Journal

Depuis notre premier séjour gravel 100 % féminin dans le Morvan et les retours de nombreuses clientes, nous souhaitons faire passer un message important : **Mesdames, l'aventure à vélo est aussi faite pour vous.** Nous avons rassemblé les témoignages et les retours d'expérience des femmes qui ont vécu un séjour inoubliable et une expérience enrichissante.

Gravel has become one of the most popular ways to ride a bike in France in the last few years. And for good reason, it’s the only bike that has the best of both the worlds of road and MTB. Which means that you, the cyclist, can explore all sorts of tracks and trails without compromising on the tarmac.

Après le succès de notre format ESCAPE de deux jours dans le Morvan, nous lançons officiellement ce format weekend dans deux nouvelles destinations en France : les Vosges et les Grands Causses. Découvrez cinq bonnes raisons de nous rejoindre et de donner vos premiers coups de pédale sur un vélo gravel.

Si comme nous, vous avez la fougueuse envie de prolonger votre saison de vélo en short-teeshirt, ou de vivre une parenthèse estivale en plein cœur de l’hiver, l’équipe GravelUp vous a concocté un séjour spécial, une invitation au soleil. Alors direction le sud de l’Espagne et le Parc Naturel de la Sierra Morena, au nord de l’Andalousie. A consommer sans modération..

Avec pour toile de fond le Viaduc de Millau et les vastes plateaux calcaires entrecoupés de profondes gorges – du Tarn et de la Dourbie que nous avons enjambé à plusieurs reprises – nous avons découvert ce territoire incroyable où se pratiquent tous les sports de pleine nature. Nous, c’est à bord de nos vélos de Gravel que nous sommes partis à l’aventure !

We created GravelUp around 4 essentials: our guides for sharing the experience, the routes for adventure, locals for authenticity and of course gravel bikes to enable our adventure. Getting just the right mix of these fundamental ingredients makes for our unforgettable experiences. Here we focus on the first of these: our guides.

Point to point bike trips are becoming more and more popular but, depending on your kit, it can be a rude awakening for certain parts of your body! Saddle discomfort is one of the main issues that can ruin a good weeks cycling. But rest assured, it’s not inevitable. In fact there’s some easy steps you can take that will make all the difference and we reveal all in this article.

Based in Nice and passionate about travel, Peter is an American who has fallen in love with France and all things gravel. Here he chats about his experiences with GravelUp (having already explored a few of our destinations!) as well as how he finds balance in his life through bike trips and mini adventures.

Getting away from the crowds, mass tourism and all it’s trappings is what a bike trip to Norway is all about. Norway is a mythical place for nature lovers, adventure lovers and those in search of some space. In this northern corner of Europe you’ll find spectacular scenery, jaw dropping fjords, majestic mountain, glaciers, waterfalls, crystal clear lakes… the list goes on!

Lorsqu'on envisage de partir pour une aventure à vélo de 3, 5 ou encore 7 jours, il est important de s'entraîner en amont pour être suffisamment prêt à relever le défi physique que cela représente. Passer plusieurs heures sur le gravel, même si ici on ne parle pas de performance ni de compétition, peut être difficile quand on n’a pas l’habitude.

GravelUp et Origine s'associent pour développer l'aventure en gravel. Nous avons fait le choix d'Origine pour vous accompagner en 2023 à travers les plus belles chaînes de montagne en France et en Europe, lors de nos séjours 100% gravel.

2023 est une année assez exceptionnelle car elle vous permet de profiter de nombreux grands weekends ! Et si vous optiez pour un weekend aventure de pure gravel dans les plus belles chaînes de montagnes avec GravelUp?

Au cœur du Parc Naturel Régional du Morvan, le van file droit vers l’horizon, avec à son bord les (futurs) aventuriers impatients de donner les premiers coups de pédale de ce voyage Up Morvan. Un air d’été indien règne à Saint Brisson où nous arrivons vers midi. Les couleurs automnales sont déjà bien présentes et les températures sont encore douces pour un 11 novembre...

So how has living the dream been?! We catch up with Aurelien, Olivier and Jean-Baptiste to find out how their first year of GravelUp has been and how far they’ve come since that ride in Shanghai where they first met, all those years ago. Has sharing their passions of travel and cycling with others been all they hoped it would be?? Read on!

The key to keeping warm is… staying dry! Gravel is ideal for year round riding, on dry trails and muddy tracks alike. Winter riding needs good kit, and there’s two golden rules to help keep you as warm and dry as possible.

Gravel, Corsican style. The Beautiful Isle is well known for it’s rocky coastline with beautiful beaches and mountains aplenty, not to mention it’s culinary delights, traditions and an all round generous nature. Which all makes for an intoxicating mix, so it’s easy to see why we’re so keen to take more trips there !

Don’t miss the three bikepacking adventure movies we have selected for you! You’ll only want to do one thing after watching them: explore the world on your bike.

Just as there’s all sorts of surfaces, there’s all sorts of cyclists. Some prefer smooth gravel and tarmac, others the rougher the better, rarely riding on the road. And this is where tyre choice comes into play to make your bike ideal for where you ride. We thought it was time to have a look at the different options so no one gets left behind!

YOU'VE DECIDED YOU REALLY NEED A GRAVEL BIKE? You’re in the right place! A gravel bike is really the ultimate utility bike! Often used by long distance cyclists, it’s ideal for everyone from leisure riders, commuters and racers alike. Theres hundreds of models on the market now, here’s some points to bear in mind when making your choice.

It all goes back to a catch up with JB in October 2020 - he was still in China with some time on his hands but unable to leave due to covid and we were about to go into our 2nd lockdown here in France.

We’ve chosen our three destinations really carefully, each are breathtaking in their own right and make for a unique experience on a bike. Choosing between them is tricky so we thought we’d give you a bit more info on each to help you make up your mind. Read on to find out more.

My mother always said that you have to take the plunge, a phrase that is entirely appropriate here. No matter what has brought us here and where we have come from, we find ourselves in the saddle ready explore the roads, gravel and paths less travelled here.

Trip report of a bike adventure in The Vosges, a fantastic region of forest covered, dome shaped mountains and jaw dropping landscapes.

A gravel bike is THE perfect bike for this kind of adventure due to its solidity, versatility and more relaxed geometry. You can load the bike with just the few items of kit that you really need, traveling as lightly as possible with frame, handle bar and large saddle bags. Or add front and/or rear panniers for longer journeys or more comfort.

Flashback on a three-day traffic-free adventure beyond the tarmac of the Côte d’Azur. Read how GravelUp and Café du Cycliste joined forces to offer a unique experience of the French Riviera to 8 lucky riders coming from all over Europe.

For an adventure, for the challenge, for the feel of the ride...It’s not easy to choose only 5 reasons to ride gravel as it unites some of the best parts of cycling for a unique and addictive discipline!

GravelUp was born of passion, freedom and adventures with friends, Here’s an interview with Jean Baptiste Le Blan, one of the founders of GravelUp and a passionate cyclist to boot, as free-flowing as the singletracks that take him towards adventure.

Discover the story of GravelUp: the brainchild of 3 forty-somethings who, after meeting each other on the other side of the World, decided to throw themselves into a slightly crazy adventure!