Experience a stage start at the Tour de France plus our own ride through Beaujolais.
More wineries and a stage start This morning we’ll head a short distance and experience a stage start, a must at the Tour de France. We’ll arrive before the team buses and watch riders sign-on. Position yourself between the team buses and the sign-on area for a great opportunity to get your favourite riders autograph …
More wineries and a stage start
This morning we’ll head a short distance and experience a stage start, a must at the Tour de France. We’ll arrive before the team buses and watch riders sign-on. Position yourself between the team buses and the sign-on area for a great opportunity to get your favourite riders autograph or a selfie with them. Moments before the riders set off, they will gather beneath the depart banner and the announcer will introduce favourite riders and the wearers of the tour jersey’s, who will position themselves along the front row.
Soon after the riders set off on the course, we will head off on our own ride through Beaujolais. We are experiencing the best of France. Gamay is the predominant grape in the region and their wine label is expanding throughout the world market. One of our guides, when not riding or long-distance running prepares his own vintage of this lovely wine.
After rolling through the quiet country roads and through the wineries, we’ll head back to our hotel and relax for the afternoon. Tonight we’ll have a special farewell dinner celebrating our trip to the Tour de France.
TODAY IN THE RACE
Stage 8: Mâcon to Saint-Étienne, Hilly, 199 km
Riders depart from the sun drenched escarpment of two great wine regions, Bourgogne and Beaujolais. Their destination is in the central massif which has many winding and undulating roads that navigate gorges and wooded forests. A total vertical ascent of 3,800m is not a walk in the park, it’s a stage for the opportunist.