The 2011 Tour de France bike tour will be spectacular with 3 decisive Giant Stages in the Alps before Paris, be on the roadside to witness the winner of the Tour de France with the #1 Bike Tour experience in Annecy, French Alps!
Thursday 21st July – View the Tour de France Stage 18 Pinerolo – Galibier (Alps)
After yesterday’s introduction to the Alps, today this beauty turns into breathtaking as we head into the high Alps for
the next two days and it’s our turn for some action as we ride the Col du Lautaret (2058m)!
Planned Difficult ride: 40km approx ride time 3hrs route Col du Lautaret (34km, average 4%, 2058m).
Due to the nature and magnitude of this great sporting event the roads will be closed to all traffic early. We will need to get an early start this morning, meeting at 6.30am so that we can make a transfer by vehicle to Bourg-d-Oisans and the start point for our incredible ride up into the sky!
As with all the PRACTICE BICYCLE planned rides you always have the option of taking it easy and enjoying the comfort of the support vehicle and all the spectacle of the day at a more leisurely pace. The TDF professional peloton will be fired up for this huge mountain stage and we will join them on the roadside 8km’s before they finish on the summit of the Galibier Serre-Chevalier. We have chosen the climb of the Col du Lautaret (34km, average 4%, Max 8%, 2058m) for your unique “Live viewing spot” today and this could be the point the Tour is won or lost! Once we head out of Bourg-d-Oisans on the flat valley road it’s not long before we start to climb, relax and enjoy every moment as you work your way up into the high Alps and the thin air of this very special part of the world.
Supported all the way by the professional guides at PRACTICE BICYCLE as you pedal on the slopes of this magnificent Col, once at the top your team has thought of everything, get your breath back and enjoy your private restaurant lunch on the summit. There will be plenty of time to absorb the atmosphere of this amazing race before the publicity caravan arrives and approximately an hour later, let the show begin
Friday 22nd July – View the Tour de France Stage 19 Modane – Alpe-d’Huez (Alps)
Today is our last ride opportunity together during your Tour de France bike tour week and after yesterday’s action in the Alps, what will the best riders in the world feel like today? For those who wish to be on the podium in Paris, today could be a very difficult day; do they make their final push for glory in the final mountain stage and risk a poor Time-Trial tomorrow in Grenoble, or survive and look for a maximum winning effort over the flatter 42.5km!
Planned Difficult ride: 50km approx ride time 4hrs route Col du Galibier (34km, 2556m).
The roads will again be closed to all traffic early. We will need to get a very early start this morning, meeting at 5.00am so that we can make a transfer by vehicle to St Michel-de-Maurienne and the start point for our amazing ride to the top of the world! We have our second crack at the Alps today before our own well deserved “Journee de Repos” (rest day) tomorrow and
what an opportunity awaits us the Col du Telegraphe (12km, average 7.1%, 1566m) followed by the Giant of the Alps the Col du Galibier (17km, average 6.8%, 2556m)! Todays ride maybe short in Km’s but for those who like a challenge this is it! Your team has again used all their local knowledge to give you the best of both worlds with your perfect “Live viewing spot” half-way up the mountain and on a steep section of the climb. For most, the ideal spot to end a great week of riding on the Col du Telegraphe (1566m) it’s time to relax and enjoy the rest of the day!
For the mountain goats amongst you the summit of the Galibier awaits you, before you carefully descend to “Your Spot” in time for an Alpine lunch and the close up action of the very best climbers in the professional peloton in the Alps during this year’s Tour de France!
Saturday 23rd July – View the Tour de France Stage 20 Grenoble – Grenoble (TT)
Today is “Contre-la-montre” (Time-Trial) day and the most important day for the best professional racing cyclists trying to win the Tour de France 2011. It’s also our last opportunity to catch the action live together and the PRACTICE BICYCLE “Live viewing spot” is the perfect location to spend a memorable day relaxing, catching the action live from the roadside as you watch your favorite cycling stars pass you by one at a time during the individual Time Trial stage.
Planned Rest Day: “Journee de Repos”
After the last few days of remarkable and unforgettable rides we are also well deserving of a Rest Day off the bikes and due to the nature and magnitude of this great sporting event the roads will be closed to all traffic very early. We will need our last early start this morning, meeting at 6.00am so that we can make a short transfer by vehicle to the course.
The full days entertainment begins early today with the publicity caravan throwing it’s goodies to you on the roadside at 9:30am, it won’t be long after at 11:00am when the first rider approaches, in fact he will be the last rider on the race result sheet at the start of today, the “Lanterne Rouge” (meaning Red Light that used to hang at the back of a train, signifying the last carriage) with the rest of the field continuing to start in reverse order and the yellow Jersey passing you by at 5:00pm.
A gourmet French lunch will complete your perfect day at the Tour de France at the Restaurant on the Park with the rest of the afternoon available for relaxing under the shade of the trees in the beautiful park, enjoying the pleasures of the famous thermal spa and viewing the action up close and
personal, especially the incredible speed and skill of these superb athletes as they pass by only a few meters away! Once the leader of the race and the last rider to compete the course has passed us by and the French Gendarmerie
(Police) open the roads to the public we will return by vehicle and be back in Annecy early evening at approx 7.00pm!
