Yellow Jersey

Welcome to France! We will be picking up at the Avignon TGV train station at 13:00/1pm. Our 4-star hotel has a great location outside the city of Avignon in the northern part of Provence.

Your guides will help fit your bike and the group will take a ride through to vineyards. You’ll check the fit of your bike and our “practice” ride will help shake off the dust from traveling. The ride will be approximately 40 kms with just under 100m of elevation gain. The non-cyclists will do a tour of the surrounding vineyards.

Tonight we’ll enjoy our welcome dinner in the hotel restaurant. In addition to meeting our fellow travel guests at dinner, we’ll go over the itinerary for our trip. Each cycling guest will receive a cycling jersey and water bottle. All guests will receive a gift from Custom Getaways.

We begin the day with a ride through the Vallon-Pont-d’Arc/Gorges de l’Ardeche region. This unusual region is where the Ardèche River has carved a dramatic canyon through a limestone plateau. The longer ride will be about 60kms and the shorter ride about 45kms. Elevation gain will be close to 800m. The non-cyclists in the group will also have the opportunity to visit this unique location.

Today’s stage viewing will be in the Izoard VIP venue, located down the mountain from the finish line. TV’s are located within the Izoard venue where we will watch the racers battle before they pass right in front of us on Mont Ventoux! This venue is a great way to see the race with snacks, beer, wine, soft drinks, coffee, water, TVs and private restrooms. Champagne will be served to toast the stage winner.

We will enjoy another group dinner tonight as we talk about our favorite teams and riders.

Today we will be introduced to the Giant of Provence….Mont Ventoux!

We’ll get an early start and will drive to the start of our ride before tackling one of the most famous climbs. Since there is close to 1,900m of elevation gain, the longer ride will be approximately 50-60km. For those who wish to do a shorter ride (the climb), the ride will be approximately 30km. You’ll have time to take victory pictures at the summit.

The non-cyclists in the group will have the opportunity to visit and have a tasting at a winery in the Chateauneuf du Pape area. You’ll learn why Chateauneuf du Pape produces some of the most appealing wines in France and the World.

The group will say goodbye to Provence and will transfer to the Alps city of Chambery. You will be on your own to explore Chambery and find a place for dinner.

Good morning! After a hearty breakfast, the cyclist will drive to the start of today’s ride. We will have two riding distance of 40-50km for the longer ride and 30-40km for the shorter ride. There will be just under 1,000m of elevation gain. We will ride on the official course to the Relais Etape VIP venue. We will meet the non-cyclists at the venue around noon.

The venue is located along the course and serves an excellent 4-course meal for lunch. It also offers snacks, beer, wine, soft drinks, coffee and water. Once the race finishes, champagne will be served to toast the stage winner. Another nice feature of this venue is that it has TV’s to watch the race until the racers pass right in front of us.

The caravan parade will pass with all its bells and whistles prior to the racers passing our venue. The caravan pumps up the crowds with colorful floats and the tossing of small prizes. Each Relais Etape guest will receive a gift from le Tour upon exiting the venue.

After the racers pass, we will transfer back to our hotel in Chambery. You’ll be on your own for dinner.

Today our sights are set on the finish line on La Plagne. We won’t tackle all five climbs that the professionals will today, but we we’ll have a great ride on the formidable La Plagne climb. The ride will be 30-40km with an elevation of 2,000m.

The group will line up at 1km from the finish line and will ride across the line before victoriously standing on the podium. We’ll tour the official podium and have pictures taken individually and as a group. After the podium, you’ll have time to have lunch before we join the enthusiastic crowds to watch the race pass on this decisive climb.

We will transfer to our next hotel in Lyon and will stop along the way to have dinner.

After breakfast we will drive to the Start Village of today’s stage, located in Nantua. You will love the energy of the Tour de France in the village. You will have VIP access to the Start Village with coffee, snacks, tour officials and merchandise tents. You will also be able to see the riders interviewed at the sign-in stage.

Another great feature of the start village is that you will have access to the team bus paddock. You can walk around the team busses and cars before the race begins. However, you need to be careful as the racers will ride around you to get to the sign-in stage and to the starting line…a really cool experience!

Once the racers depart, we will get a quick lunch and head to the train station in Bourg en Bresse.  A trip to Paris isn’t complete until you’ve experienced the famous Metro. We’ll bypass the Paris traffic and take the Metro close to the hotel.

You will have the evening free to explore Paris. Our hotel is ideally located….a ten minute walk to the Arc de Triomphe and a 15 minute walk to the famous Champs Elysees. You’ll be on your own for dinner with many options along the Champs Elysees or surrounding neighborhood.

You will have the morning free to rest after a late night in the City of Light or sight-see. Around mid-afternoon, hospitality tents will open. We will walk as a group to our VIP venue, Rive Gauche. Our venue is located before the finish line and offers catered food, open bar, TVs and a private terrace to view the race. Private restrooms are also at the venue.

You will have an excellent vantage point from which to view the finish of the Tour de France. You will see the riders pass 16 times on the Champs Élysées. There is also a terrace on the rail for even closer viewing of the race.

After the finish, you can walk back to the hotel with your guides or stroll back and take in the excitement of the final stage of the Tour de France. The Champs Elysees is always exciting where you can find a cafe for a bite to eat, a drink and to people watch.

Check out of your hotel by noon or extend your stay in the City of Light. You are responsible for your transfer from the hotel.

Custom Getaways hopes you have amazing memories of this unique experience.

Au revoir!