TRIP DETAILS:
Duration: 9 days, 8 nights
Dates: Sunday, 20 July to Monday, 28 July
Start-Finish: Paris
Accommodation: 3 star Premium Hotels
Group Size: Maximum 40 people (5 Staff) - inc. fluent French speakers and ex-Professional riders.
Deposit: USD* $938 - Secure your spot now.
Cost: USD* $4172
Optional extra: Champs Elysees VIP Seating: USD* $183
Trip Inclusions
*Approximate. We charge for our trips in Australian dollars, so the figure above is a conversion from the $AU price.
Who are Bikestyle trips for?
Our trip will take in Alpe d’Huez and the final 5 stages of the race including the final Time Trial. We will have a blend of Alpine riding and the rolling roads of central France.
We will ride parts of the course and visit a start, a finish and some stages out on the road possibly including a feed zone.
Another feature of this trip is the limited travelling. We will stay in our hotels for multiple nights so you can relax and savour the locations.
Day 1, Sunday, 20 July
Arrival in Paris
Digne-les-Bains - Prato Nevoso
There will be someone to meet you at the Airport and assist you to your transport which will transfer you to our 4 star hotel close to the Airport. We have found from experience that the first thing most cyclists want to do is to have a short ride to shake out the cobwebs after the plane trip. The area around the airport provides a good base for this. However we will need to be finished our ride by 2.30pm so our bus (with bikes) can depart Paris to meet us tomorrow when we step off the train in Grenoble.
The first job will be to assemble your bike and Bikestyle staff will be available to assist if you have any problems.
Tonight there will be a welcome dinner were you can meet the staff who will be looking after you and also your fellow travellers.
Day 2, Monday, 21 July 2008
TGV to the Alpes
Rest day in Cuneo
Today we will transfer from Paris to the Alps. We will need to get an early start as we climb aboard the TGV train to Grenoble. The TGV (Train Grande Vitesse) is the world’s fastest passenger train and will get us to the Alps faster than we would be travelling by air. The relatively short four hour journey from Paris to Grenoble will mean that we will still have time for a ride upon arrival in the Alps. There will be time for lunch in Grenoble before the bus arrives and picks us up for a short transfer out of Grenoble so we can begin our ride to our hotel at Les 2 Alpes.
The bus will drop our first group of riders at the town of Vizille on the outskirts of Grenoble. From Vizille it is 50km to Les 2 Alpes.
Alternatively the bus will continue to the Barrage du Chambon which is at the base of the Les 2 Alpes. It’s a 12km climb with a lot of history in the Tour, most famously where Marco Pantani took the Tour de France from Jan Ullrich on a rainy day in 1998. I know because I was freezing on the slopes watching it unfold.
Dinner will be provided tonight.
Overnight in Les 2 Alpes
Day 3, Tuesday 22 July
Our ‘Grand Stage’
Stage 16, 157km Cuneo to Jausiers
We will not see the race live today but instead we will provide the opportunity to see what a stage in the mountains really looks and feels like. We will depart from the hotel on the bus which will give us a lift to the top of the Col de Lautaret where we join the route of tomorrow’s stage back to Alpe d’Huez. From here it is 140km back to Alpe d’Huez and 3200 metres of climbing over the Col du Galibier, Col du Telegraphe and Col de la Croix-de-Fer before the final climb up Alpe d’Huez to the finish. Afterwards you can descend the same way you came up back to the waiting bus. We will then transport you from Bourg d’Oisans back to the hotel.
For those wanting an easier day we will provide the opportunity to ride the famous Alpe d’Huez before it is overrun by people tomorrow. We will leave the hotel by bike and ride down to Bourg d’Oisans where we will turn right and head up the 21 switch backs that have made this climb famous. Each corner is numbered and has the name of a cyclist on it to recall an incident that has happened there in a past Tour de France. You can time yourself and then stand triumphantly on top of a podium in Alpe d’Huez. After we have looked around we can descend the mountain one of two ways. There is a beautiful little back road which involves a little more climbing via the Col de Sarenne. This brings up back to the corner at the beginning of the climb to 2 Alpes which we will climb by bike to the hotel.
Alternately you can descend the same way you came up back to the waiting bus. We will then transport you from Bourg d’Oisans back to the hotel. We will also arrange transport from Bourg D’Oisans for those who want to miss the final climb.
Afterwards you can watch the race on TV followed by a relaxing drink on the terrace of the hotel enjoying the cool mountain air and the views.
Dinner will be provided tonight.
Overnight in Les 2 Alpes
Day 4, Wednesday 23 July
Finish on Alpe D’Huez
Stage 17, 210km Embrun to Alpe D’Huez
Today’s stage features two major climbs before finishing on Alpe d’Huez. Whilst Alpe d’Huez is not the longest or hardest climb faced by tour riders, it usually features at the end of a long hard day. This has increased its mystique. The 21 virages (switchbacks) have been the scene of many battles over the years and this year will not be any different.
The crowds on Alpe d’Huez are usually the largest of any stage and we are in perfect position to witness all the action. This morning we will again leave the hotel by bike or bus. There is the possibility of riding the climb on race day or just part of it to see the race on one of the corners. The atmosphere on the corners is amazing. Each has its own party happening and it get louder and louder until the crescendo when the race finally arrives.
After the race we will descend the climb to either ride home or meet the bus for a lift back to the hotel.
Dinner will be provided tonight.
Overnight in Les 2 Alpes
Day 5, Thursday 24 July
Heading towards the finish
Stage 18, 197km Bourg d’Oisans-Saint-Etienne
The mountain stages are over and if the winner has not emerged it will be all down to the final time trial on Saturday. We will have an easier day today. The start of the stage is in Bourg D’Oisans at the bottom of the mountain. We will see the Start in Bourg d’Oisans then ride the race route to Grenoble followed by a transfer to our Hotel in Clermont-Ferrand where we spend the next two nights.
We can leave the hotel on the bus or bikes however you may find the bike to be a hassle when you arrive in Bourg d’Oisans. The first 55km of the race route are mainly downhill so it’s a great ride into Grenoble.
This city in south-central France was the ancient capital of the Auvergne. Clermont-Ferrand has seen a long parade of history. It was created in 1731 by a merger of two towns, Clermont and Montferrand. The city is surrounded by hills, and in the distance stands one of the great attractions of the Auvergne, the volcanic mountain Puy-de-Dôme.
Dinner will be provided tonight.
Overnight in Clermont-Ferrand.
Day 6, Friday 25 July
Out on the course
Stage 19, 163km Roanne-Montluçon
Today we will ride out to see the stage as it passes near Clermont-Ferrand and ride part of the course.
We don’t know the exact route for today’s stage but we expect it passes close by Clermont-Ferrand and we will take the opportunity to see a little of the local area before watching the race.
We will offer a choice of a long ride or a short ride out to see the race pass nearby, hopefully at a feed or a sprint and then return to Clermont-Ferrand. This should allow time to have a look around town or watch the race finish on TV. The race may pass near the mythical Puy-de-Dôme however cyclists are not allowed to ride up it anymore but it will be great to have a close up look. The Puy-de-Dôme is quite a visible landmark in the area.
It is known that the new Director of Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme was very keen to reintroduce this mythical climb this year but the race has outgrown it unfortunately.
Overnight in Clermont-Ferrand.
Day 7, Saturday 26 July
The Final Time Trial
Stage 20, 57km Cerilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond
Will this year be a repeat of 2007 when the winner was not decided until the final time trial? We will be there to see all the action.
There will be riding options to Saint-Amand-Montrond of around 100km and 50km and we should arrive in plenty of time to see the early riders leave. We can grab a bite to eat before the riders begin to cross the line. The riders start in the opposite order to the GC, so the “stars” leave last and arrive last.
When the last rider finishes and the yellow jersey is placed on the shoulders of the 2008 winner we will return to the bus for the short journey to our hotel for tonight.
Tomorrow will be a tight day for time so we will arrange for the bike boxes to be brought to our hotel. There should be time to pack the bikes which will save time tomorrow.
Dinner will be provided tonight.
Overnight in Orleans
Day 8, Sunday 27 July
Back to Paris
Stage 21, 15km Etampes-Paris/Champs-Élysées
The final stage into Paris 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. Once the race gets into Paris, the Yellow jersey and his team traditionally lead the peloton onto the Champs-Elysees for what is a basically a big criterium in the centre of the French Capital.
We will have an early start today and head directly for our hotel in Paris. The bus trip should less than 4 hours so we should be in time to check in and head off to see the race finish. We will use the bus to take you close to the course. If you have VIP tickets for the final day we will assist you to get to the right area. As you can imagine the centre of Paris will be busy today. After the race there is a lap of honour for all riders who complete the Tour. The atmosphere is one of relief and festivity. We will arrange a couple of pick up points for the bus to get you back to the hotel.
There will be a farewell dinner tonight where you say goodbye to your new found friends.
Overnight Paris
Day 9, Monday 28 July
Au Revoir
Time to say au revoir. Bikestyle staff will be on hand to help you with your transfer to the Airport.
