We follow the world’s biggest bike race in the wheel in our Dans la Roue du Tour cycling holiday. From Monday 18 July until Saturday 23 July, the final week of the Tour de France is unfolding in the Alps. We get closely acquainted with 500 kilometers of Tour roads through bucolic Provence scenery and pristine Alpine landscapes, taking in legendary Cols as Mont Ventoux, centenarian Col du Galibier and Col de l’Izoard. For real mountain goats !
Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
Season: July.
Dates: Guided group tour in 2011: 17 – 23. In 2012: 8 – 14 July, 15 – 21 July.
Private guided tours & self-guided tours upon request.
Price
Level: 3
Rental Bike Details
Start: Sunday 18 July, 9:00 breakfast in Bar de l’Hotel de Ville, Place de l’Horloge, Avignon.
1km from Avignon Centre station; 6km from Avignon TGV station.
MRS Marseille Airport is 87,7km & 1h09 away, LYS Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport 254km & 2h50. Both can be reached by train.
End: Saturday 23 July, 18:00 a city terrace on Place Sainte-Claire, Grenoble.
1km to Grenoble station.
Marseille Airport is 288km & 3h15 away, Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport 102km & 1h10. Both can be reached by train.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Share the road with the Tour de France. Live !
- Morning dance on the Pont d’Avignon
- Wine tasting in the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape
- Suffer on the slopes of the Mont Ventoux
- Cycle the Route Napoléon
- Experience the Tour frenzy on Alpe d’Huez
- Enjoy exquisite French cuisine
ITINERARY
Sunday 17 July: Avignon – Valréas, 70km
Morning dance on the famous Pont d’Avignon, then along the Rhône river and the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We take time out to taste the wine. Lavender fields everywhere when we pass Tuesday’s ville de départ St-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, smell a hint of truffle scent in France’ number one producer Richerenches and arrive in Valréas in the Enclave des Papes.
TdF: Coming from the Pyrenees, riders ride in 187km from Limoux to Montpellier. A last chance for the sprinters before Les Champs Elysées.
Monday 18 July: Valréas – Mont Ventoux – Sault, 86km
Après les baguettes, la route. The short climb to Vinsobres is warming-up. The Col de la Madeleine (not to be confused with the one in the Alps) is heating-up. And the Mont Ventoux is cycling to boiling point. 1600 meters climbing in 21 kilometers from Bédoin to the Observatoire. Let us hope for good weather conditions. We descent from the same southern slope, but turn left at Chalet Reynard to freewheel into Sault.
Those still wanting to spare some juice for the days to come, can avoid Madeleine and Ventoux via a more northern route to Sault.
TdF: rest day in Département de la Drôme.
Tuesday 19 July: Sault – Gap, 101km
To digest yesterday’s hors d’oeuvre, no major climbs today. But make no mistake, crossing the Diois and Baronnies regions we are slowly & steadily nearing the Alps, gaining altimeters.
Gap, an Alpine crossroads at the intersection of D994 and Route nationale 85 the Route Napoléon, Gap lies 745 metres (2,400 ft) above sea level along the right bank of the Luye River (close to where it joins the Durance River). As a jewel box surrounded by mountains, its pink ochre town heart brims with southern life.
Our hard work is rewarded when we see the professional riders whoosh by for the first time.
TdF: the convicts of the road have only one day to cross 163km of Provence from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Gap.
Wednesday 20 July: Gap – Briançon, 88km
After sneaking around the Riders Village, it is time for our first Alpine pass, the Col de Manse. We find a good spot to cheer our professional colleagues. That is not the end of the day. At an altitude of 1,326 metres Briançon is the highest city in the European Union. There we go !
Briançon, strategically positioned on the Alpine routes is visited frequently by Le Tour. This year even twice, today & tomorrow, but we won’t see the caravan here. Volunteers can top off the day by climbing the 1860 m Col de Montgenèvre which the riders also did earlier today on their way to Pinerolo.
TdF: 179km between Gap and Pinerolo (Italy). The two main climbs in the middle of the stage, with the summit of the final technical climb only eight kilometres before the finish.
Thursday 21 July: Briançon – Col du Galibier – Oisans, 60km
For early risers another extra on the menu, the Col d’Izoard at 2360m. Continue a couple of kilometers over the pass into the Casse Desert, a section of road underneath sandy coloured scree slopes and cliffs, where weathered rock formations tower above you. U-turn to join the others on our way up Col du Lautaret and further up to the Col du Galibier, which celebrates its 100 anniversary in Le Tour. We are sure to be cheered on while we are working our way up to a good viewpoint. After securing a spot and shedding part of our load, we push on to the top. Picture time and freewheeling down for picnic time.
The road to the Col du Galibier is breathtaking with the view of the 4000 metre peaks of the Ecrins massif as well as the view over the road below. The road is steep here and the riders will be tired and pushing to get to the stage finish. The caravan crosses the pass to Modane, we head down south and further west partially down the Lautaret.
TdF: Today is Belgian National Day. Hopefully Jurgen Van den Broeck shows his true colours in this queen stage (koninginnenrit) amongst the Alpine Giants. 189km and three climbs above 2,000 metres with the stage finish at the summit of the 2646m Col du Galibier.
Friday 22nd July: Oisans – Alpe d’Huez, 35km
We drop into Bourg d’Oisans and start the climb to Alpe d’Huez.
When cycling the 14 kilometer, 21 hairpins and 1,100 vertical meter to the finish in the ski resort of Alpe d’Huez, the climb can be broken down into three stages. The first part of the climb is the steepest with gradients above ten percent for the first two kilometres and six hairpins until the hamlet of La Garde.
The gradient then eases to around eight percent after hairpin 16 and the hairpins are a little more spread out for the following six kilometres. The road climbs through the hamlet of Le Ribot and then past the church above the hamlet.
When we pass hairpin six, we will be able to see the ski resort above us on the horizon. There are only five hairpins left outside the ski resort from here and after hairpin four, the gradient steepens to 11 percent for a kilometre before easing to nine percent. Once into the village of Alpe d’Huez, the final two kilometres to the finishing line ease to around five percent.
The best spot has to be Alpe d’Huez to have ‘the’ Tour de France experience in 2011. The tourist office in the ski resort reported over half a million people on the mountain in both 2003 and 2004 at the height of ‘Lancemania’. The experience starts up to a week before for some keen fans. Don’t worry, we can arrive early on the day and find a good spot. Alpe d’Huez has it all: the mountain views, the incredible atmosphere and an uphill finish where the riders are split up into small groups. You can expect to have at least 30 minutes between the first and last rider to pass. My favourite spots are between hairpin three and one.
TdF: Short and intense stage for the riders as well. Only 109 kilometres of racing from Modane with Col du Télégraphe, Col du Galibier and a finish up the Alpe d’Huez. By creating a short mountain stage, the Tour de France organisers have created an exciting and unpredictable stage.
Saturday 23rd July: Alpe d’Huez – Grenoble, 66km
After yesterday’s excitement, we still feel like floating 10cm above the road. Grenoble is nearing quickly while we breathe in the magnificent landscapes. Grenoble is a city surrounded by three mountain ranges, the Alps to the east, the Chartreuse to the north and the Vercors to the south-west.
The 1km climb above Brié-et-Angonnes gives us a view point of the riders climbing. After seeing the yellow jersey pounding by, we cycle down to a city terrace for farewell drinks.
TdF: 41km time-trial around Grenoble. The organisers have kept the 2011 Tour de France time-trial on the valley roads with one small climb followed by a gradual ascent and descent back into the city. Tonight the GC will lay in its final fold and La Grande Boucle leaves the Alps for Les Champs Elysées.
