"Monaco, through Pyrenees" Package

July 3rd to July 13th, 2009

Monaco, Provence, riding Mont Ventoux, the Team Time Trial, the Mediterranean coast, Spain Andorra and the Pyrenees; rarely can a 10 day trip encompass as many great destinations. Experiencing the Tour de France at the same time is icing on the cake!

Registrations:
A 25% deposit per person is required to reserve a spot. If places are still available when we receive your application along with deposit, you will receive notification of your registration. If the trip is sold out, you will be given the option to be placed on a waiting list or choice of another trip. Waitlist order is on a first come first serve basis as well. Please email us to receive a registration form our complete reservation procedure: info@customgetaways.com

- July 3rd -

Hotel location: Monaco

We will be picking-up in Nice airport around 1:30PM. From Nice we will head to lovely Monaco.

Our first hotel is the stunning Marriott Porte de Monaco, which is in a perfect location for the next couple of days.

Those cycling will setup bikes and go for a short ride to make sure everything is in proper working condition.

We will then enjoy a group dinner and go over the fun and excitement scheduled for the next couple of days.

- July 4th -

Hotel location: Monaco

Tour Stage 1  /  Monaco  -  Monaco   /  Time Trial  /  15km

What a terrific event this is going to be!

The prologue in London in 2007 was incredible and this should be just as popular, with a difficult time-trial course.

Our location is within walking distance of all the action, so we'll be able to get to several locations throughout the day.

Once the stage is over, we won't have to worry about being stuck in traffic to leave Monaco. We will have time to enjoy the town while crowds dwindle down, possibly visit one of the team hotels, or simply relax at the hotel's pool overlooking the Mediterranean!

Those who wish will be able to go for an early morning ride.

- July 5th -

Tour Stage 2  /  Monaco  - Brignolles  /  182km

Today is the first of the in-line stages of the Tour and the Yellow jersey could very well change hands.

We'll be viewing the peloton at the start in Monaco.

Starts offer great opportunities for pictures and to mingle with the teams and racers warming up (autographs as well?).

Once the stage is off, we'll head into the Provence region and ride to our next hotel.

- July 6th -

Hotel location: Montpellier

Tour Stage 3  /  Marseille  - La Grande Motte   /  196km

We visit one of the great cycling climbs today as we tackle the (in)famous Mont Ventoux in the morning!

Early start this morning from the hotel, as it is best to avoid the heat while going up the "Géant de Provence"

There are 3 ways of going up the Mont Ventoux. The first from Sault is seldom even mentioned as it downgrades considerably the difficulty of this mountain. The second is from Malaucene. This side offers great pavement and is quite challenging. The third is from Bedoin this is the way the pros go up and this is the way we must go up ourselves. Going down, we will use the smooth pavement heading to Malaucene.

We will then head to our hotel in Montpellier which will be "home" for the next 2 nights.

- July 7th -

Tour Stage 4  /  Montpellier   -   Montpellier  /  Team Time Trial  /  38km

The last time the Tour de France saw a Team Time Trial was in 2005 when it rallied the Loire valley town of Tour to Blois.

After a 3 year hiatus, the spectacular exercise is back. We drove the course in mid October and while a good team effort and proper technique will be paramount, the profile of the stage will contain a few climbs.

We will setup our preferred viewing area in  a climb and will have TV feed to follow the race progress as well. We'll also enjoy a nice lunch roadside from our viewing location. We will ride the better portion of the course in the morning, skipping only the more "car-dense" areas. We'll be able to simply ride back to our hotel after the stage is over...

Hotel location: Girona

This stage is dedicated to Salvador Dali, who enjoyed the Tour de France a lot and had proclaimed the train station of Perpignan as "Center of the Universe".

We'll leave the hotel and ride our way South to see the stage arrival in Perpignan.

From Perpignan we'll head to our hotel set in the charming town of Girona.

Girona has become a cycling Mecca with many pro-teams and riders established in the area - team Garmin, Chipotle is one example.

Hotel location: Andorra

Tour Stage 6  /   Girona - Barcelona  /  175km (109 miles)

We'll be leaving Girona today to make our way to Andorra.

Before we do so and since we're in Girona, we'll see the peloton at the start village, which should open around 10:00am or so.

Once the peloton is off, we will do our own ride and rally our next hotel located in the small independent country of Andorra.

Hotel location: Andorra

Tour Stage 7  /   Barcelona - Andorra Arcalis  /  224km (139 miles)

Today's arrival in Andorra Arcalis is one of the highest in Tour history and one of the longest in the '09 edition of the race, so time gaps could take place and we'll be on the climb to Arcalis to see the race unfold.

Once the stage is over, we will head down the final climb to get back to our Hotel

Andorra Arcalis

Hotel location: Luchon

 We will head out in the morning and experience all the pageantry of the Publicity Caravane and see the race go by on the first climb - Port d'Envalira  - where we will also have lunch.
 

We'll then make our way to Luchon where we will spend the final 2 nights of the trip.

Envalira

Hotel location: Luchon

open pasture of col d'Aspin

Those who wish today can go for an epic ride going over the climbs of Peyresourde, Aspin and Tourmalet.

We'll enjoy a final farewell dinner together back in Luchon

Tourmalet

- Grand Touring bus with restrooms setup for proper transportation of bikes

- Support vehicles with water and snacks

- Designated viewing spots

- Bi-lingual and bi-cultural group Leader