Gonna have a day excursion starting from Cannes and would like to rent a road bike to ride the area. Any experience or thoughts?
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When will you be there?
In the winter or shoulder season, the red rocks of Estérel reserve loop is the closest, easiest ride, and the corniche road is spectacular…unless you’re from say Arizona or Utah!
https://strava.app.link/mUvU4Nkztzb
If it’s high season or a weekend the corniche road likely will be busy and the first/last 10k to Cannes would be annoying too. Right now it’s Easter school hols for Paris region and Cote d’azur.
The terrain is not epic like the cols around Nice or further inland towards Vence and Grasse but those would take much more time to reach.
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Thanks!
Be there in a few weeks. Is that busy season?
It’s better than July or August. I was there in April, on a weekday. More bikes than cars.
Whoever you’d book your bike from should be able to say. Or try contacting café du cycliste in Nice (they speak/read English) .
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Never been, but isn’t that where the Col de la Madone is? That seems like a must-ride if you’re in the area!
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Starting from Cannes, it might be worth checking out the Col de Vence!
That’s probably the closest “big climb” nearby for a day-long excursion. It’s a popular one among World Tour pros. There is SO MUCH great riding around Nice, but it may be a bit too far away if your time is limited.
Check out some of the twisty looking roads just north of Cannes and you can probably make a solid route in the hills out that way. 
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Matt Surch from Tekne Cycling is over there now and has posted a few different routes out of Nice with reviews and ratings on Strava. Worth checking out!
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This is all very helpful. Thanks! It’s looking more and more like a bike rental out of Nice might be the way to go. So either train or cab up from Cannes and then depart from that area. Those pics from Matt Surch’s strava look incredible.
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What day exactly will you be there? There are 4 long weekends in May in France (and some may be shared by other European countries). It will be high season busy those weekends: getting to Nice in a cab could be slow unless its very early in the morning. Trains might be faster.
Col de la Madone is the easiest access loop from Nice. If you are short of time you can access it via La Turbie instead of Menton. Excellent lunch spot in Peille (Le p’tit gourmet), a short descent from the col.
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