10 Must do Sigma Sports Cafe Ride routes

The Sigma Sports Cafe Ride has seen Matt Stephens travel around the world with his bike, exploring some of the world’s best riding roads. From the sun-drenched Cornish coastline with WHAM! star Andrew Ridgeley to the picture postcard lanes of Lucerne, Switzerland with Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift winner Demi Vollering, take a look at our top 10 routes from the series so far and why not try one out for yourself?

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1. Mads Pedersen’s Cote d’Azur route

Mads Pedersen’s Sigma Sports Café Ride route sees you ride out of Monaco and into the mountains above the French Riviera, with the Col de la Madone de Gorbio providing the main challenge. Rising from Menton, the 14.5km climb averages 6.3%, giving you plenty of opportunity to test your legs.

From the summit, you tackle the rolling roads that lead towards the village of Peille for a stop at Crêperie La Voute, before descending towards the outskirts of La Turbie. It’s a route that combines a demanding climb with Riviera scenery and a well-earned café stop.

2. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney’s Girona route

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney’s Sigma Sports Café Ride route takes you north from Girona, heading over Turó del Majordom towards Banyoles. Here, you can enjoy pastries at Pastisseria La Menuda before enjoying a lakeside visit to Café Aquarium. The return journey passes through Camós and descends into Girona, with one final challenge on Pujada de la Barrufa.

This short, steep climb rewards your efforts with views across the city’s skyline, rounding off a ride that combines Catalan lanes, climbing and two tempting café stops.

3. Sepp Kuss’ Andorran route

Sepp Kuss’ Sigma Sports Café Ride takes Matt Stephens into the mountains of Andorra for a challenging loop on the Grand Tour winner’s home roads. Leaving Encamp, you will tackle the Coll d’Ordino, an approximately 8.9km climb averaging 5.6%, reaching a summit just below 2,000 metres.

A flowing descent leads into Ordino for a well-earned stop at Hors Catégorie, owned by former professional Robert Gesink. With mountain scenery, demanding climbing and an undulating return to Encamp, this is a café ride that makes you work for your coffee.

4. Lucy Charles-Barclay’s Lanzarote route

Lucy Charles-Barclay’s Sigma Sports Café Ride route explores the volcanic landscapes and coastal roads of Lanzarote, starting from Club La Santa. From the north, the route takes you inland towards Tinajo, passing vineyards before turning back towards the coast and descending towards Soo.

A stop at Bike Stop Cafe in La Santa provides a well-earned chance to refuel before a short spin back to Club La Santa.

5. Andrew Ridgeley’s Cornish route

Andrew Ridgeley’s Sigma Sports Café Ride route is the perfect spin out along Cornwall’s coastline, combining demanding hills with sea views and memorable food stops. Enjoy the challenging, undulating terrain and reward yourself with a fish and chips beside the harbour wall in Padstow. A fitting finish, rounding off a ride that showcases both the beauty of Cornwall and the climbing packed into its coastal terrain.

6. Demi Vollering’s Swiss route

Demi Vollering’s Sigma Sports Café Ride route offers a scenic 50km loop through the Swiss countryside on the northern side of Lake Lucerne. Following undulating roads towards Rotkreuz, the ride loops back to Udligenswil for lunch at Peperoncini 1313 before returning to the lake.

Push on our cruise along and enjoy this picturesque corner of Switzerland, the choice is yours.

7. Alex Yee’s Leicestershire route

Alex Yee’s Sigma Sports Café Ride route consists of a 37km spin from Loughborough through the Leicestershire countryside. Quiet lanes and short, testing hills keep you pushing on the pedals and offer a taste of the Olympic champion’s local training roads.

A highlight is Bom Bom Patisserie in the village of Rothley, where a warming coffee and a bite to eat provides a welcome break. It’s a classic British café ride route, combining country lanes, punchy climbs and a tempting mid-ride stop.

8. Dame Laura Kenny’s Cheshire route

Dame Laura Kenny’s Sigma Sports Café Ride explores some of Matt Stephens’ former training roads for a rolling spin through the Cheshire countryside. Quiet, tree-lined lanes and gentle undulations provide the setting as you make your way to Bidlea Dairy for a well-earned stop.

Sample the dairy’s milk-based refreshments and then clip back in for the final ride home. It’s a route that celebrates the simple pleasures of a British café ride, with rural scenery, good company and a tempting reward along the way.

9. Romain Bardet’s Clermont-Ferrand route

Romain Bardet’s Sigma Sports Café Ride route is a gateway to explore the beautiful Auvergne countryside. Although it is a loop of less than 30km, where it lacks in distance it makes up with with plenty of climbing. Exploring Romain’s home roads, the routes visits the spa town of La Bourboule, ideal for a spot of lunch at Café de la Poste, before finishing with the spectacular climb of Banne d’Ordanche.

With demanding gradients and scenery shaped by the region’s volcanic landscape, it’s a compact ride that offers a memorable taste of the roads that helped shape one of France’s most admired climbers.

10. Lachlan Morton’s Californian route

Lachlan Morton’s Sigma Sports Café Ride route is a real back roads adventure through northern California, combining roads and gravel tracks with close to 1,500 metres of climbing in just over 50km.

Starting in Weimar, north of Auburn, the route heads into forested hills, passing Yankee Jims Bridge and Devils Falls before reaching the riverside Mineral Bar Campground. If you are partial to a bit of camping a night under the stars here is highly recommended before you tackle the steep climb leading back towards Colfax.

This is followed by the final 10km to Weimar. With demanding terrain, forest scenery and a riverside camping stop, it’s a fitting route for a rider renowned for exploring beyond conventional racing.

Whether you want to test yourself on the Madone or you are on the hunt for the tastiest cafe stop in Leicestershire, these Sigma Sports Cafe Ride routes have you covered. What is your favourite Cafe Ride route?

Watch the Sigma Sports Cafe Ride series