For true-blue Tour de France fans, the Outdoor
Living Network’s tightest close-up shot of the yellow jersey wearer isn’t close enough. Grinding it up part of an Alpine climb hours before
Le Tour’s racers roll through proves to be a more fitting and increasingly, more obtainable view. Bicycling grew in popularity as a spectator and a participant sport during the last decade, and touring outfitters have responded by escorting Tour de France fans within a pedal’s distance of the peloton. Most tours cater to riders with some experience in the saddle, covering between 25 and 70 miles each day, and all set their wheels as close to race action as a cyclist can get without a contract from T-Mobile, CSC or the Discovery Channel. If watching this year’s first post-Lance-era Tour inspires the desire to be among the largest spectator sporting event in the world, seek out a tour of your liking and point your handlebars toward Paris. A cycling tour of Le Tour may not include every camera angle of a network’s crew, but who needs instant replays while spectating and retracing some of the most scenic and challenging rides on earth?
ALPINE PEAKS OR CITY STREETS As Le Tour races to its finish along the Champs Elysées, it gains momentum. Most touring companies offer outings that coincide with later mountain stages or the event’s conclusion. Tours limit enrollment and some sell out months in advance, so early preparations are important. Double-occupancy costs, excluding airfare, range from $1,100 for a long weekend in Paris to upwards of $5,000 for a weeklong VIP excursion. Mountain tours can afford more time to cheer on the racers, since riders may be less “clumped” during a climbing stage. Spectating in the Alps has the added suspense that the race’s
eventual winner is often decided during one of Le Tour’s climbing finishes. In the saddle, a mountain tour offers a shot at lifetime bragging rights of conquering, albeit more slowly, the switchbacks and steep grades of the formidable Col du Tourmalet or famous L’Alpe d’Huez. Accommodations during mountain tours are typically charming: outfitters make arrangements in restored castles, luxurious chalets or quaint village hotels.
Paris-based trips position fans for prime viewing of Le Tour’s exciting sprint to the finish against the backdrop of one of the world’s great cities. If standing room only on the Champs-Elysées or Rue de Rivoli incites claustrophobia, look for an outfitter that includes private viewing of the finish from a VIP balcony or suite. Some outfitters draft with several days of riding through the French countryside, ripe with vineyards, before following the peloton into the metropolis. Others never lose sight of the city’s bright lights and may include side trips to year-round Paris attractions, such as boat tours, the Notre Dame cathedral, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. In a tourist-savvy city, finish-based tours have more accommodations to offer guests. Lodging can range from modest two-star venues to the five-star Hotel Crillon, Lance Armstrong’s home away from Austin when he’s in town.
TOURING TIPS Wheeling off for a cycling tour requires a bit more advance preparation, but it’s worth the extra legwork. These suggestions should help ensure
a breakaway trip.
Training Up The best training is simply
to get out and ride. For a typical Tour de France tour, you should be comfortable riding two to four hours per day over rolling terrain. Many tours welcome all levels of cyclists, so participants shouldn’t feel like they have to be in top physical condition to go on vacation. Most outfitters employ support vans during rides and if you’ve had enough riding for the day, they will be happy to give you a lift to the hotel. For any concerns, check with your specific touring outfitter. If you want to brush up your technique or fitness level, cycling clubs and bicycle shops are usually good places to find group rides,
clinics and coaching referrals.
Gearing Up If your tour is “BYOB” (bring your own bicycle), ask if they require a
certain kind of bike carrier. Some tours reassemble cycles
at each destination; others transport bikes without breaking them down. To conquer any mountain climbs, be sure your ride is fitted with plenty of gears. Advanced cyclists need a minimum of a 27- to 29-cog gear on the rear. For intermediate cyclists, either a minimum of a 29- to 31-cog
gear on the rear or a triple crankset on the front should help you power up any mountain climbs. Some Alpine peaks have 10 to 15 percent grades in places and all are quite challenging. For more gear ratios, using a compact crank on the front allows riders to spin up the climbs. A reputable bicycle shop or dealer will have information about the ad-vantages of compact cranks. The most difficult item to leave at home may be your pride when it comes to selecting your gears. If you can put that aside, your legs will thank you and you’ll enjoy the trip a lot more.
Packing Up Off the bike, most tours are casual, but consult your specific itinerary and, when in doubt, ask. Usually informal collared shirts, jeans, khakis, casual skirts and shorts are all very appropriate. For comfort
in the saddle, pack cycling shoes, plenty of cycling socks, extra cleats, padded cycling shorts, cycling jerseys, arm and leg warmers, a rain jacket, cycling gloves, a long-sleeved cycling jersey, wicking undergarments for layering, full-fingered gloves and waterproof booties in case it rains, cool-weather jacket, fleece pullover, three or four bike tubes, sunglasses, water bottles, sports drinks or your preferred
gels and energy bars if you don’t like your tour’s energy replacement fuel, and last but not least, sunscreen.
Warming Up
July days in France are sunny with temperatures that range from the mid-70s to low-90s. For the past few years France has weathered summer heat waves, with the thermometer going over 100 degrees. You can usually bet on some rain during Le Tour,
particularly in the mountains. Evenings are pleasant and a bit cooler, making a pullover, sweater or fleece jacket necessary
for comfort.
TOUR DE LE TOUR TOURS Signing on with an Official Tour operator means seeing areas on Le Tour usually prohibited to the general public, along with services typically reserved for Le Tour’s sponsors. With spots limited to 20 guests per week per outfitter, Official Tours include VIP benefits, such as access to the signing-on area, VIP hospitality village, technical areas, stage
finish areas, press areas and riding one of the day’s stages. Visit Le Tour’s official merchandising Web site at www.letour.fr/2006/ TDF/presentation/us/produits.html after this year’s Tour, for updated information about 2007 designees.
In 2006, Le Tour’s organizing body, Amaury Sports Organization, designated six Official Tour
Dozens more U.S.- and European-based independent outfitters’ tours may lack the behind-the-scenes feel, but cost several thousand dollars
less on average. These tours often include lodging, ground transportation, supported rides, staked-out spectating locations and most meals. Good places to investigate include:
You may also want to check the advertising sections of bicycling periodicals, or talk to
a favorite cycle shop employee or contact person for your local bicycle club to get more ideas.
Photos courtesy of Ludus Tours, Custom Getaways, and Velosport Vacations.
