Cycling in the Pyrenees with Allant Holidays: l'Etape du Tour 2010 training and coaching

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Allant Ride the Tour (ART) 2011

A true cycling-fest...

...to ride the three Pyrenean stages of the 2011 Tour de France. Our five-night package involves cycling the Cugnaux to Luz Ardiden, Pau to Lourdes and Saint Gaudens to Plateau de Beille Tour stages – that’s 533km of cycling over the 11 Pyrenean mountains of Hourquette d’Ancizan, Col du Tourmalet, Luz Ardiden, Col d’Aubisque, Col du Soulor, Col de Portet d’Aspet, Col de la Core, Col de Latrape, Col d’Agnes, Port de Lers and the Plateau de Beille!!!!

ART 2011 package

Day one: Arrive at Allant Holidays’ base in Galan, a small village in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Steve Hall, a British Cycling-qualified coach will be there to meet you, brief you on your stay and, of course, help put your bike together. There should be time for a short local cycle on this first day. Before dinner, Steve will talk through each of the three stages ahead of you.

Day two: Cugnaux to Luz Ardiden (stage 12 of the 2011 Tour) This is huge day, with 209km to cover (4912m of ascending and 3376m of descending), taking in three massive climbs: the beautiful Hourquette d'Ancizan, which is in the Tour for the first time, the epic Col du Tourmalet and finishing on top of the ski station of Luz Ardiden. You will be transferred to the start, at Cugnaux, and collected at the end of the ride at Luz St Sauveur, after descending Luz Ardiden.

Day three: Pau to Lourdes (stage 13) You will be dropped off in Pau today to start this 156km stage (3168m of climbing and 2971m of descents), which includes the two cols of the Aubisque and the Soulor. You will be collected from Lourdes.

Day four: Saint Gaudens to Plateau de Beille (stage 14) This is a massive stage - it may only be 168km in length but has an incredible six climbs of over 5000m in total! This will certainly be a challenge to all levels of cyclist (including the pros in July). According to Tour history, the man in yellow when a stage finishes on the Plateau de Beille will still be in yellow on the Champs Elysee, so you will have a true sense of achievement when you reach the top of this massive climb. Today also includes the Col du Portet d'Aspet (infamously the place of Fabio Casartelli's tragic death while descending during the 1995 Tour). You will be met at the end of the day after descending from the Plateau at Aston.

Day five: rest day (the rest day can also be moved to fit in before the Saint Gaudens stage if legs are feeling fatigued).

Day six: depart Allant holidays.

This is a real challenge for any cyclist. We’re initially organising three opportunities to take part in the ART 2011 but please contact us to check availability for other dates:

27^th May - 1^st June;

27^th June - 2^nd July; (fully booked)

12^th - 17^th September.

The package includes 5 nights’ accommodation, all meals (breakfasts, lunches and dinners), drop off and collection from the start and finish of each stage. Steve (a qualified British Cycling coach) will ride with you along the way. The stages will be completed over three days with a rest day on the third or fourth day of your stay. Transfers to and from Allant holidays at the beginning and end of the package are not included. Extra days can be added before or after the package. The cost is 425€ per person (based on two people sharing a room).

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