Etape du Tour 2009

L’ETAPE DU TOUR 2009

FULL PACKAGES ON SALE TODAY, SUNDAY 26TH OCTOBER 2008

Monday 20th July

Montelimar to Mont Ventoux, 172km

“Ride a classic mountain stage of the Tour de France”

Last visited in 2000, the Etape du Tour will return to the Mythical Mont Ventoux in 2009 on Monday July 20th, and will follow the exact route of stage 20 of the 2009 Tour de France.

This will be the 17th edition of the famous Etape du Tour, the stage of the Tour de France that the public can ride, and over the years, we have seen many famous stages replicated but only few live up to the sensations of climbing and finishing on top of Mont Ventoux.

Mont Ventoux “The Giant of Provence” is seldom visited by the Tour de France and when it is everyone hopes it will be the stage chosen for L’Etape du Tour. Well, in 2009 your wishes have been granted….

This will be an extremely popular Etape du Tour that appeals to all cyclists. The route is challenging enough for the hardened cyclo sportive rider yet within the capabilities and a huge achievement for the Etape virgins.

The stage route starts from the city of Montelimar, on the Rhone valley and features four smaller climbs (3rd & 2nd category climbs (Côte de Citelle 19km, Col d’Eye 70km, the Col de Fontaube 92km, and the Col de Notre-Dame des Abeilles 126km) before a long descent to Bedoin and the 21.5km climb to Mont Ventoux.

Route details
19km Côte de Citelle 5.2km at 3.9% (3rd Category)
70km Col d’Eye 6.3km at 5% (2nd Category)
92km Col de Fontaube 4.7km at 4.3% (3rd Category)
126km Col de Notre-Dame des Abeilles 7.8km at 4% (2nd Category)
172km Mont Ventoux 21.2km at 7.6%

The start in Montelimar is only 70km from the base of Mont Ventoux and therefore makes it possible to offer fixed centre location packages.

OFFICIAL AGENTS
We have been appointed by ASO (Etape du Tour organisation) as the main official agent for taking entries for the following countries:

UK, IRELAND, AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SPAIN, PORTUGAL, SWEDEN

We have been allocated 1,000 guaranteed entries to the event, and these will be allocated between packaged tours and entry only.

OUR ETAPE DU TOUR PACKAGES FOR 2009:
By taking a packaged tour to the Etape du Tour, you will benefit from our wealth of logistical experience in taking people to this special event. With over 15 years experience in taking groups to L’Etape du Tour we are the Official Tour Operator that has the most experience, an important consideration when deciding your trip.

Not only do you benefit from our experience, you can be guaranteed that your hotel accommodation will be in or very close to both the start and finish towns, another important factor to consider when planning your trip to the Etape du Tour.

PLEASE NOTE: ENTRY ONLY PACKAGES SOLD OUT WITHIN THREE HOURS OF OUR NEWSLETTER BEING DISTRIBUTED. ENTRIES ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR BANK HOLIDAY TRAINING CAMPS (SEE BELOW), BUT ARE ALSO SELLING VERY FAST AS THIS IS THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER ETAPE SINCE ALPE D’HUEZ