Where We Are Riding - October 2026
Where We’re Riding — October 2026
October is one of those months that seems made for a bicycle.
The heat of summer has faded, the air is a little crisper, and across much of the Northern Hemisphere the landscape is beginning its annual transformation. It’s the season for cool morning starts, quieter roads, changing leaves — and maybe adding an extra layer before heading out the door.
This month, we’re following autumn in three very different directions.
We’ll start on the Mediterranean coast of southern France, where one of Europe’s great cycling festivals brings mountain bikers and gravel riders together around Fréjus. Then we’re heading to the Ozarks, where Bentonville turns October into a celebration of gravel, mountain biking, and everything that surrounds them.
And for Adventure Beyond the Ride, we’re going somewhere completely different: into the mountains of Colombia’s Coffee Region, where steep roads wind through coffee farms, impossibly green valleys, and colorful towns — and where getting off the bike can be every bit as rewarding as riding it.
French Riviera trails. Ozark gravel. Colombian coffee country.
Three more reasons to see where a bike can take you.
Welcome to October.
Europe / Rest of World Spotlight
Roc d’Azur — Fréjus, France
Mountain Bike + Gravel | October 7–11, 2026
Roc d’Azur combines rugged Mediterranean trails with sweeping views over the French Riviera.
There are cycling events, and then there are cycling festivals.
Every October, Roc d’Azur transforms Fréjus on the French Riviera into one of Europe’s great celebrations of cycling. What began in 1984 with just seven mountain bikers has grown into a gathering of roughly 20,000 riders, ranging from serious competitors to families and recreational cyclists.
For 2026, Roc d’Azur runs October 7–11, with five days spanning mountain biking, gravel, road cycling, e-bikes and recreational rides. The schedule ranges from short family-friendly outings to Sunday’s signature 55-kilometer Roc d’Azur CIC, with 1,275 meters of climbing through the Massif des Maures. Rocazur
And then there’s the setting.
Fréjus sits between the Mediterranean and the rugged hills of Provence. Forest tracks, rocky climbs and coastal views make this one of those events where the landscape can be every bit as memorable as the finish line.
Mountain biking may be Roc d’Azur’s foundation, but gravel has become a major part of the weekend.
There are four gravel choices in 2026: a punchy 33.2-kilometer Gravel Roc Sprint, a 70.4-kilometer Estérel ride, the 77.4-kilometer Continental Gravel Roc, and a substantial 143.2-kilometer adventure through the Maures and Estérel with 2,230 meters of climbing. Rocazur
That variety is what makes Roc d’Azur so appealing.
Come to race. Come for a long gravel adventure. Or simply choose a recreational route and spend a few hours exploring southern France on two wheels.
However you ride it, remember to look up.
Learn More
Roc d’Azur — Official Website
2026 Race & Ride Program
2026 Gravel Events
United States Spotlight
Phil’s Cookie Gran Fondo — Southern California
Road / Gran Fondo | October 24–25, 2026
Some rides take themselves very seriously.
Phil’s Cookie Gran Fondo isn’t one of them.
Created by former professional cyclist Phil Gaimon, the annual Southern California event combines beautiful road riding, challenging climbs and a decidedly less serious approach to what happens at the aid stations.
For 2026, the Cookie Fondo takes place October 24–25, with the main ride on Sunday the 25th. Multiple route options make the weekend accessible to a broad range of cyclists, from a family ride and shorter routes to the full Gran Fondo. But anyone choosing the longer courses shouldn’t mistake “cookies” for “easy” — Southern California has plenty of climbing waiting between snack stops.
And those snack stops are rather important.
The event is famous for serving thousands of gourmet cookies along the routes, followed by a post-ride meal. It’s part cycling challenge, part rolling food tour and, above all, a celebration of getting out and riding with other people.
Cookies, climbs and plenty of reasons not to take your finishing time too seriously.
That combination is what makes the Cookie Fondo such a great October ride.
Come to test yourself on the climbs. Come to ride with friends. Come because Southern California in October is a pretty good place to spend a day on a bicycle.
Or just come for the cookies.
The Cookie Fondo captures something we think cycling could always use a little more of: challenging yourself without forgetting to have fun.
You can chase a time. You can chase your friends. Or you can chase the next cookie stop.
And while you’re there, be sure to check out the event raffle for an opportunity to win some awesome Allen Smart Suction® gear.
We’ll see you out there.
Learn More
Phil’s Cookie Gran Fondo — Official Website
Event Information & FAQ
Adventure Beyond the Ride
Colombia’s Coffee Region
Ride. Coffee. Hike. Explore.
There are destinations where you bring a bicycle because there’s a famous route to ride.
And then there are places where the bicycle simply becomes one of the best ways to discover what’s around you.
Colombia’s Coffee Region — the mountainous landscape around Armenia, Pereira and Manizales — falls firmly into the second category. Coffee plantations climb impossibly steep hillsides, colorful villages sit between folds in the Andes, and paved roads and gravel tracks disappear into a landscape that seems to get greener around every corner.
The wider Coffee Cultural Landscape is recognized by UNESCO, reflecting not only the region’s coffee-growing tradition but the relationship between its farms, mountain geography and distinctive towns. Colombia Travel
For our trip, we’d make Salento and the surrounding Quindío countryside the center of the adventure.
RIDE — Into the Coffee Country
Leave town and it doesn’t take long for pavement to give way to gravel, bamboo forests and working coffee farms.
This is not flat-country cycling.
The Andes provide plenty of climbing, but also an extraordinary mix of paved mountain roads, farm tracks and gravel. From Salento, riders can head into the surrounding coffee country or toward the spectacular landscapes around Cocora Valley, where mountain biking is one of the ways visitors can explore the area. Colombia Travel
You don't necessarily need a famous route here.
Pick a road. Follow it into the hills. Stop for coffee.
Then find another one.
COFFEE — From Hillside to Cup
Here, coffee isn't something added to the itinerary. It's part of the landscape you're riding through.
Coffee has shaped this part of Colombia for generations. Around Salento, working fincas give visitors the opportunity to walk through the plantations, learn how coffee is grown and processed, and follow the journey from a ripe coffee cherry to what's eventually poured into your cup. Colombia Travel
Better still, stay on or near a coffee finca.
Ride in the morning. Learn where your coffee actually comes from in the afternoon. Then sit down with a cup grown within sight of where you're staying.
Coffee tastes a little different when you've spent the morning climbing through the hills where it was grown.
HIKE — Cocora Valley
The wax palms of Cocora Valley can reach around 60 meters into the sky, creating one of Colombia's most extraordinary landscapes.
Eventually, park the bike.
Just outside Salento lies Valle del Cocora, home to Colombia's national tree, the towering wax palm. Trails wind through intensely green hillsides, cloud forest and valleys filled with palms that can reach roughly 60 meters in height. Colombia Travel
It's exactly what Adventure Beyond the Ride is supposed to be about.
The bicycle gets you here.
Then the hiking shoes come out.
EXPLORE — Salento & the Coffee Towns
Eventually, it’s worth putting both the bike and hiking shoes aside.
Salento is one of those towns that invites you to slow down. Brightly painted balconies line its streets, cafés spill out toward the sidewalks, and the lively central square gives you an easy place to wander without much of a plan. Nearby Filandia offers another beautifully preserved coffee-country town if you feel like exploring a little farther afield.
And after a day of riding and hiking, come hungry.
The food here is hearty, uncomplicated mountain cooking. Trout is a Salento specialty, often served with rice, salad and an enormous crispy patacón made from fried green plantain. Elsewhere around the table you’ll find regional favorites such as sancocho, arepas and other dishes built for appetites earned in the Andes.
This is also where the pace of the trip should change. Find a table, order a few things to share, have another locally grown coffee — and don't be in too much of a hurry to leave.
Because sometimes the best part of a day on the bike is where you end up afterward.
How to Get There — And Bring the Bike
The most practical gateways into Colombia’s Coffee Region are Armenia and Pereira. Armenia is particularly convenient for Salento and the surrounding Quindío countryside, while Pereira provides another good jumping-off point for exploring the wider region.
This is also exactly the kind of trip where bringing your own bike opens up possibilities.
Fly in. Pick up a rental car. Pull your Allen Smart Suction® GO out of your luggage, mount your bike and suddenly you’re free to explore beyond wherever you happen to be staying.
No searching for a rental vehicle with a bike rack. No permanently installed rack. And when you’re not carrying the bike, GO packs away.
Your bike came with you. Now see where it takes you.
Learn More
Colombia’s Coffee Region — Colombia Travel
Explore Salento & Cocora Valley — Colombia Travel
Western Colombian Andes — Colombia Travel
One Month. Three Very Different Rides.
October took us from the Mediterranean trails of southern France, to a decidedly less serious pursuit of cookies through the hills of Southern California, and finally deep into Colombia’s Coffee Region, where the bike became our ticket to something much bigger than the ride itself.
That contrast is exactly what Where We’re Riding is about.
You don’t have to race. You don’t have to travel halfway around the world. And you certainly don’t need a number pinned to your jersey.
Sometimes you just need a reason to put a destination on the list, get the bike ready and start thinking about where you might ride next.
Keep exploring. Keep riding. And every once in a while, remember to look up.
Coming in November…
As autumn begins giving way to winter across much of the Northern Hemisphere, we’ll follow the bike somewhere warmer.
November will take us to another corner of the cycling world, with a new event worth putting on the calendar, a U.S. ride to keep the season going, and another Adventure Beyond the Ride where cycling is only the beginning.
Think sunshine, new roads, and maybe a little time near the water.
See you in November.
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