Located in the French department of Haute Savoie, the Annecy region offers a varied terrain for avid cyclists. There are legendary cols such as Colombière, Aravis and Croix Fry, often used by the men's and women's Tour de France and the Critérium du Dauphiné. But there are also plenty of lesser-known climbs, where you can get away from the traffic in a quiet, natural environment. And the cycle paths around Lake Annecy mean you can ride all year round in coffee ride mode.

I recently had the opportunity to stay in Annecy and climb the Semnoz with Luca and Flore, a leading figure in the local cycling community. I was familiar with this iconic peak overlooking Lake Annecy because I had climbed its northern slope during the 2013 Etape du Tour. I remembered a relentless and somewhat monotonous climb through the woods. 

This time, we climbed it via the southern side. And from the first few kilometres, it was a much more pleasant experience: after half an hour on the flat, fabulous cycle path beside the lake, we gradually climbed up a gently sloping road in the middle of the fields.

It was almost effortless to climb 400 meters to reach the Col de Leschaux (897m): a free pass, woohoo! After 25km, this is where the ascent of the Semnoz really began. But there too, it was very pleasant: all the way to the summit, the gradient averaged just 6% and there was virtually no traffic even though it was peak tourism season.

At the foot, we rode through the forest with occasional glimpses of the countryside below. And 2 kilometres from the summit, we reached the pastures and discovered a sumptuous panorama with the majestic Mont Blanc in the background.

That's when we realised why the Semnoz is one of the most emblematic passes in the Annecy region. It was well worth a selfie!

And the descent, via the road I'd taken on the way up during the Etape du Tour, was great fun, even if the degraded surface in some places meant we had to be very careful.

Alain

Thanks to Annecy Mountains and YP Médias for organising our trip. We stayed at the Rivage Hôtel & Spa, ideally situated on the lakeside with direct access to the cycle path.