2026 Tour de France Week in the Alps

Your alpine adventure begins as our Bikestyle Tours team greets you in Lyon Saint Exupery Airport at 11.00am for a smooth transfer to Annecy, one of the most beautiful cycling bases in France. The pace is professional yet relaxed as we unbox bikes, fine-tune positions, and run through a full pre-ride setup, gears checked, pressures topped, and every detail ready for the week ahead.

Before the climbing begins, we’ll brief you on alpine riding techniques,  pacing long climbs, safe descending, feeding strategies, and what to pack each day. If time allows, we’ll head out for an optional warm-up ride along the shores of Lake Annecy, spinning out the travel legs while taking in turquoise waters and towering peaks.

As the sun dips behind the mountains, we’ll gather for a welcome dinner featuring classic Savoyard cuisine, local cheeses, tartiflette, or fresh lake perch, and outline the rhythm of the days ahead. From early starts to coffee stops and key Tour de France intersections, it’s the perfect start to a week of world-class riding and race-day excitement in the heart of the Alps.

The mountains call, and we answer from the saddle. This morning we roll out from Annecy, spinning easily along the lakeside before turning toward the Col des Fleuries, the perfect warm-up climb to find your rhythm and wake the legs for the challenges ahead. The scenery transforms as you climb: alpine forests give way to rolling pastures and crisp mountain air, each switchback lifting you higher toward the heart of the Alps.

The day’s main act is the Col de Solaison, a true gem of French cycling lore. It’s a climb for purists, steep, quiet, and spectacular, a regular feature in the Critérium du Dauphiné and an occasional Tour de France stage-ender that sorts the contenders from the chasers. As you ascend, the energy of the Tour builds around you: campervans perched on every bend, cowbells echoing through the trees, chalk names scrawled across the road.

At the summit, we’ll secure a prime viewing spot to watch the peloton explode into action, the leaders dancing on the pedals, the crowd roaring in approval. Refuel, cheer, and take in the moment, your first live Tour climb, and you’ve earned every metre. After the race passes, we descend carefully, regroup in the valley, and transfer back to Annecy. One climb conquered, one unforgettable race day witnessed, and the week has only just begun.

Tour de France history. We roll out from Annecy under crisp morning light, the lake sparkling below as we ease into the first ascent of the day, the Col de Semnoz. It’s a climb that rewards patience and rhythm: long, scenic, and honest, winding through shaded forest and open meadows toward panoramic views at the top.

Semnoz may not reach the dizzying altitudes of the high Alps, but don’t be fooled, its steady gradients can test even seasoned legs. It was here that the 2013 Tour de France’s final mountain battle was decided, proving that grit matters as much as gradient. From the summit, we trace balcony roads overlooking Annecy’s blue expanse, a route made for photos and deep breaths.

The second challenge comes in the form of the Col de la Forclaz, a shorter, punchier climb that rises above the lake’s eastern edge. As you crest the top, the view will stop you in your tracks, paragliders swirling over turquoise waters, peaks stretching to the horizon. A careful, flowing descent brings us home to Annecy, the legs humming with satisfaction and the heart full of Alpine magic.

Today’s ride is proof that even a transfer day can feel like a highlight. We roll out from Annecy on quiet country lanes, the peloton relaxed and smooth as the road tilts gently toward Mont Revard, a climb that embodies everything we love about the Alps: steady gradients, open vistas, and endless rhythm. It’s a rider’s climb, not one to conquer but to savour, with every switchback revealing new views of Lac du Bourget glimmering below.

Mont Revard carries serious cycling pedigree, having featured in both the Tour de France and Critérium du Dauphiné. Local riders train here for a reason, the road rewards patience and flow. From the summit, a sweeping panoramic descent carries us down to Aix-les-Bains, a charming Belle-Époque spa town famed for its leafy boulevards, elegant lakefront, and relaxed atmosphere.

This is the perfect way to move deeper into the Alps, a transfer that feels like a reward, not a chore. We’ll check into our lakeside hotel, perhaps spin the legs with an easy ride along the shore, and unwind over a relaxed dinner. The Tour action builds tomorrow, but tonight, it’s all about recovery, scenery, and the quiet satisfaction of a day well ridden.

Today we return to familiar roads, but with a fresh perspective. The second ascent of Mont Revard, tackled from the opposite side, feels entirely new: a steady, scenic climb that tests your climbing legs and rewards every switchback with sweeping views across the valley. It’s a route of contrasts, tranquil forest stretches, open ridgelines, and the satisfaction of cresting one of the Alps’ most elegant climbs for the second time.

From the summit, an exhilarating descent leads to Chambéry, where the Tour de France stage start awaits. This is where the race feels personal, up close and behind the scenes. Watch riders roll to the sign-on, soigneurs dart between buses, and mechanics fine-tune gears under the morning sun. You’ll be close enough to see the nerves, the smiles, and the intensity that define race day.

Once the peloton rolls out, we’ll enjoy a relaxed spin along the shores of Lac du Bourget back to Aix-les-Bains, a perfect cooldown with reflections of mountains on the water and the hum of the Tour still in your ears. It’s a day that balances effort with atmosphere, giving you both a serious climb and a front-row connection to cycling’s biggest show.

Today, you step onto hallowed ground, the roads that have shaped cycling’s greatest stories. We head south toward Bourg d’Oisans, tracing a route that feels like a pilgrimage for every serious rider. The day begins gently with the Col d’Ornon, a graceful, flowing climb that winds through forest and alpine meadows, the perfect warm-up before facing one of the sport’s true giants.

From the base in Bourg d’Oisans, the 21 hairpins of Alpe d’Huez rise like a staircase to cycling immortality. Every corner tells a story, Coppi, Hinault, Pantani, Pogačar, their names still etched on the tarmac alongside painted flags, jokes, and dreams. The mountain buzzes with energy, fans already camping on the bends, cowbells echoing through the valley, the air electric with anticipation for tomorrow’s Tour stage.

Ride your own pace, steady, measured, or bold, while our support vans leapfrog with hydration, snacks, and encouragement. Cresting the summit, you’ll feel what every Tour legend has felt: triumph, exhaustion, and pure awe. After regrouping for photos and a careful descent, we roll through Bourg one last time before transferring by coach to our next alpine base.

You’ve just conquered the world’s most iconic climb, and tomorrow, the pros will follow your wheel tracks.

Today we ride into the heart of cycling’s most electrifying stage, Alpe d’Huez on race day. But we’ll approach it the Bikestyle way: through the wild and untamed Col de Sarenne, the quiet back door of the mountain that only the locals and the most adventurous riders know.

The climb is raw and beautiful, narrow, twisting roads, open horizons, and a deep sense of solitude broken only by the bells of grazing sheep and the crunch of tyres on smooth alpine tarmac. It’s a climb that feels like a secret, a world away from the carnival on the main road — until, suddenly, it isn’t.

Cresting the top, we roll onto the high plateau above Alpe d’Huez and take up our spot near the summit for the stage finish. The transformation is immediate, the calm gives way to chaos in the best way possible: drums, horns, painted names, fans in costume, and the famous roar of Dutch Corner echoing up the mountain. When the GC contenders arrive, the atmosphere is electric, every surge and counterattack amplified by the crowd’s energy.

After the podium celebrations, we layer up and descend the quiet back road we climbed earlier, the perfect exhale after one of the Tour’s most unforgettable days. It’s a ride for purists, effort, reward, and front-row access to cycling history.

Today, we ride into cycling mythology. The Col du Galibier, introduced to the Tour in 1911, has seen heroes made, dreams shattered, and legends written in the thin Alpine air. It’s not just a climb; it’s a rite of passage.

Our day begins with a smooth roll along the valley before the gradient gently rises toward the Col du Lautaret. This first ascent is the calm before the storm, a steady, rhythmic climb that lets you find your cadence as the landscape unfolds in grand alpine fashion. From Lautaret, the Galibier looms above, the road snaking upward through stark, rocky terrain and crisp, high-altitude air. Marmots dart across the slopes, and the world seems to grow wider with every turn.

At the summit, we’ll claim our viewing spot, front-row seats to watch the pros battle gravity, exhaustion, and each other in one of the Tour’s most dramatic mountain passes. You’ll hear the cowbells before you see the leaders crest the horizon, the air vibrating with cheers, helicopters, and the unmistakable hum of effort.

After the race passes, we layer up and descend back down Galibier and Lautaret, careful at first, then flowing through sweeping bends and vast mountain views. It’s a day that defines every cyclist’s love of the sport — high altitude, pure history, and the feeling of being part of something timeless.

Your final ride is pure Alpine theatre, no glitz, no crowds, just you, the mountain, and the echo of cycling history. The Col du Granon doesn’t ease you in, it rises hard and fast from the start, a narrow ribbon of tarmac that demands focus, patience, and that quiet, determined rhythm you’ve built all week.

This is a climb of legends and reckoning. In 1986, it was here that Hinault and LeMond’s rivalry ignited into Tour de France folklore. When the Tour returned in 2022, the mountain once again reshaped the race, the yellow jersey changing shoulders in one of the Tour’s most dramatic shake-ups. You’ll feel that legacy in every turn, the road etched with history and silence broken only by your breathing.

At the summit, the reward is immense: a sweeping panorama of the Écrins peaks, wild and vast under the alpine sky. We’ll pause for photos, layer up, and descend carefully back to Monêtier, the satisfaction of the week’s effort settling in with every switchback.

This afternoon is unhurried, time to pack bikes, swap photos, and relive the highlights: Semnoz’s rhythm, Alpe’s roar, Galibier’s horizon. Tonight, we gather for a Farewell Dinner, a celebration of tired legs, new friendships, and the shared joy of a week spent chasing mountains and memories.

A final coffee, the mountain air crisp and still, today we say au revoir to the Alps. After a week of legendary climbs, roaring crowds, and roads steeped in Tour de France history, it’s time to roll the memories, not the pedals.

The morning is unhurried, a chance to breathe it all in one last time, the cool breeze, the scent of pine, the quiet hum of a region that feels built for riders. Our guides will be on hand to help with bike packing and transfers, making the journey to Lyon (LYS) smooth and stress-free.

As the coach winds through the valleys, conversations naturally turn to the week that was, the corner where the crowd lifted you, the descent that flowed like a dream, the moment the race flashed by and you felt part of cycling’s living history. What began as a ride through the Alps ends as something much deeper, a connection to the road, the rhythm, and the spirit of the Tour itself.

Until the next climb, merci et bon voyage.