Grand Tour France: "Ride Every Kilometre" Week 2 - The Pyrénées
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Location
Albi to Foix Prat d'Albis
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Duration
7 Days | 6 Nights
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Length
27km - 202km daily
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Climb
1,500-5,000m daily
15 Jul 2019 - 21 Jul 2019
We will ride on truly magnificent routes in the second week of this tour. We'll be riding in the Pyrenees, and climbing the epic mountain passes such as Col du Tourmalet and Col de Peyresourde!
The second week of the race has a good mix of terrain starting with a flat stage, that will lead us to the Pyrenees. From here we will ride our first big mountain stage in the Pyrenees, followed by an ITT in Pau and then enjoy the final 2 mountain stages to finish our epic week of riding! The average daily cycling distance is around 27-202km. We have some massive climbing to do on the Pyrenees 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 3 of the Tour de France. Looking for a more relaxed trip? Ride 60-100km daily and watch the pros on our Experience tours.
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 €3,300
- "Ride Every Kilometre" of stages 11 - 15 of the biggest Grand Tour, on the day before the race.
- Achieve one of the world's great "bucket-list" sports challenges.
- These 5 Stages are epic - from the foothills of the Pyrenees.
- Expert planning and support from our team (guides, mechanics, drivers).
- Bike rental (carbon frame and Shimano Ultegra or equivalent) available
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Day 1 - 15 July
Arrival
We'll welcome you at Tolouse airport and shuttle you to our hotel in Albi 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.
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Day 2 - 16 July
Stage 11 - Albi to Toulouse
167 km
It may be a rest day for the pros, but we're on our bikes as we ride out from Albi in the direction of Toulouse. This 167 km flat stage will lead us in the direction of the Pyrenees and tomorrow the action will really start to ramp up as we arrive to stage 12, the second mountain stage of the race so far!
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Day 3 - 17 July
Stage 12 - Toulouse to Bagnères-de-Bigorre
202 km
Leaving the city of Toulouse behind, we will follow the flat and rolling hills for the first 125km before entering the mountains and getting our initial taste of the Pyrénées. The first mountain pass is the famous Col de Peyresourde, platueing at an altitude of 1569m we will enjoy beautiful vistas before a fast descent which takes us to the second climb categorised climb, Hourquette d’ Ancizan, and then a finish in Bagnères-de-Bigorre. Dan Martin last won this stage back in 2013!
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Day 4 - 18 July
Stage 13 - Pau to Pau (individual Time Trial)
27 km
The next stage is the only individual time trial to feature in the 2019 Tour. The course is not particularly tricky and has featured twice before in 1939 and 1981 .However what makes this ITT stage special… is the yellow jersey on offer! Tomorrow, July 19 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Yellow Jersey win by Christophe in Grenoble, in 1919. This collectors jersey will be well sought after so we expect to see some action on this time trial!
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Day 5 - 19 July
Stage 14 - Tarbes to Tourmalet Bareges
177 km
After an easy Time Trial around Pau, we will tackle the penultimate stage of the week which features the long awaited Col du Tourmalet. We will ascend from Luz Saint Sauveur, it’s 19 km to the summit at 7.5%, to an altitude of 2115m. There's a few ramps 8.5%+ so pace yourself but the views at the top are breath taking and we’ll enjoy a well deserved beer while watching today’s time trial and see who wins the much celebrated yellow jersey!
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Day 6 - 20 July
Stage 15 - Limoux to Foix Prat d’Albis
185 km
The final stage of Week 2 and what a beauty, with the finish above Foix at Prat d’Abais. There will be lots of climbing on this spectacular stage, 4500m to be exact.
We will celebrate in the evening as we edge closer to completing the challenge of a lifetime - riding every single kilometere of the race…. It's time for a well earned rest day!