Cycle Touring in the French Alps presents a personal selection of the most picturesque cycling routes through the mountains of Southeast France. The eight tours - seven circuits plus the Grand Traverse from Geneva to Nice - include the classic high passes of the French Alps (Galibier, Iseran, Izoard, etc) as well as many lesser known areas of the pre-Alps and Southern Jura. Although all of the tours are in mountain areas, the scenery - from the rolling hills of the Bugey to the dramatic limestone gorges of the Chartreuse or the snowy peaks of the Ecrins - is extremely varied. Without neglecting the must-see places, the tours have been designed to take you through the secret corners and forgotten backwaters of the regions described; even amongst the most awe-inspiring mountains, it is often the more discreet facets of the countryside that reveal an area's true charm.