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2004 could be a very historic year for the Tour
de France. Lance Armstrong will be racing for his sixth
straight Tour victory, more wins than any of the other great
legends of this epic race. Our Alps tour will also be very
special, as we can choose our climb on the last and hardest
stage in the Alps, Stage 17, Bourg d’Oisans to Le Grand Bornand.
This will truly be an historic event. To ride the roads that
have contributed to this history and to see the action in person
will be an unforgettable experience. Not only will we climb all
of the cols in the Alps of this year’s Tour, we will ride
countless small, incredibly scenic roads that are seldom if ever
part of the Tour de France.
The Tour de
France and “Les Alpes”; it is impossible to think of one without
the other. L’Alpe d’Huez, Col de la Croix de Fer, Col de
Madeleine, Col du Galibier, the list goes on...and on. These
are the passes on which the Tour de France is contested, the
roads where champions are made. Our tour is where any cyclist
can imagine riding in the peloton of their heroes. Yet this
tour is even more than the Tour de France; it is a cycling
experience unmatched anywhere in the world. This is a tour of
breathtaking vistas of mountains, meadows, and lakes; the cliffs
and gorges of the Vercors; the mountain villages with their
festive markets, friendly hotels, and delicious food and wine.
And, ultimately, this is a tour of roads - France’s special gift
to the cyclist; roads laid down like a carelessly strewn ribbon,
narrow roads painstakingly chiseled into the sides of vertical
cliffs, roads virtually devoid of cars, roads plastered with the
names of cycling legends, roads climbing steeply and
relentlessly toward heart throbbing heights, and of course roads
plummeting downwards in rim-searing, thrilling, twisty descents
to distant villages below.
This tour will have all the long hard routes of
our Classic Alps tour, as well as the easier routes of our
Petite Alps tour. Although this tour might excite even the best
Cat 1 racer, it is a dream trip for any reasonably fit cyclist.
Many days will have two or three different routes of varying
difficulty. The van is always available for tired riders and to
assist whenever needed. At the end of the day’s riding we’ll
enjoy relaxing in the peaceful setting of the small villages
selected for our tour. There will be a gathering every afternoon
to watch the finish of the Tour de France live on TV. |
