This trip is one of our leisure tours for the Tour de France, a new Bikestyle concept for 2009, designed to appeal to a broad range of people and budgets. Slightly cheaper than our normal premium tours, our Leisure tours use quality traditional hotels that France is famous for, with good restaurants and plenty of charm. Where the opportunity arises to visit an area of particular interest, maybe a chateau or a ‘plus beaux’ village, we’ll take it. The itineraries are leisurely with the aim of having 3 or 4 night stays in hotels where possible to give us time to relax, as well as plenty of opportunity to see the Tour de France. Our rides will be both challenging and enjoyable with the usual option of choosing a ride each day to suit your ability, so everyone from novice to super fit is catered for. These tours do not include the services of an ex- professional cyclist, however our experienced and enthusiastic guides will make sure your trip to France is a memorable one.
TRIP DETAILS:
Duration: 11 days (10 nights)
Dates: Friday 03 July to Monday 13 July
Start: Nice Finish: Lourdes – Toulouse
Accommodation: Selected quality hotels
Group Size: Maximum 30 people (3 Staff)
Cost: AUD$5250.00 – Reserve your place now.
Optional Extras:
Grand Depart Exclusive Access Package
Bike Rental $500 (Cannondale Synapse carbon fibre)
Pre or post tour accommodation to extend your stay
Travel Insurance and Car Rental.
Paris VIP Seating (Final day)
Email us for details
Who is this trip for?
This tour offers the best of the Tour de France from the Grand Depart in Monaco through to the excitement of the mountain stages in the Pyrenees. As with all of our tours you’ll be guided by our expert team of ride leaders, drivers and guides. You will experience the Tour de France and see stage starts, finishes, time trials and of course get to cheer the riders up close on the cols of the Pyrenees. This tour takes in the coast and beautiful hill country of the Cote d’Azur, the Mediterranean coast and the small villages and stunning scenery of the Pyrenees. You’ll get a chance to ride some of the famous cols of the Tour de France including Mont Ventoux, Col d’Aspin and Col du Tourmalet. Each day we’ll have options for rides to suit people of all abilities so no matter if you feel like a challenge, or an easy day enjoying the scenery, you will find yourself catered for.
The trip is geared to suit anyone with an interest in Cycling who wants to see the biggest of the Grand Tours, the Tour de France. This is our main focus for the trip. We cater for cyclists of all abilities by providing riding options each day. On most days we offer two rides. All of our rides are escorted and they vary from ’serious’ to ‘relaxed’. We ride on quiet scenic roads and where possible we ride on the race course ahead of the race. This trip does involve some days in the mountains so there will be the opportunity to challenge yourself. We also cater for people who do not ride bikes with visits to the race and other attractions but an interest in seeing the Tour de France is important as it is the main focus of the trip. On some days in the mountains it may be possible to use one of our smaller vans to take non riders onto the major mountains so they can really sample the race on the climbs.
You’ll stay in some lovely accommodation during the tour including:
- 2 nights in Vence in the hills above the Cote d’Azur.
- 1 night in Provence in the typical village of St Didier close to Mont Ventoux.
- 3 nights stay in a small “relais” on the coast of the Mediterranean in Port Camargue.
- 3 nights in a traditional hotel in the small village of Oust, right on the Tour de France route in the French Pyrenees.
- 1 night in one of Lourde’s newest boutique hotels close to all the big cols of the Pyrenees.
Stages you will see:
- Saturday, July 4: Stage 1, Monaco – Monaco (ITT): 15km
- Sunday, July 5: Stage 2, Monaco – Brignoles: 182km
- Monday, July 6: Stage 3, Marseille – La Grande-Motte: 196km
- Tuesday, July 7: Stage 4, Montpellier – Montpellier (TTT): 38km
- Wednesday, July 8: Stage 5, Le Cap d’Agde – Perpignan: 197km
- Thursday, July 9: Stage 6, Gerone – Barcelone: 175km
- Friday, July 10: Stage 7, Barcelone – Andorre Arcalis: 224km
- Saturday, July 11: Stage 8, Andorre-la-Vieille – Saint-Girons: 176km
- Sunday, July 12: Stage 9, Saint-Gaudens – Tarbes: 160km
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DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1 Friday, 3 July 2009
Our tour starts today with our staff meeting you as you arrive in Nice, with a transfer to our hotel in the lovely hilltop town of Vence just above the famous Cote d’Azur. Nice is easily reached by train from Paris, or by flights from many international and European airports. Once we’ve got you settled into the hotel we will assemble bikes and take a short local ride to make sure you and your bike are all in good working order after your long journey. For those that arrive in time and want a slightly longer ride there is the option of a beautiful ride of about 65 km from Vence via the Gorges du Loup. This can be an easy ride with a stop in the village of Pont du Loup for coffee, or a harder ride passing over the 960 meter Col de Vence if you really want to test yourself. Our short local ride is an easy one and will take us to the neighbouring village of St Paul de Vence, a picture postcard hilltop village with fabulous views over the Mediterranean coast. Tonight we will have a welcome dinner where you will meet your fellow travellers and our staff, who will answer all your questions on your upcoming adventure.
Overnight: Vence
Meals: Dinner
Day 2 Saturday, 4 July 2009
Today is the first day’s racing for the Tour de France with an opening time trial of 15 km deciding who will have the honour of being the first rider to wear the yellow jersey. The start will be launched from boulevard Albert 1er in Monaco on the same roads used for the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix before leaving the tiny principality and heading into France along the spectacular cliff road of the Moyenne Corniche. This undulating course then winds its way back to Monaco with a finish along the famous seafront. Time trials are a great place to see the riders close up and to marvel at the speed and endurance of the professional athletes. We will ride to the time trial course via the coastal city of Nice and the famous Promenade des Anglais, or for the fitter riders a hilly route through the hills of Provence Cote d’Azur. Tonight is free to explore the charming town of Vence and dine in one of the many restaurants on the fresh Provencal cuisine.
Overnight: Vence
Meals: Breakfast.
Day 3 Sunday, 5 July 2009
The race leaves from Monaco this morning and heads west through Provence to the town of Brignoles, a distance of some 182 kms over terrain that although not mountainous is challenging and will test the riders at this early stage of the race. We will take the opportunity to ride to see the race as it passes through the countryside not far from our base in Vence early this afternoon, with the exact route of our ride to be decided once we know the roads the race will use. This is lovely cycling country with dramatic gorges and small hilltop towns making our ride today even more interesting.
After we’ve experienced the race and of course the fun of the ‘caravan publicitaire’ we’ll jump in the coach and head off to our overnight stop in St Didier, a small Provencal village near the base of Mont Ventoux. St Didier is in the area of Provence known as the Luberon, made famous by authors Marcel Pagnon (Jean de Florette) and more recently Peter Mayle with his “Year in Provence” series. It is an area of contrasts with croweded towns full of well to do Parisians escaping the city for the simple country life, as well as isolated and rugged gorges and forests with the never ending chirping of the cigales (cicadas) a familiar background noise during the summer heat.
On arrival at the hotel enjoy a dip in the pool before a buffet dinner in the hotel’s popular restaurant. Like many small hotels in France the emphasis is on the food above all else and our hotel’s restaurant is often booked out with locals enjoying a night out.
Overnight: St Didier
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4 Monday, 6 July 2009
The Tour de France stage for today is from Marseilles to La Grande Motte, close to where we stay for the next 3 nights at Port Camargue. As much of this stage is over some of the ‘less interesting’ country of the race we will take the opportunity to ride one of the most famous cols of the Tour where the penultimate battle for the race will take place in 2009, Mont Ventoux. We’ll ride from our hotel to the village of Bedoin where the traditional route of the Tour de France winds its way up through the forest to Chalet Reynard where the well known ‘moonscape’ of Mont Ventoux comes into view. Over the last 6kms the bare landscape allows you magnificent views over the plains of the Luberon as you pass by the monument to Tom Simpson, who died tragically on the slopes of the mountain in the 1967 Tour de France. After the compulsory photographs at the summit we’ll head back down via the thrilling descent to Malaucene where our coach will be waiting to take us to our next stop in the coastal resort of Port Camargue. For those not wanting to tackle the difficult climb that is Mont Ventoux we’ll offer an alternative easy ride visiting some of the local villages of the Luberon. If all goes to plan we will be able to leave Malaucene just in time to catch the race as it makes it way to La Grande Motte this afternoon.
Overnight: Port Camargue
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5 Tuesday, 7 July 2009
This morning we can have a nice relaxed start to the day as the stage for the day is quite close to our hotel in Port Camargue with a 38 km team time trial from Montpellier. This year sees the return of the team time trial and it’s bound to be a fast time today for the riders as the roads around here are generally flat. Today’s options will include a short and a longer route from Port Camargue into the historic centre of Montpellier to watch the teams prepare for and take off on the race against the clock. Depending on the final route of the time trial it is also possible we will run a ride to a village along the time trial route where you can join in with the locals in cheering on your favourite team. Tonight is free to dine in one of the many quayside restaurants in Port Camargue
Overnight: Port Camargue
Meals: Breakfast
Day 6 Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Today the Tour de France stage takes the race south from Le Cap d’Agde to the city of Perpignan, close to the Spanish border. This morning we’ll travel to Beziers, an historic Roman city on the Canal du Midi about 30 km from today’s stage start. The race route will pass very close to Beziers before heading south towards Perpignan and it’s in the rolling hills between Perpignan and Narbonne where we plan to see the race pass by, with our final route decided once we know the exact road the race will take. The first riders to pass will be in the inevitable breakaway that occurs whenever the race passes through this region as it is one of the flatter stages of the race and lends itself to a day of glory for a sprinter or one of the riders who have no hope of scoring in the high mountains. After we’ve seen the race we’ll continue on our ride visiting some local villages or perhaps the ruins of the 1st century settement of Oppidium d Enerune with it’s fabulous views over the plains below, before returning to Beziers for the trip back to Port Camargue. Tonight whey not explore the waterfront area before dinner and a good nights’ rest to prepare for the Pyrenees!
Overnight: Port Camargue
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7 Thursday, 9 July 2009
As the race heads south into Spain today we will head east for the Pyrenees where we will base ourselves for the next three nights to put us in the perfect position to see the race as it enters the Pyrenees. Along the way we will stop for lunch and some sightseeing in the amazing walled medieval cite of Carcassonne, a UNESCO world heritage site that has to be seen to be believed. From a distance it looks like a mirage, or a giant movie set, and has in fact been used for many films over the years. Wandering around inside the cite is just as interesting with it’s tiny alleways and massive fortifications. It gets crowded as it is one of France’s most popular historic sites but well worth the visit if only to have a hearty meal of the local speciality cassoulet in one of the many restaurants.
From Carcassonne we will drive to the town of St Girons, where will be able to choose from a couple of very scenic cycling routes to our hotel in the pretty riverside village of Oust. The riding in this part of the Pyrenees is superb with a variety of rides from challenging cols to quiet river valley roads so there will be something to suit everyone. Tonight we dine in the restaurant of our traditional small hotel with the fresh regional cuisine of France.
Overnight: Oust
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 Friday, 10 July 2009
This morning we will ride from our hotel through the nearby town of St Girons onto a route made famous by the Tour de France over Col de Portet d’Aspet and Col de Mente, a beautiful route through the Ariege region of the Pyrenean Mountains. For those wanting an easier route we’ll offer an option to join the riders on the flatter sections of the ride following the river Garrone. Our ride will finish this afternoon in the town of St Gaudens, from where the Tour de France will depart in a couple of day’s time. Our ride will finish in time for us to spend some time in the town, which will be decorated in anticipation of the arrival of Le Tour, and watch the end of today’s stage from Barcelona to Andorra with the locals on television in a cafe before heading home to our hotel in Oust.
Overnight: Oust
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9 Saturday, 11 July 2009
Today’s 176km stage for the Tour de France from Andorra to Saint Girons passes through our base in Oust, passing over nearby Col d’Agnes and Col de Port, leaving us with many great ride options. For those wanting to see the race in comfort as it passes by our hotel late this afternoon we will run a morning ride along the race route to the 1250m Col de Port, returning to Oust to see the race pass by the hotel. For those wanting a longer and more challenging ride we will travel first over Col de Port, then up the winding mountain road leading to the 1570m summit of Col d’Agnes where we will see the race on the final climb of the day. This is the first time that Col d’Agnes has been used in the Tour de France, although it passes through this region of Ariege regularly. This is going to be a superb viewing point for the race as the small mountain roads will bring the riders up close to us. There is also the option of travelling on to the finish in St Girons, a mere 17 km from our hotel in Oust to see the race leaders enter the town at the end of this important mountain stage. For those wanting an easy day this will be a good option as you can watch the race pass over the mountains on television on a bar in town before heading out on the route to cheer on riders as they approach the finish.
Overnight: Oust
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10 Sunday, 12 July 2009
The final stage in the Pyrenees will take the race from Saint Gaudens to Tarbes, just to the north of Lourdes. Along the way it will climb two legendary cols ,Col d’Aspin and Col du Tourmalet, at 2115 metres the highest point for the tour in the Pyrenees. From Oust we will travel this morning to the town of Bagneres de Biggore, situated in a valley in between Col d’Aspin and Col du Tourmalet. As this is one of the most popular stages of the tour the crowds will be huge, adding to the atmosphere and excitement. From Bagneres it is a gentle climb to the village of Saint Marie de Campan where it’s a right turn for Tourmalet or a left turn for Col d’Aspin. Col du Tourmalet is one of the toughest climbs of the tour, but achievable if you allow time to give the mountain the respect it deserves! The ascent of Col d’Aspin is gentler and very scenic and is a good option for those wanting an easier day. Those that choose Col d’Aspin have the option of returning to the coach in Bagneres after the race has passed, or riding all the way back to our hotel in Lourdes. Riders that are seeing the race on Col du Tourmalet will descend down the winding western side of the mountain along the race route with a downhill run all the way back to our hotel in Lourdes. Tonight we will have a farewell dinner at a restaurant in Lourdes where we can celebrate a great tour in France.
Overnight: Lourdes
Meals: Breakfast
Day 11 Monday, 13 July 2009
It is a rest day for the Tour de France today and the end of our tour. You have the option today of staying on in Lourdes and maybe enjoying some more rides in the Pyrenees, travelling on from Lourdes by plane or train back to Paris, or a transfer this morning by our coach to Toulouse airport for your onward flights.
Meals: Breakfast
Tour cost: {tdf_alpespyrenees}* per person twin share and includes:
- Transport throughout by private luxury coach with custom bike trailer.
- Services of 3 experienced tour guides and our coach driver.
- Transfers on 3 July from Nice airport or rail station to hotel
- Transfer on 13 July to Toulouse airport or Lourdes rail station
- 10 nights accommodation in selected quality hotels with private facilities.
- Buffet breakfast daily
- 3 course evening meals on 7 nights
- Mechanical assistance with your bikeSightseeing as listed
- Maps and Bikestyle guide to the Tour de France
- Bikestyle cycling jersey
