Argelès-sur-Mer to Gruissan

Route overview

Suits riders of any level after a long flat day: 89.3 km with only 71 m of climbing.

A flat 89.3 km coastal run north from Argelès-sur-Mer past the Roussillon beach resorts and the Leucate headland to Gruissan.

From Argelès-Plage the route sets off north along the coast with barely any gradient, low at 2 m above the sea at the start. Saint-Cyprien Sud comes at 4.6 km and Saint-Cyprien Plage at 8.5 km, where restaurants, cafés and several drinking water points cluster within a few hundred metres. The road continues through Canet-en-Roussillon at 19.1 km, Sainte-Marie-la-Mer and Sainte-Marie-Plage around 22 km, then Torreilles-Plage and the hamlets of Les Julianes, El Trenc and Mas de la Torre at 27 km. Le Barcarès at 30.8 km leads on to Port Barcarès and Port Leucate at 38.4 km. The only real rise on the whole ride is the pull onto the Leucate headland: Leucate-Plage at 45.7 km, then the village of Leucate at 48.6 km, the high point of the route at just 37 m. Total climbing is 71 m, with 43% of it in the first half. Beyond Leucate the road drops back to sea level through Caves and La Franqui, then runs on past Les Plages-Sud and Les Plages-Nord to Port-la-Nouvelle at 67.3 km. A final flat 18 km brings the route into Gruissan at 85.6 km.

Highlights

• Leucate village at 37 m, the high point of the ride
• Beach resorts from Saint-Cyprien Plage to Le Barcarès
• Port Leucate and Port-la-Nouvelle harbour villages
• Finish in Gruissan after 89.3 km of near-flat coast

Practical information

Surface

Paved

Route shape

Point to point

Riding time

5½–7½ hours riding

Season

The single September recording had 26°C, warm but workable on a flat coastal route.

Know before you go

• No cafés, water or shops listed after 14.3 km — carry supplies
• 26°C recorded in September on an exposed, shadeless coast

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.