TOUR DE FRANCE - COACH - WATCH LE TOUR, RIDE L'ETAPE

17 Jul 2009 to 27 Jul 2009

THE FIXED CENTRE

Friday 17th to Monday 27th July

For the first time since 2002 there will be the opportunity to Ride L’Etape du Tour and a few days later see the Tour de France riders tackle the same stage.

On this tour you will be able to ride L’Etape du Tour and see 2 stages of the Tour de France including the stage you rode to Mont Ventoux. Apart from riding the Etape and seeing the Tour de France, there will be plenty of opportunities for some great cycling through the Ardeche gorges and the vineyards of the Rhone Valley.

This package is aimed at those people who prefer to travel from the UK to the Etape du Tour by luxury coach rather than by air and don’t want to run the risk of plane damage to their bike or the bike not arriving.

It is a fixed centre tour that will spend 8 nights in the town of Pont Saint Esprit at the 2* Hotel Le Mas de L’Olivier www.mas-olivier.com. The location of Pont Saint Esprit is excellent for accessing both the Etape du Tour and the Tour de France stages (Aubenas & Mont Ventoux).

There will be 40 places available for this package

Friday 17th July:

Our touring coaches equipped with box trailer for the safe storage of bikes in bike bags will make collections at Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Stoke, Birmingham, Northampton, Luton, London and service stations on the motorway networks used. We shall arrive at Dover in time for the 16.30hrs sailing to Calais, and travel to Paris where accommodation has been reserved on B&B.

Saturday 18th July:

We shall continue our journey to the south of France and the town of Pont Saint Esprit, where you will be based for the next 8 nights at the 2* Hotel Le Mas de L’Olivier www.mas-olivier.com. The location of Pont Saint Esprit is excellent for accessing both the Etape du Tour and the Tour de France stages (Aubenas & Mont Ventoux).

The hotel Le Mas de L’Olivier is set in spacious gardens with trees and an outdoor swimming pool. The hotel is fully air conditioned, with WiFi access.

Sunday 19th July:

Free day for making any last minute preparations before the event. In the morning you will be able to have a short ride and visit the Etape du Tour start village where you will sign on and collect the race number.

Monday 20th July:

This is it, the day of your dreams, your chance to ride a mountain stage of the 2009 Tour de France, 9000 participants, closed roads, feeding stations and Mavic assistance, just like the real thing……Start time is anticipated to be 07.00hrs, so after an early breakfast you will be taken to the secure bike store on the outskirts of Montelimar from where you will be able to ride the short distance into the start.

Our reps will be waiting for you at the finish village in Mont Serein to meet you. After the event has finished (18.00hrs) we shall leave Mont Ventoux and return to the hotel in Pont Saint Esprit.

Tuesday 21st July to Thursday 23rd July:

Free days for cycling the beautiful Ardeche Gorges, through the vineyards of the Cote du Rhone or to visit the famous roman aquaduct of the Pont du Gard. There will be excursions for the non cycling partners to nearby Avignon, Orange which are on festival.

Friday 24th July:

Today the Tour de France leaves the Alps with a transitional stage from Bourgoin Jallieu to Aubenas. The stage crosses the Rhone Valley before heading into the Ardeche hills, the main difficulty on the stage being the Col de l’Escrinet which comes 20km before the finish in Aubenas.

After breakfast we shall leave our base in Pont Saint Esprit and travel to Aubenas where you will see the stage finish. Those with bikes will have the opportunity of riding the 80km from the hotel to Aubenas via the beautiful Ardeche gorges, or 40km from Montelimar. Those without bikes will be taken to Aubenas by the bus.

After seeing the stage we shall return to our base in Pont St Esprit.

Saturday 25th July:

You rode the stage………..Now watch the Tour de France on Mont Ventoux

Mont Ventoux will provide the scene to one of the most exciting finishes to the Tour de France for decades. The return of this mythical mountain, the “Giant of Provence” to Le Tour has been long awaited by the fans, but to have it the day before the Tour de France finishes in Paris will provide one of the most exciting finales in the history of the event.

After an early breakfast we shall leave Pont Saint Esprit and travel to Le Mont Ventoux. Those with bikes will be able to ride to Mont Ventoux from our base whilst those without bikes will be taken by the bus to the village of Bedoin from where they will be able to walk onto the lower slopes of the mountain.

After seeing the stage on Mont Ventoux we shall descend back to the bus in Bedoin and return back to our hotel in Pont Saint Esprit on the bus.

Sunday 26th July:

After breakfast we shall leave Pont Saint Esprit and travel to Paris, where we shall spend 1 night on B&B basis. Today the Tour de France finishes in Paris, but we will arrive too late to see the finish on the Champs Elysees. However, if you want to see the final stage in Paris, we can drop you in Valence and you can take the TGV fast train to Paris (2hrs) and you can be on the Champs Elysees to welcome the Tour de France. (See supplement below). After seeing the finish you can take the metro underground to our hotel in Paris.

Monday 27th July:

We shall leave Paris and travel to Calais for the 13.30hrs sailing to Dover, making drop offs at the same locations as the collection points.

Cost:

£1320 (£1180 tour price + £140 Etape du Tour entry fee)

DEPOSIT REQUIRED TO SECURE THIS TOUR: £670 (£530+ £140 ENTRY FEE = £670)

INCLUDES:

10 Nights Bed & Buffet Breakfast

8 Evening Meals

£140 entry fee to Etape du Tour

Air conditioned coach transportation

Box trailer for safe keeping & transport of your bike in bike bags / boxes

Detailed itinerary

Services of our reps

DOES NOT INCLUDE:

Drinks with meals

Hotel extras (telephone, drinks, laundry etc)

EXTRA SUPPLEMENTS:

SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT: £350

TGV TRAIN VALENCE TO PARIS (One way ticket): £90

BOOK NOW ON LINE

If you have a suitable printer, you may print out a booking form which you may then post or fax to us:
Click here to Download an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version. (23kb)

Travel Insurance
We recommend having adequate travel insurance for your cycling holiday. Click Here for more details.