Spectator Trip – The Final 5 Stages

This Non Cycling Trip follows the race through the Pyrenees and onto Paris (inc. Final TT)

TRIP DETAILS:

Duration: 7 days (6 nights)
Dates: Tuesday, 17 July to Monday, 23 July 2012
Start: Toulouse or Lourdes Finish: Paris
Accommodation: Selected quality 3 and 4 star hotels
Group Size: Maximum 22 people (2 Staff)
Cost: AUD$3890.00 – Single Supplement AUD$690.00
Deposit: AUD $1000.00
Note: All trip costs are per person, not including airfare and based on two persons per room.

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Inclusions

Optional Extras:

Paris Triomphe Package (Optional Upgrade for Final Day)
Pre or post tour accommodation to extend your stay
Travel Insurance and Car Rental.
Email us for details

Highlights:

• See 5 stages live including all the Pyrenees stages
• Catch the action of the Final TT
• See the final stage on the Champs Elysees including  Grandstand Seating

Who is this trip for?

If you want to see the biggest stages of the Tour de France up close but don’t want to ride a bike then this trip is tailored for you. This small group experience follows the Tour de France in it’s exciting final week including reserved seating on the Champs Elysees in Paris. As with all of our trips we look after all the details, all you have to do is enjoy the experience.

See what our clients said about us after the 2011 Tour: Client Comments

Itinerary

Tuesday, 17 July 2012: Rest Day: Bonjour

Our tour starts today with our staff meeting you at Toulouse Blagnac Airport at 12 midday or Lourdes Train Station in the afternoon.

If you arrive into Toulouse Blagnac Airport we will transfer to our hotel in Lourdes arriving mid afternoon. Toulouse is easily reached by train from Paris, or by flights from many European airports. If you need any suggestions please feel free to email us.

Or should you arrive by train into Lourdes we can collect you at different times during the afternoon.

Your afternoon will be free to explore Lourdes. The candlelight parade is held each night at 9.00pm and is a must see.

In the heart of the Pyrenees, Lourdes is a religious centre and receives more than 5 million pilgrims from all over the world every year most of whom come to take the healing waters. Lourdes was just a small market town on the 11 February, 1858 when Bernadette Soubirous saw the Virgin Mary along the Gave. Today Lourdes has the second greatest number of hotels in France (outside Paris) with 230 establishments.

For us though it is the geographical position, at the foot of the mountains making it an ideal starting-point for our cycling trips into the Pyrenees.

Tonight we will have a welcome dinner where you will meet your fellow travellers and where our staff will answer all your questions on your upcoming adventure.

Overnight: Lourdes (Pyrenees)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Wednesday, 18 July 2012: See the Stage Start in Pau

This morning we will be away reasonably early to see the stage start in Pau. Stage starts are great and a must see. The caravane departing, the riders signing on and the festive atmosphere will carry you away! Don’t forget to get that autograph of that photo.

Soon after the start we will return to the bus and head off again to chase the race. We will catch up with their progress either near the base of the Col du Tourmalet or near the final climb of the Col de Peyresourde. We don’t have final route details yet to make a decision on exactly where we will see it but it will surely be exciting to see them for the first time as they race through the Pyrenees.

After the race we will return to Lourdes where you have a free night for dinner.

Overnight: Lourdes (Pyrenees)
Meals: Breakfast

Thursday, 19 July 2012: Col de Mente and Port de Bales

Today again we will attempt to see the race a few times as it winds its way through the Pyrenees.

We will take the bus out to a point near the base of the Col de Mente and walk onto the lower slopes, see the riders pass here and then return down the valley to get the bus across to Mauleon Barousse at the base of the Port de Bales to see them again there.

Then after seeing the race pass, returning to meet the bus for the trip to Toulouse and our 4 star hotel in Blagnac, close to the stage start area for tomorrow. All the teams will be staying in hotels in this area tonight so expect to see team buses in our hotel car park tonight. On arrival at the hotel we will enjoy dinner in the hotel restaurant.

As the old capital of Languedoc and France’s fourth-largest city, Toulouse (known as la ville en rose, or the city in pink) is the major city of the southwest, and the gateway to the Pyrenees mountain range.

It is an ancient city with a stormy history. Complimenting this distinguished history. Toulouse is also a city of the future and the high-tech centre of the aerospace industry in France. It is home to Airbus and Aérospatiale — and the National Centre for Space Research has been headquartered here for more than 3 decades.

Overnight: Toulouse (Midi Pyrenees)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Friday, 20 July 2012: All the Fun of the Start, Blagnac

We have quite a drive today to our next stop in Chateauroux however before we do we will head across to see the start of the stage this morning.

The riders will be glad to see the back of the Pyrenees and should be in quite high spirits as they now have a very good chance of making it to Paris with just today’s stage and the time trial tomorrow before they ride onto the Champs Elysees.

It will again be a good chance to see the riders up close and hopefully get that photo or autograph that you may have missed a few days before in Pau.

After seeing the riders off we will get on the road as well. We will try to catch up with the final stages of the race on TV later in the afternoon.

It’s a pleasant drive up through the green centre of France to Chateauroux, a town that has played host to the Tour de France twice in recent years. Sprint king Mark Cavendish in fact took his first Tour victory in Chateauroux and repeated his victory in the town in 2011. Our modern hotel in Chateauroux is housed in a former tobacco factory and hosted the BMC team during last year’s Tour, so you could be sleeping in Cadel’s bed tonight!

This evening we will have our final dinner together in our hotel’s fine restaurant. We have decided to bring it forward as the next few days will be pretty busy and we know you will want to spend some free time in Paris.

Overnight: Chateauroux
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Saturday, 21 July 2012: The Final Time Trial and onto Paris

Maybe it will all come down to today as it did it 2010, the final Time Trial, when Cadel overtook Andy Schleck around Grenoble and rode into Paris as the winner. We will be there to see all the action today.

We will leave Chareauroux this morning and go straight to Bonneval where we will watch the start of the time trial.

Time Trial starts are great to see. You get closer to the riders than you normally would and get to see them individually starting from the ramp. If you get around behind the start ramp you can see all the final preparation that goes on such as wheel changes, weighing bikes and last minute adjustments that nervous riders make. In the team enclosure you can see the riders warming up on the trainers for long periods of time and if you are lucky the team enclosure is sometimes open to the public.

After we have seen the riders warming up and the last rider has started we will transfer to Paris and our hotel where you have the evening free to explore the city of lights.

A short walk from the Champs Elysees, Louvre museum and the “grand magasins” of Paris, our boutique 4 star hotel will provide the ideal location for you over the coming days.

Overnight: Paris
Meals: Breakfast

Sunday, 22 July 2012: Live it up on the Champs-Elysees

This morning is a free morning in Paris.

Around 11.30am we’ll leave the hotel for the Champs Elysees where you will enjoy the race from the comfort of the Grand Palais area, a seated grandstand right on the Champs Elysees.

Located on the left side of the Champs-Elysees the GRAND PALAIS provides an excellent view of the two laps of the Caravan followed by the peloton’s 8 laps of the Champs Elysees. The Grand Palais Tribune is located between Le Rond Point des Champs Elysees and La Place de la Concorde opposite the finishing straight but with a good view of the riders going in both directions.

Grand Palais Package includes:

• Limited access
• A personal welcome by ASO hostesses
• Reserved Seats identified with our company name
• A VIP Tour de France gift for each guest
• Refreshments throughout the afternoon

So you can enjoy the afternoon we’ll provide you with a picnic lunch so you don’t miss any of the action. There is also the option to upgrade to the  Paris Triomphe Package if tou wish.

The last stage is traditionally a procession until the entrance onto the Champs-Elysees where the racing really starts. Riders traditionally chat, celebrate the final stage, pose for photographs, drink Champagne… sometimes they even dress-up, swap bikes and generally horse around. Traditionally, once the race gets into Paris, the Yellow jersey and his team lead the peloton onto the Champs-Elysees for what is a basically a big criterium in the centre of the French Capital.

Overnight: Paris
Meals: Breakfast

Monday, 23 July 2012: Au Revoir

Its farewell to your new friends as our tour comes to an end this morning. It is the final day of our tour. Over the past week you’ve experienced the excitement of the Tour de France up close and hopefully had an unforgettable holiday with Bikestyle Tours. We hope we see you again one day.

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Inclusions

Tour cost is per person twin share and includes:
-Services of our experienced tour guides, plus our coach driver
-Transfers on Sunday, 17 July from Toulouse Blagnac Airport or Lourdes Train Station to hotel
-6 night’s accommodation in a quality 3 and 4 star hotels
-Buffet breakfast daily
-3 course evening meal on 3 evenings
-Lunch Pack or restaurant lunch on 3 days
-Grand Palais VIP access on the Champs Elysees
-Bikestyle guide to the Tour de France
-Bikestyle Tours shirt, cap and musette bag

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If paying by bank deposit or cheque see below

NOTE: Please place number of persons attending in box below

• By paying a deposit you are deemed to have accepted our Waiver and Reservation Conditions.
• We charge for our trips in Australian Dollars (AUD). We recommend that you check the exchange rate before booking.
• A surcharge of 1.5% is applicable for payments made with visa or mastercard and 3% for payments made with American Express credit cards.
• Deposits can also be paid by direct deposit or cheque. Please see below.
• It is a requirement of Bikestyle Tours that you have Travel Insurance for your trip.
• * We charge for our trips in Australian Dollars (AUD) and prices shown in other currencies are only approximate. We advise that you check the exchange rate before booking.

If you have any further enquiries please email us at tours@bikestyletours.com

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Payment by Bank Deposit and Cheque

If you wish to pay by Bank Deposit or Cheque please tick the box below to go to our Bank Details

Prior to paying a deposit it is advisable to confirm a place is available by sending an email to our Office Manager Michelle Knibbs, michelle@bikestyletours.com or telephone our office 07 38465999.

• By paying a deposit you are deemed to have accepted our Waiver and Reservation Conditions. If you have any further enquiries please email us at tours@bikestyletours.com.
• Don’t forget it is a requirement of Bikestyle Tours that you have Travel Insurance for your trip.
  Purchase your International Travel Insurance here.
• * We charge for our trips in Australian Dollars (AUD) and prices shown in other currencies are only approximate. We advise that you check the exchange rate before booking.

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