winter is this time when everything slows down and I had time to do other things than working! So I decided to go visit a friend who settled in Marseille recently and of course it was clear that it would be bikepacking from Gaillac. There are several ways for cycling from Gaillac to Marseille, one which is popular is going to Toulouse, then following the Canal du Midi until Sète and finally riding the Camargue area and reaching Marseille. I thought this one was a bit too flat so I went for the scenic one through the south of Massif Central, la Lozère and the Provence.

Gaillac to Millau

On sunny Sunday, I started with 1°C toward Albi and the Tarn Valley (Vallée du Tarn). There is no trafic on winter wednesday in this area. The itinerary is quite challenging for the first stage to Millau, with 125 km and 1500 m of climbing in the last 40 km. With a light light loaded bike, it is easy to cruise at a good pace along winding roads. Arriving in Millau at night, that was a perfect Day 1.

Millau to Uzes

Day 2 is another story. The weather was not dry at all with rain the first 50 km. Anyway, I had to go, I was well equipped and the rain was not so heavy, just enought to be completly wet after a hour !<br>I left Millau toward Meyruies through les gorges du Tarn and les gorges de la Jonte. After a break in Meyruies and a sundance which didn’t work, I kept going, climbing near the Mount Aigual. With snow and fog, that was an epic ride. Going to Anduze and reaching Uzes was accomplished with dry tarmac.

Uzes to Massalia! Conclusion of riding from Gaillac to Marseille.

Even if the destination is at see level, the route to Marseille is not flat at all. With the day with 1000m of climbing will be great ride with sun all the way. The scenery changed drastically. I crossed villages typical of Provence like Tarascon, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence or les Beaux-de-Provence. Finally arriving in Marseille was easy, I flew down to the city before sunset. I was happy!

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Day 1 : Gaillac to Lagrasses

After a short bus ride between Gaillac (50 km northeast of Toulouse) and Castres to skip 70km of asphalte, we crossed Castres quickly to reach the foothills of La Montagne Noire on the N112 in Caucalières. We immediately starded to climb via a nice road for a couple of kilometers. Then we rode on narrow gravel paths, quite steep in the forest. Sometimes we had the sun of the coming spring, the temperature is not very high.

Then we went on wider paths, the ones which lead to the wind generators on top of the Montagne Noire.

Once we got on the crete, some nice descents took us to the valley and Trebes where we crossed the national road N113. The last kilometers to Lagrasses to ride were on pavement. In Lagrasses, we bumped into Gaëtane who is a part of the french cyclist association “Elles font du vélo” and who also runs the local craft beer business www.labrasseriedelagrasse.com. She offered us a nice welcome pack “Beer + Cycling cap”. Thank you Gaëtane.

Day 2 : Lagrasses to Ille-sur-Têt

The next day, the serious stuff was on the menu: big rocks, big elevation, technical descents, bike walking… We pushed the bikes and bodies to the limit and our minimalist winter prep did the job helping us go over all that! Bikes were great, well balanced with the bikepacking gear. We arrived in l’Ille-sur-Têt quite exhausted but happy. Bikepacking from Gaillac to Girona is definetely a real adventure.

We made a quick stop at Caminade, a french frame builder.

Day 3 Ille-sur-Têt to Girona (Catalunya)

I was by myself, Damien pulled out because of a sore knee due to the intensive previous day. I had to go 170 km and 1800m of climbing in the first 70 km to cross the Pyrenees. The rain has been my companion all day. I was glad to be a minimum fit, and that the bike was fast and comfortable (the Massi Team GR grx). Moreover my load was not too heavy. I was pushed to the limit with rain, cold, wind and long distance. Riding with a one-by-crankset was new for me. It worked well almost everywhere. I was a bit limited going downhill with a 40×11 but when I had to climb steep rocky sections, the 40*46 was wonderful.

I unplugged my brain and just spinned!

In the end, this first 3-day-adventure was a blast, with a great route by Damien, with breathtaking sceneries, efficient bikes and some physical challenge before spring.

(Not for self: if I am cold, tired, with pouring rain, when I ride by a train station, I just have take the next train. No need to be a hero!)

You can rent a bike from us in Toulouse and drop it in a different location like Girona or Barcelona. Contact us for a quote.

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