Monday June, 25th – Saturday July 7th, 2012

13 days / 12 nights

Location: French Pyrenees

Starting point: Toulouse, France

Farewell point: Toulouse, France

Cost per guest: $4400.00

Cycling level: Advanced

For the third year Cyclesport Travel is offering you a cycling vacation that you will be talking about for years. Our goal is to provide you the experience of riding the historic climbs that have witnessed epic battles while you enjoy the unsurpassed beauty of the French Pyrenees. Starting in the Ariege region,we’re surrounded  by breathtaking vistas and historic sites including 14,000 year old cave paintings, Dolmens, as well as castle ruins. You will enjoy the hospitality and the regional cuisine of the Table d’Arconac–a dining experience not to be missed. 

The second week takes you to the picturesque valley town of Arreau. In Arreau, you’ll stay in the 300 year old Hotel d’Angleterre, and enjoy its fine cuisine and outstanding wine cellar. This location gives us direct access to the Peyresourde, the Col d’Aspin, the Tourmalet, as well as our previously “secret” climb, the Hourquette d’Ancizan that the Tour discovered and used for the 2011 route.

Cyclesport Travel provides riders unsurpassed support and mentoring. We meticulously plan routes, support rides with on-bike and in-car guides, work individually with riders to improve their climbing and descending skills, and ensure that bikes are mechanically fine-tuned for each ride. We do all this in addition to providing all logistical support including food, lodging and transport so that you can focus on riding, eating, sleeping and enjoying some of the most beautiful cycling in the world.

During the first week we stay in the heart of the Ariege region in the beautiful, historic village of Vicdessos. From this valley we pedal classic cycling routes of the region such as the Plateau de Beille, Port de Lers, Col d’Agnes, Col de Port, and the valley of Aulus les Bains. What makes this location so fantastic is that there are four awe-inspiring climbs on the surrounding three mountains forming this valley. We will also pre-ride parts of the Ariegeoise Cyclosportive, hike scenic trails, and visit historical sites including prehistoric cave paintings and Cathar castles.

This trip offers you participation in the Ariegeoise Cyclosportive (Granfondo) one of the six UCI Golden Bike events worldwide. This well-organized event with over 4000 participants choosing among 3 distances features controlled traffic, cheering fans, food stops. This is a timed event in which you are always in the company of other riders.  

You may have done other rides, events, and tours, but we are confident that the stunning Pyrenean landscape, the challenging rides, Cyclesport Travel’s unparalleled planning and attention to detail, combined with your love of cycling, will make this experience rank as the best in your lifetime!

Cyclesport Travel Brings you the Tour de France

We are going to offer a Tour de France trip for 2012. With the race going right through Vicdessos again next year, and with the race starting a week earlier. It’s  just something we couldn’t pass up.
You will get to experience the Tour the in a really special way. The race will come to you as you reside in a small village tucked into the Pyrenees mountains. 

• Start date Monday July 9th, Toulouse Blagnac Airport
• Location Vicdessos, France
• Return home Tuesday July 17th
• Price $4200.00
• Total number of guests: 6

1.              We will stay in our mountain cabins.

2.              Enjoy the dining hospitality of the best local restaurant.

3.              Daily rides leaving from the cabins.

4.              Sunday, July 15th a picnic on the Tour route atop Port de Lers. (Link to stage here.)

5.              Watch as the pros ride inches from you up Port de Lers on their way to the finish in Foix.

Cyclesport  Travel will also brings you the Pyrenees Playground Trip,  June 25 -July 7th.  This is  an adventure featuring an opportunity to ride the Ariegeoise Cyclosportive, (finishing on  the Plateau De Beille this year) .  The first portion of the trip is based in Vicdessos and then we move to Arreau to attack  the Tourmalet, Aspin, Ancizan etc.  

Cyclesport Travel’s Pyrenees Playground trip is an event centered two week vacation for cyclists who want to enjoy the unsurpassed beauty of the French Pyrenees while pedaling classic routes of the Tour de France. This trip offers you participation in the Ariegeoise Cyclosportive (Granfondo) one of the six UCI Golden Bike events worldwide, and daily rides in two famous cycling regions of the French Pyrenees. You will ride legendary mountain passes of the Tour de France including the Tourmalet, Pleateau de Beille, Port de Lers, the Peyresourde, the Col d’Aspin, Col d’Agnes, Ax-3-Domaines, and more.

Cyclesport Travel provides riders unsurpassed support and mentoring. We meticulously plan routes, support rides with on-bike and in-car guides, work individually with riders to improve their climbing and descending skills, and ensure that bikes are mechanically fine tuned for each ride. We do all this in addition to providing all logistical support including food, lodging and transport so that you can focus on riding, eating, sleeping and enjoying some of the most beautiful riding in the world.

During the first week we stay in the heart of the Ariege region in the beautiful, historic village of Vicdessos. From this valley we pedal classic routes of the region such as the Plateau de Beille, Port de Lers, Col d’Agnes, Col de Port, and Aulus les Bains.  We will also preride parts of the Ariegeoise Cyclosportive, hike scenic trails, and visit historical sites including prehistoric cave paintings and Cathar castles.

The second week begins with mini “Raid Pyrenees” where we will ride a good part of the way from Vicdessos to the picturesque valley town of Arreau. This route will include the Col de Portet d’Aspet, the Col de Mente, and the Peyresourde. In Arreau, you’ll stay in the 300 year old Hotel de l’Angleterre, enjoy its fine cuisine and have direct access to the Peyresourde, the Col d’Aspin, the Tourmalet, as well as our “secret” climb that the Tour has discovered and will be on the 2011 route—the Col d’Ancizan.

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“I loved this trip so much I just can’t stop talking about it

Incredible!!– just  the right mix of classic, historical climbs like the Tourmalet, and these great ‘secret” outrageously beautiful climbs like the trip to the reservoir on the first day, or the Hourquette d’Ancizan–the riding ended up being more fun and more beautiful than I imagined!

The guides did a great job of keeping the group together and making it such that nobody got lost but everybody rode at a rate comfortable for them.

The closest an old schmo like me will ever get to a Tour de France experience!—swooping through the villages with the locals cheering you on, zipping through the traffic circles, epic climbs, riders from all over the world–it was great!”
Tom (read Tom’s report)

“I would have to say that it was one of the best trips I have ever done.  You guys did an excellent job it was very comfortable and the riding was superb!”

John

“Just wanted to say thanks for a great time in France.  The mountains were awesome, the food was great and the biking was beyond compare, but by far the best thing about this trip was all of the new friendships I made. You guys made the trip truly memorable.”
Jim

Cyclesport Travel LLC is a new venture formed by veteran cyclists Mark Plane, Dave Supple, Scott Wente and Colin O’Brien providing cycling trips with a focus on Cyclosportive and Gran Fondo events.  As cyclists with thousands of Midwestern miles we have found great pleasure experiencing the European cycling world. We want to share this joy of riding the roads and climbs that you may have only seen on television during the Tour de France.

The Ariegeoise, Pyrenees Playgound trip (June 21st to July 1st) guide you through the classic climbs but will also allow you to experience a race day like atmosphere as you participate in the June 26th Ariegeoise Cyclosportive event. The Ariegeoise Cyclosportive is a 165km or 105km adventure and this year finishes at the top of the legendary over category Plateau de Beille.

The second phase of the trip takes us to Arreau to access the Peyresourde, Col d’Aspin and the Tourmalet. This is the 100 year anniversary of  the Tourmalet climb in the TDF, which the Tour riders will climb twice just a few weeks after your visit.

The legendary sites of cycling history are on our routes every day: the very spot Christophe broke his fork in 1913, the curve that Jan Ullrich could not negotiate, the climb that Rasmussen and Contador attacked each other on so viciously, the road where Voeckler lost his yellow jersey, the fountain where thousands of Tour riders have filled their bidons.

For more info contact Scott: scott@cyclesporttravel.com (608) 352-0245