ETAPE DU TOUR 2010 RIDE L’ETAPE – WATCH LE TOUR - COACH PACKAGE 2 Star Hotel Pierre d´Agos – COACH PACKAGE with Flight Option 15th to 24th July 2010

On this tour you will be able to ride L’Etape du Tour and see 3 of the most crucial mountain stages of the Tour de France including the stage you rode to Col du Tourmalet. Apart from riding the Etape and seeing the Tour de France, there will be plenty of opportunities for some great cycling in the Pyrenees

This package is aimed at those people who prefer to travel from the UK to the Etape du Tour by luxury coach rather than by air and don’t want to run the risk of plane damage to their bike or the bike not arriving.

There will also be the option of flying into Toulouse or Lourdes airports on the 16th July and returning on the 23rd July. See separate price.

It is a fixed centre tour that will spend 7 nights near Argeles Gazost at the 2 Star Hotel Pierre d´Agos www.chezpierredagos.com
The location of Argeles Gazost is excellent for accessing both the Etape du Tour and the Tour de France Pyrenean stages.

Thursday 15th July:
Our touring coaches equipped with box trailer for the safe storage of bikes in bike bags will make collections at Leeds, Manchester, Knutsford, Birmingham, London and service stations on the motorway networks used. We shall arrive at Dover in time for the 15:00hrs sailing to Calais, and travel to Paris where accommodation has been reserved on B&B.

Friday 16th July:
We shall continue our journey to the Pyrenees and the town of Argeles Gazost, where you will be based for the next 7 nights at the 3 Star / 2 Star Hotel Pierre d´Agos www.chezpierredagos.com
The location of Argeles Gazost is excellent for accessing both the Etape du Tour and the Tour de France Pyrenean stages.

The hotel Pierre d´Agos is located just outside the town of Argeles Gazost in the village of Agos Vidalos. There is an outdoor swimming pool.

RIDERS FLYING INTO TOULOUSE WILL BE COLLECTED FRIDAY AFTERNOON – ARRIVALS MUST BE PLANNED FOR FRIDAY MORNING TO MEET THE COACH

Saturday 17th July:
Free day for making any last minute preparations before the event. In the morning you will be taken the short distance by coach to our secure bike store, (outskirts of Pau), where your bike will have been delivered by our bike transport lorry. At the bike store you will be able to assemble your bike, and leave your bike box/bag on the lorry.

After assembling your bike, you will be able to have a short ride into Pau and the Etape du Tour start village where you will sign on and collect your event number. After collecting your number you will return to our bike store, leave your bike ready for the morning, and take our coach transport back to your hotel in Argeles Gazost.

For ease of logistics tomorrow morning, we shall leave the bikes in the secure bike store on the outskirts of Pau.

Sunday 18th July: L'ETAPE DU TOUR - PAU TO COL DU TOURMALET
This is it, the day of your dreams, your chance to ride a mountain stage of the 2010 Tour de France, 9000 participants, closed roads, feeding stations and Mavic assistance, just like the real thing……Start time is anticipated to be 07.00hrs, so after an early breakfast you will be taken from Argeles Gazost the short distance (45km) to Pau for the start.
This will require a 4am breakfast.

SPORTS TOURS INTERNATIONAL WILL PROVIDE 2 PRIVATE FEED STATIONS ALONG THE ROUTE

At the finish our reps will be waiting to meet you at both the top of the Col du Tourmalet (Finish) as well as the finish village in La Mongie (5km down from the summit).

After you have finished the event, JOIN THE PARTY……..SPORTS TOURS INTERNATIONAL WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH A PRIVATE PASTA PARTY WITH DRINKS IN THEIR VERY OWN PRIVATE MARQUEE LOCATED AT OUR COACH RENDEZVOUS POINT. This pasta party will be your evening meal and we expect to leave La Mongie at approx 10pm for transport back to Pau.

Monday 19th July:
The second Pyrenean stage of the Tour de France is a classic 3 mountain traverse of the Pyrenees from Pamiers to Luchon over 187km and featuring the Portet d’Aspet and the Casartelli memorial, Col des Ares, and the vicious Port de Bales (1st used in 2007) before a hair raising descent to the finish in Luchon. The Port de Bales was first used in the Tour de France in 2007, and is an extremely difficult climb (20km @ 6.2 average) on a small road with parts of the climb at 14%!!

We have decided to see the stage on the Port de Bales as we can access it easy from Toulouse and exit quickly after the stage, as we are moving on to Lourdes today.

Those with bikes will be dropped off at Lannemazan and will be able to ride to the Port de Bales, whilst those without bikes will be taken to the foot of the climb by the bus.

After seeing the stage on the Port de Bales we shall regroup and return to our Pyrenean base.

Tuesday 20th July:
The third Pyrenean stage is an absolute classic…featuring 4 of the best know climbs in the Pyrenees (Peyresourde, Aspin, Tourmalet & Aubisque) over a 196km stage that joins Luchon with Pau.

Our location in Argeles Gazost is excellent for accessing the stage and offers those with bikes the possibility to ride from the hotel to either the climbs of Aspin, Tourmalet or Aubisque. Those without bikes will be taken to either the base of the Col du Tourmalet or Col d´Aubsique from where they will be able to walk on to the climb.

After seeing the stage we shall return to the hotel in Argeles Gazost.

Wednesday 21st July:
After three vicious stages in the Pyrenees the riders of the Tour de France spend their 2nd rest day in the town of Pau.

This gives those with bikes the opportunity to ride the famous Pyrenees climbs of Aspin, Tourmalet, Aubisque, Luz Ardiden, Hautacam, whilst those without bikes will be able to spend the day at leisure in Lourdes.

Thursday 22nd July:
The Col du Tourmalet first appeared in the Tour de France in 1910 (100 years ago) and to honor this giant of the Pyrenees the final stage of the 2010 Tour de France will finish at the summit of this famous mountain. It will be the 2nd time the 2010 Tour de France climbs the Col Tourmalet, and today it will be the west face from Luz St Sauveur. The stage will leave from Pau and prior to arriving at the Col du Tourmalet the riders will have to face two other famous mountains in the Pyrenees, the Col du Mairie Blanque and the Col du Soulor. Once again another classic stage………..and a fantastic way to finish the high mountains of the 2010 Tour de France

Our location in Lourdes is excellent for accessing the stage and those with bikes will be able to ride to the Col du Tourmalet whilst those without bikes will be taken to the foot of the climb from where they will be able to walk on to the lower slopes.

After seeing the stage we shall return to our Pyrenean base.

Friday 23rd July:
After riding the Etape du Tour and seeing 3 incredible mountain stages in the Pyrenees, its time to say “Au Revoir to Le Tour de France”. After breakfast we shall leave Argeles Gazost (approx 07.30hrs) and return to Paris where we shall spend 1 night on B&B basis at the 3 Star Hotel Mercure Paris Porte de Versailles EXPO.

For those who have chosen the flight option, they will be dropped off at Lourdes airport at 08.00hrs and Toulouse airport at approx 10.00hrs

If you want to continue following Le Tour and see the final 3 stages (Bordeaux, Time Trial & Paris Finale), you can join another package that will take you to Bordeaux today where you´ll see the stage finish, spend 2 nights in the city of Bordeaux, see tomorrows Time Trial and take our private TGV fast train to Paris on Sunday morning in time to see the Grand Finale on the Champs Elysees. On the Monday 26th July there would be transport provided from the Paris hotel to Charles de Gaulle airport but no transport by coach back to the UK.
Please see supplements below.

Saturday 24th July:
We shall leave Paris and travel to Calais for the 13.30hrs sailing to Dover, making drop offs at the same locations as the collection points.

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