My favourite ... cycle route

1. Lake Annecy, France

Chris Boardman, owner of Boardman Bikes and Olympic gold-medallist

My favourite place to ride is without doubt or hesitation the French Alps, particularly around Annecy. It's possible to be in the centre of a beautiful and bustling town with awesome restaurants but be out in the quiet countryside within minutes. The beauty of a tour of the lake is that although you are surrounded by spectacular snow-capped mountains, if you stick to the lake-side cycle paths, it's possible to ride for 40km or more without climbing any of them. The lake itself is an inviting turquoise due to the minerals coming down with the snow melt, the road surfaces are excellent and the café stops superb. The space seems to absorb sound. All these aspects together make the Alps the most relaxing place I know.

Gpm10 run tailored, fully-catered cycle training weeks and weekends based in the mountains around Lake Annecy and taking in the Lake Annecy cycle route. Prices from £595 per person.

2. Coast and castles route, Newcastle, England to Edinburgh, Scotland

Malcolm Shephard, chief executive of sustainable transport charity Sustrans

You know you're somewhere special when you're pedalling along a causeway towards an island which will shortly be cut off for the evening by the rising tide. This unusual approach to Lindisfarne island is one of numerous detours off the magnificent Coast and Castles ride between Gateshead and Edinburgh. The 196-mile trail really does have everything, from the beautiful 12th-century Melrose Abbey to cycling past pale white Chillinghams – cattle genetically isolated since the Middle Ages.

I have holidayed in this coastal region since childhood and the National Cycle Network is just about the only change. The route merges seamlessly into its surroundings and allows people to see so much more of this amazing area. You can cycle the entire route in a long weekend, and I can't wait to ride it again this September when I'll be joining scores of others taking part in the Coast and Castles challenge.

Find out more about the route on the dedicated Coast and Castles website.

3. Danube cycle path

Alastair Humphreys, around-the-world cyclist and author of cycling book: 10 Lessons from the Road

There are six things I dream of on a cycling holiday: flat, smooth tarmac, beautiful scenery, easy navigation, delicious food, a welcoming bed and an enticing final destination. The Danube River has it all. Flowing thousands of miles through Europe down to the Black Sea, the Danube is one of the world's great rivers, dividing nations, uniting them by trade and creating a perfect cycle route at the same time. It is a heady mix of history, landscape, wildlife and good eating.

Every junction on the traffic-free cycle paths is well signposted, whether it's winding through head-high cornfields or beside the river, through whitewashed, red-roofed villages or deep in spectacular forested gorges past imposing castles. Flat tarmac solely for bicycles and warm autumnal days means the miles flow easily. Beer gardens lie beside the trail, tempting you with morning tea, lunchtime beers, meals and afternoon cakes and coffee. All this and the glorious Danube sliding by may well seriously limit the number of miles cycled each day.

Exodus offers an eight-day self-guided cycle tour along the Danube through Germany and Austria from £499.

4. Frederiksberg to Copenhagen, Denmark

Mikael Colville-Anderson, editor of cycle culture blog copenhagencyclechic.com

My favourite route has to be the one I take from my flat in Frederiksberg into the centre of Copenhagen, to my favourite café - Cafe Europa. It's a distance of about 6km and is most perfect in the early morning since I head south and, if I'm lucky, I'll get to squint into the early Nordic light. I ride along the busiest bicycle street in the world – 35,000 cyclists a day ride down Norrebrogade – so I'm elbow to elbow with my fellow citizens on bikes the whole way. The air is scented with shampoo, perfume and the fresh coffee carried by many cyclists.

When I get to the city centre, I'll slow right down and roll gently down the pedestrian streets to the cafe, watching the city get ready for the day. If I'm lucky, I'll find a parking spot close to the cafe and in no time I'm enjoying the paper and a coffee. If only transport were this gorgeous everywhere.

Visit Denmark has a comprehensive website about cycling in Copenhagen. Free bikes are available in the city centre with a 20 krone (£2.25) deposit, which you get back when you return the bike.

5. Klausenpass, Canton Uri, Switzerland

James Kelly, cycling instructor with Cycle Training UK

Starting on the doorstep of my brother's house in a backwater of Switzerland, this pass rises 1,500m in 25km. It was my first ever mountain pass and I was badly defeated the first time. I do it a couple of times every summer now - whenever I visit my brother. As I pass the places on the side of the road where I fell down on my first attempt, memories are stirred and the cadence increases a fraction, as if the reminder of the pain makes me stronger. Churches hang above villages for the first half, giving way to snowmelt, cowbells and rockfalls by the time the pain takes hold. They are just enough of a distraction to carry you round the last two switchbacks to the little chapel and, more importantly, the tap of icy cold water.

For more information on the Klausenpass road visit the MySwitzerland website.

6. The Mendips and the Somerset Levels, England

Jeff Jones, editor of cycling hub BikeRadar.com

I'm based in Bath so one of my favourite long rides involves heading south-west to the Mendips. I usually go via Chew Valley Lake, then up Burrington Combe, a couple of miles of stair-stepped climbing. I then skirt around to Cheddar and if I'm feeling energetic I'll ride across the Somerset Levels, which are great fun if you've got the wind behind you.

If I want a shorter route, I'll skip the Levels and head up Cheddar Gorge. The deep cliffs at the bottom are spectacular and help take your mind off the steep gradient. As you get further up the climb, it gradually flattens out which is a boost for morale. I'll head back to Bath via Chewton Mendip and Timsbury, again hopefully with the wind at my back. Depending on the route, this ride will take me between three and four hours.

If you don't feel confident tackling the Mendip Hills on your own, then Bike the Mendips offer guided mountain bike tours of the area. Rates for half a day's guided riding start at £35 per person.

7. Portes du Soleil, France

Tracy Moseley, professional downhill mountain biker on the Trek World Racing team

Choosing my favourite place to ride in Europe is very hard for me as I have biked in so many beautiful spots over the years. However, the Portes Du Soleil region, just one hour south of Geneva, has a bit of everything, making it a fantastic place for a biking holiday. The Portes Du Soleil borders France and Switzerland and covers 12 villages, 24 lifts and 650km of mountain bike trails. You can go on a journey through some of the most beautiful mountains, stopping at little cafes en route for delicious local food. Not only is the off-road riding great, there are also loads of beautiful mountain passes to be enjoyed on a road bike, passing by lakes and picnic spots. It's a brilliant region for exploring by bike, with some of the most beautiful scenery and views across to Mont Blanc on clear days.

The Pass'Portes du Soleil kicks off on 27 and 28 June, with 3900 mountain bikers taking to the trails over the weekend.

8. Hackney to Kensington, London, England

Juliet Elliott sponsored rider for Charge Bikes

My favourite route is possibly other people's idea of hell, but the joy of riding in London's traffic comes from the thrill of knowing how to handle it. Every day I cut a path right across the centre of London, riding from Hackney in the east to Kensington in the west. Setting off from Dalston in the morning, I pick my way around the potholes of Kingsland Road and head up to Islington before joining the bottleneck at the cyclepath at the top of Rosebery Avenue. I cruise down this hill and join up with the commuters along Gray's Inn Road before picking my line around Holborn's busy junction. I then carry on through Soho and past Chinatown.

At Hyde Park Corner, I take cover next to a double decker bus, its bulk sheltering me from the onslaught of the traffic to the right as I make my way over to the green oasis of one of the finest parks in the world. I roll along watching the Horseguards practice their drills, seeing the Queen's swans gently bobbing on the pond and hearing the birds twittering.

Find out more about riding fixed gear bikes in the capital with the Fixed Gear London blog. Another major source of information is the London Fixed Gear and Singlspeed forum.

9. Greensand Hills, Dorking, England

Dan Webb, owner of mountain bike shop Head for the Hills

My favourite route is definitely my local one in the Surrey Hills. The exact route will vary each time I ride, but as an approximation, it's out of my door, along the North Downs, drop down to the Greensand Hills, stop for tea and cake, and then back home.

I've ridden it in glorious sunshine and driving rain, summer heat waves and winter snowstorms, knee high in nettles and hub deep in mud. I ride it on my own for space to think, with my wife for quality time, with my friends for socialising, and more recently with my little girl in her child seat for daddy-daughter bonding.

I must have experienced it hundreds of times now, and it feels slightly different every time but also reassuringly familiar. I've ridden in lots of great places all over the country and all over the world, and look forward to the next new route, too, but I'll always enjoying riding my local patch most of all.

For more information on riding in the Surrey Hills check out the mtbsurreyhills.com website run by local riders. Enthusiastic mountain biker Chris Capstick runs the Rookery Nook B&B in Shere close to the trails and equipped with a secure bike lock-up and all important hosepipe. Doubles from £75.

10. Finale Ligure, Italy

Chipps Chippendale, editor of Singletrack mountain bike magazine

I love Finale, though you're unlikely to have heard of it. It sits on the Italian Riviera as you head east from Monaco and San Remo. The motorway passes it by, yet it has some of the most complete mountain biking in Europe. Complete in that there is everything on offer. There are world-class downhill runs, an endless supply of swoopy singletrack for trail-heads and the road riding is mind-blowing.

What makes it so good, though is that you're not in a ski resort, or in a mountain village miles from anywhere. You can ride all day to your heart's content, whatever your level, and then you can literally descend off the hill and ride off road until you're at a beach-front pizzeria. The combination of Italian food, wine, coffee, hospitality and - just Italianness - with great mountain biking in close proximity is as close to biking heaven as you're going to get. It's worth visiting to experience the pro-active and welcoming nature of its hoteliers, and the Riviera weather makes it a great location in the quieter Autumn and Spring months when the UK weather isn't at its best.

By all means tackle the trails in Ligure without a guide, but for