P: +61 3 9016 9830 M: +61 412 711 200 E: information@sierrasportsandtours.com.au W: www.sierrasportsandtours.com.au 19 to 26 July, 2015 Tour Description: The 2015 edition of the Tour de France spends the final week in the French Alpes. You will witness four action packed mountain stages which are sure to decide the overall winner! The race organisers have kept the suspense up to the penultimate stage with the Col du Telegraphe, Col du Gailibier and l Alpe d Huez the final challenges before Paris! During the final week of the 2015 TDF you will experience Stages 17, 18, 19 & 20 live. We have also designed our tour prgram to include an escape into Italy to ride Colle delle Sestriere which is likely to crown the 2015 Giro d Italia winner (Stage 20). This is the perfect trip for an Intermediate + road cyclist who is looking forward to the challenge of some of Europe s biggest mountains. Return home with your cycling CV full; Colle delle Sestriere, Col d Izoard, Col de la Bonette, Alpe d Huez, Col du Galibier, Col de la Croix de Fer plus at least 5 more Alpes specials! During 2015 we are pleased to announce that we start and finish our cycling tour in Geneva, Switzerland. A short drive sees us begin in Italy before finishing in Grenoble, capital of the French Alpes! A great week of cycling awaits you with Giro d Italia and Tour de France history (both old and new) greeting you at every hairpin! Contact Email: information@sierrasportsandtours.com.au Page 1
19 to 26 July, 2015 Tour Details: - 8 days / 7 nights (B&B, Mountain Inn & 3 star hotels, twin share) - Arrival & Departure transfers: Geneva Airport, Switzerland - Witness 4 stages of the 2015 TDF live (Stages 17-20) - 7 guided cycling stages with accompanying support van - Food, drinks and mechanical support during cycling stages - Total Cycling Distance: Min. 450 km / Min. 8000m elevation gain - All breakfasts, 3 dinners & 2 picnic lunches included - Tour Price: $AUD 3,550 per person Tour Highlights: - Time trial the Colle delle Sestriere (should Miguel Indurain be worried?) - Col d Izoard and the moonscape landscape above the Casse Deserte - Stage 17 finish on Pra-Loup (Eddy Merckx famous 1975 TDF blow up!) - 4 x 2015 TDF stages live (2 x on-course mountains and 2 x stage finish) - The thermal baths in Le Monetier-les-Bains - Cycle the famous Alpe d Huez and its 21 famous hairpins! - 5 cols soaring above 2000m (Izoard, Granon, Vars, Bonette & Galibier) - Col de la Bonette (2715m altitude highest point reached by TDF!) - Watch the battle for the Yellow Jersey during the final week! Optional Extras: - Carbon bike hire (Orbea Onix): $AUD 375 - Single supplement: $AUD 525 - Geneva/Paris hotel Sun 26 July 2015: Please ask Contact Email: information@sierrasportsandtours.com.au Page 2
Tour de France PHOTO GALLERY Contact Email: information@sierrasportsandtours.com.au Page 3
DAY 1 Sunday 19 July 2015 2015 Giro Stage 20-30km cycling We will collect you from Geneva International Airport between 10-11am and transfer from Switzerland to Cesana-Torinese, Italy (2.5hr). Cesana is home to the famous Colle delle Sestriere. The climb will decide the 2015 Giro d Italia winner as this year it features as the Stage 20 finish! On hotel arrival we will set up the bikes and there will be time to scale Sestriere either on bike or via the ski chair lift! With 6 Giro d Italia and 4 Tour de France passings you will feel the history as you climb this beautiful mountain where Fausto Coppi and Miguel Indurain have won grand tour stages. After experiencing the thrill of Sestriere the welcome dinner with the tour guides will already be one full of stories of great cycling feats! Sleep: Cesana-Torinese, Italy Meals: Dinner provided DAY 2 Monday 20 July 2015 1996 TDF Stage 9 70km cycling 1500m gain From the hotel we ride the route in reverse to the 1996 TDF Stage 9. During 1996 snow on the Galibier caused the race organisers to change their plans last minute and ride from Le Monetier-les-Bains to Sestriere. We will not quite time trial the course like the professionals but we will enjoy the crossing from Italy into France and our hotel in the ski hamlet of Le Monetier-les-Bains. Along the way we climb Col de Montgenevre (1850m) which has appeared 10 times on the Tour de France (8.3km, 6% ave, 9% max). The obelisk at the summit which was erected during 1804 to celebrate Napoleon Bonaparte adds some further interest to the climb! As we approach our hotel for those who would like a second climb the Col du Granon (2413m, 11.5km, 9% ave) awaits. In 1986 Granon hosted what was then the highest ever mountain stage finish in the Tour de France. It was not until 2011 that the Col du Galibier took this honour! Sleep: Le Monetier-les-Bains, France Contact Email: information@sierrasportsandtours.com.au Page 4
DAY 3 Tuesday 21 July 2015 Col d Izoard Min. 60km / Max. 100km cycling Leaving the hotel by bike we head towards Cervieres and the base of the Col d Izoard (2360m). For many the Izoard and its sandy eroded cliffs above la Casse Deserte resemble an amazing lunar landscape. Its 33 TDF crossings have provided many an iconic photo of the race! As you crown this mighty summit there will be time to visit the small cycling museum and pay homage to Fausto Coppi! Our climb from the north-west approach includes 19km at an average gradient of 6% and a maximum of 9%. If over 1000m of climbing has been enough for the day feel free to rest and visit the pretty town of Guillestre. Depending on the group we have famous mountain roads all around us take your pick - Risoul 1850, Col de Vars, During the late afternoon we have organised a well deserved thermal bath back in our hotel town of Le Monetier-les-Bains. Sleep: Le Monetier-les-Bains, France Meals: Breakfast / Dinner provided DAY 4 Wednesday 22 July 2015 2015 TDF Stage 17 70km cycling 1700m gain Following breakfast we will transfer 1.5 hours towards the base of the epic Col de la Bonette. This climb takes you to the highest asphalted road in France and the highest point ever reached by the TDF. The Cime de la Bonette at 2802m is not a mountain pass but you will have the chance to ride this scenic loop with spectacular views! The 24km climb will be our one and only all out challenge for the day (6% average and maximum grade of 9%). At the top you will soak up the atmosphere of four TDF appearances. Note the support van will be with us all the time providing food and drink and plenty of encouragement! During the afternoon our ride will take us to the base of Pra-Loup which is the 2015 TDF Stage 17 finish. In 1975 Eddy Merckz famously blew up on this climb and his reign of the yellow jersey came to an end! You will be able to walk part of the climb and get your vantage point for what will be an exciting stage finish. This will be a day to savour! Sleep: Le Monetier-les-Bains, France Contact Email: information@sierrasportsandtours.com.au Page 5
DAY 5 Thursday 23 July 2015 2015 TDF Stage 18-80km cycling 1200m gain This morning we leave le Monetier-les-Bains on bike in search of TDF Stage 18. Along the way there is a small climb called Col du Galibier blocking our way! In order to reach this 2642m peak you will tackle the Col du Lauteret / Galibier combination. As we pass Col du Lautaret (2057m, 13.5km, 4% ave) we turn off for the Galibier which is an additional 8.5km at 7%. To date the Galibier is the highest mountain used for a TDF stage finish. After the customary photo shoots the 35km descent begins leaving the Col du Telegraphe in our wake! On arrival to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne we will be ready to see the 2015 TDF Stage 18 finish. During the late afternoon we transfer to Grenoble, the capital of the French Alpes and our home for the next 3 nights. Sleep: Grenoble, France DAY 6 Friday 24 July 2015 Alpe d Huez - 90km cycling 1050 up to 2350m gain After breakfast we have a 1hr drive to the base of Alpe d Huez. The race does not pass this legendary mountain until tomorrow but today you will climb the traditional route and its 21 hair pins before the large crowds and road closures. The atmosphere on the mountain will be fantastic and the 13km at 8% average will be a constant test! An additional 3km is available for those who would like to continue up to Lac Besson which offers even more views! Taking a back road we will descend before finding ourselves on the way to the Col de la Croix de Fer. Here you will watch the pro s scale the second of four mountains before retreating to the bar to watch the rest of this critical stage on the TV! Sleep: Grenoble, France Contact Email: information@sierrasportsandtours.com.au Page 6
DAY 7 Saturday 25 July 2015 2015 TDF Stage 20-50km cycling 1500m gain An early start this morning as Alpe d Huez will come alive today! A shorter ride is on offer through the quiet mountain roads to Col d Ornon. The 10km climb at 5% will feel like a breeze after yesterday s efforts! For those wanting a little more we will work our way up one of the quieter Alpe d Huez ascents. From approximately 4km to the summit you will have a great location to see the final heroics in the French Alpes for 2015! Will it be Contador, Quintana, Nibali or Froome who takes the yellow jersey to Paris! Sleep: Grenoble, France Meals: Breakfast / Dinner provided DAY 8 Sunday 26 July 2015 Paris or Geneva Following breakfast you are free to continue your own travels. There is plenty of time in the morning for us to help you catch a TGV train to Paris if you would like to watch the race finale on the Champ-Elysees. Please note that we will also offer a transfer service to Geneva International Airport which will arrive by 12 noon (1.5hr drive). Contact Email: information@sierrasportsandtours.com.au Page 7