Wheels rolling 0730 for an early start, we'll be heading around the Cap Corse on a stunning coast road with spectacular views.  We'll follow the rolling coastal road to St Florent for lunch at around the 100km mark, before traversing the arid ‘désert des Agriates’.  You can stay on the “busy” main road to Calvi or turn inland on the D151 after L'Île-Rousse, a quiet undulating backroad with views of the Granite Mountains meeting the sea - and your destination of Calvi below you.

Today you head to the other side of Mt Cinto, a rugged peak rising up to 2700m, just over 20km from Calvi.  There are some steep ascents to Les Calanches - a landscape of spikes and spires towering above the deep blue waters.  It's 11km up to Piana for a Carnet stamp, then about-turn and back down for the long but even gradient up to the highest road pass in Corsica to the Col de Vergio (1477 m). Finally it's a roll downhill to finish at the mountain hamlet of Calacuccia for the night.

A great route exploring the forests and gorges of the southern uplands. Corte, the historic capital town, is good for a coffee stop but we won't stop for too long - you have 5 cols to get under your belt today, including the Col de Sorba (1311m)! After the last carnet stop of the day at Zicavo, the route is a tad technical as shown on this year’s Garmin route, we take the D83 heading towards Corrano and on to the quaint village of Santa-Maria-Siché is our destination for a warm welcome from the hotel.

We'll be heading out on to the main road of the D196 for a while until we start the climb out of Cauro on the D26. There's a fast descent into the town of Cauro, then a climb up to the mountain village of Bastelica. Time for a stamp and a coffee before heading around the lake to lunch stop at Ajaccio - the modern capital of Corsica. The D3 forks right towards Tolla and Lac de Tolla with stunning scenery.  There is a busy stretch on a main road out of Ajaccio after getting your stamp, but we turn off right onto the D302 though the mountains towards Pila-Canale and Sollacaro. Finally it's on to our destination Sartène - with the historical pirates of the town now replaced with tourists, this is your typical Corsican town.

Fast roads and good surfaces make for a quick start today. Enjoy the beautiful views and historic destinations (is this a cycling tour or a holiday?) - the roads are fast this morning!  Get your carnet stamped in the Marina of Bonifacio on the Southern tip of the island, where we will stop and have a coffee. We head up on the busy coast road before heading inland again for the mountains from Porto-Vecchio to Zonza and the Col de Bavella (1218 m).  A fabulous descent follows down to sea level to the days finish in Solenzara.

A good piece of fast rolling road during the mornings ride to warm up on! After Aléria we cut back into the hills. We're not finished yet, this is your last chance to take in a beautiful route. It is well worth the effort to get up, and through picturesque villages and terraced hillsides you'll see Corsica at it best. Watch out for the pigs! No, really. You'll come across them when they are not expected, like on fast and technical descents!  Eventually, after our last stamp in Piedicroce, we drop back towards the airport, on to the coast road and around the nature reserve of Biguglia, joining a sandy spur for the final run into Bugulia-Bastia, to the hotel where it all began only 6 days ago.  Now... it's beer o’clock!