The top of europe – on your bike

Heroic reserves of stamina are required, of course, but there’s no better way to tour the crumpled peaks of the French Alps than on a bicycle – no limiting windscreen, no distracting engine, just warm sunshine, the faint whir of wheels, and lungfuls of fresh mountain air.

If you want to experience it all at its car-less best, you need either to join the Alps’ Etape (when roads are closed to motorised traffic so that 9,000 cyclists can attack the area) – or, if you don’t want 8,999 others getting in your way, get off the roads and into a single-track mountain-biking adventure. The grandest route is Les Chemins du Soleil: the best part runs from Grenoble over the Vercors plateau and the pre-Alps to Sisteron. It’s a rugged 280km, with fine lodges and campsites along the way.

The lowdown: Trail Addiction (00 41 61 681 6474, www.trailaddiction.com) has back-country adventures in Les Arcs; a week in a three-star catered chalet costs from £450pp. Swiss International Air Lines (0845 601 0956, www.swiss.com) flies to Geneva from Dublin (£112 return), and from Heathrow (£71 return).

Alternatives

* Cycling trips in France’s Portes du Soleil region start at £40 a day with Mountain Bike Alps (00 33 450 735386, www.mountainbike-alps.co.uk).

* Peak Retreats (0844 576 0170, www.peakretreats.co.uk) has mountain-biking trips in Les Deux Alpes, from £47 a night.

* King of the Mountains (00 33 476 799927, www.kingofthemountains.co.uk) has a week’s cycling break in the Oisans massif from £420pp, half board; flights extra.

Downhill all the way, Bolivia

Down Bolivia way, the vast majority of those who die on what the Inter-American Development Bank termed ‘the most dangerous highway in the world’ are truck drivers – and of the 300 or so deaths a year, cyclists account for, on average, just one.

So you can relax and enjoy yourself on the high-speed 64km descent. The downhill journey takes in everything from misty peaks and dense jungle, to dusty desert (travellers are advised to avoid rainy season – December to March – as this can mean cycling through storms and thick fog).

Local operator Gravity Bolivia can organise it all for you; and its ‘Ghost Ride’, a less tourist-centric, more off-road-style adventure in the mountains around La Paz, is a worthy alternative.

* Gravity Bolivia (www.gravitybolivia.com) charges between £35pp and £72pp for its day-long rides; ‘the Most Dangerous Highway in the World’ one is only for ‘confident beginners’ and up.

* Visit www.boliviacontact.com for more information on the country, including other diversions such as rafting, wineries and horse-riding.

A slow spin on the south downs

Between Eastbourne and Winchester are about 160km of some of the most beautiful car-free, single-track cycling trails to be found in the UK. More importantly, they offer something for every type of cycle adventurer.

There are scarps and boulders for adrenaline junkies, and easy hills – as well as plenty of pubs – for those who prefer a work-life balance. Either way, a bracing long weekend is assured – and one you’ll be proud of for some time after.

* Everything you need to know about the trail can be found at www.nationaltrail.co.uk/southdowns.

* For recommendations on where to stay, from campsites to hotels, go to www.enjoyengland.com.

Pedalling across Vietnam

An adventure doesn’t have to be a hurry. Pedal from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City over 16 leisurely days accompanied by a guide (and your luggage following in a support vehicle). There’s no chance of ‘bike boredom’, as the landscape gradually transforms from the chaos of the city to the tranquillity of rice paddies.

* Saddle Skedaddle (0191 265 1110, www.skedaddle.co.uk) offers the trip from £1,995pp, including most meals, accommodation and guiding, plus about £700 for flights from the UK, and £120 for bike hire.

* For further information on Vietnam, including visa requirements, visit www.vietnamtourism.com.