Tour de Lance

Route & Profiles

Day 1 – airport transfer and warm-up

We collect you from Toulouse airport and transfer you to our overnight base near Ax-les-Thermes, where you’ll have the chance to build up your bike and head out on a warm-up ride. The real mountain goats may wish to try a local climb and there are plenty to choose from, with the Col de Chioula, the Route des Corniches and the mighty Port de Pailheres all within easy range. Others will prefer to take things easier and keep their powder dry for Day 2 and the other challenges which lie ahead.

Day 2 – Plateau de Bonascre & Plateau de Beille (74km with vehicle back-up)

The twin Plateaux where Lance Armstrong enjoyed such varied fortunes. In 2003, suffering from the effects of cumulative dehydration, he was attacked by Vinokourov and Ullrich on the Bonascre. Whilst a gap temporarily opened and by his own admission Lance felt he may be in some trouble, it is a measure of the man that he conceded only 7 seconds to Ullrich (and re-caught and passed a fading Vinokourov)

Despite him once describing Plateau de Beille as ‘an infringement of my human rights’, this climb was one of Armstrong’s happiest hunting grounds, with wins here in 2002 & 2004. Widely acknowledged as one of the toughest in the Pyrenees, this makes for a testing second half to today’sride.

At the end of today’s riding, we will transfer by minibus to our home base of Bertren. 

Day 3 – Col de Portet d’Aspet (without vehicle back-up)

Surely the lowest point of Armstrong’s Tour career? In an era before compulsory helmets, his Motorola team-mate,1994 Olympic road race champion, Fabio Casartelli crashed near the foot of the steep descent of the Portet d’Aspet. Despite frantic medical efforts to save him, Casartelli died of his injuries and the following day’s stage was ridden non-competitively in tribute.

Today, two monuments mark the site of the tragedy - the compelling sculpture erected by the Tour organizers and a much humbler wall-plaque, placed  by Casartelli’s family at the actual site of the accident.

At only 4.8km in length the Portet d’Aspet may seem like a straightforward little col. But this hides an average gradient of over 9% and some leg-stinging stretches of 17%.

As an ‘out-and-back’ ride, today’s distances can be kept as low as 65km, but popular options will be to add some rolling miles on the quiet roads around Aspet or to tackle the Cat 1 Col de Mente (with 11km at 8.1%, the steepest average gradient of any col in the 2007 Tour de France).

Day 4 – La Mongie (100km with vehicle back-up)

Site of a 2002 stage win for Lance, the ski resort of La Mongie sits just 3km  below the summit of the Col du Tourmalet. The highest climb in the Pyrenees (at 2115m) this is also the ‘grandfather’ of Tour mountains, having featured over 70 times in the race.

We will approach La Mongie and the Tourmalet via the Cat 2 Col d’Aspin (1489m). After summiting the Tourmalet, we’ll head over the top and down to our overnight accommodation at Luz St Sauveur.

Day 5 – Luz Ardiden & Hautacam (82km with vehicle back-up)

A short, but steep day climbing two of the great ‘monuments’ of Lance’s career. First we take on 2003’s drama-packed ascent of Luz Ardiden. On the lower slopes, Lance crashed after tangling his handlebars in the shoulder strap of a spectator’s musette. Ullrich, graciously, ordered the lead group to wait for Armstrong to re-mount and Lance quickly re-joined. Only for ‘scare’ Number 2 – his foot slipped from the pedal and very nearly brought him down again.

Perhaps angry, certainly galvanized, Arnstrong powered away from his rivals to take the stage by 40 seconds from Ullrich and Iban Mayo.

Then, on to Hautacam – site of one of Lance’s most iconic climbs, the 2000 demolition of Marco Pantani (and everyone else). In a lead group containing all his main rivals, but trailing lone breakaway Javier Otxoa by around 7 minutes at the foot of the climb, Armstrong simply devastated the opposition with one of the best displays of climbing ever seen in the Pyrenees. He put 3’20 into Ullrich and a massive 5’10 into Pantani, coming within 42 seconds of catching Otxoa into the bargain. In 14 sensational kilometers, the yellow jersey was secured;  the Tour as good as won.

At the end of today’s ride we take a minibus transfer back to our base at Bertren.

Day 6 – Recovery ride (without vehicle support) or off-the-bike activities

Some of you will elect to take today as a full ‘rest day’ and perhaps head out to enjoy one of the many other activities available in the mountains or neighbouring towns. Others will want to keep the legs spinning (albeit more gently) and will head off on e.g. the 50km loop to Luchon to enjoy a largely flat ride, a charming 19^th-century spa town and a relaxed lunch.

Day 7 – Pla d’Adet (85km part-day vehicle support)

Location of another stage win, this time on Stage 13 in 2001, today’s ride will be equally popular with George Hincapie fans who’d like to ride to the site of his 2005 stage win on the same climb.

We transfer you by minibus to within 10km of the foot of the climb (at St Lary), but the climb itself and the return journey are unsupported.

Pla d’Adet provides a fitting climax to our week as it kicks up early on, confronting riders with several kilometres at over 10% and some ‘killer’ sections of 15%. The summit views are amongst the best in the Pyrenees and the descent is fast, but technical. From St Lary, there are two routes home – the flat option or the hilly option (the latter taking in the stinging ascent of the Col d’Azet / Val Louron).

Day 8 – transfer back to Toulouse airport