Grand Tour France: "Ride Every Kilometre" Week 3 - The Alps to Paris

  • Location

    Nimes - Paris, France

  • Duration

    8 Days | 7 Nights

  • Length

    123-207km daily

  • Climb

    1,000-4,800km daily

21 Jul 2019 - 28 Jul 2019

Ride every kilometre of the last 6 stages of the 2019 Grand Tour, the day before the race. The third and final week of the Tour will be challenging, exciting, and spectacular. It features three epic mountain stages in the Alps including a climb up the Col d’Izoard and Col du Galibier, and the grand finale in Paris.

Despite riding a day ahead of the race, we will witness the crowds and enjoy the atmosphere of the Tour on the incomparable Col du Galibier and other cols in the Alps, also at the finish in Paris riding along the Champs Elysées.

The route comprises of 2 hilly stages, 3 big mountain stages in the Alps, followed by the Grand Finale in Paris. The average daily cycling distance is around 123-207km. We have some massive climbing to on the Alps stages, so your training leading up to the Tour will be critical if you wish to achieve this challenge.

We're also offering Ride Every Kilometre tours on week 1 and week 2 of the race. Looking for a more relaxed trip? Ride 60-100km daily and watch the pros fight for the yellow jersey on our Experience tour.

This tour is being hosted in conjunction with the "Ride with Mike" project. After dealing with a number of life changing events such as kidney cancer and sustaining injuries that caused bleeding on the brain and serious neck injuries, Mike's goal is to raise awareness and money for a charity close to his heart - the National Institute of Integrative Medicine (NIIM). Mike has currently raised AUD$479,000 for NIIM, and he is aiming for $1 million. We are delighted to support Mike by donating all profits from our Grand Tours Project "Ride Every Kilometre" trips to NIIM.

Please note - Grand Tours Project is not an "Official Tour Operator" of the Tour de France. You can find these Official Tour Operators on the TDF website.

Total price: From €3,850

  • "Ride Every Kilometre" of stages 16 - 21 of the biggest Grand Tour, on the day before the race.
  • Watch the race on the final stage in Paris.
  • Achieve one of the world's great "bucket-list" sports challenges.
  • These 6 stages are fascinating are varied - 3 epic mountain stages in the Alps, and the finish in Paris.
  • Expert planning and support from our team (guides, mechanics, drivers).
  • Bike rental (carbon frame and Shimano Ultegra or equivalent) available
  • Day 1 - 21 July

    Arrival

    We'll welcome you at Tolouse airport and shuttle you to our hotel in Nimes where we will be staying for the first night of this epic adventure. Once settled in, we'll discuss the programme for this unforgettable week.

    Our team will help prepare your bike, and then we'll debrief the riders on the week ahead. You will also have the opportunity to get to know the other guests over a delicious dinner and some local wine.

  • Day 2 - 22 July

    Stage 16 - Nimes to Nimes

    177km

    It may be a rest day for the pros, but we're up early to head into our first stage of the final week. This is a day for the sprinters and for us to let our legs recover a little bit more ahead of tomorrow's hilly stage. We'll want to arrive at the finish line as early as possible so we can get to our hotel early, sit back and relax before tomorrows hilly stage which is swifly followed by 3 big mountain stages in the Alps.

  • Day 3 - 23 July

    Stage 17 - Pont du Gard to Gap

    206 km

    Before heading in to three big mountain stages in the Alps, the tour continues over rolling terrain. Starting from the Point du guard, this spectacular ancient Roman aqueduct crosses the Gardon River 25 kilometres northeast of Nîmes. This is a day for us to let our legs warm up. We will ride through the Rhone valley, edging closer to the Alps before arriving for a stage finish in Gap, a popular finish town in the Tour, last featuring in 2015.

  • Day 4 - 24 July

    Stage 18 - Embrun to Valloire

    207 km

    Today will see us ride the first mountain stage in the Alps and it will be a demanding stage. With three categorised climbs reaching over 2,000m altitude the body will certainly feel it. Starting in Embrun, we will ride the following climbs over the course of the day:the Col de Vars, Col d’Izoard and Col du Galibier. After the beautiful and dramatic 23km climb up the Col du Galibier we will enjoy a much welcomed descent down to the race finish in Valloire.

  • Day 5 - 25 July

    Stage 19 - Saint Jean de Maurienne to Tignes

    123 km

    At 2,764m, Col de l’Iseran is the highest paved pass in Europe. It featured prominently in the 1949 race with a 257km epic stage to Aosta. Coppi won the stage, taking the yellow jersey from his arch rival Bartali, and wearing it for the first time in his cycling career … and he then kept it all the way to Paris. This was the stage that won him the Tour & Giro double in the one year, for the first time in cycling history. Truly a history-making mountain pass! Need we say more... apart from the uphill finish in the famous Ski resort of Tignes … it will also be epic!

  • Day 6 - 26 July

    Stage 20 - Albertville to Val Thorens

    131km

    The penultimate stage of the 2019 race will be a short and punchy one, with 3 categorised climbs and with over 4,450m of climbing it's bound to get the legs burning and your lungs working. Today's stage will be the definitive decider on this years winner! We will depart from Albertville and after 37km we will have reached our first summit, the Cormet de Roselend, 70km's later we will begin the long 33.4km climb to Val Thorens which arrives at an altitude of 2,365m. It's 25 years since this tour has featured the climb to Val Thorens and it's going to be an unforgettable ride - we expect to see the fans out waiting in anticipation! We will transfer to Paris for the grand finale and the final day of our once in a lifetime adventure!

  • Day 7 - 27 July

    Stage 21 - Rambouillet to Paris Champs - Elysees

    127 km

    We'll be up early to enjoy our final stage 21 with minimal traffic in the heart of Paris. Starting from Rambouillet in the outskirts of Paris, our team will take the easy flat ride into Paris city and onto the Champs Elysées where we will relish the final km's around the Arc de Triomphe and thereby complete our "Ride Every Kilometre" challenge. It's time to relax, starting with croissants and coffee on the Champs Elysées, followed by an enjoyable day in Paris. Our final dinner will be a big event, as we celebrate our achievement that few others have experienced - cycling every stage of a full week of the world's biggest Grand Tour!

  • Day 8 - 28 July

    The Grand Finale

    Departure

    It's time to say farewell. But before we do, we'll enjoy a relaxing morning in Paris, before watching the pros as they complete their loops along the Champs Elysées and sprint to the finish line. Who will be in the maillot jaune in Paris, and who will win the prestigious final stage?