Day 5: Knight Frank Cycle to MIPIM 2026

Monday 9th March: Grenoble to Gréoux-les-Bains - 243kms

It’s another big day out today, with 243kms and a lot of climbing ahead. The peloton rolls out at 6.30am for the punchiest stage of the day: 66kms and more than 1,500m of ascent. Once out of Grenoble, the scenery more than makes up for it - the tarmac snakes upwards, and around every bend a vista of snow-capped mountains above and limestone gorges below is revealed.

The second stage is also just as stunning, and features a 12km-long, snow-covered climb up to the Col du Festre, before a 25km descent brings the group rolling into a freshly prepared lunch in Chabestan. While the third stage, after lunch, looks easier on paper, the accumulated fatigue from the first two stages make it feel harder.

The peloton rolls into a brooding Sisteron, overlooking the Durance, before a dedicated group take on the final stage of the day - negotiating heavy rain, dusk into dark and the local rush hour - for the final 67kms of the day. Escorted safely into Gréoux-les-Bains by the French motos, it's time for dinner and a reminder of what all the hard work and early starts have been for: with £158,000 raised for charity, the peloton is well on its way to hitting its fundraising total.

A reminder of who they are fundraising for can be found here:  https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/cycletomipim2026

Any donation, whatever its size, makes a huge difference.