Ride Every Kilometre

Story by Keith Tuffley

Nov / 12 / 2017

Imagine the following ... it's 6am, you get on your bike at (or before) sunrise and ride to the race start with your cycling friends. You slowly ride out of town in the peaceful early morning light, following the distinctive race arrows at every corner. The group is soon cycling at a nice pace, and after a couple of hours you stop for an espresso and pastry in a tiny roadside bar or bakery. From time to time, you take a photo of the beautiful scenery and at the top of the first climb under the KOM arch (after checking your Strava result!). As you pass through the numerous villages, you start to notice more people on the streets, waiting in anticipation for the Grand Tour race.

At 11am, you're informed that the pros have just started the stage – the chase is on! Team cars are positioned in the feed zone. By now road traffic is blocked, you're riding on car-free roads, and more and more fans are lining the road, cheering you on, typically shouting that you're leading the race (in French, Italian or Spanish). Soon the colourful and very loud publicity caravan overtakes you, indicating that the pros are not far behind.

Will you make it to the finish in time? You ride one more steep climb, and finally you cross the Finish Line to the cheers of thousands of excited fans, and with the commentator welcoming you to the Finish, just an hour ahead of the pros. As you cross the line you give the fans a smile and a wave, and then stand on the podium and enjoy a well-earned drink. You have completed a full Grand Tour stage, from start to finish, "Every Kilometre".

After a quick rest and a delicious gourmet picnic prepared by our staff, you and your friends watch the pros fight for the leader jersey on the same road you’ve just ridden.

That’s what I did in 2013 on all 21 stages of the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. It was a life changing experience. For the challenge. For the landscapes I discovered. For the people I met on the road. Now you have the opportunity to experience it for 3, 6, 9 or even all 21 days of the Giro, the Tour or the Vuelta. With full support from our team.

Achieve the ultimate challenge and witness the Grand Tours from the best viewpoint – your bike.

Our Chief Cycling Officer, Alain, has written a fantastic blog about his experience riding every kilometre of the infamous "Double-Stelvio" stage at the Giro this year .. it gives a great flavour of the experience, so I encourage you to read it.

Keith Tuffley, Grand Tours Project founder