The “Grand Départ” experience
Wednesday 26 – Monday 31 August
6 days, 5 nights
4* hotel with pool
From 1,145 Euros per person
The perfect combination: guided rides on the same roads that the Côte d’Azur-based professionals train on year-round, and watching the first two stages of the 2020 Tour de France!
We will ride some or all of the two stages that the pro’s will ride, including the Col du Turini and Col d’Eze, as well as some of the other famous local climbs including the Col de la Madone and the Col de Braus. Then we soak up the atmosphere of the Grand Départ as we explore the Tour “village” and watch the stages from the best vantage points.
We will organise everything for you: airport transfers, cyclist-friendly B&B accommodation in Beaulieu-sur-mer or Nice, “in the know” itineraries combining classic climbs with little-known gems, an experienced guide to lead you along the quietest and most beautiful roads, pointing out the places offering the best coffee and pastries and where to top up your water, all wrapped up with seamless logistics so you can relax and focus on getting the most out of your trip.
- The first stage is 3 laps around the “Collines Niçoises” (the Nice hills), giving spectators the chance to see the peloton more than once during the day; whilst likely to result in a bunch sprint on the Promenade des Anglais, the short punchy climbs will offer many opportunities for attacks.
- The second stage is a proper mountain stage (and also the chosen stage for this year’s Etape du Tour): a long drag North out of Nice into the mountains, then two major climbs, the Col Saint Martin at 1500m in the little ski resort of La Colmiane (16.3km / +1025m), and the Col du Turini at 1607m (15.3km / +1100m), a long run into Nice and up Col d’Eze (10km / +500m) as a sting in the tail!
Our Tour de France programme:
- Wednesday 26 August – arrive Nice airport, transfer to accommodation, afternoon ride
- Thursday 27 August – full day ride; explore Tour Village
- Friday 28 August – full day ride; explore Tour Village
- Saturday 29 August – ride to vantage point to watch Stage 1, full day ride
- Sunday 30 August – ride to vantage point to watch Stage 2, full day ride
- Monday 31 August – morning ride, including watching the start of Stage 3 from Nice; transfer to Nice airport; depart
Prices:
1,145 to 1,395 Euros per person, based on two people sharing, and depending on the number of people in the group. This price is an estimate, see below. Single supplements apply.
Extend your stay if you wish.
What’s included:
- Accommodation x 5 nights in a 4* hotel with pool (our preferred hotel subject to availability)
- Breakfast
- Route planning
- Daily ride briefing and guided rides
- Airport transfers
What’s not included:
- Flights
- Lunch (taken out on the road) and dinner (local restaurant), drinks
- Travel insurance
How to book:
Just contact us and let us know:
- How many in the group
- Bike hire: Do you need to hire any bikes? If, what size (or your height), and what pedal type?
- Level: At what level does your group ride?
Important:
PLEASE NOTE: WITH ALL THE ISSUES CREATED BY COVID-19, ACCOMMODATION PRICES ARE UP AND DOWN THE WHOLE TIME! THE PRICE GIVEN IS AN ESTIMATE ONLY. WE WILL PROVIDE CONFIRMED PRICES IN RESPONSE TO YOU, BASED ON ACCOMMODATION PRICES AT THE TIME.
GIVEN UNCERTAINTIES OVER TRAVEL, WE WILL BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE PAYMENT SCHEDULE, WHICH PAYMENTS ARE REFUNDABLE, AND WHICH PAYMENTS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.
WE RECOMMEND MORE STRONGLY THAN EVER THAT CUSTOMERS TAKE OUT TRAVEL INSURANCE TO COVER ANY LOSSES IN THE EVENT OF BEING UNABLE TO TRAVEL FOR ANY REASON, OR CANCELLATION OF THE TOUR ETC.
Stage 1 parcours – Nice Moyens Pays
Stage 1: A rather unfamiliar format perfect for a great popular show: three loops in the hinterland of Nice including one to be covered twice giving the spectators an opportunity to see the pack go by all along the day before possibly witnessing the first act of the great battle between the sprinters. A bunched sprint is indeed expected at the end of the long final straight on the Promenade des Anglais.Christian Prudhomme, ASO
Stage 2 parcours – Nice Haut Pays
Stage 2: The sprinter having captured the Yellow Jersey the previous day will be in a tricky situation as soon as the climb up to the Col de la Colmiane and will then have to face the steep turns heading to the Col de Turini and eventually head up to the Col d’Eze. A mountain stage with two passages at over 1,500m as soon as the second day of the race, that’s a grande première.Christian Prudhomme, ASO
Our preferred hotel: 4*, cyclist-friendly, with pool and good bike storage, a short walk to the beach, local cafés and restaurants, and shops
Apart from a prologue time trial in Monaco in 2009 (the year of Armstrong’s return), and a team trial in Nice following 3 days in Corsica in 2013, the Tour de France has largely missed out on visiting this corner of France in recent times.
But it is worth remembering that in its original format, the Tour de France was effectively “autour de France” – going around France – and hence would pass through the Côte d’Azur regularly. One of the local legendary Cols, the Col de Braus, has featured in the Tour no less than 21 times, but the last time the Tour climbed the Braus was in 1961!
This makes the return of the Tour to Nice all the more welcome, and ASO have put together two stages of explosive racing for us.
Azur Cycle Tours, the Côte d’Azur specialists