Cycling in Argelès-sur-Mer

Cycling guide to Argelès-sur-Mer

Argelès-sur-Mer sits at the southern end of a long line of Mediterranean beach towns, and the riding from here runs north along that coast. The main outing is the 89.3 km point-to-point to Gruissan, a route that leaves Argelès-Plage and strings together Saint-Cyprien Plage, Canet-en-Roussillon, Sainte-Marie-la-Mer and Torreilles-Plage before reaching Le Barcarès and Port Barcarès. Beyond Barcarès the route continues through Port Leucate, Leucate-Plage and Leucate itself, then Caves, La Franqui and the beach sections at Les Plages-Sud and Les Plages-Nord, passing Le Bouchet and Port-la-Nouvelle on the way to Gruissan. Total climbing over the 89.3 km is only 71 m, so this is a ride measured in distance rather than vertical metres, and the neighbouring places come frequently enough to break it into short stages.

Best time to ride

The route was recorded in September, with temperatures of 26°C - warm but workable for a long flat day on the coast.

Terrain

The terrain is effectively flat: 71 m of elevation gain across 89.3 km, with a high point of just 37 m near Leucate. There is no significant climb on the route.