Day 1, Tuesday 15 July

Welcome to France

TDF2 is special. There are a lot of repeat TDF2’ers on this trip from previous French Alps adventures. We’ve found the perfect balance. Exploring new roads while at the same time not ignoring the traditional climbs like Tourmalet, Hautacam and Aubisque.   

You'll feel the excitement as soon as you hop off the plane. France is the number one tourist country on the planet and for good reason.

Amazing scenery. Unbelievable food. The best cycling roads on the globe. Oh – and the world's greatest bike race which we’ll see in a couple of days’ time.

Feel free to arrive at any time throughout the day, our hotel is located right at the airport. (Literally, it’s 100m walk)  

This afternoon we’ll put together as many of the bikes as possible. The hire bikes will be in the Pyrenees waiting for us when we get there tomorrow.

Tonight, we raise a glass of champagne prior to our first dinner together. All those training miles are about to pay off. Bring on the next 2 weeks. It will be epic.

Welcome. It’s great to have you here.

/ Accommodation: NH Toulouse Airport
/ Meals Included: Welcome Dinner

Ps, we recommend you arrive 1 day early if travelling all the way from NZ. This advice is particularly important if you are bringing your own bike. (gives us a chance to fix any damage) Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France. The old square is particularly beautiful. Well worth the extra time. We will book any extra accommodation you need. (that way you don’t have to move rooms)    

Day 2, Wednesday 16 July

The Magnificent Pyrenees

Day 3, Thursday 17 July

The Magnificent Hautacam – TDF Mountain stage

It's hard to describe the feeling one has when you see the Tour de France live for the first time. Today’s stage finishes at the top of Hautacam and you’ll be there to see all the action. Our official support van will be able to take Team Mac past the road closures. Quite a treat as the road will have been closed to normal traffic for the past 48 hours.

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 weeks to come. The atmosphere is electric.

The start of the climb is in Argeles Gazost (where TDF1 are staying) which is at the end of the 20km bike path. The actual climb is only 16km. (Yes, that’s a puppy dog). It’s the inconsistency that makes it hard. On average you’re talking 7.4% however sections of it are flat as you cycle through gorgeous villages. So, if some sections are flat and the average is 7.4% then that means that other sections must be… ahhh. Not flat!!

For those new to the TDF – we’ll ride to the top in the morning and on the way down, find a shaded place to spend the rest of the day. The caravan comes through at about 2pm with the actual race finishing at about 5pm.  It’s a long day but it offers non-stop action. You’ll remember it for the rest of your life.   

/ Accommodation: Hotel Alba
/ Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner (Lunch is own arrangements)

Ps, Team Mac… Early this morning we’ve booked tickets on the one and only - Pic du Midi de Bigorre from La Mongie (altitude 2,877m). It’s a must do. There's a café at the summit, as well as an interesting observatory, visitor centre and museum. It's then only a short drive back to Hautacam where you’ll catch up with everyone else on side of the hill.

Day 4, Friday 18 July

The Mighty Aubisque

The secret to a good TDF cycling holiday is ironically – not to see too much of the Tour de France. 3 stages in a row could be seen as too much. Today’s stage is a time trial which tends to be for those with an acquired taste. So, today we’ll offer you the choice. Either see the TDF or concentrate on one of our favourite rides.

As guides we are often asked which is the best ride in France. There are many to choose from. For me, Col d'Aubisque is the most beautiful.

After breakfast we ride back up to Argeles. It’s then 20km up (yes – up) to Col du Soulor. It's not a challenging climb as it's broken up with typically beautiful French villages. It's then another 10km over to Col d'Aubisque. That 10km will make your eyes water – it’s that good!! 

The great thing about today is that there are plenty of options for every ability. Cappuccinos may decide to get a lift up Soulor and then roll over to Aubisque. Expresso riders may decide to roll down the other side of Aubisque and then climb back up. Totally up to you.

Team Mac - as mentioned -the road between Soulor and Aubisque is the most scenic 10km in the whole of France. (In our humble opinion). We strongly encourage that you walk it. We'll get you up there nice and early.

Waiting for us at the top of Aubisque is Alex, a good friend of RH and he owns the café. Would be a great place to have lunch. The views from the deck aren't too shabby. We are also joined by the TDF1 group today as well. It will be a sea of Pink and Blue.

After lunch – a 30km downhill (and then the 20km on the bike path) to our hotel. We'll have you firmly planted in our hotel bar, beer in hand by the time today’s stage draws to a close. It’s short but horrendous. It could literally be the decider of the 2025 yellow jersey.

Tonight, after dinner we advise you check out the evening candle lit procession. Even for those who aren't religiously minded the procession is a must as thousands and thousands of pilgrim's flock to Lourdes daily, making Lourdes 2nd only to Paris for hotel rooms in France.

/ Accommodation: Hotel Alba
/ Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch (Dinner is own arrangements)

Ps, for those who want to see the TT – we’ll make it happen. But, with that comes a sacrifice. Today is really your only opportunity to ride Col du Soulor and Aubisque. Totally up to you.  

Day 5, Saturday 19 July

Col du Tourmalet – Tour de France

For anyone who follows cycling - if you say the words - Col de Tourmalet, then you know it's going to be a special day. It is one of the most famous climbs in France with its highest point being 2128m. We will have plenty of options so please don't be worried.

Cappuccino riders - the shortest ride to the top of Tourmalet from our hotel is back up the bike path to Argeles. From there it’s a flatish 10km to the base of the climb and then 20km to the top. We will show you our home base café on the way up. There's no pressure. Find a spot to watch the race come through. You can simply turn around when you've had enough.

Latte and espresso riders - We will be encouraging you to do the 102km loop. Departing Argelès Gazost we ride towards Lourdes and on to St Marie de Campan where we'll regroup for coffee. From the café, the road heads into the sky for 17.5km. Some riders will take just over an hour, some will take up to three.

Tourmalet is the first climb of 4 on today’s stage. They could go over the top as early as 1pm. So, after the race comes through, we’ll shoot back down the hill and watch the final action in front of the big screen.  

Team Mac – today can be a bit messy with almost ¼ million TDF spectators. Even with our V.I.P vehicle – there could be restrictions. Our goal is to get you to the top of Tourmalet prior to our cyclists arriving. We’ll also have a good walk factored in.

/ Accommodation: Hotel Alba
/ Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner (Lunch own arrangements)

Ps, Team Mac… we will ask you in advance but there is also the option of staying in Lourdes and joining Marie. She’s a local guide we’ve used for the last couple of years. Marie knows all the best local food markets and then you sit down to a really nice gastro lunch. Showcasing the local produce.

Day 6, Sunday 20 July

Let the Roadie start….

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to pick that today could be lumpy. We start in Lourdes and cycle deep into the Pyrenees. Hotel to hotel for the majority. Our destination is Loudenvielle which is where the TT started on stage 13. We are actually staying at the same hotel where a lot of the teams were based.

In order to get to our hotel, we have to ride over a little wee blip. What’s a blip? Hmm, OK, it’s actually Col d’Aspin. Total ride distance from hotel to hotel is only 75km. But in the very small fine print – 1700VM. Lunch is at our favourite café in Sainte-Marie de Campan which is based at the junction where Aspin meets Tourmalet.

Speaking of Tourmalet – let’s call this the Tony Sinclair option. Or maybe the double blip option… For those like Tony who enjoy a challenge, we have nothing against you riding Tourmalet to get to Aspin. You’d be climbing Tourmalet in the opposite direction to a couple of days ago so it would almost seem like a new climb. (Almost!!) Your ride would top out at 109km hotel to hotel and 2900m of climbing. Not for everyone but hey – it would be a great day.

Team Mac – your walking guide Chris has 7km of pure Pyrenees lined up for you. From the top of Aspin (the same Col the cyclists are riding over) there’s a 7km walk. Which takes you to the summit of Plo del Naou. It’s about 2.5hrs (return) and we’ll time things around when we think the cyclists will arrive. That way we should all arrive at the hotel at a similar time. Being Team Mac though – you have priority at the Spa. There’s a sauna, jacuzzi, heated swimming pool and various other treatments to choose from.

Cyclists - we’ve had 5 reasonably large days in a row now. Tomorrow is designed as a bit of a soft day. Let’s chat about this over dinner.

/ Accommodation: Mercure Peyragudes Loudenvielle Pyrenees  
/ Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner (Lunch own arrangements)

Ps, it’s a flat stage today. A sprinters paradise. RH is adopting Wout van Aert as our favourite rider for 2025. He had a lot of bad luck in 2024. Go Wout, Go!!   

Day 7, Monday 21 July

Fishing? 

Man, that went fast. We’re already halfway through the trip. Today has been designed as an active rest day. It’s important to recover. Even us guides get sore bottoms.

So, your choices are..

1, catch up with emails. Do some laundry. Drink coffee and eat donuts. (beignets in France speak)

2, There’s a gentle ride out to Pont du Prat which is close to the Spanish boarder. Turn around when you get to the end of the road. (It doesn’t go any further) It’s only 8km in each direction and a very gentle 270m of climbing. Yes – this counts as active recovery.  

3, Chris has plans for a Team Mac walk up to Gorges of Clarabide. Which departs from Pont du Prat. It really isn’t a bad idea today to ditch the bike shoes and join Team Mac. We’ll book massages from about 3pm onwards so you’ll be back in time for that.

Yes – options 2 and 3 can be combined… One of the guides will look after your bikes while you walk.

4, Fishing. Not kidding. The Louron valley is one of France’s premier fishing spots. Both river and lake. How about we see who’s keen closer to the time and hire a local guide.

Anyway, whatever you choose. Today is all about recharging those batteries. Tomorrow is quite a big day as we tackle more than one Col. We also want to be early into our next hotel as the TDF are finishing on Mont Ventoux. It’s important we have you in front of a screen with a beer or wine while watching the concluding stages. My money is on Tom Pidcock. He’s won on Alpe d’Huez. Only Ventoux could triumph that!!

After dinner we suggest going for a walk. This part of the Pyrenees is known as a Dark-Sky reserve. It’s quite a small town so doesn’t take much time to get away from the artificial light.

/ Accommodation: Mercure Peyragudes Loudenvielle Pyrenees 
/ Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner (Lunch is own arrangements)

Ps, this is your holiday. If there’s ever anything outside of the program that you want to do then please do ask. 

Day 8, Tuesday 22 July

Hotel to hotel cycling at it’s very best!!   

Epic day on the cards. Can’t wait for this one.

Team Mac – we need you to have a similar agenda to the cyclists today although we will drive you up the road early to check out the local market day in Bagneres. Chris will also factor in a good walk.    

Cyclists - we roll out of the hotel and pretty much roll up the first hill. Silas will tell you that it’s a false flat as it’s well under 10%. From Loudenvielle, the top of Col de Peyresourde is really only a small blip. 7km and 727m of vert. Hang on a minute – that’s more than 10% isn’t it?

Hmmm, let’s move on.

From the top of Peyresourde (where the views are 2^nd only to Aubisque) we descend towards the Spanish boarder. (On that note – keep your passport handy)

Let’s stop for coffee in Bagneres-de-Luchon which is about 5km short of Espana. This is where we catch up with Team Mac.

Hmm, full disclosure – the boarder sits at the top of Col du Portillon, which is your 2^nd blip for the day. It’s pretty gentle though. 10.1km at 6.5%. We’ll target the French / Spanish boarder for our picnic spot. Paul is in charge and does a mean picnic…

OK, what’s next?

Well, we are now in the Catalan Pyrenees. Surely the Spanish know how to build flat roads?

Nope… After a short sharp descent, we find ourselves climbing again. It’s not as steep as France but it is quite long. 31kms to be precise. Most of the climb sits at about 3% but there are pockets of 6 to 7%. Our high point being Port de la Bonaigau which is home to the ski area of Baqueira-Beret. It’s the highest road pass in Catalonia and is one of the most celebrated cycling climbs in the country. It has been used in both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. Yes – it’s Hors category.   

Total ride distance (hotel to hotel) is about 90km although we can easily shorten this to 70. If you do all 3 climbs, then you’re looking at 2800m. Keep in mind that there isn’t any pressure to keep up with the Jones. We’ll have plenty of vehicles in and around you. All you have to do is tap your helmet when you see one of our drivers. It is a holiday after all.

4pm. Tick tock. That’s when we expect the first riders at the bottom of the mythical Mont Ventoux. Let’s make sure we’re in front of a screen by then. Watch out for those in Pink and Blue. We’ll have a couple of groups on the Giant of Provence today.

/ Accommodation: Hotel Vielha Val D’Arán
/ Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Ps, another hotel, another spa. This particular spa looks amazing but there is a charge. It’s only 5 euros per person per hour so well worth bringing the speedos for.

Day 9, Wednesday 23 July

Exploring the Aran Valley…    

Back in the olden days, we tolerated one-night stays. Now that we are older, wiser – we try to avoid them at all costs. We think this part of Spain is worth more than just 1 night.

Val d’Aran is a magnificent mountainous valley that stretches 40 kilometres and encompasses 33 historic medieval villages. The entire Aran Valley only has 9000 people. Make that 9035 for the nights of 22 and 23 July. It’s home to Spain’s highest glacier (Maldeto on Aneto at 3404meters) and Baqueira Beret ski resort. We’re staying close to the gondolas and 2 remain open over the summer months.

Just being honest here – yesterday was an epic epic ride. The next 3 days cycling in Andorra will be just as awesome. Today should be looked at as a good day to explore the Spanish Pyrenees but it may not be by bike. The reason for this is that the Aran Valley is really remote. The road to the south is to be avoided as it includes a 5000m tunnel which was at one time the longest tunnel in the world.

Yes, there will be a ride on offer, but it will more than likely be backtracking on yesterday’s road. A better use of your day would be to consider joining Chris and the walkers on a 10km stroll which takes you far away from the paved road of the N-230. In fact, their day involves a gondola ride and a mountain restaurant for lunch. Hmm, that sounds like fun.

The other option for those who have experience is to join Paul on an MTB tour. We’ll be targeting grade 3 tracks so nothing too extreme.

Basically – you should look at today as a stay in Queenstown. There are hundreds of things to do, and we’ll certainly make the most of it. Highly recommended is the Val d'Aran Wildlife Park. You can see wolves, marmots, large deer, ibexes, bears, lynxes, otters and vultures in their natural habitat.

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

Because we have 4 vehicles we can offer a variety of options today. Let’s catch up over dinner and see how everyone’s day went.

/ Accommodation: Hotel Vielha Val D’Arán
/ Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner (Lunch is own arrangements)  

Day 10, Thursday 24 July

Port del Canto…   

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. We’ve been getting advice from Ella Wyllie on this portion of the trip as she lives in Andorra. For some reason, she won’t have all 30 of us for around for dinner but if she’s in the country – she’ll join us for a ride or 2.

OK, Hmm… You know how yesterday was a quiet day!! Today is anything but quiet.  

Shall we break this down gradually.

The first 10km is a gentle warm up. Ok, let’s not tell porkies. It’s a 10km climb to start the day with about 600VM. And now for the good news.

The next 50km is all downhill. I kid you not. 50km of pure descent.

OK, what’s next?

Well, ahh, a 20km climb. Ok, what’s the vertical on that one? Almost 1300m. Struth, is there any good news?  

Yes, the next 30km is again all downhill. Followed by a very gentle 25km up a valley that’s almost flat and no doubt the wind will be behind us at that stage.    

Hotel to hotel is 130km and is our longest day of the trip. Please be assured that we will have cappo and latte options. We would encourage as many of you as possible to ride Port del Canto. It’s our most spectacular climb of the day and has also been a TDF and Vuelta climb. Steven Kruijswijk has the current KOM at 41min 33 secs. QOM being Luise Valentin at just over 54mins. My money is on Sherie Masterson to beat 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?)

/ Accommodation: Suites Plaza Hotel, Andorra
/ Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Ps, massive day on the TDF today with a finish on Col de la Loze. We will have this firmly in front of mind when looking at our time schedules. If Pogi is going to crack then this is the hill to do that.