A trip to the top of Mont Ventoux is a must when in Provence. A climb of almost 1,600 meters can be conquered on this outpost of the Alps, and it is especially the last part of the climb that leaves you speechless. This scree desert is simply breathtaking.

A good climb to test your legs with some amazing views of the Alps and the Mediterranean. You may even see a pro rider on a training ride!

The Col de Turini from the D 2565 is a 15.3km long climb with a positive elevation of 1107m. The average gradient is 7.24% with maximum gradients of 9%. There is downhill tree cover and you spend quite a bit of time in a forest. From the climb you have views towards Nice and the Mediterranean Sea.

Climb about 10 km long with always easy slopes. At the top excellent panorama.

Famed as a training hill, exactly where the pros commence their battle with the clock on the ‘classic’ start is a constant cause of debate. Regardless of how long it takes, a successful summit is rewarded with a view towards Peille and the higher mountains with Madone being a gateway Col that unlocks the door to a whole host of other climbs and routes in the Alpes Maritimes.

Col de la Madone is part of our Montagnes à la Carte series, head over to bit.ly/3BmcclB and claim your badge if you rode this classic.

People have been stopping to marvel at this view since the col’s famous switchbacks were constructed in the early 20th century. Take your time up the ascent and you will admire the olive groves, and maybe spy the remnants of the old Route Royale, the salt road that linked Nice and the coast to Piedmont and the Dukes of Savoy in Turin.

Col de Braus is part of our Montagnes à la Carte series, head over to bit.ly/2UvpAmH and claim your badge if you rode this classic.

Don’t look too hard at the Bonette’s claim – seen on signposts the length of the ascent from Jausiers in the north and from Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée in the south – that it is the highest road in Europe. Instead, marvel at the panorama in front of you which will make the debate seem inconsequential.

Col de la Bonette is part of our Montagnes à la Carte series, head over to bit.ly/2Utf27L and claim your badge if you rode this classic.

This has long been a place of pilgrimage and healing, but one that for cyclists has remained a well-kept secret – beloved of local riders… until recently. In March 2016, the penultimate stage of Paris-Nice finished on the summit, bringing the views from this holy site to a wider audience.

Madone d'Utelle is part of our Montagnes à la Carte series, head over to bit.ly/3ziK156 and claim your badge if you rode this classic.

Although Mont Vial can seem ubiquitous, cyclists have to travel far into the backcountry to find the turning, which is tucked away somewhere between Toudon and Tourette-du-Chateau. Those who search will be rewarded, however, with a deserted, small, irregularly surfaced scrawl of switchbacks up the rocky mountain face. Perfection, in our eyes at least.

Mont Vial is part of our Montagnes à la Carte series, head over to bit.ly/3eCNiEJ and claim your badge if you rode this classic.

Mont Chauve is Nice’s hidden mountain. It is hiding in plain sight, sitting there just to the north, right above the city, but nevertheless it is hidden. The best time to come, perhaps, is early in the morning, to watch the sun rise over Italy; on clear days, from the fort, Corsica can be seen on the horizon. A hidden gem.

Mont Chauve is part of our Montagnes à la Carte series, head over to bit.ly/3ziOHba and claim your badge if you rode this classic.

From Sospel the climb starts in the pleasant and open meadows in the valley of the small river Bevera. It ascends through deep gorges, though never too tight, and ends in open meadows again. It is as if the pass is higher than its 879m, and you have passed into the northern Alps.

Col de Brouis is part of our Montagnes à la Carte series, head over to bit.ly/3kBLn6Y and claim your badge if you rode this classic.

The Tenda hill is famous for its fortifications and for the "road of 50 hairpin bends", which through the hill connects the Vermenaia valley in Italy to the Roia valley in France.