CORSICA IS NOT FRANCE.
The graffiti still marks the roadside — a quiet rebellion scrawled in paint and pride. Whoever wrote it wasn’t wrong. Corsica doesn’t play by mainland rules. It’s part French, part Italian, and entirely its own — an island where mountains crash straight into the sea, and every climb feels like a challenge whispered from the road itself.
Here, 650 miles of coastline wrap around a jagged spine of granite peaks that soar toward 10,000 feet. The roads twist through pine forests, wind-scorched ridgelines, and villages that haven’t changed in centuries. It’s a place that feels wild, a little untamed, and built for the kind of riding that demands everything — legs, lungs, and spirit.
In true RAID fashion, our route cuts deep into the island — a week-long traverse designed to showcase the contrasts that make Corsica unforgettable. Long days in the saddle, coastal descents that blur into blue horizon, climbs that seem to defy logic. Nights of rest come with Corsican wine, local charcuterie, and the kind of meals that make you forget how hard you worked to earn them.
Corsica has long been a secret training ground for pros, and after a week here, you’ll understand why. The island rewards effort with beauty, and the road gives back exactly what you put in.
RAID Corsica isn’t a vacation. It’s a reckoning with the elements — raw, remote, and completely irresistible.
For those who want more, we add a 3-day extension centered around Mont Ventoux—the “Giant of Provence.” Rising alone to 1,909 meters, Ventoux is raw and exposed, its upper slopes stripped to white limestone where the wind never stops. A fixture of the Tour de France since 1951, it’s delivered some of the sport’s most defining moments—and its most sobering, marked by the memorial to Tom Simpson just below the summit.
Over three days, we build toward a single, definitive effort—the classic ascent from Bédoin. No shortcuts, no dilution—just the full experience, from the quiet roll out of town to the long, relentless grind through the forest, and finally onto the exposed, lunar summit.
Rather than base ourselves in Bédoin, we stay on the edge, in Sault—quieter, higher, and closer to the rhythm of the mountain. It’s not just a climb, it’s a place that leaves a mark.
D1 · PORTO VECCHIO
30mi / 48km ✧ +1,980ft / 603m
Upon your arrival into Porto Vecchio, the RAID shuttle will transfer you to our beach front hotel in Porto Vecchio, the Hotel Carré Noir. This afternoon, our Corsican adventure begins with a prologue in the form of a quick, undulating spin from Porto Vecchio. A perfect opportunity to get to know your guides and your riding mates for the week before enjoying your first night on the island, in the city that hosted the Tour de France’s Grand Départ in 2013. After our short ride, we will gather this evening for a group orientation to go over the daily itinerary and plan for the week followed by an evening meal.
O/N Hotel Carré Noir
D2 · PORTO VECCHIO TO SARTENE
79mi / 127km ✧ +7,220ft / 2200m
Porto Vecchio, on Corsica’s southeastern tip, is a characterful town surrounded by deserted white-sand beaches and is a great starting point for riding into the island’s wild southern interior. The spectacular route out of town takes us straight to the Col de Bacinu before descending on sweeping turns through dense, forested hills with unexpected vistas around every corner. The tunnels here were a favorite hideout of the Corsican Resistance against the Nazis. Sartène, our halfway point, is a pretty town dating mainly from the 16th century; to return, we take the spectacular red-rocked coast road, with beautiful views out over the Mediterranean. By the time you’ve ascended the second col, you’ll a dip in the sea and the fine dinner waiting for you at the hotel.
Sartène—often called the “most Corsican of Corsican towns” by Prosper Mérimée—has long been tied to stories of vendetta and what outsiders loosely call the Corsican “mafia.” In reality, it was never a centralized system like Cosa Nostra, but rather a web of tight family networks shaped by honor, loyalty, and generations of feuds that defined life in the region. That legacy fed into the broader Corsican “milieu” that later influenced criminal circles in places like Marseille, though Sartène itself is now quiet, traditional, and more defined by its granite streets and deep-rooted identity than any modern underworld.
O/N Hotel Carré Noir
D3 · pORTO VECCHIO TO PORTICCIO
84mi / 135km ✧ +11,180ft / 3407m
On our third day in the saddle, we’ll traverse to the opposite side of the island via the rugged Parc Natural Régional de la Corse. We’ll begin by making our way to higher ground, and spend much of the day at altitudes approaching 1,000m. We’ll cycle through the cool pine forests that cloak the slopes of the many 2,000m-plus peaks that tower above us, and also pass through the maquis, the name given to the distinctive, fragrant scrubland that covers parts of the island. From there, we’ll begin the long descent to Punta di Porticcio. At our hotel, just steps from the beaches of a magnificent bay, we’ll enjoy a magical sunset and sleep to the sound of gentle waves against the shore.
D4 · PORTICCIO TO CORTE
95mi / 152km ✧ +10,000ft / 3048m
Today’s route takes us to the heart of the island, to Corte, a town at the center of the island’s fortunes since Pascal Paoli made it the capital of his short-lived Corsican Republic in 1755. A nationalist stronghold to this day, its position atop a craggy mount gives it the appearance of a fairytale citadel. On the way, we’ll take the famous corniche road that squeezes between rocky cliffs and the sea, and which provided such exhilarating viewing during the 2013 Tour. Then, after cycling round the Golfe de Sagone we’ll turn inland and climb more than 30km to the Col de Vergio – at 1,478m the highest paved road on the island. There are breathtaking views, including a glimpse of the famously tough GR20 hiking trail that runs along the spine of the island. The evening’s destination is the luxuriously tranquil Hôtel Dominique Colonna, a haven of design nestled in the lush Restonica river valley.
O/N Dominique Colonna
D5 · CORTE
93mi / 149km ✧ +4,350ft / 1325m
A true layover day in Corte offers a deeper look into the cultural and historic heart of the island. Set high in the mountains, Corte feels distinct from the coast—more rugged, more introspective. Wander up to the Citadel perched above the valley, where the Musée de la Corse provides a thoughtful window into Corsican identity and history. Below, the old town unfolds through narrow streets, small cafés, and quiet squares. For those drawn to the outdoors, short hikes into the Restonica Valley offer clear rivers and natural pools just minutes from town. It’s a different rhythm—slower, grounded, and deeply connected to place.
For the PassHunters, this is your moment—because Corsica doesn’t just feel like a Grand Tour stage, it actually was one.
For the rest of the group, we take the high road—literally—cutting across the rugged spine of the island. This is classic RAID terrain: perched hillside villages that feel frozen in time, empty backroads where you might not see a car for an hour, deep river gorges carved into granite, and the long, steady rise to the spectacular Col de Sorba. It’s less about the headline climb and more about the rhythm of the island—the way the road flows, the way the landscape opens and closes around you.
Tonight, we come back down to earth. Dinner is in town, at a small, family-run café—mother and son at the helm—where everything revolves around the fire. Local cheeses, Corsican charcuterie, seasonal vegetables… all grilled over open wood, simple and honest. It’s the kind of place you don’t find unless someone takes you there—and exactly the kind of place that defines the experience.
D6 · CORTE tO CALVI
78mi / 125km ✧ +8,895ft / 2,711m
Our journey continues with another substantial ride, carrying us from the rugged interior of the island back toward the sea. The road rises steadily to the Bocca di Battaglia—the high point of the day and a classic Corsican pass that feels remote, exposed, and beautifully untouched. As we crest, it’s quiet up here—just wind, open sky, and the occasional grazing cattle marking our passage. It’s one of those places where the effort fades quickly and the landscape takes over.
From the summit, the character of the day shifts. The final 50 kilometers unwind in a fast, flowing descent, the road gradually opening to reveal sweeping views of Calvi and the deep blue of the Mediterranean beyond. Calvi is one of Corsica’s most iconic coastal towns—defined by its imposing Genoese citadel, a long arc of sandy beach, and a marina that hums with quiet energy. There’s even the enduring legend that Christopher Columbus was born here, a story the town carries with understated pride. It’s a powerful transition—mountains to sea in a single ride—and a reminder of just how much range this island holds.
D7 · CALVI
51mi / 82km ✧ +5,719ft / 1,743m
Rolling out of Calvi, the D81B lifts steadily above the bay, leaving the coast behind as the road turns quiet and remote toward the Col de Palmarella. It’s a sustained, exposed climb—nothing flashy, just a steady build into wild, open terrain.
From the summit, the road drops fast into the Scandola Nature Reserve—tight, flowing, carved into red cliffs that fall straight into the sea. The descent traces the edge of the Gulf of Girolata, with constant, uninterrupted views across the Mediterranean. We finish in Marine de Porto, where we pause for a well-earned lunch.
From there, the day shifts. We board a private boat and head back into Scandola—Corsica at its most raw. Pink granite cliffs, deep turquoise water, and a coastline that feels untouched. We’ll stop at Marine d’Elbo for a swim and snorkel in protected waters, before continuing north along the coast, returning to Calvi by sea—an approach that brings the citadel back into view the way it should be seen.
This afternoon, the RAID van departs with the bikes, cases, and larger luggage, crossing overnight by ferry to Marseille. The team will meet you upon arrival at the airport in Marseille.
D8 · CALVI - mARSEILLE
TRANSFER DAY
Enjoy one last wander along Quai Landry—boats creaking in the harbor, the citadel looming above, that mix of salt air and sun that sticks with you. No rush, no ceremony. Just Corsica doing its thing. From there, it’s a quick, clean move out—Calvi–Sainte-Catherine Airport is ten minutes away, and we’re gone.
A tight one-hour hop to Marseille—wheels up, wheels down, mainland. No drama. The RAID crew is waiting on the other side, engines running, and we head straight inland. Two hours and change of shifting terrain—coastline fades, the roads open, the light softens. Provence starts to show itself properly. Rolling countryside, dry stone, and if the timing’s right, lavender stretching out in every direction. We slide past Simiane-la-Rotonde, perched and quiet, like it’s been watching this road for centuries.
If the mood is right, we stop in Banon—small, unpolished, and known for one thing done perfectly: Banon cheese, wrapped in chestnut leaves, dense, earthy, unmistakably local. Then it’s a final push—twenty minutes into Sault.
Sault sits up high, on the edge of the Ventoux plateau. It’s quieter than the rest of Provence—less polished, more real. Lavender country, wide horizons, and that steady hum of wind that tells you you’re in the mountains again. It’s a proper rider’s town—simple, exposed, and exactly where you want to be.
D9 · SAULT
TOURING 50.9mi /81.8km ✧ +6,776ft / 2,065m
PASSHUNTER 81.7mi /131.5km ✧ +9,473ft / 2,887m
We roll out of Sault early, the air still cool, the light low and soft across the plateau. The opening kilometers are unhurried—settling in, finding rhythm—before the road tips gently into the Gorges de la Nesque. It’s quiet here. Limestone walls rise, the road threads the edge, and the riding feels effortless—fast but controlled, a long glide through one of Provence’s most striking landscapes.
Then it turns. The road begins to rise, and the focus sharpens. We leave the gorge behind and set our line toward Mont Ventoux—the Giant of Provence. No theatrics, no shortcuts. Just the steady, honest work of the climb. Through forest, through heat, through that moment when the trees fall away and the mountain shows its true face—white, exposed, wind pushing from all sides. It’s a place that demands something from you.
We pass the memorial to Tom Simpson just below the summit—a quiet, sobering marker that has become part of the ritual here. No words needed. Just a glance, a breath, and on.
The summit comes hard and clean—1,909 meters, nothing hidden, nothing given. And then, the release. The descent back toward Sault is one of the finest in Provence—fast, open, perfectly drawn. Corners linking into corners, the landscape stretching out in every direction, the effort of the climb dissolving into pure movement.
It’s a complete day. Start to finish. The kind you remember long after the legs forget.
D10 · SAULT
