L’ÉTAPE DU TOUR

DAY 2 – WEDNESDAY 17 JULY 2019

Tour de Tarn ride plus Tour de France race start Albi. Ride back to Toulouse – intersect the race at a key point en route

Breakfast: 7am
Depart hotel: 7:45am Ride start: 9:30am
Distance: 40km, 85km, 120km Climbing: 200m – 750m
TdF Race: Albi / Toulouse 167km
Accommodation: Toulouse City Centre – 2 of 2 nights

About our day:

We jump straight into the action on day two and see the Tour de France twice as it snakes its way from Albi to Toulouse – first at the stage depart and then as it nears the finish.

Seeing Le Tour stage depart and watching it pass through smaller French towns is a very different experience, and provides an interesting contrast, to the high-intensity mountain racing that we’ll see later in our tour. We’ll have the luxury of seeing the riders relax before what is expected to be a low-stress stage, and then we’ll get to see an otherwise quiet French town come alive as the race flies through it in the closing stages of the race, rubbing shoulders with locals.

We’ll increase our ride distance today but the route will be relatively flat to allow you to find your legs for the climbing to come in the coming days.

Non-cycling options:

Ask us for some options based on your personal interests, we have some great recommendations.

Our Ride:

Ride – starts 9:30am

We’ll take a transfer from our Toulouse hotel to our ride start point on the lovely Tarn River. From there we will follow the river approximately 40km to the Tour de France race start in Albi. After taking in the race start we’ll mount our bikes again and take a more direct ride route to Toulouse. We’ll intersect the Tour de France race route as it nears the finish, as it passes through one of the smaller French villages where we can relax, watch the race finish on TV and return to our hotel on our bikes via sections of the race route to Toulouse.

 TdF Race: Albi / Toulouse 167km 

 Après Bike:

Free Program, let us know your preferred dining style, food types and we’ll point you in the right direction, Toulouse has a vast array of eateries, bars and restaurants.

 Accommodation:

Toulouse City Centre – 2 of 2 nights

DAY 3 – THURSDAY 18 JULY 2019

Ride the final 80km of todays Tour de France high mountain stage

Breakfast: 7am
Depart hotel: 7:45am Ride start: 10:30am
Distance: 60km, 85km, 105km Climbing: 2000m
TdF Race: Toulouse / Bagnères-de-Bigorre 202km
Accommodation: Pyrenees – Lourdes Spa and Bike Hotel – 1 of 3 nights

About our day:

Today we hit the cols! We’ll take a morning transfer to the French Pyrenees, where you will get your first taste of some serious hills on this year’s tour.

We’ll ride the final part of the Tour de France stage before the riders and will see the race at or near the finish. While coming mid-way through the Tour de France, this is the first Pyrenean stage of this year’s Tour de France and it is sure to be exciting to watch as the riders test each others’ fatigue levels as they head into the second part of the race.

We’ll also need to keep our fatigue levels in mind as we head into a series of decent climbing days, with this one just being something of an entrée.

Non-cycling options:

Ask us for some options based on your personal interests, we have some great recommendations.

Our Ride:

Ride – starts 10:30am 

After our transfer from Toulouse, we’ll ride the final 80km of today’s Tour de France medium mountain stage. This will take us over the Col du Peyresourde (where Chris Froome launched his memorable ‘descent attack’ on stage 8 of the 2016 Tour to win the stage) and then the Hourquette d’Ancizan before we ride to the race finish area in Bagneres de Bigorre.

After the Tour de France race finish you can choose to ride the ‘mostly downhill’ route back to our chic Spa and Bike hotel in Lourdes in the Pyrenees, or you can save the legs and take a short transfer back.

 TdF Race: Toulouse / Bagnères-de-Bigorre 202km 

 Après Bike:

7.45pm:  Meet in the hotel lobby for dinner at our hotel.

 Accommodation:

Pyrenees – Lourdes Spa and Bike Hotel – 1 of 3 nights

DAY 4 – FRIDAY 19 JULY 2019

Col du Solour – Col d’Aubisque High Mountain Loop

Breakfast: 7am
Ride departs hotel: 8am
Distance: 30km, 45km, 90km (optional riding extras: Hautacam ski station +30km / 1200m) Climbing: 1200m – 2400m
TdF Race: Pau / Pau Time Trial 27km
Accommodation: Pyrenees – Lourdes Spa and Bike Hotel – 2 of 3 nights

About our day:

While Lourdes is famous the world over for its holy water and associated religious pilgrimages, we like it because it is at the gateway to one of the most magical cycling valleys in the French Pyrenees. Today we’ll dive right in, departing from our hotel for an incredible day in the mountains.

We’ll take in two legendary cols, the Col du Solour and the Col d’Aubisque for a relatively short loop but one that is big on elevation and spectacular scenery.This is high mountain cycling at its very best, wild horses, sheep and goats are free to roam the pastures up here. For those wanting a few more kilometres, there is an optional extra ride up the Hautacam.

Non-cycling options:

Ask us for some options based on your personal interests, we have some great recommendations.

Our Ride:

Ride – starts 8am

Today we’ll ride from the door of our hotel and ascend two of the most famous cols in the Pyrenees – the Col du Solour, then traverse across to the Col d’Aubisque. We’ll pause for snack, coffee or maybe even lunch at one of the chalets prior to heading back across to the Col du Soluor. We then loop back to Lourdes after a big day out in the Pyrenees. We’ll be back in time to watch the finish of the Tour de France time trial live on TV.

Riding Extras: If you’re still feeling great after the Col d’Aubisque and Solour and need extras on the day – we’ll point you in the direction of the famously tough Hautacam climb. This climb can be found just off our route back to Lourdes. While it will only add approximately 30km (and 1200m altitude) to your day, the gradients of the Hautacam are tough and this little side-trip will likely take well over two hours to complete!

 TdF Race: Pau / Pau Time Trial 27km 

 Après Bike:

Free program: Let us know your preferred dining style, food types and we’ll point you in the right direction, Lourdes has a vast array of eateries, bars (even a great Belgian bar), restaurants and the best gelato outside of Italy.

 Accommodation:

Pyrenees – Lourdes Spa and Bike Hotel – 2 of 3 nights

DAY 5 – SATURDAY 20 JULY 2019

Col du Tourmalet Loop, see the race on the lower slopes

Breakfast: 7am
Depart hotel: 8am Ride start: 9am
Distance: 55km, 65km, 80km, 105km Climbing: 750m – 2300m
TdF Race: Tarbes / Tourmalet 117km
Accommodation: Pyrenees – Lourdes Spa and Bike Hotel – 3 of 3 nights

About our day:

Today we ride the Col du Tourmalet! One of the most famous climbs in the French Pyrenees, the Tourmalet is a big and beautiful climb – one that every serious cyclist should tick off in their lifetime. We’ll tackle it from the eastern side, hit the summit and descend down the other side to watch the Tour de France tear onto the lower slopes as it tackles the Tourmalet in the opposite direction.

Non-cycling options:

Ask us for some options based on your personal interests, we have some great recommendations.

Our Ride:

Ride starts 9am 

Depending on how your legs are feeling, you can choose where to start your day along our route: Bagnères-de-Bigorre, Campan, Sainte Marie De Campan or La Mongie. Regardless of the start point, our route will take in the Col du Tourmalet loop in a clockwise direction and we’ll tackle the great Tourmalet from the eastern side.

Having summited the highest paved road in the Pyrenees, we’ll then take the winding descent to the picturesque valley town of Luz-Saint-Sauveur. There we’ll watch the race live on TV as it approaches, before stepping out to the roadside to see it charge onto the lower slopes of the Col du Tourmalet. Then, we’ll ride the mostly-downhill route back to Lourdes to complete our loop, finishing on a quiet and gentle local bike path that will feel a million miles away from the hallowed slopes of the Tourmalet.

 TdF Race: Tarbes / Tourmalet 117km 

 Après Bike:

Suggested Sports Recovery Drink: Anything dark from the Belgian beer bar near the bridge over the river in town.

Free program: Let us know your preferred dining style, food types and we’ll point you in the right direction again. Lourdes is great for bars and restaurants. (Have you tried the gelato yet?)

 Accommodation:

Pyrenees – Lourdes Spa and Bike Hotel – 3 of 3 nights

DAY 6 – SUNDAY 21 JULY 2019

Medieval Citadel – Gorge Ride and Dinner at our Chateau

Breakfast: 7am
Depart hotel: 8am Ride start: 3:30pm
Distance: 30km, 60km Climbing: 600m – 950m
TdF Race: Limoux / Foix 185km
Accommodation: Provence – Mazan Chateau Hotel – 1 of 2 Nights

About our day:

We are transferring from the Pyrenees to the Alps today, and will break the transfer up with a stop-in at the medieval citadel of Carcassonne. There we’ll stretch the legs and explore this historic village. We’ll then complete our transfer across to the base of the Giant of Provence – Mont Ventoux – in Mazan. After we’ve settled in to our chateau, we’ll head out for an afternoon ride to ease ourselves into the Alps.

Non-cycling options:

Ask us for some options based on your personal interests, we have some great recommendations.

Our Ride:

Ride – starts 3:30pm

With a few days of solid climbing under our belt, and with plenty more to come, we’ll give the bodies and legs a well-earned rest and take in a leisurely ride along the beautiful and breathtaking roads of the Gorge de la Nesque, near our hotel in Mazan. What this ride lacks in distance and elevation, it more than makes up for in spectacular scenery.

 TdF Race: Limoux / Foix 185km 

 Après Bike:

Suggested Sports Recovery Drink: Ice cold Cote du Rhone Rose.

7:30pm: Three course dinner including regional Ventoux and Cote du Rhone wine at our chateau.

 Accommodation:

Provence – Mazan Chateau Hotel – 1 of 2 Nights