Day 1, Tuesday 15 July 2025

Welcome to France

Ahhh, now I remember - all things good about France. The pace of life, croissants, wine, cheese, great roads and amazing scenery…. We could go on and on. What a fantastic country.

Welcome to France. Let's have a brilliant two weeks together.

Feel free to arrive at any time. Our hotel is located close to Toulouse airport. We like to make things easy. You’re on holiday.

This afternoon, those hiring bikes will meet their velos for the first time. We’ll make sure you are comfortable. Those bringing their own - our mechanics will be ready to help. At some stage we’ll pop out for a short spin, just to make sure everything is working properly (both bike and person).

Tonight, we’ll crack open a few bottles of champagne. A lot of you will know each other so it's a case of saying hello to old friends and welcoming those who are travelling with us for the first time. We’ll introduce the team and have a chat about the next couple of days.

It really is great to have you here. Cheers to you.

/ Accommodation: Toulouse Marriott (Hotel offers a free courtesy airport shuttle)
/ Meals Included: Welcome Dinner

PS, if you want to arrive early (this would be our recommendation) then we can easily arrange this for you.

Day 2, Wednesday 16 July 2025

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s off to Foix we go!!

Day 3, Thursday 17 July 2025

Siexy loop

5am yoga!! Just kidding.

Yesterday was reasonably challenging. Tomorrow isn’t easy. The goal for today is to keep things short. It's an important part of our job to manage fatigue. We need to get you safely to day 14.

We’ll start early but not at 5am. The loop we have in mind takes us to Siex. The last time I biked here was in 2009. Mr L Armstrong spent quite a bit of time in Siex. We stayed at the same hotel. At the time, I couldn’t work out why the French hated him so much. I guess they were a good judge of character.

The main ride is only 75km but it’s equally important for you to spend some time in Foix. This afternoon is really your only window. As our chateau is a wee bit out of town we’ll run shuttles.

Late this afternoon, we’ll set up a big screen and watch the final stages from today’s TDF stage. Our guides will set up the Eurosport commentary (as it speaks English). Surely one day soon a Kiwi will win an individual stage. Could today be that day?

Tonight, you can choose to eat at the hotel, or we’ll run shuttles back into Foix. Totally up to you.

/ Accommodation: Hotel Le Manoir d’Agnes
/ Meals Included: Breakfast (Lunch and Dinner are own arrangements)

PS, just reminding you – on a daily basis, we’ll have 3 or 4 vehicles around you at all times. There’s no pressure to keep up with the Joneses. When you’ve had enough, just put your hand on top of your helmet. We’ll be there to pick you up. It is a holiday. Not a race.

Day 4, Friday 18 July 2025

France to Andorra

Girona was soo yesterday. Andorra is now the preferred base for professional cyclists. We’re looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about.

Hotel to hotel is 95km. That doesn’t sound like much. Hmm, what’s the climbing like? (And there lies the problem.)

The first 40km is pretty much flat. Pancake flat. The next 50km isn’t. There’s nothing alarmingly steep. However, even a moderate gradient for 50km does add up.

Hmm, 2800VM is your total climbing. (Keep in mind that we have the whole day, and we’ll have plenty of support around.) Pas de la Casa is our high point which is right on the border between France and Andorra. This part of the world is very popular for MTB and road cycling. In fact, there’s a great fondo held here every year. 100km and 4500VM. (You should feel slightly better that we aren’t making you do that!)

A bit more about Andorra. It is a tiny, independent principality situated between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains. To put this into context, Lake Taupo is considerably bigger than Andorra. It’s known for its ski resorts (to ride your bike up) and a tax-haven status that encourages duty-free shopping. (New bike?)

Our 5 star hotel for the next 3 nights is a skiing hotel during winter and specialises in cycling over the summer months. It sits at 1850m above sea level. Most importantly, it has a luxurious 5000 m2 spa. Be prepared to be pampered, massaged or simply soak in the pools after we’ve spent each day cycling. For those who want to explore further, there’s a gondola outside the front door which will take you up to Grandvalira. There may not be any skiing (hopefully not), but the restaurant will certainly be open and the views are incredible.

/ Accommodation: Sport Hotel Hermitage and Spa – Andorra
/ Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

PS, one slight warning. There are a lot of tunnels in Andorra which we need to manage safely. We will be working with a local company to help us know which are safe and which are not.

Day 5, Saturday 19 July 2024

Let’s explore Andorra

We see today as being an optional ride day. Our accommodation is epic. Tourists come here from all over the world and don’t actually leave the resort – it’s that good. Cycling for 2 weeks without a rest day is tough – even for the whippets. So, our advice is to look ahead at what’s on offer over the next few days and make a wise call.

OK, le plan for those who want to ride. Not far from our hotel (nothing is too far away as Andorra is tiny) is the base of the most famous climb in Andorra. Arcalís has featured many times in the TDF and Vuelta. It’s not overly taxing. 18km at 6%. Alpe d’Huez for example climbs the same vertical metres (1000) over 13km to give you an indication. Basically – it’s flat.

This particular climb is known for its outstanding scenery. Postcard perfect valleys to start with before reaching some of the world’s best switchbacks. There’s also a touch of gravel at the top which is fine for a road bike.

But wait, there’s more. Some of Andorra’s best coffee can be found at the top. Boom.

You’ll be done and dusted in 50km. This is a very reasonable morning exercise followed up by an afternoon at the swimming pool or maybe that massage your legs have been hanging out for.

Tonight is own arrangements. Keep an eye on the App for tomorrow’s plan. It’s epic and one you don’t want to miss.

/ Accommodation: Sport Hotel Hermitage and Spa – Andorra
/ Meals Included: Breakfast (Lunch and Dinner are own arrangements)

Day 6, Sunday 14 July 2024

So, you think you can climb?

Right’o… It’s our world-famous climbing day. You choose how many Cols. We’ll make it happen.

It’s about 10km from our hotel to Ordino. That’s where we’ll set up homebase. It’s basically a small town that’s surrounded by ski resorts. Perfection.

Col # 1. Els Cortals d’Encamp. Possibly Andorra’s most challenging climb but still very achievable as it’s quite short. Only (he says) 13km in length with an average of 7.3%. That’s almost identical to d’Huez and we’ve all done that before. This is another climb that’s known for its scenery. Oh, and restaurant – which is where we have arranged lunch. The perfect start to the day.

OK, this is where things get tricky. You can roll down to homebase and head back to the resort. Or you can take on the 2nd climb of the day. Let’s call it the icing on the Col (sorry).

Port de Cabús offers one of the highest climbs in the Pyrenees. The top sits at 2305m. The climb is only 6% though for 18km… Hmm. It’s also our first introduction to Spain as the top of the Col sits on the boarder. In fact – it’s a through road but the other side is gravel and not suitable to road bikes.

So, in summary. Your choices are - 1 Col with 1000VM or 2 Cols and 2200VM. I’m not going to give you the total distances as we may need to drive you through the tunnels that lead to Ordino. We’ll answer that question with a recce trip closer to the day.

We dine together tonight as there are logistics to talk through for tomorrow. Spain here we come!!

/ Accommodation: Sport Hotel Hermitage and Spa – Andorra
/ Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7, Monday 21 July 2025

Spanish Pyrenees Road Trip

We say goodbye to our luxury 5-star resort and start the road trip portion of our trip. We’ve got 3 days to get from Andorra to our French base in Argeles. That sounds easy, if it wasn’t for those pesky mountains.

Andorra hotel to French hotel is almost 300km. No doubt there will be some of you who opt in for every km. The normal folk (me included) will choose to hop in the van and only ride the important stuff, ie, the key climbs. Having 4 vans rather than a large bus means that we can be flexible and offer multiple options daily.

Day 1 of our road trip – about 100km. Our first stop is the town of Valencia de Àneu which is located within the Park Nacional d’Aigüestortes. It’s famous for many reasons. However, for me, I was interested to see that it had a local bear population (as in Yogi).

Some H&S – if you see a bear, please don’t pat it. H&S – finished. Thank you for listening.

There’s one significant climb (Mirador del Coll de So) but the total climbing isn’t too bad given the distance. Only 1821m. Please keep in mind that we have all day. There will also be plenty of support around you at all times.

One thing we like to do on road trips is to include all meals. It means that we can guarantee that you’ll be fuelled. Lunch in France and Spain can be a bit hit and miss. By organising food in advance, it means that we take away that risk.

I’m really looking forward to our first Spanish meal. My main concern is trying to convince the restaurant that we don’t want to eat at 11pm. I plan to be dribbling and snoring by then. Good night.

/ Accommodation: Hotel La Morera, Spain
/ Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8, Tuesday 22 July 2025

Thermal pools?

By now you’ll be as fit as a racing sardine. 2 more days before a compulsory rest day. Today’s stage (ride) is actually only 80km. Our destination is Bagnères-de-Luchon. Another renowned ski resort but is also famous for its thermal pools. Hmm, I wonder what we’ll do tonight!!

Getting back to the ride. We navigate the last few kms of the Spanish Pyrenees before crossing back into France. Over 80clicks you climb 1614m but descend 2070m. That means that today is pretty much – all downhill. Watch out for Martyn Masterson to feature today (Le Black Sheep).

It will be an early start as Tuesday’s traditionally a big climbing day for the TDF. (Rest days are on Monday’s and it’s like the organisers want to punish the riders for having a day off.) We want to have you at the hotel nice and early. Beer in hand while watching the concluding stages on the big screen.

We are now back on familiar turf. Ride Holidays has been coming to this part of France since 2008. There’s certainly no shortage of awesome rides.

Tomorrow could be a trip highlight so make sure you have a good meal and early night.

See you in the morning. Nite nite.

/ Accommodation: Bagnères de Luchon
/ Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 9, Wednesday 23 July 2025

Our Queen stage

The ride of your life… Push the boat out as tomorrow we are off the bikes.

Before I frighten you too much, we’ll have 3 or 4 different starting points. Keep in mind that the name of the company is Ride Holidays. Nothing is compulsory.

Where to start… Hmm. OK. Let’s start with the short wee climb up Col de Peyragudes from our hotel. You may remember this climb from the 2022 TDF. Tadej Pogacar certainly does. A short 14km at an average 6.7%. Coffee at the top. Those who want more time on the first climb can start earlier. (It pretty much starts at our hotel.)

Lunch? At the top of the next blip. Ahhh, that would be Col d’Aspin. Not quite as long as Peyragudes but not far off. That’s lunch. Picnic. Donuts and croissants. And performance enhancing drugs. All included in your tour package. Because we care….

Right’o… So, what’s after lunch?

Pretty much all downhill. Until it’s not.

We find ourselves at the town of Saint Marie de Campan. We know this place really well as it’s at the base of Tourmalet.

Wait, what? Tourmalet?

This is where we could see us split into 2 groups. There’s an easy way (not over Tourmalet) and a hard way of getting to our hotel. Let’s see what happens. If you do all 3 climbs, then the total distance is 110km. With 3500m of climbing. Again, we don’t expect all of you to do this.

Our base camp hotel for the next four nights is a small family run hotel. It isn't 5 stars; however, you will be treated like royalty and the food is amazing (it also has a great bar). We book this hotel every year because of its location. Look up and you can see the likes of Hautacam and Col du Soulor. If you’re scared of heights, then don’t look up.

/ Accommodation: Hotel Les Cimes
/ Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 10, Thursday 24 July 2025

Rest day and Le Tour de France

Most of you will have had enough of your bikes. We suggest you rest today. It’s not a compulsory day off and we will have a ride planned but it is recommended. The good news is that the TDF comes right past our hotel.

First held in 1903, the Tour de France has become one of the most popular sporting events in the world. For over a hundred years, spectators have been entranced by not only the drama and intrigue of the epic cycle race itself, but of the stunning mountain ranges, vineyards and sunflower fields that serve as its backdrop. For the competitors the Tour de France is a gruelling, relentless affair, but that's far from the case for those who choose to embark on a Tour de France experience with Ride Holidays.

Vive le Tour.

It's hard to describe the feeling one has when you see the Tour de France live for the first time. You'll quickly understand why this bike race is so important to the French - they live for it. Viva le Tour! Seeing the race is amazing however it's often the pre-race caravan that has everyone buzzing. You'll see adults diving on the road (and pushing children out of the way in the process) trying to acquire one of the sponsor's products. Sometimes you win and come away with a cycling top, sometimes you lose and find yourself with five bags of washing powder. Mind you, they may come in handy in the days to come. The atmosphere is electric.

/ Accommodation: Hotel Les Cimes
/ Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner (Lunch is own arrangements)