Preparation
Before you arrive
Training, do at least the distances you plan to ride and find as many hills as possible.
Before each ride
Eat well. Pasta Rice and other easily digestible carbohydrates are recommended. We have all had problems with heavy meals that are not easy to digest while cycling. Do not spare the salt as you will lose a lot with transpiration and lack of salt increases the risk of cramp. Go easy on the alcohol. Starting a ride with a hangover is not pleasant and will certainly affect your performance and enjoyment.
Weather Forecast
Shortly before you start, review the hour by hour weather forecast at least for the lowest and highest point of your ride. This will give likely temparatures, humidity to prepare for. If extreme conditions such as heavy rain, hail or wind are forecast you should reconsider the ride. Certainly if there is a yellow or orange alert then cancel the ride. Flooding and very wet roads are dangerous. Personally if it is wet or rain is forecast with a reasonable possibility I do not ride. Useful weather sites are: weather.com, and alerte.vigilance-meteo. Look at the temperatures. If high temperatures are forecast think about starting very early 7:00am or earlier if there is light so that you finish earlier before the real heat starts. You can see the average days of rain by month, average high/low temps by month for Nice in the table below. You can use this to also decide what time of the year to plan your visit.
Average Temperatures in Nice by month, with average rain and snow days is shown in the table above
Note that as you climb there is a loss of temperature. This can be as much as 3°C (5°F) for every 300 meters (1,000 feet). So if you climb up by 1,200 meters (4,000) the temperature can drop by 12°C (22°F). Think about at least carrying that wind cheater for the descents.
Clothes
Take several pairs of cycling clothing as some will be in process in washing facilities. Carry a light wind cheater with sleeves for the descents. Descending from 3,000 feet (1,000 metres) at 30 MPH (50KM/H) it is often very cold especially out of the sun.
The Ride
Cycle at your own rhythm and if you have a heart monitor use it to pace your climbing so that your heart stays within manageable levels. If your heart rate keeps going up then just stop, rest, drink and eat until you heart rateis good again. Remember you can always turn the bike round and go back down if it is too much. You can always stop and take photos of the magnificent scenery as an excuse! A GPS is good to help plan your ride and also to record your performance. if you are using in the gorges then be prepared for it lose contact in the very steep gorges for at least short periods. Mountain weather. The French Riviera coast is well-known for its good weather. The mountains inland benefit from this but bear in mind that the temperature drops with altitude and distance from the sea. It’s perfectly possible to start a ride by the sea in the sunshine and then get caught in the clouds at 1,000m.
To Take with you
I take some form of ID and a credit card in case of emergencies. I also take: Mobile phone, Lip block, Paper Handkerchiefs, Cereal bars, Power Gel, Isotonic refill for the water bottle. Spare reading glasses. Money, about 70 euro in various denominations including enough small change to leave a tip at a bar. It is enough to take a taxi even though I have not yet had to use it. I have a Heart Monitor for GPS. Always wear a helmet. In almost any accident it will protect you. Accidents can happen at any time which are totally not your fault.
On the bike
Water bottle with Isotonic (In the summer fill at night and leave in Fridge), Wind Cheater (on me for the downhills), Multi Tool, Spare inner tube, Tire repair tools, hand pump + CO2 pump, GPS to record the ride. Cadence monitor for GPS