Mountain Stage Viewing
Mountaintop finish!
Watch Lance Time Trial
Watch the finish in Paris!
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Wednesday, July 14
Meet at the hotel at 1pm. You will have the remainder of the afternoon to assemble/fit bikes, relax and explore the town. For those interested, take a short, two-hour ride to a local Jurançon vineyard. Celebrate Bastille Day at our welcome dinner together.
Pau is a lively university town with elegant Belle époque architecture and shady parks, located at the edge of the central Pyrenees. Pau will host a start and finish for the 2010 Tour de France. Welcome dinner together.
Thursday, July 15
Ride: 118 km/4,500 ft
Col d’Aubisque (18 km/4,500 ft) and Col du Soulor are both included in Stage 16 of 2010 TdF. Dinner on your own at one of the numerous restaurants in Pau.
Shorter option: 69 km/1,000 ft along scenic roads of the foothills.
Friday, July 16
Ride: 120 km/1,500 ft
Today we ride to Luchon along quiet country roads, stopping in the medieval hill town of Saint Bertrand de Comminges. The town boasts a beautiful cathedral, famous for its choir and huge renaissance organ. Nearby is the 11th century Romanesque basilica of Saint Just Valcabrere. Dinner together.
Challenging option: Luchon via Port de Bales (19 km/4,400 ft), included for the first time in the 2007 Tour and in Stage 15 of the 2010 Tour.
Luchon is one of the most popular spa towns in France, located at the junction of four famous Tour de France mountain passes (Portillon, Peyresourde, Mente and Portet d’Aspet).
Saturday, July 17
Ride: 0-8,000 ft (Superbagneres, Portillion etc.)
Today you can ride, hike or relax. There is plenty of great riding in this area and we’ll provide a number of options, or you can lounge in a café or enjoy the spa and massage facilities in Luchon. Ride options include Superbagneres (20 km/3,831 ft), Valle du Lys (12 km/1,703 ft), Hospice de France (13 km/2,470 ft), Col du Portillon (11 km/2.171 ft) or Montee a Artigue (9 km/2,015 ft). Dinner on your own at one of the many restaurants and cafés in Luchon.
Sunday, July 18
Ride: 95 km/3,823-5,700 ft
Today you have the opportunity to ride two of Stage 15's classic cols. We warm up riding down valley prior to tackling Col d’Ares (8 km/1,095 ft). On the lower slopes of Col de Portet d’Aspet (9 km/1,877 ft), we pass the memorial of pro cyclist Fabio Casartelli (Lance Armstrong’s former teammate), who was killed in a crash on the descent of this col in 1995. After lunch we ascend Col de Mente (11 km/2,356 ft) and pass the site (marked by a small plaque) where a mudslide forced Luis Ocana to abandon the 1971 Tour while he was wearing the yellow jersey. Dinner together.
Monday, July 19
From our hotel in Luchon, we’ll climb Port de Bales from the south or north, watch the peloton as they summit Port de Bales or watch the finish in Luchon. Dinner on your own.
or on the Col de Peyresourde
Tuesday, July 20
Ride: 45-65 km/4,858 ft
From our hotel in Luchon, we’ll watch the start in Luchon or ride up the Col de Peyresourde and watch the peloton on their way to Col d’Azet. We leave Luchon following the Stage 16 course, climbing the east side of Col de Peyresourde (16 km/3,023 ft) to the sound of cow bells cheering us on (and stop for crepes at the café at the top). From the top, we have a wonderful sweeping descent into the stunning glacier-carved Valley de Louron and through the quaint village of Loudenvielle (stage finish in 2008). We can take a optional, scenic 20 km loop that climbs gradually before heading up steep switchbacks to the Col d’Azet (8 km/1,836 ft), offering stunning views of the valley below. The final descent winds through several picturesque villages and into St. Lary, where we will stay for the next three nights. Dinner together.
Saint Lary is a small mountain town and popular winter and summer resort. Located at the head of the Valley d’Aure, the town is a great base for cycling numerous cols nearby or hiking to glacier lakes in the Pyrenees National Park. A spa/thermal baths center is across the street from our hotel and offers various water treatments.
Wednesday, July 21
Ride: 0-7,000 ft
There are a number of rides to choose from: Ride to Lac de Cap de Long (23 km/4,326 ft), a very scenic, strenuous climb. Visit the refuge of Rocamajou (16 km/2,372 ft), where you can have lunch at the foot of the mountains bordering Spain. Non-riding options include a massage or wellness treatment at the thermal baths, or hiking in the high alpine valleys nearby. Dinner together.
Challenging Option: Ride Pla-d’Adet (11 km/2,827 ft; finish of 2005 Stage 15) before riding back to Pau.
Thursday, July 22
Ride: 74 km/7,100 ft (Col d’Aspin & Tourmalet)
We ride from our hotel in St. Lary to watch Stage 17 finish, this year's Queen Mountain Stage, at the top of Col du Tourmalet. This the second time the Tour has finished on top of the col (the first time was in 1974). From our hotel, we ride down the valley to Arreau before ascending one of the prettiest cols in the Pyrenees, the Col d’Aspin. We enjoy a relaxing downhill cruise through the forest before reaching Sainte Marie de Campan and tackling the leg-burning Col du Tourmalet. The Tourmalet was included in the Tour for the first time in 1910, on unsealed roads! Stop for a well-deserved rest at the mountaintop café to enjoy spectacular views and marvel at the Tour memorabilia inside the café. Document your climb (and make cycling buddies at home jealous) by getting a picture in front of the larger-than-life cyclist sculpture at the top of the col. Dinner on your own.
Friday, July 23
Ride: 85 km/1,500 ft
On our final riding day, we cycle to Pau along quiet roads and through Lourdes, where millions of pilgrims visit each year to pray for miracles in this city’s famous grotto. Final celebration dinner!
Saturday, July 24
The tour concludes after breakfast, so we’ll say our goodbyes and arrange a transfer to the Pau Airport for your departure home or elsewhere.
Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, July 25, 2010
Take the train from Pau to watch the Bordeaux time trial and return to our hotel in Pau—no packing/unpacking necessary. Includes hotel accommodations (one night), round-trip train transportation and guide.
Saturday, July 24 – Monday, July 26
(Self-guided, hotel only)
If you’re interested in seeing the grand finale of the Tour on the Champs-Elysées and visiting Paris, we’ve reserved a block of rooms at our favorite hotel in Paris for Saturday through Monday following our cycling tour. We’ve selected a comfortable hotel in the Marais district (which spans the third and fourth arrondissements), one of the most charming areas of Paris. Enjoy the upscale cafes, galleries, boutiques and restaurants of this lively area.
The extension is for the hotel only and excludes airfare, ground transportation, meals, etc. We’ll be happy to provide tips for watching the race, and recommendations for restaurants and things to see and do in Paris.
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