"There are no words to describe the cultural, visual, gastronomic and exciting experience we had with you. We will recommend Spyns to everyone we know and meet. We will never forget the tour or you. A million thanks." Kathy Trost

 and have recently featured our tours. Whether you live and breathe the tour or just love someone who does, Spyns' 7-day romp through France has something for everyone. For the avid rider, tackle epic climbs in the Pyrenees (like the Col d'Aubisque) and endless miles through Bordeaux wine country  with time out to see four unforgettable TDF stages. If you prefer your tour a little lighter, between the Pyrenees, Bordeaux,  gourmet restaurants, luxury hotels, exclusive wine tastings and the Paris finish, there is more than enough to do without ever going near a bike. And did we mention your hotel right on the Rue de Rivoli / Tour de France course? Cheer on the 2010 winner, champagne glass in hand, high above the crowds below. And what better way to finish your holiday than a send-off dinner at the Eiffel Tower. Read on or visit Spyns Tour de France website www.tdf-tours.com.

What's included? Are there hills? How many tour stages? Click for real-time answers from our team.

FOR DETAILED INFORMATION VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE www.tdf-tours.com

What's included? Are there hills? How many tour stages? Click for real-time answers from our team.

Detailed Itinerary

Days 1-2 Auvergne: Spend 2 days cycling, hiking, or simply enjoying the view at your own private chateaux in the beautiful  village of Saint Arcons in Auvernge. We've booked a castle (Chateau Deux Abbesses) nestled in the historique village of Saint Arcons.  It is the perfect base from which to see the TDF's exciting stages.  On the first day of your trip, we meet at the St Etienne train station before watching the stage finish. Then shuttle to your hotel for an early evening ride or enjoy a wine tasting or a light hike to the nearby hotsprings (classic tour). The tour's final mountain stages take place in the rugged unspoiled peaks along Eastern border with Italy. The following day, join a rigorous ride through the surrounding hills or opt for a relaxed cooking class or private walking tour  before heading to the mountain village of Montagnole.  Once back at the chateau, enjoy a gourmet outdoor dinner.

Meals: Although we’ve written a lot about the hotels and activities on this website, let’s not forget that France is the undisputed world capital of gourmet eating and your breakfasts, lunches and dinners will not disappoint. All of your breakfasts are included on your Spyns tour so enjoy fresh croissants and other French pastries (and perhaps the odd egg) before starting your day. While on tour, your guides will prepare two gourmet picnic lunches and we’ll have a sumptuous welcome dinner on the terrace (weather permitting of course) expertly served by your hotel's staff. As the French say, Bon Appétit!

Days 3-4 French Alps: We'll transition with the tour heading northeast from Auvergne into the heart of the majestic French Alps.  Transfer by motor coach to Bordeaux likely with a stop along the way for a snack or wine tasting. We've booked out  a spectacular châteaux (Château Saint Peres) not far from the dramatic Alpes d'Huez. For more info, please visit our hotels page. Traffic permitting, we'll arrive in time for a late afternoon spin or simply sip a champagne cocktail poolside while finishing off that perfect book before gourmet dinner in your castle's private restaurant. The following day.

HOW TO REGISTER

We require a US$400/person non refundable deposit with full payment of your balance on April 19, 2011. Call us at 1.888.825.4720 or print, sign and fax our registration form to us toll-free at 1.866.573.4248.

FOR DETAILED INFORMATION VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE www.tdf-tours.com

What's included? Are there hills? How many tour stages? Click for real-time answers from our team.

TOUR HISTORY
The race was founded as a publicity event for the newspaper L'Auto (predecessor to the present l'Équipe) by its editor, Henri Desgrange, to rival the Paris-Brest et retour ride (sponsored by Le Petit Journal), and Bordeaux-Paris.The idea for a round- France stage race came from one of Desgrange's youngest journalists, Georges Lefevre, with whom Desgrange had lunch in a bar in Montmartre Paris on November 20, 1902. L'Auto announced the race on January 19, 1903. It proved a great success for the newspaper; increasing circulation from 25,000 before the 1903 race to 65,000 after it; in 1908 the race boosted circulation past a quarter of a million, and during the 1923 race it was selling 500,000 copies a day. The record circulation claimed by Desgrange was 854,000, achieved in 1933. 

It is a "stage race" divided into a number of stages, each being a race held over one day. The time each rider takes to complete each stage is recorded and accumulated. Riders are often awarded time bonuses as well as their prizes for finishing well. Riders who finish in the same group are awarded the same time. Two riders are said to have finished in the same group if there is less than the len gth of a bike between them. A rider who crashes in the last three kilometres is given the time of the group in which he would have otherwise finished. The ranking of riders by accumulated time is known as the General Classification. The winner is the rider with the least accumulated time after the final day. It is possible to win the overall race without winning any individual daily stages (which Greg LeMond did in 1990). Winning a stage is considered a great achievement, more prestigious than winning most single day races. Although the number of stages has varied, the modern event has consisted of about 20 stages and a total len gth of 3,000 to 4,000km. There are subsidiary competitions within the race (see below), some with distinctive jerseys for the best rider. 

The race is contested by teams backed by commercial sponsors, but the event began for individuals; slipstreaming and other tactics were savagely condemned by Desgrange and he accepted their inevitability only during the 1920s. Even when commercial teams had become commonplace in other events, it was contested by national teams from 1930 to 1961 and again in 1967 and 1968, in both cases because the organisers felt that sponsors were detracting from the sporting quality of the race. 

Most stages take place in France although it is common to have stages in nearby countries, such as Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom (visited in 1974 and 1994 and start of the 2007 tour). The three weeks usually includes two rest days, sometimes used to transport riders long distances between stages. In recent years, the race has been preceded by a short individual time trial (1 to 15km) called the prologue. Since 1975, the finish has been in Paris on the Champs-Élysées, the only time the city's most symbolic avenue is closed other than for the processions of July 14, the national holiday. 

Stages can be flat, undulating or mountainous. They are normally contested by all the riders starting together with the first over the line being accorded the victory, but they can also be run as races against the clock for individuals or teams. The time-trials often have a significant effect on the overall outcome because they separate riders by significant margins, whereas in some conventional stages the participants finish together or in a few large groups. The overall winner is almost always a master of the mountain stages and time trials. 

The race alternates each year between clockwise and anti-clockwise circuits of France. For example, 2005 was a clockwise direction — visiting the Alpes first and then the Pyrenees — while the 2006 race went in reverse order. For the first half of its history, it was a near-continuous loop, often running close to France's borders. Rules intended to restrict drug-taking have since the 1960s limited the overall distance, the daily distance and the number of days raced consecutively, and the modern Tour frequently skips between one city or one region and another. A feature of the race almost from the start has been the mountains. The roads that climb them are now in good condition but at first they were no more than tracks of hard-packed earth on which riders frequently had to get off and push their bicycles. Even into the 1950s and 1960s, the road at the summit of mountains could be potholed and strewn with small rocks. classified, or "hors-catégorie". Some recur almost annually and have become part of Tour legend. The most famous hors-catégorie peaks include the Col du Tourmalet, Col d'Aubisque, Mont Ventoux, Col du Galibier, the climb to the ski resort of Hautacam and Alpe d'Huez.