TOUR DE FRANCE 2010 TOURMALET TO BORDEAUX - THE CRUCIAL STAGES With or Without Bikes Wednesday 21st to Sunday 25th July 2010

This tour is designed for those people who don’t have the time to spend 10 days or 2 weeks following the Tour de France but want to see some of the most exciting mountain stages.

You will spend 2 nights in the Pyrenees town of Lourdes, followed by 2 nights in the centre of Bordeaux (wine capital of the world). You will see the most crucial and definitely the most exciting stage of the 2010 Tour de France, Col du Tourmalet summit finish, as well as the flat stage to Bordeaux and the 51km Individual Time Trial through the Bordeaux vineyards.

You will have the opportunity to bring your bike and ride the Col du Tourmalet and Bordeaux countryside.

This tour is also ideal for non cycling partners as there are lots of things to do in both Lourdes and Bordeaux.

You can arrange your own flight into Bordeaux with www.ba.com from London Gatwick or www.easyjet.com from Bristol, Luton, Liverpool or www.bmibaby.com from Manchetser, where our reps will meet you and at 17.00hrs we shall offer a transfer to Lourdes.
Alternatively you can arrange a 1 way flight into Lourdes and make your own way to the hotel. See www.ryanair.com from Stansted and www.bmibaby.com from Manchester. Then book your 1 way return from Bordeaux.

Wednesday 21st July:
Arrange your own flight into Bordeaux. We shall meet you from your flight and operate a transfer at 17.00hrs to Lourdes we shall spend 2 nights at a 3* Hotel on Dinner B&B basis. Alternatively fly into Lourdes and take a taxi to the hotel.

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 Lourdes.

Friday 23rd July:
After 4 incredible mountain stages in the Pyrenees, today sees the return of the sprinters on a 190km flat stage between Salies de Bearn and Bordeaux (wine capital of the world). After Paris, Bordeaux is the most visited city on the Tour de France, and in it is a renowned sprinters finish.

After breakfast we shall leave Lourdes and travel to the stage. Depending on the final stage details, we shall either see the stage at the feed station or the finish in Bordeaux.

Those with bikes will be able to ride part of the stage route. After seeing the stage, we shall spend the next 2 nights in the city of Bordeaux on Bed & Breakfast basis, which will give you the opportunity to explore the city and its restaurants.

Saturday 24th July:
The Only Individual Time Trial of the 2010 Tour de France will be a 51km test through the Bordeaux vineyards between the City of Bordeaux and the town of Pauillac.

Our base in Bordeaux offers excellent access to today’s all important time trial, and those with bikes will be able to ride from the hotel in Bordeaux onto the Time Trial circuit to see the stage, whilst those without bikes will be taken to the time trial by the touring bus.

After seeing the stage we shall return to our hotel in Bordeaux.

Sunday 25th July:
After breakfast you will be taken to Bordeaux airport in time for your return flight.

Alternatively, you may want to take our privately chartered TGV fast train to Paris to see the final stage and spend the night at our Paris hotel with transport to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport Monday morning (see supplement below). If you take this option, you may also want to take a grandstand seat on the Champs Elysees.
Click here for more details.

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