Tour No. 2

The 2009 Tour de France route (Official) will be launched in late October and our itinerary will be announced in early November.

We’ll follow the last ten days of the TdF as it travels into Paris. With a group limited to 13 places only, we shall ride everyday and meet the tour everyday possible (NB there is one rest day). This will be a tour for riding and relaxing and following Le Grand Boucle without spending hours every day waiting for, and chasing the race. With a small group you’ll receive personal and attentive care for the length of the tour.

Our itinerary for 2008 follows: (2009 coming soon)

Stage 13 - Friday, July 18: Narbonne-Nîmes, 182 km
10.00am, meet at Montpellier Airport, transfer to Sommieres.
After everyone arrives and we have assembled bikes, we can roll out for a ride to today’s sprint stage finish at Nimes approx 35k away.  Accommodation tonight is at Hotel Delorange, where we can enjoy an aperitif and an evening swim (in the rooftop pool) with a view over the town, before our welcome dinner, prepared by our host Phillipe. (Bike 70k easy)

Stage 14 - Saturday, July 19: Nîmes-Digne-les-Bains, 182 km
This morning is a good opportunity to visit the Ventoux and tackle the giant of Provence before the heat of the day kicks in.  Once we have ticked that off we’ll roll down to Carpentras for a bit of lunch and spectate while the complete tour caravan and peloton circus travels past, on it’s way across Provence.  Later we’ll return to the hotel, to relax by the pool….. (Bike 70k, hard)

Stage 15 - Sunday, July 20: Digne-les-Bains-Pratonevoso, 216 km
A large transport day today, as the race heads out of Provence to Piedmonte (Italy) (450k, 5.5h) we’ll take to the road early to arrive at our hotel which is on today’s stage route, spaghetti side.  It’s also on Tuesday’s race route, so it’s a win-win for us!  Afternoon spectating with good coffee, vino rosso, grappa, gelati, pasta and many other Italian treats to experience, and the biggest bike race in the world riding on by. 

Rest day 2 - Monday, July 21: in Cuneo
Today we have the opportunity to traverse a big loop, comprising half of tomorrow’s stage and the middle section of yesterday’s stage, three peaks in total.  Leaving our hotel we’ll have a gentle ride up the valley, before we turn south and commence the serious climb of Colle de Lombarde (2350m).  We’ll cross over the border and descend to Isola before starting the climb up to Col de la Bonette (2715m) and a roll down to Jausiers.  At this point we’ll have done 2 extremely large climbs, one in Italy, one in france and nearly 120k, that should be enough for anyone, so the support van can carry us home from here.  Unless, of course, you are dead keen on the steady climb up to Colle della Maddelena (1996m), and traversing down our valley back to Demonte, 183k in all, and over 5000m of climbing.  For serious nuts only!    
 
Stage 16 - Tuesday, July 22: Cuneo-Jauziers, 157 km
After yesterday’s efforts, no matter how much or how little we all did, we can have an easy day today.  A morning roll around the valley floor of 50k, shower, relax and wait for the circus to arrive at the door of our hotel.  They won’t stop of course, and like them we’ll be on the move to France, and Bourg d’Oisans, in the shade of Alpe d’Huez (195k drive through the alps).  With a bit of luck we’ll arrive in time to do a little ride up the worlds most famous cycling alp, before dinner and maybe a ‘sundowner’ enjoyed in the gardens of our accommodation. (morning: Bike 50k, easy. Evening: 30k hard)

Stage 17 - Wednesday, July 23: Embrun-L’Alpe d’Huez, 210 km
A couple of options are available today.  Option 1, ride to the top of Alpe d’Huez, stopping off at dutch corner on the way (see our YouTube made for Sooty Park TV to get an idea) and watch the big screen at the finish.  Option 2 (hardnuts only) ride 50k up to Lauteret and watch the tour go past on their way up Galibier, before shooting down the valley, turning off at Col de Sarenne and sneaking up to Alpe d’Huez the back way, ideally arriving at the finish before the lead rider.  A bit of a challenge, but quite a rewarding day if it all goes well!  (Bike 30k hard, or 120k HARD).  Dinner at the lovely Paulines, with the compulsory ‘sundowners’ too.    

Stage 18 - Thursday, July 24: Bourg d’Oisans-Saint-Etienne, 197 km
A good opportunity to sleep in today then stroll down to the stage start in our town, just down the road.  After we enjoy a coffee in one of the many sidewalk cafés, we can take a look around the team buses, watch the riders sign on, maybe get an autograph or a jersey signed if we’re lucky.  We’ll watch the riders depart before we hit the road for our next stop, Vichy (340k, 4 hrs), a town famous for it’s spa water, and our last stop before Paris.  Dinner inhouse at our ‘logis’.

Stage 19 - Friday, July 25: Roanne-Montluçon, 163 km
Today’s stage will pass close to our accommodation so anyone keen for another sleep in, after the big climbs of the past few days, this is the opportunity.  Mid-morning we’ll head out for a circuitous, leisurely ride around the environs of Vichy, stop for coffee and croissants or maybe a ‘pain au chocolat’, before heading back to the accommodation and yet another afternoon of roadside spectating as the sprinters team wind on by.  Dinner once more inhouse tonight.    (Bike 50k easy)

Stage 20 - Saturday, July 26: Cérilly-Saint-Amand-Montrond, ITT, 53 km
Today’s individual time trial will be on roads just 100k to our north, inbetween us and Paris.  We can have an early morning ride before hitting the road for a day’s spectating at the ITT then Paris!  After arriving in our hotel, located less than 500m from the Champs Elysees, we can check-in, before promenading out for dinner. 

Stage 21, Sunday, July 27, Etampes - Paris Champs-Elysées, 143 km
We’ll know the winner already, but the grand finale, the procession into Paris, will be a terrific spectacle.  Whoever the winner is, it will be big news.  We’ll ride in the morning, through the streets, up to the bohemian heart of Paris in Montmarte, also the finishing point in the classic short movie ‘Rendezvous’.  In the afternoon we’ll watch the final laps on one of the world’s most famous boulevards, as the sprinters have their final battle, and hopefully it will be another win for the Aussies!  (30k easy)

Monday, July 28
If we do everything planned, there’ll have been:
9 Days of race viewing, incorporating 1 stage start, 2 stage finishes, 3 KOM and 7 roadside views, we’ll also have ridden over 600k, climbed 7 mountains including the famous Ventoux, Alpe d’Huez, Col du Lautaret, Col du Galibier, and the not so famous Col de la Lombarde, Col de la Bonette and Col de Larche .  It’ll be the end of a great tour, so after enjoying breakfast together, for all of those not staying on, it’s pack-up time and off to further destinations, au revoir.

$6,590.00 (AUD) per person, twin share includes:

Please also see our recommended list of things to bring, it is most important to bring front and rear flashing lights.

NB: The itinerary above is to be used as a guide only, as Topbike Tours are well known for making use of all (and creating some extra) opportunities, expect that variations from the above can happen at any time.