2022 Tour de France Week in the Alps
See 5 stages of the 2022 Tour de France in the French Alps.
Experience the excitement of the mountain stages, as well as conquer some of the famous climbs yourself.
8 days
Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport, France
Tour Departs
Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport, France, July 9, 2022
Tour Finishes
Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport, France, July 16, 2022
Tour Style
Group Size: 34 guests, 6 professional guides and a chauffeur.
Rides: We are staying in the French Alps, so there are many rides involving climbing, but we also have several roads that take advantage of gravity and follow the valleys.
Challenge Rating: Each day we have two ride options, a shorter, more gentle ride and a longer ride involving climbing. There is always the opportunity to extend the long ride with more climbing or more miles.
Accommodation: We are staying in two separate hotels. Both are 3-star quality. Our first hotel is situated in the Haute-Savoie department close to the border with Switzerland on the famous Portes de Soleil. Our second hotel is situated close to the buzzing city of Grenoble.
Trip Suitability
Social Riding and Leisure: We understand that your cycling holiday is a HOLIDAY! You may not normally ride every day at home. Our ride routes allow you to cherry-pick the sort of riding that you’d like to do. Choose the days you want to climb, the days to ride flat, and days to rest.
Experienced Riders: Your cycling holiday is actually about the bike! Our epic and challenging ride options seek more vertical meters and longer miles. Choose your rest days or recovery rides, or just ride, and ride, and ride.
Cycling Partners and Spectators: You are not interested in riding yourself, but you are a cycling enthusiast who would like to experience the Tour de France live. Whether your partner is a rider, you want to experience the culture along with seeing the race. We have off-the-bike itineraries for you to see the most spectacular areas, such as the plus-beaux (most-beautiful) villages.
Meals Included
Buffet breakfast every day, 5 dinners
Tour Inclusions
Accommodation and Transport
- Transport throughout custom van or luxury coach
- Transport for your bike with professional bike carriers
- 7 nights accommodation in 3-star hotels
- Scheduled arrival transfer on day one from Lyon Saint-Exupery Airport
- Schedule departure transfer to Lyon Saint-Exupery Airport
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
Why we Love this Tour
- Ride the French Alps including Alpe d’Huez and Col de Joux Plane
- See big mountain stages of the 2022 Tour de France in the French Alps
- Visit Annecy, a spectacular village on Europes cleanest lake, at the foot of the mountains
- Explore the adventure playground of Portes du Soleil
- Visit the most beautiful village of Sixt-Fer-a-Chavel and the dramatic waterfalls of Cirque-Fer-a-Chavel
- See the Alpe d’Huez stage finish on Fete Nationale
- Ride the mythical Alpe d’Huez
Pricing
Price: AUD $5300 (twin share)
Single Supplement: AUD $830
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: It is a requirement of Bikestyle Tours that you have Travel Insurance for your trip. Please take out Travel Insurance at your earliest convenience. We recommend at the same time as paying your deposit.
Bike Hire
Many guests find it convenient to hire one of our professionally prepared quality hire bikes.
- Hire a bike so that you’re not lugging a bike around on your extended European holiday
- Hire a bike and mitigate damage or delays during international transit
Bike Hire Charges
Bike Hire: AUD $462 Note: Renters of our hire bikes are liable for damages to their hire bike during the period of hire, treat it like you own for the rental period. Bikes are set up to your measurements before your arrival and are fully serviced by our professional mechanic.Hosted by Mike Tomalaris – veteran TV anchor of the Tour de France coverage
Trip Summary
Ride stages of the 2022 Tour de France
Experience the Tour de France in the French Alps with a carefully planned itinerary. We have reduced hotel transfers and maximised race viewing opportunities. Ride the mystical Alpe d’Huez and see what it is to ride the tough French mountain stages in the Tour de France.
Our week in the alps trip to the Tour de France experiences the fanfare that goes with the Tour de France and days you chase your own cycling goals. Our accommodation is set in the Portes du Soleil area and close to the vibrant city of Grenoble. Our French Alps cycling holiday takes you to some great touristic areas, quiet country villages, and allows you to experience French culture.
Why do our guests love the Week in the Alps cycling trip to Tour de France?
Your cycling holiday to the French Alps coincides with the middle week of the French Grand Tour, the 2022 Tour de France. We get you to see a variety of race situations, a truly immersive experience in the fanfare of the Tour de France. We go to the summit finish on the French and Switzerland border, a stage start, and other interesting locations to watch the race. A highlight will surely be the iconic finish to Alpe d’Huez on Fete Nationale.
See the Tour de France live and ride some of the famous climbs yourself. If you can only spare a week to see the tour, this is a great opportunity to see the Tour de France and ride your bike in the French Alps. Join the many of our guests who hire bikes from us, a convenient way to travel light and extend a European holiday with some magnificent cycling. This trip is great to share with your non-cycling partner.
2019 and 2020 were isolating years and we too experienced the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) feeling as we watched our favourite roads being torn up by the peloton – even a stage being taken by a young Australian. The last 2 years have been nothing short of extraordinary with the emergence of the young tour riders. Escape the FOMO in 2022 and join us as the short stages and punchy climbs capture an international audience in the world’s biggest annual sporting event.
See 5 key stages of the 2022 Tour de France
- STAGE 9 – 183km – Aigle to Châtel Les Portes du Soleil
- STAGE 10 – 148km – Morzine Les Portes du Soleil to Megève
- STAGE 11 – 149km – Albertville to Col du Granon
- STAGE 12 – 166km – Briançon to Alpe d’Huez
- STAGE 13 – 193km – Bourg d’Oisans to Saint-Étienne
Week in the Alps Tour – Daily Itinerary
Bienvenue, Welcome to the French Alps
Our base at Portes du Soleil, the convenient start point for an active holiday.
Our staff will meet you at Lyon Saint-Exupery airport at 10 am, a convenient starting point for reaching the French Alps. You may arrive by TGV or plane, with many domestic and international services. Arrive a day early and acclimatise, adjust your clock, and be ready to make the most of your trip with us. Book your flights early and contact our booking team to arrange accommodation at our pre-trip hotel in Lyon.
Your luxury coach and professional staff will transport us to Les Gets, in the Haute Savoie region and the famous Portes du Soleil. There are 12 villages that are recognised making up the Portes du Soleil. Our hotel is based at one of the popular resorts that host a World Cup Mountain Bike event each year. In August 2022, they will host the MTB World Championship. You’ll have time over the next few days to walk through the trails and see some incredible skills and gnarly drops. This area is also a road cyclist’s heaven.
Join us for dinner tonight at a local restaurant as we meet our fellow guests and importantly your guides who will help you maximise your experience with Bikestyle Tours at Tour de France.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Collection from Lyon Saint-Exupery Airport
- Transfer to Portes du Soleil
- Shake-down ride in the French Alps
Our warm-up ride today features the climb to the ski village of Avoriaz 1800, above Morzine. From Morzine, it is 14km averaging 6%. There have been 7 stage arrivals to Avoriaz since its inaugural inclusion in 1975. It was last raced in 2010, where Cadel Evans wore Yellow.
Summit finish in Portes du Soleil
Watch the summit finish on the French and Switzerland border.
We will set off after breakfast in pursuit of the Tour de France as it meanders its way around the Switzerland border. The stage starts from Aigle which is also the headquarters for UCI.
Our afternoon will be filled with taking in the fanfare of the arrival of the Tour de France on an important summit finish. For those not riding today, you will have all day to enjoy the products of the region – cheese fondue is very much the staple.
Our riders will coast down toward Lake Geneva before riding up another valley toward the final climb to Châtel. After the race we will return by our luxury transport and enjoy dinner together, celebrating an adventurous day seeing the Tour de France live.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Views of Lake Geneva
- Stage finish in French Alps
We have two ride options today, both will involve climbing to Châtel for the summit finish. Our longer ride option can enjoy a long descent to the shores of Lake Geneva for coffee, but that also means an extended climb to the summit finish.
Rest day of the Tour
Rest day for tour riders, but longer rides and tourism options aplenty.
It is custom for the tour rider to head out and ride even on their rest day. Stopping their engines completely makes it difficult to get going again tomorrow. We may be lucky and see one or more of the teams out riding their bikes.
Our options are aplenty today, for if you ride or are joining our trip as a spectator. Our easier ride option will use gravity to our greatest advantage and head for Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, a magnificent village that is listed as one of the Plus-Beaux Village de France. By far the biggest attraction in the area is the Cirque du Fer à Cheval, where the many waterfalls cascade from the cliffs which form a semicircle. The number of waterfalls varies according to the seasons. This ride will meet up with our non-riders here.
Our longer ride may also include this scenic option but return over one of the toughest climbs that have featured on Tour de France – Col de Joux Plane. You are free to explore the village for yourself this evening and choose one of the restaurants for dinner.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Touristic sights in the French Alps
- Plus-Beaux Village
- Tour de France famous climb - Col de Joux Plan
Both rides set off from our hotel to the magnificent village of Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, where a tourist option is available for those taking the transport back to our hotel.
Our long ride returns over Col de Joux Plan, simply put by Lance Armstrong after the stage in 2000, as “the toughest day ever on a bike”. The weather can be humid, just add heat and an inconsistent gradient and you will be searching for gears.
Stage Start or Stage Finish, your choice
Final night in the Haute Savoie, a Stage Start or Stage Finish
You are welcome to choose your preferred option today. If you’d like a bit of time to relax and explore more of the Portes du Soleil area, you can head to Morzine for the stage start and be back at the hotel to watch the finish on television, maybe with a cold beverage. There are many great hiking trails between Morzine and Les Gets also.
Alternatively, you may like to ride from our hotel to a great vantage point for today’s finish to Megeve. We will regroup at our hotel for a final dinner together on our last evening in the Haute Savoie.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Stage 10 Start in Morzine
- Stage 10 Finish in Megeve
- Spectacular views of the French Alps, including Mont Blanc
Our main ride today is from our hotel to Megeve. The views today will include the dramatic French Alps, including its highest Mont Blanc.
Spectacular Annecy and Stage Start
Visit the beautiful Annecy, before the stage start.
Today we transfer hotels, in preparation for the important stage on Fete Nationale to Alpe d’Huez. We will keep it straightforward and give you a chance to visit one of the greatest villages in France, Annecy. Annecy is also recognised as the French Venice. Set on an expansive lake under the backdrop of the dramatic French Alps. It is just a short ride along the shores of Lake Annecy to reach the start village of Albertville.
Our hotel for the final 3 nights is on the outskirts of Grenoble, a vibrant city with great dining options. Tonight, you are free to head out to a local restaurant or even take the ‘bubble’ gondola to Bastille, a former fortress overlooking the city. It may be totally apt, given tomorrow’s significance to the French people.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Spectacular Annecy
- Lake Annecy
- Stage 11 Start in Albertville
Our main ride is a flat ride along the shores of Lake Annecy to the start village of Albertville. For those wanting more kilometres, you can ride out after the race starts and reach our hotel. We have much less climbing and less distance to cover than the peloton today, so if you keep a good pace, you’ll reach the hotel in time to see the final climb on television.
Fete Nationale on Alpe d’Huez
Watch the ascent to Alpe d’Huez on Bastille Day.
Our focus today is to watch the race as the peloton, and more importantly, the French riders in the peloton race for victory to Alpe d’Huez. The winner today will be forever be recognised with their name added to the sign on corner 12 along with Luis Herrara’s name in recognition of his victory to the Alpe in 1984.
We will station ourselves near the bottom of the climb for you to return to at the end of the race, but you are free to take a picnic up along the climb and enjoy the finale to the many-day festival on the Alpe. We will have dinner together back at the hotel, and we can look out to the sky later on for the fireworks demonstrations for Bastille Day.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- See Stage 12 on Alpe d’Huez
- Celebrate Fete Nationale (Bastille Day)
- Be a part of the most iconic day at the 2022 Tour de France
We have a longer ride planned today for those wanting to ride, it will limit your options for where you can watch the race later in the day, but this is one of our favourite non-Tour de France climbs and gives a wonderful outlook onto the entire sequence of switchbacks that will be a see of colour today.
Ride Alpe d’Huez
Ride the most famous Tour de France climb, Alpe d’Huez.
Today is your day to conquer the mystical 21 switchbacks that make Alpe d’Huez. There are no time pressures today for reaching the summit. We will catch the race as it heads out of the Alps and then start the climb ourselves. With the fresh memories of the events of the day prior we can experience the climbs for ourselves.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- See Stage 13
- Ride Alpe d’Huez
- Farewell dinner
Our ride today is up the most famous climb of the Tour de France. It is far from being the hardest climb, but its fame probably goes hand in hand with the modernisation of the tour. Each winner to the summit of Alpe d’Huez is honoured with their name being marked on the signs indicating the switchback. Surprisingly, the dutch from the flatlands have been very successful on the Alpe. Bend 7 is known as ‘dutch corner’, but notary for the hordes of orange-clad, booze-fueled dutch playing their loud music welcoming the race with their own multi-day festival.
Au revoir, until we see you again
Transfer to Lyon Saint-Exupery airport or continuation.
Sadly our week in the Alps has come to an end. We have seen some of the biggest moments in the French Alps and the shuffling of classification in the competition for Yellow and Polka dot. You will remember this tour more fondly than others, as you will connect with the environment, the climbs and the friends that you have made on tour.
Every year, we enjoy sharing your experiences at the biggest annual sporting event and we also enjoy encouraging you to reach your own cycling goals. Today we say farewell, but we look forward to welcoming you back. Welcome to the Bikestyle family.
We offer a single transfer to Lyon Saint-Exupery airport today, we will arrive around 1 pm, so if you’re booking a departure flight make sure that it is not before 3 pm for domestic and not before 4 pm for an international flight.
Why not extend your trip to the Pyrenees and join our Tourmalet to Paris trip. Let us know at the time of booking and we can help maximise your time in France with your transfer and touristic options before joining the Pyrenees to Paris leg.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Transfer to Lyon Saint-Exupery airport
- Optional transfer to join Tourmalet to Paris cycling holiday
Why Book with Bikestyle Tours?
A COVID-Safe plan
- All staff and guests must complete a pre-travel questionnaire prior to the start of the trip
- Bikestyle Tours complies with the COVID requirements of the local authorities (Tourism and Accommodation, Bike Tours); such as controls for social distancing, cleaning and hygiene, vehicle transport
- All guests must be fully vaccinated to join the tour
- Check your departure and return requirements for your country of residence
Are Trips Guaranteed Departures?
We make every effort to guarantee departures to give you peace of mind that once you’ve booked your trip – you’re going! We do not cancel trips due to insufficient numbers leaving you stranded.