L'Étape du Tour

French Cycling Holidays is proud to be official agents for the world's premier cyclosportive, the Etape du Tour, organised by ASO, the organisers of the Tour de France.

This year once again, there will be two Etapes, the first taking place in the Alps and the second in the heart of the Pyrenees.

Acte I, taking place on Sunday 8th July, will start in Albertville before heading up the Cols Madeleine and Croix de Fer, not forgetting the steep kick of the Col du Mollard before dropping to St Jean de Maurienne, then climbing back up from the valley floor to the ski resort of La Toussuire. This is no easy option, and climbing approximately 4500m over 140km will be a superb day’s riding.

Acte II, the following weekend on Saturday 14th July, heads down into the Pyrenees. This looks set to be a ride of epic proportions, covering 197km of true Pyreneen legends. It will start with the Cols d’Aubisque and Soulor, before tackling the mighty Col du Tourmalet in the middle, followed by (as if that were not enough) the Aspin AND the Peyresourde, before dropping to Bagnères de Luchon. Total climbing is around 5200m, which combined with the distance of nearly 200km, makes this cyclosportive one of the biggest and toughest ever devised.