2020 Tour de France Cycling Trip
Grandes Alpes Route – More Miles and Vertical Metres
Tour Dates | 10th July — 18th July
AT A GLANCE
- 9 Days
- 5 Dinners
- 2 Stages
- Luxury Transport
- High Staff Ratio
- Experienced Only
- 3 & 4 Star Hotels
Ride the Grandes Alpes Route and See Queen Stages
Duration: 9 Day
Dates: July 10, 2020 to July 18, 2020
Start: Lyon (Saint Exupery Airport), France
Finish: Geneva (Airport), Switzerland
Group Size: 16 guests - 4 staff
Price: AUD $5,900 (USD $3,950)
Single Supplement: AUD $850 (USD $570)
Note: All trip costs are per person, not including airfare and based on two persons per room. If travelling alone we will match you with a person to share. Alternatively, you may choose to have a room of your own by paying the single supplement.
Note: Bikestyle Tours requires that all guests have a valid Travel Insurance policy for the duration of their trip.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Traverse the French Alps, following the Grandes Alpes route
- Climb more and ride more miles with our experienced riders itinerary
- Challenge yourself on the biggest climbs of the French Alps
- Bucket list climbs; Alpe d'Huez, Col du Glandon, Col de la Croix de Fer, Col d'Izeran (highest paved pass in Europe)
- See the big mountain stages
RIDE OPTIONS
Our ride options each day follow the roads along the Grandes Alpes scenic route. Many of our rides feature more than one climb, and the easier option concentrates on the feature climb for the day.
We take the best care of you and your bike. Experienced ride guides support every ride and we have support vehicles fitted with professional bike carriers.
EXPERIENCED RIDER BIKE TOUR
Our experienced riders trip focuses on climbing, there are few flat roads along the Grandes Alpes route. You’ll always be able to climb at your own pace, but it is best under your own steam. All descents are controlled, your safety is paramount to us.
Sorry, this itinerary does not cater for non-cyclists – many of our other trips do.
TRIP INCLUSIONS
Accommodation and Transport
- Transport throughout custom van or luxury coach
- Transport for your bike with professional bike carriers
- 8 nights accommodation 3 & 4 Star hotels
- Scheduled arrival transfer on day one from Lyon Saint Exupery Airport
- Scheduled departure transfer on final day to Geneva Airport (Switzerland)
Meals
- Buffet breakfast daily
- 3 course evening meals on 5 nights
- Wine at welcome and farewell dinners
Professional Ride Support
- Hosted by our experienced tour guides and professional drivers
- Mechanical assistance with your bike
- Ride support vehicle when you need it most
- Navigation assistance on all guided rides
- Sports powders, water and bars during your ride
BIKE HIRE
Cannondale Synapse Carbon Fibre
- Bike Rental Cost: AUD $528 (USD $355)
- Optional upgrade to SuperSix EVO Ultegra Di2
Note: All bike hire costs include 2 water bottles for you to keep. We also provide a saddle bag with a spare tube, pump, tyre-levers and multi-tool. The pump and saddle bag with its contents must be returned with the hire bike at the end of hire.
Grandes Alpes Ride Itinerary – Big Tour de France Climbs
Welcome to Tour de France and the Grandes Alpes
Our trip starts from Lyon, gateway to the French Alps. Today we’ll fit in a ride to test our equipment and have our welcome dinner. Staff welcome guests at Lyon, Saint-Exupèry airport at 11:00am and transfer to our hotel that is nearby.
Cycle Lyon and City Surrounds
Lyon is a progressive city and the second largest French city outside of Paris. Transport planning incorporates cycling as a primary mode of transport. Today we’ll ride some of the networks that keeps cyclists moving as well as some of the surrounding hills.
Balcony Roads, Alpe d’Huez and Col de Sarenne
Ride the 21 switchbacks in the paths of stage winners Pantani, Armstrong, Indurain and Coppi – some hitters there! Each corner recognises stage winners on the Alpe along with counting down the numbers. We’ll also take a picturesque balcony road.
Croix de Fer and Col du Glandon
It’s a rest day of the Tour de France, normally rider managers start trade talks with teams for the ensuing year and riders will head out for a ride themselves. We might see them in the valley. Col de la Croix de Fer is a regular crossing of the tour, and we will also get the bonus of Col du Glandon for the day. Since we are also staying on the mountain, we have an option to finish climbing Huez again.
Mighty Col du Galibier
First crossed in 1911 by the tour de france, it is probably the most recognised French Alps pass on the Grandes Alpes route. In 2011, celebrating 100 years since its introduction it was crossed twice – a big part of Cadel Evans’ victory that year. We climb this mighty mountain via Col du Lautaret and then descend through Valloire, claiming another summit soon after Col du Telegraphe. No time pressures today.
Lacets, Madeleine and see the Race
We watch the race today on its Queen stage and have a challenging ride ourselves. We’ll start on a small and spectacular climb – Lacets de Montvernier. We then test ourselves on one of the feature climbs of Le Tour and today’s stage, Col du Madeleine. We will see the race on the climb and finish the ride to our hotel.
Another Queen Stage, Back-to-Back
Our hotel on race route gives us the prime position to ride and see the race today. Before the race reaches our hotel we can ride and return to see the race on its first climb. Our main feature today is Col d’Iseran, the highest pass in the Alps and peaks at over 2,700m – over 2,000m of vertical ascent for us in under 40km. If you’d still like more, there is Col du Petit Saint-Bernard on the Italian border as well, peaking at 2,200m. An epic day if you choose!
Completing the Grandes Alpes Route
Our final ride on our Grandes Alpes journey follows the two biggest climbs of stage 18. Leaving from our hotel we climb Cormet de Roseland then Col des Saisies, both peaking around 2,000m. We’ll finish at our hotel, in time to see a sprint finish today and enjoy a final dinner together, celebrating our achievements across the French Alps, following the Grandes Alpes Route.
Farewell from the Grandes Alpes
Sadly today, our trip crossing the French Alps has come to an end. We’ve seen the biggest stages of the 2020 Tour de France, had many challenging rides and of course, many laughs together. We wish you a safe journey home, or a great stay on in Europe and hope to see you one day – soon. We’ll arrive at Geneva airport by about 11am.
Optional Grande Alpes Paris Extension
Geneva to Paris Trip Extension 18th to 20th July -TGV to Paris and Champs Élysées finales.
You’re trip has finished, your riding is done, but there is still one more day for watching the race. No less, it’s the finale on Champs-Élysées. For our trips finishing in the Alps on Saturday 18th July, we’re offering a hassle-free transfer through to Paris arriving in time to see the cycling action on the famous boulevard.
Fully escorted by our professional guides, our luxury transport will collect you from your hotel in time to meet your TGV service to Paris. A high speed transfer to Paris at 320km/h. To make life easier for you, we will courier your luggage and bike to the 4-star hotel you will be staying on Saturday and Sunday nights.
This is only valid for Bikestyle Tours guests traveling on the Grandes Alpes trip
Inclusions: Land transfers, luggage transport, two nights accommodation (twin-share) in 4-star Paris hotel with easy access to Champs-Élysées and full buffet breakfast. Single supplement available. Extra nights accommodation available on request.
Contact Elizabeth Georgeson for availability and pricing: lizzie@bikestyletours.com
See key stages of the 2020 Tour de France
See the Queen Stage of Tour de France 2020
A stage start and stage finish
2 big mountain stages in the French Alps
Ride Climbs of Tour de France and Grandes Alpes Route
Our 2020 Grandes Alpes Tour de France trip is carefully planned for guests to spend more time riding their bike while following the race. We intersect with the race route as we traverse the French Alps by bike. Our focus is to ride the famous climbs of the Tour de France, whether they on this years course, or from previous editions.
Our trip starts in Lyon and we have the opportunity to see a stage finish on our opening day. With a stage under our belts we then travel to the Alps and conquer the big climbs – a bucket list of memorable climbs of the Tour de France.
Toughest Tour de France Route in recent years
Well there have been many tough routes in previous editions, so you may argue toughest if you like. However, the sequence of flat stages, climbs and types of climbs have often made predictable races.
The 107th edition has mountain stages every week and the chosen climbs break a riders rhythm, or tempo – it’s not possible to recover on sections of the climb or between the mountain stages. 2020 Tour de France has thrown a new challenge to teams and riders for how they prepare. Each attack will have bigger risk and bigger reward, attack after attack. Be a part of the Tour de France 2020.
