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Home > Articles and tour tips > France > La Belle France: Pick The Perfect Region For Your Cycling Tour

La Belle France: Pick The Perfect Region For Your Cycling Tour

If you’ve decided that cycling around the French countryside is the ideal getaway for you, you’ve come to the right place! With our comprehensive selection of bicycle tours, you’re sure to find a trip that works for you. In fact, you might find many great fits — which can make for a difficult choice! We’d like to help you narrow down your selection by offering insight into each region of France where we operate tours.

Visitors to  Provence can’t help but be charmed by the gorgeous, straight-from-a-painting vistas. Even better, rides of about 20 miles a day bring you to  new and exciting places  — the Luberon, Alpilles, Camargue , and Côtes du Rhône each have their own personality. From day to day, depending on the tour you choose, you might encounter Roman ruins, golden-hued medieval alleyways, olive groves, lavender fields, Mont Ventoux , or the Mediterranean . Best of all, you can enhance your cultural experience in Provence with a cooking class, wine tasting, and/or visits to farms, pottery workshops, and a lavender distillery — depending on the tour you choose. Our most comprehensive tours of the region are the  Luberon, Alpilles, and Côtes du Rhône (for leisure riders) and the  Cycling Tour of Provence (for avid riders).

Pros:  Very easy to access by air or rail, varied landscapes, easy to bike during peak tourist season, excellent wine and cuisine

Cons:  None, really; this is our most popular regional destination, after all!

Inhabited since prehistoric times — as evidenced by paintings found in the Lascaux Caves — today, the  Dordogne is surprisingly off the beaten tourist path. That’s to your benefit, because hotels there offer better value for your money, and quiet roads make for incredibly serene cycling. There’s also plenty to do when you’re not on the road, from exploring historic sites to hiking and canoeing, which we can arrange for you. Our most comprehensive tours of the region are  Jewels and Treasures (for leisurely riders) and  Perigord and Quercy for Avid Riders.

Pros:  Great value, outstanding scenery, great for outdoor activities, amazing food, historic hotel options

Cons:  Train travel from Paris takes over 4.5 hours — it’s quicker to access this region from Bordeaux or Toulouse.

The French Alps

Pros:  No mountain climbs on our leisurely tours, stunning mountain and lake scenery, easy to access from Geneva

Cons:  We might be biased when we say there are none… unless you hate  cheese  and chocolate

The Loire Valley

The Loire Valley , the “Garden of France,” is home to some of the world’s most opulent castles , or  châteaux,  in French. In our opinion, cycling through the lush countryside is the best way to jaunt from castle to castle. Thanks to the flat landscape and  La Loire à Vélo  bike route, the Loire is an ideal destination for beginner cyclists and families traveling with young kids . You don’t even have to spend all your time visiting castles —  there’s plenty to do, like canoeing, which we can arrange for you. Our most comprehensive tour of the region is  Blois to Angers: Fairytale Castles Along the Loire River .

Pros:  Flat landscapes and quiet roads, lots of charming castles to visit, outdoor activities

Cons:  If castles aren’t of interest to you, you might find your tourism options limited

Normandy is a paradise for history buffs. From the Viking conquerors to valiant World War II heroes, this extraordinary region is filled with intriguing tales you’ll never forget. Aside from important historic sites, you’ll find coastal scenes straight from a  Monet painting  and medieval half-timbered villages seemingly pulled from the pages of story books. If you want to add to your experience, we can arrange your visit to  Mont-Saint-Michel , as well as visits to local cider and calvados producers. Our most comprehensive tours here are Normandy Landmarks , which links Bayeux to Mont-Saint-Michel , and  Normandy Discovery from Rouen to Honfleur . Both are leisurely tours, but optional rides make them appealing to avid riders, too.

Pros:  Easily accessible, lots of activities and significant historic sites, unique apple and cream-based cuisine, diverse landscapes

Cons:  This region experiences more rain (but it never lasts long, and the clouds add to the drama!)

An extensive network of 4,000 km of traffic-free bikeways makes  Alsace the most bike-friendly region of France. It’s great for beginners or leisurely riders seeking a serene retreat to some of France’s most extraordinarily beautiful villages. Outside of Strasbourg , you won’t find many museums , but you will encounter remnants of the region’s tumultuous past. You can also enjoy crisp  wines  and delicious food along with your quiet route. In this region, we highly recommend our  Classic Alsace tour for leisurely riders, and Alsace Intense for a shorter leisurely ride. 

Pros:  Easily accessible, the most extensive bike network in France, outstanding historic charm, lesser-known but delicious types of wine

Cons:  Fewer museums and true tourist sites can make it seem like there’s little variance in the day-to-day

If you’re passionate about French wine and cuisine ,  Burgundy should be at the top of your list. Biking through the countryside, you’ll marvel at ancient churches and ruins, beautiful villages, and rows upon rows of fruiting vines. To say pastoral Burgundy is charming is an understatement. Its prominent cities, Dijon and Beaune , are sure to wow you, too, especially if you stop in to visit one of  Dijon’s famous mustard producers . Our most comprehensive tours are  Essential Burgundy  for leisure riders and  Cycling from Dijon to Macon   for more avid riders (with optional longer rides available).

Pros:  Easily accessible from Paris, excellent food and drink, lots of historic sites

Cons:  Waking up in the morning after drinking lots of wine can be difficult…

Mont Saint Michel boarders both Brittany and Normandy, photo of Cyclomundo riders taken by David Darrault.

Every quiet country road in Brittany   seems to lead to an interesting museum, fairytale castle, and/or a postcard-worthy view, like Mont-Saint-Michel , Saint-Malo , and Pointe-du-Grouin , to name a few! If that’s not enough to thrill you, consider the food: fresh seafood caught off the coast, fresh vegetables from the farms, traditional Breton crêpes , and other heavenly baked goods. You’re certain to return home from Brittany in a more zen-like state. We highly recommend our  Authentic Brittany tour for first-time travelers. (Our Normandy tours that include  Mont-Saint-Michel  are pefect for avid riders and technically cross into Brittany , too!)

Pros:  Jaw-dropping views, intriguing Breton culture, and incomparable seafood

Cons:  Like Normandy, this coastal region experiences a sometimes-unpredictable mix of weather

Saint-Emilian panorama taken by Chensiyuan.

The beautiful cultural capital of  Bordeaux is an excellent starting point for journeys into one of France’s  most beloved wine-producing regions . You’ll get an authentic look at France, from ancient vines and historic sites to modern industrial centers. If you’re traveling with your family, you’ll appreciate the flat terrain and safe bikeways, like those you’ll find in Cycling Bordeaux’s Medoc . If you’re interested in cycling in the Dordogne, Bordeaux is the perfect entry point. Our Follow the Dordogne to Bordeaux tour even joins the two regions!

Pros:  Easy cycling, sample France’s most famous wines, soak up the culture of southwestern France, gain easy access to the Dordogne

Cons:  Outside of Bordeaux and Toulouse, you may feel a bit isolated as you’re more likely to encounter endless vineyards than other people!

Ile-de-France

Ile-de-France is home to France’s most popular tourist destination: Paris! This region is perfect for when you're craving a short escape from the city but don't want to stray too far. Our metropolitan tour will allow you to cycle through France’s star city and its lesser known surroundings...without the hustle and bustle! Our  Royal Parisian Escape  tour starts just kilometers from Paris in Fontainebleau and will take you through scenic forests and historic chateaux before ending in the most famous castle of them all… Versailles! Just a quick train ride away from Paris, this region is perfect for tourists and locals alike.

Pros: You don’t have far to go from France’s biggest gateway (Paris) and its airports

Cons: Versailles is a popular destination- be aware of the summer lines and think about the best times during the day to visit!

All right, so the truth is that many beloved sights from our Provence tours ( Avignon, Arles, the Pont du Gard ) are technically in Languedoc ! (They’re close to the border with Provence.) Beyond the border with Provence , visitors to Languedoc will find a region teeming with wine-making activity. Most of the wine is produced in villages where time seems to have stopped — in the 1950’s, that is, although the villages themselves date back centuries. Life is quiet and community-based, so cycling along the  Canal du Midi: From Montpellier to Carcassonne allows you to make happy, unexpected  discoveries .

Pros:  Varied terrain and gorgeous landscapes to keep things interesting, great wine, lots of history, calm-paced local lifestyle

Cons:  The coast is not as glamorous as the French Riviera (which is why our tours are mostly inland or on the   inland saltwater lagoons, called  etangs

As with our French Alps tours, you may be wondering how we could run a leisurely tour in the Pyrenees . So that our travelers could cultivate an appreciation for France’s unique Basque culture — and for the gorgeous scenery of the Pyrenees foothills and the southern Atlantic coast — we added a leisure rider’s adventure in Rural and Coastal Basque Country: From Biarritz . If you enjoy hip art colonies, Michelin-rated restaurants, or even religious pilgrimage sites, the Pyrenees region will capture your heart.

Pros:  Enjoy the best of both French and Spanish food, really unique landmarks like the  Cirque du Gavarnie  and a witchcraft museum, and varied terrain for different levels of riding

Cons:  The Basque French dialect might be a bit more difficult for non-native French speakers to comprehend

Rising out from the sea over 100 miles (160 km) from Provence and the Cote d’Azur, it’s easy to forget that  Corsica is part of France. Certainly, its Mediterranean and island culture differentiate it from the rest of the country—and also make it an  amazing place to spend a holiday ! For a small island, Corsica boasts an incredible and varied landscape: rocky cliffs that curve around pristine beaches and bays; towering mountains and lush green forests; and a selection of scenic passes and routes that allow you to enjoy it all on a bike. Try our weeklong tour “ Along the West Coast: Bastia to Ajaccio ” for an authentic experience of the natural beauty, intriguing history, and warm culture that Corsica has to offer.

Pros:  Pristine nature, Mediterranean climate, unique culture, incredible landscapes, and cycling… what’s not to like?

Cons:  With its rugged landscape and some busy roads at the height of the tourist season, Corsica might not be ideal for leisure riders. It can also be tricky (and costly) at times to reach the island, so be sure to check out our Getting to Corsica post and our  money-saving post .

For more information on our cycling tours in France, feel free to  contact us or visit our website.  A bientôt!

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I’m Going To France & I Need Your Help Selecting The Best Bike Tour

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I’m currently in the process of planning my bike tours for 2019… and I’ve decided that I’m going to return to France for another epic bicycle touring adventure! Click here to help me plan my bike tour .

I’ve been to France on several previous bike tours, but France is one of the best destinations in the world for anyone who enjoys cycling (and delicious food & drinks)… and that’s why I’ve decided to return to France in 2019 for another memorable cycling holiday.

I Need Your Help Planning My French Bike Tour

I’ve decided that rather than go to France on my own, I’m going to do the trip with a tour company called Belle France .

Belle France is a tour company that assists you in exploring the most beautiful areas of France by bike on a wide variety of self-guided cycling holidays. Each Belle France cycling tour gives you time to take things at your own pace, admire your surroundings and enjoy leisurely lunches. Then, at the end of each day, you’ll find yourself at a comfortable hotel where you can relax, tuck into a delicious meal and sleep soundly.

Belle France has nearly two dozen bike tours on offer , but I’ve narrowed my choice of tours down to just two of the company’s most popular routes.

• Burgundy Prestige en Vélo – an easy 6 day / 7 night bike tour focused on wine, vineyards and gourmet food featuring classic French cuisine.
• Provence Prestige en Vélo – a 6 day / 7 night medium-difficulty bike tour through sleepy villages, sun soaked vineyards, Roman ruins and the magnificent Pont du Gard aqueduct.

Which Of These Two Bike Tours Should I Participate In?

Please take a moment to read the information on each of the following two bike tours and then fill out this short survey to let me know which of these two French cycling holidays looks the best.

Burgundy Prestige en Vélo

Tour Summary

• Famous vineyards such as Pommard, Meursault and Puligny Montrachet
• Sublime wine tasting opportunities
• Luxury hotels with gourmet meals
• Amazing wine list choices
• Dinner in Chagny at Michelin Star restaurant

What’s Included

• 5 days cycling
• 6 nights in luxury hotels, half board
• Gourmet meals
• Michelin-starred restaurant
• Luggage transfers between hotels
• Comprehensive route notes

Provence Prestige en Vélo

• Wonderful fortified city of Avignon
• Magnificent Pont du Gard Aqueduct
• Cycling through scented pines, vineyards and fields of sunflowers
• Luxury accommodation and gourmet food
• Dinner at a Michelin Star restaurant

Which Belle France Bike Tour Looks Best?

Now that you’ve seen the two bike tours I’m considering, I need your help deciding which of these two self-guided cycling holidays I should participate in.

Take a moment right now to fill out this short survey  and let me know which of these two bike tours you would choose if you were planning a cycling holiday in France.

In about a week or two I’ll make an announcement and let you know which of these two bike tours I’ve decided upon. Be sure to subscribe to the Bicycle Touring Pro email newsletter so you don’t miss out on this announcement once I make it.

Want To Join Me On A Bike Tour In France?

Good news! You can join me on one of these two bike tours!!!

When I announce in the next week or two which Belle France bike tour I’ve decided upon, I’ll also let you know how you can join me on this specific bike tour in April or May of 2019. The exact dates, the specific bike tour and all the details will be announced soon!

I’ll send out a special announcement via email and post all the details on the Bicycle Touring Pro event calendar as soon as I’ve made a decision and gotten all the details sorted.

Click here to learn more about Belle France and the self-guided walking and cycling tours they offer.

Darren Alff

6 thoughts on “ i’m going to france & i need your help selecting the best bike tour ”.

I guess that after all your tough tours you deserve a touch of luxury however this may be the start of a slippery slope. Even at 70 it is an adventure that I seek not a pre planned holiday. Not having a definite route or daily destination is what gives you some excitement. Sleeping under the stars, cooking on your petrol stove, washing in the river. You will be back!

Dear Darren, Last year I took my bike along canals to the Loire river of France. The ride was challenging and amazing. I also rented a car and drove to Pont du Gard. The area is quaint and charming even though it rained. This is why I recommend the #2 tour for you. While I am planning another bike trip with a friend for next year, It will continue from where I left the Loire in Tour and go towards the coast along the river Loire. Then we will ride to the Dordogne to explore the small towns from Sarlat to Bergerac and sightseeing the caves that are available for viewing.

In april and the beginning of may the wineyards are almost empty, when you cycle there in august/september the vineyards are full and rich in fruit and colour. If I was you, I would head to the Provence, more to see and the surroundings are even better.

PROVENCE! I visited Pont du Gard 1972. The roman constructions are so impressive. At that time the main road passed the bridge. Provance is the favorite place for artists. Buy Guide Michelin of Provence and see the mountains on the small paved roads on your own. There are so many beautiful areas in France. I have lived in Paris for three years/Sven

Hi Darren, April and May may still be a bit nippy (max 15-20°C ) and rainy in Burgundy(Bourgogne in French). Therefore I would suggest to cycle Provence. I cycled both areas myself and both are definitely worth touring. However, I will not join you as I am not interested in organised luxury tours. I bring my own stuff, cook my own meals, cycle when I want and decide day-by-day where and how far I cycle. That’s why I spent my holidyas cycling: no sceduled hotels, no programmes, just me, my bicycle and the road. But do not let all this distract you from your plans and enjoy the trip. Whichever you choose. Cheers!

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France Bike Trips. Your local cycling holiday specialist in France.

At Vélorizons , we believe that cycling holidays should be light, safe and carefree. Based in the heart of the French Alps, we have been designing, organising and guiding bike experiences across France and Europe for 20 years. With France Bike Trips, we have made our best tours available to you. Ride exceptional singletrack on our mountain bike tours. Push yourself to the limit on epic cols during our road bike holidays. Or discover France on our relaxed backroad cycling trips. Whether guided, self-guided or with support vehicle. Whether in the stunning French Alps, in idyllic Burgundy, in sunny Provence, along the Loire, Rhône or Canal du Midi or by the sea in Brittany. Whether alone, as a couple, with family or friends. Experience the diversity of France with the local specialist.

What some of our guests say "This was a truly memorable holiday." "Great tour, very well organised. Our tour leader was the best that you could desire." "Amazing week of cycling. Will live long in the memory." "Lovely tour, very easy, beautiful scenery and excellent food and wine!" "Going from the Alps to the sea was the ride of a lifetime." "We loved every minute of it."

If you like carefree bike holidays you will love France Bike Trips. For more information, please feel free to get in touch with us.

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Congratulations for choosing an active vacation! For the past 30 years, Discover France has perfected the art of European cycling vacations and French bike tours. We create itineraries with the spirit of independent travel in mind, offering cycling, hiking, and active vacation tours in France and Europe. We can customize your vacation according to your time, fitness level, and interests. Our European vacations are the ultimate adventure for couples, families, and friends.

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Tailored specifically for active, independent and curious travelers who demand exceptional value with full flexibility, these tours are customizable and extremely affordable.

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Looking for travel ideas for your family, as a couple or vacationing with friends ? From romantic getaways to family trips , there is always the right trip for you with Discover France.

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Discover France is a specialist of self-guided and guided biking tours in France and Europe. And a whole lot more! We offer a wide selection of vacation experiences: such as walking or multi-activity tours in different European destinations. We offer theme-based tours: culinary vacations , wine tours , or cultural interest tours . Our vacations are a perfect occasion to explore a destination and live a new experience.

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France : the place to be for cycling holidays !

Bienvenue en france: the place to be for cycling holidays.

French Bike Tours is proudly part of European Bike Tours , which has  local offices in the countries where we operate ( The Netherlands , Belgium , France, Italy , Spain and the UK ). Our dedicated local experts are specialists in organising self-guided cycling tours. 

We offer you a multitude of possibilities: discovering Burgundy and its medieval villages; cycling in the Loire Valley with its magnificent castles; exploring Provence and the history of Van Gogh; experiencing the wonderful sea views on Brittany’s famous coast. 

Would you like to add a personal touch to your cycling holiday, customising it for your needs? Please let us know: our team is at your service to answer all your requests, feel free to contact us. We can be reached by phone from Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:30 on: +33 (0)5 53 24 22 10 or send us an email: [email protected]

A bientôt,

Team French Bike Tours

Where do you want to explore?

The Loire Valley is an outstanding cultural landscape of great beauty , containing historic towns and villages. The most well-kown trip is the iconic ‘Loire à Vélo’ which follows Europe's most beautiful river from the inland city of Nevers, through the indescribable 'Pays des Châteaux' , to St. Nazaire at sea.

The Provence, 'Land of Light' , source of inspiration of Van Gogh and Cézanne . Here you can cycle along quiet backroads through fabulous countryside with lavender fields, vineyards and olive orchards . Here, you can explore the historic towns, the amazing 'perched' hill-top villages and admire the outstanding natural beauty.

The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and its exceptional natural heritage are a haven foreveryone who loves protected, unspoilt countryside. The region also boasts a remarkable built heritage . Its castle forts, Romanesque churches and typical villages and towns of great architectural and cultural importance. 

On the coast or in the countryside, Brittany offers a real taste of freedom! Brittany or Breizh, surrounded by the Channel and the Atlantic Ocean , counts more than 1.700 km of wonderful cycle routes. This enchanted land of the Bretons will make you discover an unspoiled nature, along characteristic towns and villages.

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We are local experts who offer self-guided cycling holidays in France covering all levels of ability and all ages from 8-88 years old. We will take care of everything: accommodation, bike rental, itineraries and luggage transport. 

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Cycling is amongst the lowest-impact way to travel. As you explore off-the-beaten-track, you help support local communities and minimise the damage that mass-tourism can make.

We know that taking a self-guided trip for the first time can generate insecurity, but with our app you can follow from your mobile and in an intuitive way the daily routes of your cycling trip. Our mobile app will also show you points of interest along your route. 

Cycling in France

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Cycling Tours & Bike Trips in France

• Loire Valley Bicycle
• France Bicycle Luxury

108 France bicycle tours with 107 reviews

Bicycle Historical

Cycle Provence

"Good choice of locations, they went out of there way to make the trip inclusive and fun." Matthew, traveled in April 2019

Bicycle Active Sightseeing Wine tasting +1

"Views are always a highlight for me! I also love the places with a history I can relate to like the history of an artist (like Van Gogh)." Susan, traveled in July 2023

• 10% deposit on some dates

Bicycle Family Self-Guided Cycling +1

Hilltop Villages of Provence Cycling

Bicycle Active Explorer

Cycle the Loire Valley

"Fabulous leaders and incredible route - pathways along the river or back country roads." Maureen, traveled in June 2022

Bicycle Family Self-Guided Cycling Explorer +2

Loire Cycle Path: Wild-romantic all the way to the sea (from Orleans to St-Nazaire)

"Hotels were tremendous, especially the meal in the hotel in Saint Florent-le-Vieil. Would certainly recommend." Tom, traveled in July 2022

Loire Cycle Path: Wild-romantic all the way to the sea (from Tours to St-Nazaire)

"The hotels were ok and the description was good. For the navigation I was happy about the Garmin Navi." Robert, traveled in July 2023

Bicycle Explorer Historical

Cycling in France - Canals and Castles of the Midi

"The flamingos in flight near Gruissan were a truly breathtaking sight." Jane, traveled in September 2023

Bicycle Family

Cycling the Dordogne Plus! the Vineyards of Bordeaux

"We appreciate the fact that we follow the arrows on the road and don't have to look at a map or GPS." Freddi, traveled in September 2022

Bicycling Brittany and Normandy Plus! Bayeux and the D-Day Beaches

"The Brittany portion was like cycling through a fairy take. The Normandy part have me such a deeper understanding of D-Day and appreciation for freedom." Kristy, traveled in June 2024

Bike Tour, Provence, France (guided groups)

"The scenery and the various stops we made along they way were fun and allowed us to enjoy the country side." Krista, traveled in September 2019

Bicycle Bike and Barge Explorer +1

France | Rhone River BikeTour | Bike & Boat

Bicycle Family Self-Guided Cycling Wine tasting +2

Cotes Du Ventoux Cycling

Bicycle Boat Family Bike and Barge Explorer +2

Bike & barge tour Provence and Camargue: from Avignon to Aigues-Mortes

"The rooms, while small, were comfortable. I would love to do another bike/barge tour." Debbie, traveled in May 2024

France | Seine River BikeTour | Bike & Boat

Bike & barge tour Provence and Camargue: from Aigues-Mortes to Avignon

"Great sights on the bikes and the bikes themselves very good. The boat is very comfortable." Bruce, traveled in June 2019

Cycling trips in France reviews

Overall amazing experience! Met some amazing people and enjoyed some beautiful views. While it was the hottest time of the year, our team had a great support system to ensure everyone was well hydrated. The bikes were nice and sturdy, especially climbing up some of those monstrous hills and the paniers were very handy! I would recommend this trip to anyone looking to enjoy the countryside and south of France!

Fabulous leaders and incredible route - pathways along the river or back country roads or cycling through small cute towns. Mostly flat - and very nicely paced with coffee and photo stops, or lunch, or a chateau visit! Only reason this didn’t get excellent from me was some of the hotels could have been better (and their free breakfasts)

Fantastic trip. Hotels were tremendous, especially the meal in the hotel in Saint Florent-le-Vieil. Maps were good though I used my app Bikemap.net, to act as a Sat Nav. A couple of hiccups with luggaeew but minor in comparison with holiday organisation. Would certainly recommend.

Bicycle Tours

• Self-Guided Cycling (39)
• Road Cycling (6)

Regions in France

• Northern France (51)
• Southern France (49)
• Provence (25)
• Loire Valley (22)
• Pays de la Loire (22)
• Aquitaine & Midi Pyrenees (16)
• Burgundy (6)
• Champagne (5)
• Normandy (5)

Travel Styles

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• 10 Amazing Private Bicycle Tours 2024/2025
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• France Travel Guide | All You Need to Know
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• Best 7 Day France Itineraries 2024/2025 (with Reviews)

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Our French Cycling Holidays

Bike tour along the Loire from Tours to Angers

3-day bike trip in the heart of the Basque Country

Normandy bike tour from D-Day beaches to charming harbours

They are back from their trip... what do they say.

“ biking camargue ”

“ First Solo Bicycle Trip ”

“ Fab ”

Easy to customize cycling holidays.

Our self guided cycling holidays are easy to customize :

• * We offer tested itineraries on the French cycle routes, some of which are suited to family cycling breaks.
• * Our self guided bikes tours are focused on the touristic discovery of the region, see France like a local.
• * You can choose between different ranges of accommodation . You can go for luxury cycling holidays or stay in the best-for-value Bed & Breakfasts.
• * Our packages are highly flexible : no fix departure dates, e-bikes can be provided as well as equipment for children, etc

An app to make your bike trip easy

V elo Voyageur App :

5 destinations vélo au départ de paris, la vélomaritime de bayeux au mont-saint-michel – part 3, la vélomaritime de bayeux au mont-saint-michel – part 2, they are talking about us.

Explore our Top Summer Bike Tours!

France Bike Tours

F rance: the scene of cycling’s most impressive feats. Enjoy iconic roads teeming with racing lore while soaking in “haute” life. Visit this epicenter for famous cycling roads and passe; the land of ancient stone villages, pre-historic art, picturesque castles, lovely refined people, hearty cuisine and enchanting valleys. France is calling you. Our wide range of tours in France run the gamut from the fairly-tale chateaux of the Loire Valley, to the lavender fields and plane trees of Provence–to the famous  cols  of the Northern Alps. Exquisite French cuisine abound. France is where unsurpassed scenery meets spectacular riding and food/wine. The people and depth of culture come together with such harmony, offering a  profond  sense of “place.”

Essence of France

• Ride famous Tour de France passes and other great climbs; learn cycling mythology
• Experience the richness the Provencal attitude:  la vie est belle  (life is beautiful)
• Enjoy the ease and slow pace of life while pedaling by castles and chateaux in the Loire Valley
• Take a one-of-a-kind ride from iconic Tour de France legendary passes to the brilliantly blue Mediterranean Sea
• Cross over from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean on our Pyrenees Sea to Sea trip

Top France Bike Tours

Custom Savvybike Tour de France Femmes

Mediterranean Island Hopping

Experience the best of coastal cycling on corsica and sardinia.

Taste of Provence

“la vie est belle” — pedal the roman path.

Normandy & Brittany

Divine Provence

Bike Across France

Serene cycling through unspoiled southwestern france.

Pyrenees Sea to Sea

Be exhilarated again and again.

French Alps to French Riviera

The ultimate high for hammerheads.

Loire Valley

​old world villages and fairytale chateaux.

Provence Pour La Famille

​sharing cycling, scenery, and sunshine—french style, add exclusive travel offers and stories to your inbox, ciclismo your way.

Don’t see what you’re looking for among any of our existing itineraries? We can create a trip just for you!

The Experience

French culture.

Ever since Hannibal crossed with his elephants the Alps has been a frontier region, fought over by a patchwork of warring kingdoms. Provence and the Cote d’Azur has attracted famous luminaries such as Cezannes, Matisse, Picasso and Scott Fitzgerald. Historically France has been a special place for cyclists, cooks of all levels, writers, painters and overall pleasure seekers. The layers of intrigue and depth of culture is one we scratch surface of while gliding through these time-worn villages. But as the saying goes “the first bite is with the eye.”

French Food & Wine

From mountain cooking in the Alps to the melons, truffles and  rosè  wine in Provence (not to mention a long list of exceptional  vin )–France is the right place to discover some of the world’s best food and wine–at the absolute perfect pace. There is so much to learn!

French Landscape

Rugged, legendary and iconic  cols  or passes in the Alps and French Pyrenees; river valley cycling in Loire and rolling hills or gentle climbs in Provence.

Best Time to Visit France

May and June; September through the end of October

What to Bring on Tour

On the bike:.

• 2-3 pairs of cycling shorts with chamois lining
• Chamois cream
• 2-3 brightly colored bicycle jerseys (one will be provided by us)
• Cycling gloves
• Cycling shoes and pedals (if you use them)
• Waterproof wind breaker or rain jacket
• Light weight jacket or vest
• Bicycle helmet
• Day pack/hip pack
• Arm and leg warmers
• Saddle (optional)

Off the Bike:

• We occasionally have a more formal evening, feel free to bring something for that occasion
• 1-2 lightweight sweaters
• 1-2 pairs of shorts or slacks
• Intimate clothing/sleepwear
• Comfortable walking shoes for evenings in town

For Alpine Tours:

Pack warmer clothing (layers), waterproof gear, warm gloves and hat

Personal Supplies:

• Passport and photocopies of your passport
• Wallet ☐ Airline ticket/e-ticket information
• Camera and camera charger
• Electrical adapter and adapter plug
• Prescriptions or other medications
• Bathing suit and sunscreen
• Cash for guide gratuity and meals on own
• Cash for wine kitty (optional)

From the Blog

How bicycle travel transforms lives: janice johnson, how to choose your next ciclismo classico bicycle trip: ability levels, 10 ways to travel smart, meet our guides, vanessa drigo, enrico pizzorni.

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. How we test gear.

What Bike Is Each Team Racing in the Tour de France?

Details of the frames, wheels, components, and tires used by all 22 teams in the 2024 Tour de France.

Nineteen bike brands are represented among the twenty-two teams participating in this year’s race. Wilier, Specialized, and Canyon sponsor two teams each. Enve and Van Rysel are two fresh faces in the 2024 Tour de France peloton. And Lapierre departs the Tour peloton after a 22-year run with the Groupama-FDJ team’s switch to Wilier.

On the drivetrain side, Shimano dominates the field, with 19 of the 22 Tour teams shifting with Dura-Ace Di2 derailleurs. The three remaining teams run SRAM's new Red AXS components. Campagnolo is absent from the Tour for another year.

For tires, eight teams are on Continental (specifically the GP5000 S TR) and seven are on Vittoria (Corsa Pro) —all running tubeless systems. The two Specialized sponsored teams are using Specialized tires and latex inner tubes. Cofidis is the only team still running tubular tires (Michelin). The remaining four teams are on Cadex, Enve, Schwalbe, and Pirelli rubber.

Below is a complete list of the bikes—along with the component groups, wheels, and tires—used by each team in this year’s Tour de France.

Arkéa-B&B Hotels (ARK)

Astana-qazaqstan (ast), bahrain victorious (tbv), cofidis (cof), decathlon-ag2r la mondiale team (dat), ef education-easypost (efe), groupama-fdj (gfc), ineos grenadiers (igd), intermarché-wanty (iwa), israel-premier tech (ipt), lidl-trek (ltk), lotto-dstny (ltd), movistar team (mov), red bull-bora-hansgrohe (rbh), soudal-quickstep (soq), team dsm-firmenich postnl (dfp), team jayco-alula (jay), team visma-lease a bike (tvl), totalenergies (ten), uae team emirates (uad), uno-x mobility (uxm), alpecin-deceuninck (adc).

Bike: Canyon Aeroad CFR

Alpecin-Deceuninck uses Canyon’s Aeroad bike for the vast majority of race days. The brand released an updated version of its weight-focused Canyon Ultimate in 2022, which the team also has access to but rarely uses. We recently saw the team race a subtly updated version of the Aeroad, so expect to see an announcement from Canyon very soon. The closest consumer version of this bike from Canyon currently retails for $9,200.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace (various depths) Tires: Vittoria Corsa Pro (tubeless)

Bike: Bianchi Specialissima RC or Oltre RC

Arkéa-B&B Hotels is sponsored by Bianchi. The team chooses between the Specialissima RC (an all-around bike) or the Oltre RC (the aero-focused bike shown above). The choice of bike is seemingly down to rider preference rather than the specific stage profile. Bianchi offers a team replica Oltre RC for sale but does not list a price. Expect to pay more than the standard Dura-Ace variant, which sells for $14,500.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: Vision Metron SL (various depths) Tires: Vittoria Corsa Pro (tubeless)

Bike: Wilier Triestine Filante SLR

Astana-Qazaqstan is one of two teams sponsored by Wilier (the other is Groupma-FDJ). While Wilier recently launched a brand-new climbing bike (the Verticale SLR), I do not expect AST team riders will choose it over the brand’s all-around race bike (the Filante SLR), even for the high mountain stages. The Verticale SLR has virtually no aerodynamic features, and at the speeds that Tour riders climb, aerodynamics is always in play in the race. A consumer model of the Filante SLR with Dura-Ace sells for roughly $14,300.

Bikes: Merida Reacto (shown above) and Scultura

Merida bikes are rarely seen in North America but are very popular in other regions of the world. The brand offers its riders the choice of the aero-focused Reacto and the weight-focused Scultura. Both models have been around for a few seasons. I expect the team will primarily use the Reacto, but I wouldn't be surprised if Pello Bilbao (the team's GC hopeful) goes for the Scultura in some high mountain stages. Expect to pay roughly $12,000 for a team replica model (if you live in a part of the world where you can buy a Merida or you can import one).

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: Vision Metron SL (various depths) Tires: Continental GP5000 S TR (tubeless)

Bike: Look 795 Blade RS

Look does not produce separate aero and climbing bikes. Instead, the French brand has one model optimized for both—a strategy many other brands are also turning to in 2024. The most interesting thing about the Cofidis team bikes is that they are the last team consistently using tubular tires. A Look 795 Blade RS with Dura-Ace and Corima wheels retails for $11,000.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: Corima (various depths) Tires: Michelin (Tubulars)

Bike: Van Rysel RCR Pro

Another French team riding a French bike. The revitalized AG2R team has won races left and right since Decathlon joined as a title sponsor. The French sporting goods retailer supplies AG2R riders with its new Van Rysel RCR. The RCR is another all-around bike that balances weight with aerodynamics. Decathlon sells a team replica version of the RCR Pro for $11,000.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: Swiss Side Hadron Ultimate (various depths) Tires: Continental GP5000 S TR (tubeless)

Bikes: Cannondale SuperSix Evo

Cannondale’s fourth-generation SuperSix Evo is both lightweight and quite aerodynamic. While the American brand offers an all-out aero bike (the SystemSix) most riders opt for the all-around SuperSix Evo instead. Ben Healy (the Irish breakaway specialist and known aero-weeny) is the rider more likely to be seen on the older SystemSix for that bit of extra aero. Cannondale sells a team replica SystemSix Evo Lab 71 for $14,000.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 (with FSA cranks) Wheels: Vision Metron SL (various depths) Tires: Vittoria Corsa Pro (tubeless)

Bikes: Wilier Triestine Filante SLR

Like Astana-Qazaqstan, Groupama-FDJ also rides Wilier bikes. Both teams use Wilier’s all-around race bike (the Filante SLR), which balances weight and aerodynamics. The main difference between the bikes of these two teams comes down to wheels. Groupama-FDJ has long been a Shimano-sponsored team, so they use Shimano wheels instead of the Vision wheels used by Astana. The consumer model of the Filante SLR with Dura-Ace sells for roughly $14,300.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace (various depths) Tires: Continental GP5000 S TR (tubeless)

Bikes: Pinarello Dogma F

Pinarello has made the single aero and lightweight bike for longer than most competitors. The Italian brand recently updated the Dogma to be slightly more aero and lighter based largely on its partnership with the team. Ineos certainly hopes the updated bike will help them return to the top step of the Tour’s podium. A close replica of the team’s bike , which includes a Princeton CarbonWorks wheelset, can be purchased for $14,500.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace or Princeton CarbonWorks Tires: Continental GP5000 S TR (tubeless)

Bikes: Cube Litening C:68X Pro

Cube has a relatively small presence in North America, but the worldwide brand has an enormous bike lineup featuring everything from commuter e-bikes to kids’ bikes. Obviously, the Litening C:68X is neither of those. Instead, it is the aero-focused Cube race bike that Intermarché-Wanty riders choose for most race days. The Dura-Ace model of the Listening is one of the least expensive consumer-available versions of a Tour de France race bike in this year’s event, selling for roughly $8,200.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: Newman Advanced SL (various depths) Tires: Continental GP5000 S TR (tubeless)

Bikes: Factor Ostro VAM

The primary race bike of IPT, Factor released the updated Ostro VAM at the beginning of the 2024 racing season. While Factor also makes a dedicated lightweight climbing bike (the O2 VAM), the Ostro VAM is light enough that riders choose it for most days. A special edition Tour de France replica team bike with Dura-Ace is available from Factor for $11,200.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: Black Inc Tires: Continental GP5000 S TR (tubeless)

Bikes: Trek Madone 8

Trek launched a brand new eighth-generation Madone ahead of the Tour. Trek claims the new frame is as light as the Émonda (Trek’s lightweight climbing bike), which is being discontinued from the brand’s lineup. Importantly, the new Madone is also as aerodynamic as the previous generation Madone, which was a dedicated aero bike. Trek sells a team replica Madone 8 for $13,500 .

Groupset: SRAM Red AXS Wheels: Bontrager Aeolus Tires: Pirelli TLR (tubeless)

Bikes: Orbea Orca and Orca Aero

Orbea continues to provide dedicated aero bikes and climbing-focused bikes to Lotto-Dstny. Pictured above is the Orca Aero, but Lotto-Dstny riders have often used the lighter-weight Orca during the 2024 racing season. A Lotto-Dstny team replica with Dura-Ace sells for $12,000.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 (with FSA cranks) Wheels: Oquo (officially), Zipp (unofficially) Tires: Vittoria Corsa Pro (tubeless)

Bikes: Canyon Aeroad CFR Movistar is the second Canyon-sponsored team in the Tour. Like Alpecin-Deceuninck, Movistar also uses the Aeroad as its primary race bike. However, team leader and GC hopeful Enric Mas often chooses Canyon’s weight-focused Ultimate model. A SRAM Red version of the Aeroad from Canyon sells for $9,000—but this bike has the previous generation of Red. This is likely because a new Aeroad will be released soon with the latest Red parts. Expect that bike to be slightly more expensive. Groupset: SRAM Red AXS Wheels: Zipp Tires: Continental GP5000 S TR (tubeless)

Bike: Specialized Tarmac SL8

Specialized only offers the Tarmac SL8 to its sponsored teams, having moved away from the “aero is everything” slogan. The Tarmac SL8 is a do-it-all, lightweight-but-still-very-aerodynamic race bike. This also makes it easier for riders and teams —they no longer need to consider or transport two different bikes to each event. A team replica Tarmac SL8 is available for $16,500. Which is technically the most expensive complete bike in this year's race that someone could actually buy as is.

Groupset: SRAM Red AXS Wheels: Roval Tires: Specialized Turbo Cotton (with latex innertubes)

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac SL8

Soudal-QuickStep uses almost the same bikes as Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, except that the Soudal bikes use Shimano Dura-Ace drivetrains instead of SRAM Red. The $14,000 consumer version of the Tarmac SL8 with Dura-Ace is also slightly cheaper than the Red-equipped Red Bull team replica bike. However, the Dura-Ace-equipped Tarmac does not include the slightly lighter and more aero Team wheelset.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: Roval Tires: Specialized Turbo Cotton (with latex innertubes)

Bikes: Scott Foil RC

Scott is still a brand that makes both an aero and a lightweight bike (Scott Addict), but you would never know it by looking at the bikes raced by DSM-Firmenich PostNL races. The team rides the aero-optimized Scott Foil RC, even in the high mountains. It’s the case of an aero bike that became the team’s default race bike. A version of the team bike is available from Scott for $11,000.

Bikes: Giant Propel Advanced SL and TCR Advanced SL

Jayco-AlUla riders can choose between the aero-optimized Propel or the all-new, tenth-generation TCR that is more weight-focused. Built with Dura-Ace, both bikes are available to consumers for $12,750.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: Cadex Tires: Cadex GC (tubeless)

Bikes: Cervélo S5 and R5

Team Visma-Lease a Bike is known for optimizing everything. So it’s not surprising that they switch around bikes and wheels more often than most other teams. While Visma-Lease a Bike riders always ride the aero-optimized S5 on flat and rolling stages, they often switch to the weight-focused R5 for mountain stages—a standard practice for teams with two bike options. Visma-Lease a Bike also uses the in-between option of the aerodynamic S5 with very light wheels (shown above), presumably when the team’s math tells them it’s the right choice for the particular stage profile. The S5 with new Red retails for $13,000.

Groupset: SRAM Red AXS Wheels: Reserve Tires: Vittoria Corsa Pro (tubeless)

Bikes: Enve Melee

The Melee is Enve’s first production bike. The bike is an all-arounder that focuses on low weight, ride quality, and aerodynamics. While Enve has already won many races at the highest level as the wheel sponsor for UAE Team Emirates, it is a debutant at the Tour as a frame supplier with TotalEnergies. Enve does not offer complete bikes, but a replica team Melee frameset is available for $6,000. Expect a complete bike, built to team specifications, to sell for around $14,000.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: Enve Tires: Enve (tubeless)

Bikes: Colnago V4Rs

Launched in 2022, the Colnago V4Rs won many races under Tadej Pogačar. Not much has changed about the team bikes of UAE Team Emirates in the last few seasons. These bikes retain the dubious title of the most expensive team bikes in the Tour. A consumer version , built with Dura-Ace and Enve wheels, will set you back $15,500. But if you add the boutique Carbon-Ti parts (like chainrings and disc rotors) and a Darimo seatpost that the team is using on their bikes, you will spend closer to $17,000.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: Enve SES Tires: Continental GP5000 S TR (tubeless)

The cheapest bike in the 2024 Tour is the Dare VSRu, ridden by Team UNO-X. Dare bikes are not available in the U.S. However, when the bike’s price is converted to dollars, it is a very reasonable $7,450. And that’s with a full Dura-Ace groupset and DT Swiss ARC 1400 carbon wheels. It's a true shame that the brand is not available in North America.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Wheels: DT Swiss Tires: Schwalbe Pro One (tubeless)

Test Editor Dan Chabanov got his start in cycling as a New York City bike messenger but quickly found his way into road and cyclocross racing, competing in professional cyclocross races from 2009 to 2019 and winning a Master’s National Championship title in 2018. Prior to joining Bicycling in 2021, Dan worked as part of the race organization for the Red Hook Crit, as a coach with EnduranceWERX, as well as a freelance writer and photographer. 

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Tour de France 2024: Five yellow jersey contenders and five more riders to watch

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The Tour de France is upon us with a star-studded peloton set to contest cycling’s most prestigious prize.

For the first time, the four premier stage racers of this generation are set to battle at a grand tour, though questions surround each of Tadej Pogacar , Jonas Vingegaard , Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel .

An intriguing route starting in Florence offers plenty of opportunities for the sprinters, too, even if there is no final-day dash down the Champs-Elysees due to preparations for the Paris Olympics.

A time-trial in Nice could instead prove a decisive denouement with the drama set to continue to the last across three weeks of racing.

Here, we pick out the five top contenders to win the yellow jersey, and five other riders to watch at the Tour:

Tadej Pogacar, UAE Team Emirates

The two-time champion arrives in Florence as the strong favourite to win again after a near-perfect season featuring wins at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Strade-Bianche, Volta a Catalunya and his first Giro d’Italia – the latter won with astonishing ease. The only question mark is whether his body can handle the stress of attempting to win the Giro-Tour double, a feat not accomplished for 25 years. But few are doubting Pogacar right now after such an imperious few months, and a third yellow jersey is in his sights.

Jonas Vingegaard, Visma-Lease a Bike

The last two summers have shown that not even Pogacar can match Vingegaard in full flow , but the defending champion arrives with major questions over his fitness and form. The Dane has not ridden competively since a horror crash at the Tour of the Basque Country in April and has said that anything beyond simply reaching the start line will be a “bonus”. A cagier character than arch-attacker Pogacar, it may be that Vingegaard is keeping his cards close to his chest but chances of a challenge seem slim. Losing Sepp Kuss, the best mountain domestique in the world and now a Grand Tour winner too, to Covid is another blow to Visma-Lease a Bike, with Wout van Aert also working his way back from injury.

Primoz Roglic, Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe

The defining image of Roglic’s time at the Tour so far is his ghostlike visage on La Planche des Belle Filles as a yellow jersey that seemed a certainty slipped away in 2020 . Roglic has not finished the race since but will lead Bora-Hansgrohe this summer after an off-season switch out of Vingegaard’s shadow at Visma-Lease a Bike. If the Dane and Roglic’s compatriot Pogacar are on top form, completing the Grand Tour set may be beyond him, but Roglic has two useful mountain lieutenants in Jai Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov at a team bolstered by backing from Red Bull. A win at the Criterium du Dauphine on return from injury was encouraging.

Remco Evenepoel, Soudal Quick-Step

The brilliant Belgian makes it a big four alongside Pogacar, Vingegaard and Roglic, and Evenepoel will add a different dimension to the yellow-jersey fight as he makes his long-awaited Tour de France debut. He is the time-trial world champion and that will prove handy in a race with two individual time-trials, including the unique finale in Nice, but does Evenepoel have enough climbing power in the mountains to stick with his rivals? The superiority of Roglic in last month’s Dauphine, in which Evenepoel won the time-trial but finished seventh overall, suggested he may not – the best young rider’s white jersey may be a more realistic target.

Carlos Rodriguez, Ineos Grenadiers

There are two Tour winners in Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas in the Ineos Grenadiers line-up , but Rodriguez is team leader after finishing fifth on debut last year. His relative lack of time trialling prowess will make challenging the lead quartet trickier, yet the Spaniard is a natural climbing talent, as he showed when beating Vingegaard and Pogacar on Stage 14 last year. The 23-year-old may well vie with Evenepoel for the white jersey and should have the edge over the Belgian in the high mountains.

And five more riders to watch...

Mark cavendish , astana qazaqstan.

The 39-year-old is riding what he says is his final Tour de France – although we have heard that before, of course. Will Cavendish finally win a historic 35th stage to eclipse Eddy Merckx’s long-standing Tour record? He is up against a stacked sprint field but there have been some promising signs this season, with two stage victories and a couple of near misses in an injury-free year, and the addition of his wise old lead-out man Michael Morkov to the Astana team this year is big boost.

Tom Pidcock , Ineos Grenadiers

The second series of Netflix’s Tour de France: Unchained hinted at dissension in the ranks at Ineos during last year’s Tour, with Pidcock shown to seemingly defy team orders. That portrayal has been summarily dismissed by the British rider, who will be afforded greater freedom this time around without having to worry about his general classification position. Ahead of a double gold medal bid on the way at the Olympics, Pidcock will instead pick and choose his moments but a demon descender and adroit bike handler will fancy his chances of a stage win or two.

Jasper Philipsen, Alpecin-Deceuninck

After winning four stages and the green jersey last year, Philipsen returns as the overwhelming favourite to dominate the points classification once more. Even in something of a down year he has still managed to pick up a handful of wins including the prestigious Milan-San Remo, and with Mathieu van der Poel dragging him into the finishing straight, Philipsen will certainly be the man to beat among the power riders in the peloton.

Derek Gee, Israel-Premier Tech

The surprise package of the Dauphine, a podium finish was evidence of Gee’s potential as he mixed it with the headline GC names at the traditional pre-Tour test. An avid twitcher, Gee could soar to new heights in an Israel-Premier Tech squad set to chase stages having left Chris Froome out of their selection . A top-ten finish may not be out of reach for the Canadian, who might also fancy a dabble in the fight for the polka dot jersey.

Lenny Martinez, Groupama-FDJ

The wait for a French winner will extend into a 40th year but in Martinez, the crowds might just have a new home hope to rally around. The dinky climber wore the red leader’s jersey at the Vuelta last year while barely out of his teens and has the capacity to challenge on steeper slopes. Teammate and fellow debutant Romain Gregoire may also be a threat on lumpier terrain when not supporting team leader David Gaudu.

The Tour de France begins on Saturday 29 June at 11am (BST). Coverage is on ITV4, S4C, Eurosport and Disney+

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• Customized biking tour

France : 87 cycling tour(s)

6-day bike tour from geneva to annecy.

• Breathtaking views of Lake Leman, Lake Bourget and Lake Annecy
• Vineyards on the mountainside
• The charm of Annecy

Villages and vineyards of Provence by bike

• The medieval city of Avignon and the Popes' Palace
• The vineyards of the Rhône Valley
• The timeless charm of the Luberon's hilltop villages
• Isle sur Sorgues, the Venice of Provence

Cycling tour from Provence to the Luberon

• The listed villages of Saint-Rémy, les Baux de Provence, Gordes and Ménerbes
• The timeless charm of small villages bordered by lavender

Around the Lake Geneva

• The surprising Lausanne between Middle Ages and modernity
• Boat trip across Lake Geneva
• Amazing scenery from the Lavaux vineyards

Jersey, Guernesey et Sercq à vélo

• La découverte de 3 îles Anglo-Normandes au charme unique
• L’ambiance « So British » des îles
• Les petites routes et voies cyclables pour parcourir les îles à vélo
• Les paysages époustouflants depuis les hautes falaises

The Pink Granite Coast by bike

• The Pink Granite Coast and its surprising colors
• The variety of landscapes: islands, estuaries, countryside…
• The historical cities of Paimpol and Tréguier

South Burgundy Loop, from Chalon to Mâcon

• A looping tour exclusively via greenways
• The vineyards and medieval villages of the Val Lamartinien
• Cluny and its Romanesque abbey

Bike ride in the heart of the great Bordeaux vineyards

• The Roger Lapébie cycle path to leave Bordeaux easily
• Saint-Émilion: a city full of history
• Cycling in the heart of the great appellations: a real treat!

All the D-Day landing beaches by bike: from Utah Beach and Ste Mère-Église to Caen

• Discover the most emblematic places of the Allied invasion
• The itineraries of the Vélomaritime as a guideline for your journey
• Omaha Beach & Utah Beach

Cycle tour from Rennes to Mont St Michel via Saint Malo

• The secure Greenway bike paths along the canal
• Discover the Breton historic cities: Dinan and Saint-Malo
• At the end of the canal ... the great bay of Mont St Michel!

The great Burgundy vineyards from Dijon to Chalon

• Bike paths and ‘Voies Vertes’ to bike safely
• The perfect itinerary to discover Burgundy and its wines in a week
• Two nights in each city to enjoy a bit more

4-day family holiday in the heart of the Loire Valley castles

• The variety of landscapes at each stage
• Chenonceaux, Amboise, Chaumont sur Loire ... the most elegant castles!
• The possibility to choose between short and long stages

Bike loop around Tours: between castles and "Loire à Vélo" cycling paths

• Stay 2 nights in the heart of the medieval city of Chinon
• Alternate between vineyards and waterways
• The historic treasures of Touraine

Loire à vélo: cycle tour from Saumur to the Atlantic sea

• The Loire wildest landscapes
• Discovery of the nice and peacefull city of Nantes
• After the “sweet Loire Valley”, the nice beaches of Le Croisic !
• Go back up the Loire to the Ocean

« Indre » and « Cher à Vélo »: between hidden treasures and essentials

• 2 nights in Loches to enjoy the superb medieval city
• Cycling routes along the Indre and Cher rivers
• The mix between essential sites and more confidential sites

La Vélodyssée: from La Rochelle to Arcachon

• La Rochelle and l’Ile de Ré
• Bike paths on the longest fully-signposted cycle route in France
• Arcachon Bay and The Cap Ferret

Cycle tour around Blois and Chambord

• Your hotel located in the heart of the Blois
• The prestigious chateau of Chambord and Cheverny
• The ‘Pack-chateaux ‘BikingFrance’ in option

Family tour on Loire à Vélo: from Tours to Saumur

• Cycling paths appropriate for families
• Rigny-Ussé, the « sleeping-Beauty » chateau
• The medieval town of Chinon
• The château of Langeais with its air of fortified castle

Integral Flow Vélo cycling route from Thiviers to Rochefort by Aix Island

• The departure from Thiviers in the Perigord regional park
• The heritage discovery : St Jean de Côle, Saintes, Cognac, Rochefort
• Various landscapes: forests, vineyards, Charente river banks, Atlantic Coast
• The excursion to Aix island

Flow Vélo from Angoulême to La Rochelle by île d'Aix

• Island advendure on île d'Aix
• The arrival on the Atlantic Coast
• Historic towns: Saintes, Rochefort, La Rochelle
• Various landscapes: Cognac'vineyards, Charente river banks, beaches along the Atlantic Coast

5 days on Flow Vélo from Angoulême to île d'Aix

• Historic towns: Saintes, Cognac, Rochefort
• Discovery of the Cognac' vineyard
• The excursion to the île d'Aix
• The calm of the Charente countryside, off the beaten track

Cycle tour 3 days around Colmar

• Towns and villages of character : Colmar, Kaysersberg, Riquewihr
• The opportunity to visit the Haut-Koenigsbourg
• Bike paths alongs canals and into the vineyards
• Quality accomodation with a good location

The essentials of Alsace in 5 stages by bike

• One night in historic cities Strasbourg and Colmar
• The opportunity to visit the Haut-Koenigsbourg castle
• The small wine-making villages with colored houses: Riquewihr, Kayserberg, Ribeauvillé
• Secured bike paths in the vineyards or along canals

Cycle tour on Alsace wineroad from Strasbourg to Colmar

• The small wine-making villages with colored houses
• One night in Colmar for discover the « Little Venice »
• The wine road travels through the greatest vineyards

4 days by bike: D-Day Beaches from Bayeux

• A wild nature and scenic roads: between high cliffs, seaside resorts and the Seulles Valley
• High-places of the 2nd Word War: Omaha Beach, Colleville sur Mer, Longues sur mer, Arromanches
• Visits to historic sites: Bayeux and château de Fontaine-Henry

La Rochelle via Ile de Ré and Ile d'Oléron

• 2 nights on the Ile d'oleron
• La Rochelle, The Old Port, the historic center, the Aquarium
• Boat transfer to the Ile de Ré to enjoy its cycle paths
• Rochefort and the Corderie Royale

Discover the Somme Bay by bike in 4 days

• Le Crotoy : the view, the beach, the fishing port
• Saint Valery sur Somme and its historical charm
• Wild beaches in the Marquenterre Park

Cycle tour in Somme Bay

• Saint Valery sur Somme, medieval city
• Le Crotoy, charming fishing port
• The Marquenterre Bird sanctuary

Lovely Normandy: Deluxe bike tour from Bayeux to Deauville

• The elegance and refinement of your Norman hotels
• Walks on the mythical beach of Deauville
• The moving D-Day beaches
• Stroll on the port of Honfleur

Visiting Bayeux by bike: D-Day Landing beaches and Normandy countryside

• Discover pretty Normandy villages and the landing beaches for a weekend
• Tthe impressive Bayeux Tapestry
• Seulles valley and its nice "bocages"

The unmissable sights of Normandy by bike: from the D-Day landing beaches to Trouville and Honfleur

• Arromanches and the landing beaches
• The green landscapes of Calvados and beauty of the coast
• The Old-Bay of Honfleur, bordered by narrow houses

Cycle tour around la Rochelle

• The authentic charm of the "Ile de Ré"
• Aiguillon Bay
• Châtelaillon-Plage, Belle-Epoque style and its sandy beach

The 'Canal des 2 Mers': from Bordeaux to Carcassonne

• The exceptional cloister of Moissac Abbey!
• Cross the vineyards of the Entre-Deux Mers on a perfect bike path
• The peaceful and friendly atmosphere along the canals
• Carcassonne! ... for a total immersion in the Middle Ages

La Vélodyssée: from Bordeaux to Biarritz (or Hendaye)

• Cross the Arcachon bay by boat from le Cap Ferret
• Seaside resorts and wild beaches
• Bordeaux and Margaux vineyards

La Vélodyssée: from Arcachon to Biarritz (or Hendaye)

• Arcachon Bay and The Pilat Dune
• The arrival in the Basque Country with Biarritz, the elegant resort

Discover the hidden treasures of Burgundy

• The medieval towns and villages of Burgundy
• The wonderful roman city of Vézelay and the Basilica
• The peaceful and green countryside of Burgundy

Bike tour between chateaux and vineyards

• An itinerary out of the beaten tracks
• A nice mix between vineyards, countryside and canals
• The amazing town of Beaune, and its so well-known ‘Hospices’

The must-see places of Périgord by bike

• The medieval castles overhanging the Dordogne river
• The short but sporty stages in the heart on the Black Périgord
• The quietness of each stopover

Bike tour from Bergerac to Sarlat: discovery of Dordogne – Black Périgord’s treasures

• The village of Limeuil and its unique panorama on the confluence of the Dordogne and Vézère rivers
• Spend 2 nights in Sarlat to enjoy its medieval atmosphere
• Admire the “5 castles valley” and the Dordogne river from the Beynac “castel”

A short break by bike from Dijon to Beaune

• A short break in the middle of the vineyards
• Two Burgundy main towns: Dijon and Beaune
• The discovery of the ‘Côte de Beaune’ and ‘Côte de Nuits’ by bike

Bordeaux to Sarlat cycling tour: between vineyards, castles and Dordogne river | 9 days

• Cycle through the great wines of Bordeaux
• The breathtaking views of the “5 castles valley”
• The medieval towns of St Émilion and Sarlat
• Take some short breaks for (foie gras!) tasting

2 days cycling tour: from Blois to Chenonceaux

• The elegancy of the château de Chenonceau spanning the Cher river
• A great range of scenery: Loire river, vineyards and forest
• Immerse yourself in the medieval time discovering the historic cities of Blois and Amboise

Poitevin Marsh by bike: from Niort to La Rochelle

• The green lanscapes of the Poitevin Marsh
• The majestic Maillezais abbey
• The easy ride along the canals
• The secured bike arrival into La Rochelle

Provence and Camargue bike tour

• The medieval city of Avignon, and the impressive Pont du Gard
• Water and marsh landscapes of Camargue
• The quaint lanes of Uzès
• The wine rosé from Tavel, to quench your thirst at the end of the day!

La Vélodyssée: from La Rochelle to Bordeaux

• The cities of La Rochelle and Bordeaux in the same cycling tour
• The marked-out itineraries along the Atlantic coast
• From beaches to quiet harbors of the Charentes

La Vélodyssée: from Nantes to La Rochelle

• The alternation of charming fishing ports and nice seaside resorts.
• The Old-Harbor of la Rochelle and its archway streets

From Saumur to Chinon, bike escape off the beaten track

• The discovery of Fontevraud Abbaye and the astonishing chateau of Brézé
• The troglodyte discovery
• A cycling itinerary leading you off the beaten track
• In the heart of the prestigious Chinon and Saumur-Champigny vineyards

La Vélo Francette: cycle tour from Saumur to La Rochelle

• Riding through the The Marais Poitevin Regional Natural Park
• Saumur, its vineyards, its castle and its Cadre Noir Riding school
• The Thouet Valley and its villages of character
• Arrival on the Atlantic and La Rochelle

Canal du Midi by bike from Toulouse to Carcassonne

• Toulouse: the pink city made of bricks and tiles
• Stop in Castelnaudary… to taste the famous Cassoulet!
• The excursion to the Cathar castles from the medieval city of Carcassonne

Loire à Vélo: cycle tour from Orléans to Tours

• Cycling itineraries on the « Loire à Vélo »
• Magic arrival facing the Château of Chambord
• A route on François 1st and Leonard Da Vinci’s traces

3 days biking in the heart of the greatest Loire Valley castles

• The main châteaux of the Loire Valley: Chambord, Chenonceaux, Chaumont, etc...
• The landscapes’ alternation: the Loire river banks, forest paths and vineyards
• The city of Amboise

3 days biking on Loire a Velo trail from Tours to Saumur

• The chateau of Azay-le-Rideau in its water and greenery setting
• The abbatial church of Candes-Saint-Martin
• Troglodytes and Chinon and Saumur vineyards
• Chinon and Saumur vineyards

Canal de Garonne by bike from Bordeaux to Toulouse

• The quietness of the Canal de Garonne and its lock houses
• The atmosphere of the charming fortified villages
• Moissac, unmissable stop of the way of Compostella

Canal du Midi by bike from Carcassonne to Sète

• The Minervois and its vine-clad slopes
• The medieval city of Carcassonne, World Heritage Site by UNESCO
• And at the end of the towpath … the beach

Loire à Vélo: bike tour from Nevers to Orléans

• The Canal de Briare and its canal-Bridge, World Heritage Site by UNESCO
• The beautiful landscapes offered by « Loire Natural reserve »
• The Sancerre wine
• Discover the « Kilometre Zero » of the « Loire à Vélo »

Bordeaux to Sarlat cycling tour: between vineyards, castles and Dordogne river | 6 days

• Bordeaux with its renovated docks & Sarlat with its typical medieval lanes
• The unmissable Lascaux Cave
• A wonderful tour between prestigious vineyards & Dodogne river
• The medieval town of St Emilion

Dordogne bike tour

• Rocamadour: the sacred city is clinged to the cliff
• The wealthy landscapes of the Dordogne and Vézère Valley
• Sarlat and its typical medieval lanes

Cycle tour in the Gulf of Morbihan and its islands

• Strolling on "Ile aux Moines" and "Ile d'Arz"
• The bike itinerary between ocean and rivers
• The charming little fishing ports of Larmor Baden and Saint Goustan
• Vannes and the medieval atmosphere

Cycle tour around Bordeaux and its greatest vineyards

• A bike tour through the most prestigious vineyards of Bordeaux
• The docks of Bordeaux: one of the most wonderful urban heritage in the world
• The fortress of Blaye, built by Vauban

4 days by bike from Bordeaux to Arcachon

• The quietness of the cycle paths under the shading pine forest
• Arcachon Bay, the Dune du Pilat, the seaside softness
• Bordeaux, World Heritage Site by UNESCO

From Bordeaux to Arcachon by bike, between vineyards and pines’ forest

• Biking along the Garonne river banks in Bordeaux
• Margaux and the Bordelais greatest vineyards

The 'Canal des 2 Mers': from Bordeaux to Sète by Bike

• From the Garonne River to the Mediterranean Sea in the same cycling tour
• Unforgettable landscapes and sites
• The marked-out itineraries along the ‘Canal des 2 mers’

Canal du Midi by bike from Toulouse to Sète

• Ride on the whole canal!
• The landscapes variety between Pays du Lauragais, Pays du Minervois and Pays Cathare
• The charming former lock houses

A family cycle tour in the Loire Valley

• The loire river banks and the Villandry Renaissance gardens
• An easy route accessible to everyone

Loire à Vélo: cycle tour from Blois to Tours along the great chateaux

• Discovery of the Loire Valley greatest chateaux: Chambord, Cheverny, Chenonceau, Amboise!
• A bit of shopping in Tours … while visiting the old town!
• Loire à Vélo cycling paths!

Deluxe bike tour in the Loire Valley chateaux region

• Stay in the greastest charming chateaux-hotels
• The unmissable chateaux of Chambord and Chenonceau
• The wealth of the local gastronomy and Chefs’ talents

Cycle tour from Rennes to Saint-Malo: along Ille and Rance Canal

• The Green Lane safe itinerary, along the Canal
• The discovery of Rennes, « Town of Art and History »
• The arrival in Saint Malo by the sea: an amazing view!

Cycle tour around Saint Malo

• Saint Malo, the pirate city: its fortifications, its beaches, its legends
• Taste oysters on the old port of Cancale
• Dinard and its exceptional seaside heritage
• Saint-Suliac, small fishermen villages, one of the “Most Beautiful Villages of France”

Mont-Saint-Michel by bike

• The corsair city of St Malo, and the medieval city of Dinan
• The vantage views on the Mont St Michel and its bay
• An itinerary between wild beaches and its spectacular hinterland

Along the “Voie Verte” cycling paths: from Dijon to Mâcon

• The bike paths on the green lane
• The nice Romanesque town of Cluny
• The beauty of the South of Bourgogne and its undulating landscapes

A true Burgundy experience by bike

• The Château du Clos Vougeot bordered by vines
• The old village au Châteauneuf-en-Auxois and its castle from the 12th century
• The prestigious « Côte de Nuits » and « Côte de Beaune »

Cycle tour around Beaune and its prestigious vineyards

• Bike excursions through the greatest vineyards of Bourgogne
• The nice town of Beaune and its famous Hospice
• Your hotel ideally situated in Beaune town center

Sparkling cycling tour in Champagne : From Reims to Epernay

• Enjoy the most elegant hotels of Champagne
• Reims "city of kings" and Epernay "Champagne capital"
• Stay in Vinay village, in the heat of the vineyards

From Reims to Epernay : cycling on the wine route of Champagne

• The touristic roads of Champagne wines
• The city of Reims, « city of Kings » and Art Deco city
• Epernay which gather the greatest houses of Champagne

Bike stay in Epernay, capital of Champagne

• Stay in Epernay, in the heart of Champagne!
• Cycle on the new greenway along the Marne river
• The small Chavot-Courcourt church lost in the middle of the vineyards

Champagne vineyards bike tour

• Hautvilliers: The nice hilltop village of Dom Perignon
• The famous « Côte des blancs » Chardonnay cradle!
• The best part of Champagne in 3 bikes stages

Cycle tour on Alsace wineroad from Colmar to Strasbourg

• The Haut-Koenigsbourg castle

5 days on Loire a Velo trails from Blois to Saumur

• The architecturale wealth in every stopover town
• The variety of the Loire wines: Vouvray, Montlouis, Saumur-Champigny, etc...

Family cycling trip from Blois to Amboise

• The easy bike stages, between cycle paths and marked out itineraries
• The visit of chateaux de Chambord, Cheverny and the last home of Leonardo Da Vinci.
• Remember Tintin world at the château de Cheverny
• Enjoy the “natural bathing spot”, entirely environmental

The Loire Valley's greatest chateaux by bike

• Discovery of the most prestigious chateaux: Chambord, Chenonceau and Cheverny
• Varied landscapes between the ‘Loire by bike’, forest and vineyards
• Possibility of canoeing on the Loire and Cher rivers

Family cycling tour in the Loire Chateaux country

• ‘The secrets of Marlinspike’ exhibition in Cheverny
• An easy and accessible to all itinerary
• Discover the chateaux of Chambord and Cheverny

Cycling tour on the Arcachon Bay

• The dune du Pilat, uninterrupted view on the Arcachon Bay
• The Cap Ferret and its oysters’ villages
• Arcachon and the Arcachonnaises of the winter town

Bike stay between Chambord and Cheverny

• 3 days in the heart of Sologne, between forest and chateaux
• Short stages to Chambord and Cheverny
• For the gourmand: The handmade chocolate factory Max Vauché, nearby your hotel

Bike escapade in the heart of Chambord country

• The elegance and tranquility of your acccommodation, in the heart of a beautiful countryside
• Taste the Cheveny's wines !
• About 3 or 4 bike excursions in varied landscapes: Chambord forest, vineyards and Loire banks

Cycle tour around Amboise

• 4 bike excursions from Amboise, including the unmissable château of Chenonceau !
• Plunge back into the fabulous world of Leonardo Da Vinci
• The outstanding Vouvray vineyards

The hidden treasures of the Loire à Vélo routes, from Tours to Saumur

• A mix between cycling paths and outstanding sideroads
• Montsoreau and Crissay-sur-Manse : ones of the « Most Beautiful Villages of France »
• The elegant chateau d'Azay le Rideau and the surprising château de Brézé

Canal du Midi by bike from Toulouse to Carcassonne - short stages

• Stop in Castelnaudary… to taste the famous Cassoulet
• Easy and short stages to fully enjoy the panorama!
• Français ( French )

Tracing history along the coast

A beautiful cycle tour along the Normandy coast, which takes you to the most famous landing beaches of the Allies on D-Day as far as the Cote Fleurie, which is characterized by the Belle Epoque. From Sainte-Mère-Église to Cabourg or from Arromanche to Honfleur, discover the different faces of Normandy. You will find an astonishing variety: rolling green hills, long fine sandy beaches, steep cliffs and half-timbered houses. All interspersed with impressive memories and moving moments of history.

Itinerary at a glance

Experience the history of the second world war up close on the normandy coast. in contrast to the terrifying battlefields of the past, the present offers beautiful natural landscapes and architecture..

Visit the center of the medieval town with its covered arcades, unique in Normandy, its beautiful town houses and the Notre Dame church dating from the 11th to 15th centuries. The origins of the beautiful marina also date back to Gallic times.

Your first exploration tour by bike begins on the greenway through the regional nature park of the Cotentin marshes, Marais de Cotentin. Then continue to Sainte-Mère-Église, the ideal starting point to relive the first hours of D-Day. Take a look at the church's famous tower clock, on which hangs a souvenir commemorating the adventures of one of the first American parachutists to land on French soil. Ride your bike to Utah Beach with its beautiful white sand and the D-Day Landing Museum. At the end of the day, return to Carentan.

Drive to Isigny-sur-Mer, a small fishing village famous for its butter, cheese and caramels. Continue to La Pointe du Hoc, explore the fields still riddled with holes from the D-Day shells fired by Allied ships from the English Channel. Impressive! On Omaha Beach is the American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer with 9,387 gravestones. They stand in the immaculate green grass, with the ever-present sea in the background, all of which conveys a sense of peace and tranquillity. We continue along the coast to the pretty fishing port of Port-en-Bessin.

Today you cycle to the impressive German defense battery of Longues-sur-Mer and then on to the golden beach in Arromanches. Here you can visit the remains of the huge artificial harbor built on the orders of Winston Churchill. Don't forget to visit Arromanches 360°, a circular cinema that illustrates the entire history of the Battle of Normandy. The route continues along small paths through the countryside between pretty hedgerow fields - the "bocage" - to Courseullessur-Mer. Take some time to stroll through the picturesque fishing port.

Cycle along Juno Beach and Sword Beach to Ouistreham, past coastal villages and along fine sandy beaches. Take the time to visit the No. 4 Commando Museum or follow the cycle path along the Caen Canal to Pegasus Bridge, where the British Army won a major victory in 1944. After a short stop at the Pegasus memorial, it's time to explore the Cote Fleurie, one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in France. Follow the sea to Cabourg with its beach promenades. The town has been a very popular seaside resort since the beginning of the 20th century.

A short detour into the countryside of Auge to the village of Beaumont-en-Auge, with its colorful half-timbered houses. You then return to the coast and head for Deauville, a beautiful seaside resort with elegant half-timbered houses. Follow the apple tree-lined coastline to Honfleur with its pretty marina. Take your time to discover the small port, the typical tall, narrow and colorful houses and the timeless narrow streets and alleys. You will see why Honfleur inspired the Impressionist painters.

Leave Honfleur and explore the countryside on a new route. This classic landscape, so typical of Normandy, offers the most beautiful views. The "Pays de Auge" is synonymous with apples and, of course, cider and calvados. Not forgetting the dairy cows and the cheese they produce, which is why Pont-l'Eveque is an unmissable stop on your tour. Take the time to explore the colorful half-timbered houses and carved houses before heading to Deauville and Trouville, where the fish market will make your mouth water. You will be enchanted by the Belle Époque ambience of this seaside town.

Route Information

You cycle mainly on quiet side roads, sometimes on cycle paths or good gravel roads. The stages are generally slightly hilly to hilly.

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Arrival / Parking / Departure

• Carentan train station.
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• The return journey by train is only possible by changing trains several times

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• Minimum number of participants: 2 persons
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Tour de France 2024 : Romain Bardet remporte la 1re étape et portera le maillot jaune pour la première fois ! | Résultats, résumé, classements et présentation de la 2e étape

Exceptionnel Romain Bardet !

Le Français s'est imposé ce samedi 29 juin sur la première étape du Tour de France entre Florence et Rimini, et s'empare ainsi du premier maillot jaune de cette édition 2024, à l'issue d'une course haletante et sous plus de 30 degrés.

Le coureur de la DSM - Firmenich PostNL peut remercier son équipier Frank van den Broek , auteur d'une course magistrale récompensée du titre de combatif du jour. Les deux hommes, seuls dans l'échappée dès 40 km de l'arrivée, se sont unis pour faire face au retour puissant du peloton. Les deux fuyards passent la ligne d'arrivée avec seulement 5 secondes d'avance sur le peleton.

« J'ai vraiment du mal à y croire, ce n'était pas du tout prémédité », a réagi le vainqueur du jour à l'issue de la course au micro de France TV . « On a fait un raid incroyable avec Frank, je lui dois beaucoup et ce maillot est partagé. »

C'est la première fois que Romain Bardet arborera le maillot jaune, ce dimanche sur la deuxième étape entre Cesenatico et Bologne. Le Français, qui a annoncé que ce Tour de France 2024 serait le dernier de sa carrière, a franchi la ligne d'arrivée les larmes au yeux.

• Tous les classements du Tour de France 2024

Un duo exceptionnel entre Romain Bardet et Frank Van den Broek

Romain Bardet (DSM - Firmenich PostNL) a initié une attaque dans la côte de San Leo (4,6 km à 7,7 % de moyenne, 2e catégorie) à 50 km de l'arrivée, pour effectuer la jonction avec l'échappée, dans lequel se trouvait déjà son équipier néerlandais Frank Van den Broek depuis le début de la course. Les deux coéquipiers ont ensuite uni leurs forces pour se défaire successivement du Norvégien Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Pro) et du Français Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), afin de se retrouver seuls en tête à 40 km de l'arrivée.

Les deux hommes de tête comptaient 1 min 30 sec d'avance sur le peloton à 20 km de l'arrivée. Mais l'écart n'a cessé de fondre comme neige au soleil au fil des kilomètres, descandant à 20 sec d'avance à 3 km de l'arrivée, puis à 10 sec à 1 km de la ligne.

Mais c'était sans compter sur la détermination des deux hommes, qui n'ont rien lâché malgré le retour à pleine vitesse du peloton. Les dernières secondes de la course étaient irrespirables, et Frank Van den Broek, en grand seigneur, a levé le pied pour offrir la victoire au Français de 33 ans, qui va pouvoir revêtir pour la première fois de sa carrière le maillot jaune dès demain. Les larmes de Romain Bardet à l'arrivée resteront gravées dans les plus belles images de ce Tour de France.

À noter également la belle course d'un autre Français, Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), présent dans l'échappée du jour pendant 150 km. Auteur de gros efforts dans les ascensions, il a malheureusement subi le rythme du duo Bardet-Van den Broek dans la côte de Montemaggio (4,3 km à 6,6%, 3e catégorie), à 40 km de l'arrivée. Le champion de France 2023, épuisé, termine l'étape à la 55e place, avec 1 min 40 sec de retard.

Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan Team) a de son côté vécu une journée cauchemardesque sur les routes d'Italie. Décroché dans la première montée répertoriée du jour, il a été en souffrance tout au long de l'étape. Son groupe accusait déjà 20 minutes de retard à 55 km de l'arrivée. Le coureur britannique a également perdu un coéquipier, l'Italien Michele Gazzoli, qui est est le premier coureur contraint à l'abandon dans ce 111e Tour de France.

Tour de France 2024, podium de la 1re étape

• Romain Bardet (FRA/DSM-Firmenich PostNL) : 05 h 07 min 22 sec
• Frank Van den Broek (NED/DSM-Firmenich PostNL) : + 0 sec
• Wout Van Aert (BEL/Team Visma-Lease a Bike) : + 5 sec
• Le guide complet du Tour de France 2024

Tour de France 2024, top 5 du classement général après la 1re étape

• Tadej Pogačar (SLO/UAE Team Emirates) : + 5 sec
• Maxim Van Gils (BEL/Lotto Dstny) : + 5 sec

Au programme du Tour de France 2024 le 30 juin : Présentation de la 2e étape entre Cesenatico et Bologne

Le peloton reste en Italie pour la 2 e étape du Tour de France 2024 .

Il va parcourir 198,7 km entre Cesenatico et Bologne. La première partie de cette étape ne présente pas de grande difficulté et conduira les coureurs à Imola, ville connue pour son circuit automobile.

Cette étape accidentée proposera une soixantaine de kilomètres de plat aux coureurs avant les premières côtes et difficultés du jour.

La côte de Gallisterna (1,2 km à 12,8 % de moyenne, 3e catégorie) et la côte de Botteghino (1,9 km à 6,9 %, 4e catégorie) donneront aux grimpeurs leurs premiers défis de la course.

La dernière partie de la course, notamment la côte du sanctuaire de San Luca, ravira les puncheurs.

• La liste des participants au Tour de France 2024

Parcours et principales difficultés de la 2e étape du Tour de France 2024

Cesenatico > bologne (199,2 km, étape accidentée).

• Départ fictif : 12h00
• 49,7 km : Col de Valico Tre Faggi (12,5 km à 5,1% - 2e catégorie)
• 77,8 km : Côte des Forche (2,5 km à 6,2% - 3e catégorie)
• 98,3 km : Côte de Carnaio (10,5 km à 4,6% - 3e catégorie)
• 135,6 km : Côte de Barbotto (5,8 km à 7,6% - 2e catégorie)
• 157,3 km : Côte de San Leo (4,6 km à 7,7% - 2e catégorie)
• 167,1 km : Côte de Montemaggio (4,2 km à 6,6% - 3e catégorie)
• 179,7 km : Côte de San Marino (7,1 km à 4,8% - 3e catégorie)
• Arrivée prévisionnelle : 17h34
• Le parcours du Tour de France 2024

Comment regarder le Tour de France 2024 en direct ?

Pour regarder le Tour de France 2024 en direct, rendez-vous sur France Télévisions et Eurosport si vous êtes en France.

Si vous vous trouvez dans un autre pays, retrouvez le guide complet des partenaires de diffusion du Tour de France 2024 ici .

LIRE AUSSI - Calendrier du cyclisme sur route aux JO de Paris 2024

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Tour de France

Tour de france basics, whether you're a seasoned cycling fan or a first time watcher, here are some things you should know about the greatest cycling race in the world..

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How the Tour originated

At the turn of the 19th century, in the era known as La Belle Époque, France was the envy of the world. The Impressionists Degas, Monet and Renoir had revolutionized art; the Eiffel Tower, constructed in 1889, was the tallest building in the world; the French newspaper Le Petit Journal had the world’s largest circulation; and the French rail system was the most extensive anywhere. In sports, though, France had yet to establish events as epochal as Great Britain’s Open golf tournament (1860), the United States’ Kentucky Derby (1875) or England’s Wimbledon Tennis Championships (1877). But it was a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the International Olympic Committee that organized the first Modern Olympics (1896)—in which the “new” sport of cycling was a major element.

French cycling had already established two long-distance, point-to-point road races, Bordeaux–Paris and Paris–Roubaix. These so-called “classic” races were promoted by the largest daily sports newspaper, Le Vélo , run by Pierre Giffard, a former news director of Le Petit Journal . Upset by Giffard’s political views, a group of advertisers, mostly right-wing bicycle manufacturers, helped start a rival daily, L’Auto-Vélo , which also covered the growing automobile industry. Its first editor was Henri Desgrange, a cycling enthusiast and director of the Parc des Princes velodrome. After he was forced to change the publication’s name to L’Auto , the paper struggled in a circulation battle with Giffard. So, at a November 1902 editorial meeting, Desgrange said, “We have to invent something to shut Giffard up. Any ideas?” “Why not a cycling tour of France?” his cycling editor Géo Lefèvre replied. “A race of several days, longer and harder than any that exists.” Two months later, under the headline, “Le Tour de France,” L’Auto wrote: “The greatest cycling event: Paris–Lyon–Marseille–Toulouse–Bordeaux–Nantes–Paris, 20,000 francs in prizes, starts June 1, finishes July 5 at the Parc des Princes.”

Team Infrastructure

Prior to the technology revolution starting in the 1990s, life was much simpler for teams taking part in the Tour de France. A typical staff consisted of two sports directors, two mechanics, two soigneurs/masseurs and maybe a doctor; the organizers supplied their race vehicles (two team cars and a backup), plus an equipment van. Today, a squad such as Team INEOS has a full-time staff of more than 60 people, half of whom accompany the eight-rider team to the Tour.

Besides the increased number of regular staff positions (a manager, three sports directors, three or four mechanics, and three or four soigneurs), a Tour team has personnel for performance monitoring, technical operations, medical (including a psychiatrist and physiotherapist besides a doctor), nutrition (including a chef to prepare the team’s meals), driving (team bus and camper van), media and marketing, along with back-up staff overseeing office and equipment operations. Some teams haul riders’ personal mattresses from hotel to hotel to give them better sleep and recovery—and others use icing equipment to help with post-race recovery and injury healing. The performance staff, doctors and soigneurs also use an arsenal of small tech instruments to monitor their riders’ health and fitness. Each rider has two or three road bikes and a couple of time-trial machines, while dozens of spare wheels and tires are carried in the equipment truck.

The mechanics have an array of equipment, including toolboxes, power washers and highly accurate pumps that allow them to customize each rider’s tire pressures. Depending on the tire width, front tires are normally inflated to 100 pounds per square inch, rear tires to 120 psi, with 10 psi extra for time trials and 10 psi less in wet conditions on road stages. All the team vehicles are customized for use at the Tour, with sport directors using station wagons modified to cope with up to 350 kilograms (770 pounds) of added weight from racks, bikes, wheels, cool boxes, tools and full drink bottles.

Age Is Not a Barrier

Tour de France riders usually peak in their late 20s or early 30s. The exceptions have been highly talented individuals who have won their debut Tours at a much younger age, including (since World War II) Jacques Anquetil (23 in 1957), Felice Gimondi (23 in 1965), Eddy Merckx (24 in 1969), Bernard Hinault (24 in 1978), Laurent Fignon (23 in 1983) and Tadej Pogacar (21 in 2020). More typical are men who rode the Tour several times before they won the overall title. That was the case with Miguel Induráin, who won the first of his five consecutive yellow jerseys at age 27 on his seventh appearance at the Tour, after not finishing his first two Tours and then placing 97th, 47th, 17th, and 10th.

Frenchman Henri Cornet, age 20, was the youngest to win the Tour in 1904. That second edition of the Tour was held in confusion, with crowd protests, barricades across the road, and even shots fired to break up protests. In the end, four months after the finish, the riders who won all the stages and took the top four places on GC were all disqualified for violating the rules. That left fifth-placed Cornet, who actually finished three hours behind the original winner, as the 1904 champion. That same Tour saw the oldest man to ever start the race: 50-year-old Henri Paret from Saint-Étienne.

As for the oldest winner, that honor remains with Belgium’s Firmin Lambot, who was thirty-six when he won the 1922 Tour, three years after his first Tour victory. The next oldest Tour winners were all age 34: Henri Pélissier in 1923, Gino Bartali in 1948 and Cadel Evans in 2011. The oldest rider to win any of the three-week grand tours was American Chris Horner, who was a month short of his 42nd birthday when he won the Vuelta a España in 2013. The closest anyone came to achieving that feat at the Tour was Raymond Poulidor, who at age 40 in 1972 finished in third place—only beaten by Tour legends Merckx and Gimondi. The oldest rider to win a Tour stage was Italian-Belgian Pino Cerami, who won stage 9 of the 1963 Tour at age 41.

Drafting Vehicles

When watching TV coverage of the Tour de France, new viewers often wonder what is going on when they see a rider, who’s chasing back through the caravan after being delayed by a crash or a mechanical problem, tuck in behind a team car to gain some momentum. Is he cheating? Or is this okay with the race officials? By the rules, a rider can be given a fine or a small time penalty for drafting behind a vehicle; but officials generally turn a blind eye to such assistance—unless he drafts for an excessive period, when they could even disqualify him.

Sometimes, viewers will see a rider drop back from the peloton and sit alongside his team car, either holding on to the car or taking a water bottle handed to him, and at the same time chatting with his team director. When a rider holds on to a water bottle being handed up to him and takes a slingshot forward, that maneuver is known as a “sticky bottle.” Or perhaps a mechanic, hanging out of the back door with a wrench in his hand, is holding the rider’s bike and apparently tightening a seat bolt or straightening a derailleur—even if neither of those things is needed; that’s known as a “magic wrench.”

Well, it’s not against the rules for a team to hand up a bottle; sometimes a rider drops back from the peloton and collects half a dozen bottles that he’ll stuff in his pockets or down the back of his jersey to take up to his teammates. Occasionally, riders are disqualified for hanging onto team vehicles, especially if it’s up a mountain climb, but they are more likely to receive a time penalty—for a first offense, it’s 10 seconds added to your overall time. The 2015 Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali was disqualified from the 2016 Vuelta a España after a helicopter shot showed him holding onto his team car at speed after being delayed in a big pileup.

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Tour de France 2024 - Visma | Lease a Bike : Pour Jonas Vingegaard, être au départ est déjà "une victoire en soi"

Mis à jour 28/06/2024 à 10:03 GMT+2

Quasiment trois mois après sa sévère chute sur le Tour du Pays basque, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) sera présent au départ du Tour de France, samedi à Florence. Le double vainqueur sortant a traversé "le moment le plus dur" de sa carrière, comme il l'a reconnu ce jeudi lors d'un point presse, et préfère logiquement être mesuré quant à ses ambitions sur cette Grande Boucle.

Vingegaard : "Etre au départ, c'est déjà une victoire pour moi"

• Le Tour de France sera à suivre en intégralité sur Eurosport via la plateforme de streaming Max

Pantani, mythe complexe mais vivace

il y a 8 heures

Vingegaard, Roglic et Evenepoel à terre : l'énorme chute sur le tour du Pays Basque

Cela a été le moment le plus dur de ma carrière

San Luca, un vrai mur et un gros test

Les débats du tour : est-ce la plus belle victoire de bardet , pour la france, il y a (enfin) une vie en jaune en dehors d'alaphilippe.

il y a 9 heures

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What to Know About This Year’s Tour de France (Which Begins in Italy)

Two previous winners are the leading contenders to win cycling’s most famous race, which, in a rarity, does not end in Paris.

By Victor Mather

For three weeks starting Saturday, the world’s best cyclists will do battle in the Tour de France, racing through valleys, hills and high mountains. Though 176 riders will start, most eyes will be on a pair of two-time winners who seek title No. 3.

After more than 2,000 miles and dozens of punishing climbs, will the winner be Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark, who took the last two Tours de France but was hurt in a crash this year? Or Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, the 2020 and 2021 winner ? Or will an unexpected contender jump up and surprise them?

And, wait: Is it really the Tour de France if the race doesn’t finish on the Champs-Élysées? Here’s a primer to read before the race gets underway.

Where will they race?

For the first time, the race will start in Italy , with the opening stage beginning in Florence and winding through the Apennine Mountains to Rimini, a city on the Adriatic coast. It will be more difficult than most opening stages, with several uphill climbs.

After a few days in Italy, the race will enter France, then go counterclockwise around the country, passing through the Alps, the Massif Central, the Pyrenees and then the Alps again.

Who are the favorites?

Vingegaard won last year’s event by an emphatic seven and a half minutes. But after a good start to the 2024 cycling season, he crashed badly in the Tour of the Basque Country in April and spent 12 days in the hospital with a broken collarbone. He is expected to ride in the Tour de France, but there is uncertainty as to what kind of shape he will be in.

As a result, Pogacar, who has been in fine form, is the favorite to win and regain his crown.

Pogacar rode in the Giro d’Italia, or Tour of Italy, in May. Unlike riders in that race who hold back to preserve their strength for the Tour de France, he gave it his all, winning by almost 10 minutes. If Pogacar claims the Tour as well, he will be the first cyclist since Marco Pantani, in 1998, to win the Giro and the Tour in the same season.

After the big two, other possible contenders include Primoz Roglic of Slovenia, the 2023 Giro winner, and Remco Evenepoel of Belgium, who won the 2022 Tour of Spain.

Though an individual wins the Tour, his team can help a lot, pacing him in the mountains and blocking attacks from rivals. Last year’s leading team, Jumbo-Visma (now Visma–Lease a Bike) has broken up; Vingegaard is still its leader, but Roglic left to join Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. UAE Team Emirates will support Pogacar with a squad that includes Adam Yates of Britain, a rider with the talent to win the Tour himself; he placed third last year.

Tell me the days that really matter.

The first stage to focus on is July 2, when the riders travel from Italy to France. It includes a climb up the Galibier, one of the Tour’s toughest mountains, and one that still has snow on the side of the roads.

In the midst of a week of flat stages that won’t change the leaderboard much, there is a time trial on July 5 in Burgundy wine country. The riders will race alone against the clock, with no help from teammates, which is why a time trial is known as “the race of truth.”

The real action comes at the end, with five mountain stages. The July 13 stage is particularly notable; it includes a climb up the Tourmalet in the Pyrenees and ends with an uphill — or more accurately, up-mountain — finish that is sure to winnow out any pretenders. Also make note of July 14, 17, 19 and 20 as four more brutal mountain stages where the Tour is likely to be won, or lost.

But even the flat stages, which are usually won by sprinters and seldom affect the overall standings, may have some extra interest this year. The great sprinter Mark Cavendish, 39, has 34 career stage victories and needs one more to break the record he shares with Eddy Merckx, the dominant rider of the 1960s and ’70s.

What’s different this year?

The day after that last mountain stage, the race will end, but not with the traditional ceremonial cruise down the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Instead, the field will hold a time trial to finish the Tour for the first time since 1989. If the race is close, the winner could be decided on that final day, as it was in 1989. That year, the American Greg LeMond snatched the Tour from Laurent Fignon of France in a time trial by a mere eight seconds, still the closest margin in history.

To avoid the Paris Olympics, which open five days later, the time trial will run from Monaco to Nice. It is the first time since 1974 the race has not ended on the Champs-Élysées and the first time ever it has not ended in Paris or its environs.

Remind me what the jerseys mean.

In each stage, whoever is the overall leader wears the yellow jersey to make him easier to spot for TV viewers and the thousands of fans along the route.

But there are other jerseys, too. Finishing near the front in individual stages, especially flat ones, earns points toward the green jersey for best sprinter. Last year’s winner of this jersey was Jasper Philipsen.

The first riders to reach the top of the race’s many mountains earn points toward the garish polka-dot jersey for best climber. The top contenders for yellow are also favored to win this jersey, as is Giulio Ciccone of Italy, who won last year.

Are there any Americans racing?

The days of American favorites like LeMond and Lance Armstrong are over for the time being. Moreover, Sepp Kuss, the American who won the 2023 Tour of Spain, is out because of a Covid-19 infection.

Matteo Jorgenson, 24, on the Visma team, is the top-ranked American. He won this year’s weeklong Paris-Nice race, and some think he can contend for the tour’s title in the future, or maybe, if all goes well, this year.

How can I watch?

Stages generally start around 6 or 7 a.m. Eastern time and last four to five hours. In the United States, Peacock will stream every stage live. Some stages will be shown on NBC and USA as well.

Other broadcasters include ITV and Eurosport (United Kingdom), SBS (Australia), FloBikes (Canada), France Televisions (France), ARD (Germany) and J Sports (Japan).

Victor Mather , who has been a reporter and editor at The Times for 25 years, covers sports and breaking news. More about Victor Mather

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Atlantic Coast of France

7 nights 29 miles/day Self guided from EUR € 1520 Bike tour in France

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From the 'White City' of La Rochelle to the 'Wine City' of Bordeaux

Ride from the resplendent La Rochelle harbor into the beating heart of beautiful Bordeaux via the Vélodyssée and Canal des 2 Mers (Canal of the 2 Seas) cycle paths. Along the way, pedal through fragrant pinewood forests, past the blissful Belle Epoque villas of Royan, and along the grand Gironde Estuary, enjoying captivating coastal views as you ride.

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• La Rochelle
• Marennes & oyster farming pool
• Regional salt pans & Seudre Estuary
• Belle Epoque villas of Royan
• Talmont-sur-Gironde
• Vélodyssée cycling path
• Canal des 2 Mers cycling path
• Gironde Estuary
• Coastal views

Learn more about self-guided tours. Interested in adding to your itinerary? Take a look at our cycling day tours in France.

Photos 

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 Tour Description   Daily Program 

Daily program

Day 1: Arrival in La Rochelle Enjoy the charms of the city with its atmospheric towers and remains of the old defensive walls.

Day 2: La Rochelle – Rochefort (37 miles/60 km) From the famous towers of La Rochelle harbor, ride along the oceanside cycling path to Châtelaillon-Plage, a seaside city. You'll eventually reach the astonishing city of Rochefort, following the beautiful banks of the Charente River.

Day 3: Rochefort – La Tremblade (19 miles/30 km) Follow a cycle path from Rochefort to the salt pan, crossed by several small canals. Marennes is the first oyster farming pool in Europe - a perfect stopover to discover regional food!

Day 4: La Tremblade – Royan (25 miles/40 km) Continue your journey between the salt pans and the Seudre Estuary. After Palmyre, 'the Coast of Beauty' makes for an enchanting experience as you enjoy sea views along the cycle path to Royan, known for its Belle Epoque villas.

Day 5: Royan – Mortagne-sur-Gironde (21 miles/33 km) On a lovely, shaded cycling track by the sea, your journey will take you from paths to small roads before you reach Talmont-sur-Gironde, known as one of the 'most beautiful villages in France'. You'll then ride to the magical Mortagne-sur-Gironde harbor.

Day 6: Mortagne sur Gironde – Blaye (39 miles/62 km) The numerous small marinas along the river banks of the Gironde make for stunning stopping places. You will join Blaye by a beautiful cycle path, leaving Charente Maritime to continue the route of the Canal of the 2 Seas.

Day 7: Blaye – Bordeaux (33 miles/54 km) Cross the Gironde Estuary to join Lamarque and the region of Médoc, famous for its award-winning wine. You'll reach the heart of Bordeaux, riding along small roads in the midst of the verdant vineyards.

Day 8: Departure during the day

 Photos   Accommodation 

These are sample hotels and may vary based on availability.

You will enjoy superior accommodation in 3- and 4-star hotels.

Hotel La Monnaie or Hotel Centra Park, La Rochelle www.hotelcentralpark.fr

Hôtel de La Corderie Royale, Rochefort www.all.accor.com

Hotel Grand Chalet, La Tremblade www.logishotels.com

Hôtel Cordouan, Royan www.thalazur.fr

Domaine du Meunier, Mortagne sur Gironde www.domainedumeunier.com

Guest room Clos Reaud, Blaye www.closreaud-citadelle.com

HotelMajestic, Bordeaux www.hotel-majestic.com

Interested in visiting other areas before or after your tour? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options.

 Daily program   Bikes 

View Bike Prices

The bikes available for rent on this tour (must be reserved at time of booking):

• Standard touring bikes, 21-speed men's or unisex frame
• Electrically assisted bike, 9-speed*
• Child's bike, trailer, or baby seat

*More about  electrically-assisted bikes >

Equipment included with bike rental:

• One rear saddlebag for standard bikes; two rear saddlebags for e-bikes
• High visibility jacket
• Anti-theft device
• Map holder and handlebar bag
• Repair kit, pump, lock

Bike Protection: Bike protection can be purchased at the time of booking. You can read more about that  HERE .

Pedals: The bikes will have flat pedals. If you want to bring your own pedals, please bring your own shoes and also the necessary equipment to change the pedals.

Helmets: Helmets are available, free of charge but they must be reserved at the time of booking. The use of a helmet is mandatory for children less than 12 years old (whether riders or passengers). For older children and adults, even if it’s not mandatory we strongly recommend it! 

 Accommodation   Dates & Prices 

Daily: Mar 1 - Oct 31, 2024.

Low season : Mar 1, 2024 - Jun 13, 2024; Sep 10, 2024 - Oct 31, 2024

Mid season : Jun 14, 2024 - Jun 30, 2024; Sep 1, 2024 - Sep 9, 2024

High season : Jul 1, 2024 - Aug 31, 2024

Tour package

Bike rentals, extra nights, la rochelle, extra nights, bordeaux, included services.

• 7 nights accommodation
• Luggage transfer (1 luggage 20kg per person) - Additional €20 per extra luggage and transfer
• Travel folder with maps, detailed route descriptions, and tourist brochures
• Navigational app
• Hotline for emergency support
• Pont Transbordeur crossing in Rochefort (Day 2)
• Boat transfer of the Gironde River (Day 7)
• GPX tracks upon request

Tour Company

 Bikes   Other Details 

Surface and terrain

You'll cycle on paved routes and cycle paths on this tour. You'll enjoy rolling terrain each day, and average distances of 29 miles per day.

How to get there

Tour start Nearest airport: Paris, France Nearest train station: La Rochelle, France

Tour end Nearest airport: Paris, France Nearest train station: Bordeaux, France

From Paris: Montparnasse train station >> La Rochelle Ville train station (about 3h by TGV train).

To La Rochelle: Bordeaux St Jean train station >> La Rochelle train station (about 2h15 by train).

To Paris: Bordeaux St Jean train station >> Paris Montparnasse train station (about 2h10 by TGV train).

Tips on getting to and from your tour .

 Dates & Prices   Tour Reviews 

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Incredible Trip

From spectacular coastline to fields of sunflowers to rolling vineyards, this tour offers a "nature bath" that ignites all the senses. Add to that, beautiful overnight towns, historic hotels and incredible food and wine - what's not to love! This was our second bicycle trip in France (the first was in the equally incredible Loire Valley) and it will certainly not be our last. The distances were just right (the shorter but hillier day was actually the toughest), the bikes were terrific, as was the Roadbook for Discovery AP that served as our guide. Our bags were waiting for us at every overnight town and the entire trip was seamless. We traveled in late June / early July and there were surprisingly few tourists in the towns we visited. Restaurants and sight seeing activities were therefore easily accessible, requiring no advance reservations. We added a couple of nights in La Rochelle pre-trip and in Bordeaux post, which we would highly recommend, we actually wished we'd had more time in Bordeaux - a spectacular city with lot's to see and do .... and eat and drink. Bon voyage!

• 4/5 Included meals
• 5/5 Bikes + equipment
• 5/5 Hotels or boat
• 5/5 Scenery
• 4/5 Ease of navigation
• 5/5 Tour documents
• 5/5 Local tour company services
• 5/5 Route selection

 Other Details   Book This Tour 

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Tour de France : Pogacar, Grégoire, Bardet et Vingegaard… 12 coureurs dont on va entendre parler

De notre envoyé spécial à Florence – Une affrontement au sommet entre Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel et Roglic. Des jeunes coureurs aux dents longues tels que Lapeira, Grégoire et Martinez et la der de Bardet et Candish. Le Tour de France 2024, qui s’élance de Florence samedi 29 juin, nous réserve encore de belles émotions.

Publié le : 28/06/2024 - 20:10

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Quatre fantastiques, des champions nationaux, des vétérans qui vont raccrocher après d'ultimes coups de pédale, des jeunes qui poussent fort pour bousculer la hiérarchie ou encore des prétendants aux maillots distinctifs. France 24 vous présente sa sélection de coureurs dignes de figurer dans la saison 3 de  "Tour de France : au cœur du peloton", la série Netflix qui a offert au cyclisme une belle cure de jouvence.

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Tadej Pogacar : en quête d’un doublé extraordinaire

Régulièrement comparé à la légende absolue du vélo, Eddy Merckx, le Cannibale slovène est homme à se lancer des défis. C’est un exploit qui n'a pas été vu depuis 1998 et Marco Pantani que Tadej Pogacar va tenter d'accomplir : réussir à remporter consécutivement Giro et Tour de France dans la même année . Pour y parvenir, il pourra compter sur l’armada constituée par son équipe UAE Emirates pour l’épauler : Almeida, Ayuso, Soler, (Adam) Yates , Sivakov… Que des noms qui pourraient être leaders dans n’importe quelle équipe du peloton. Avec un parcours très montagneux taillé pour lui, Tadej Pogacar pourrait pousser la gloutonnerie jusqu’au bout et revêtir le maillot jaune dès la première étape. Cette dernière se termine à Rimini, en hommage à Pantani. Un signe ? À moins que son récent Covid amoindrisse les capacités du double vainqueur du Tour.

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Jonas Vingegaard : le vainqueur en titre dans l’incertitude

Double vainqueur sortant, Jonas Vingegaard devait naturellement être favori à sa propre succession. Sauf qu’en avril, une très violente chute a envoyé au tapis la quasi-totalité du peloton, notamment le Danois, Remco Evenepoel  et Primoz Roglic. Le maillot jaune 2024 a été l'un des plus touchés. Évacué sur civière, Jonas Vingegaard avait passé douze jours à l'hôpital pour soigner une fracture de la clavicule et de plusieurs côtes ainsi qu'une contusion pulmonaire et un pneumothorax. Il n'a repris l'entraînement en extérieur que le 7 mai et considère sa présence au départ "déjà comme une victoire". Son équipe Visma-Lease a bike affirme venir humblement sur la Grande Boucle. Info ou intox ?

Remco Evenepoel : à la découverte de la Grande Boucle

Remco enfin sur le Tour ! Couvé par son équipe Soudal-Quickstep depuis ses débuts en 2019, le prodige belge va enfin se frotter à la Grande Boucle après avoir expérimenté la Vuelta et le Giro les années passées. Avec succès puisque l’ancien footballeur a remporté la Vuelta 2022 et s'est montré à son aise sur le Giro 2023 – il était leader du classement général après neuf étapes avant d'être contraint à l'abandon à cause du Covid. Annoncé comme un sérieux concurrent à Vingegard et Pogacar, il arrive cependant sans certitude, après une fracture de la clavicule, en avril au Pays basque, qui a amputé sa préparation. Lors du Dauphiné fin juin, il a semblé à la peine, peu affuté physiquement et concluant l’épreuve à la 7 e place. Beaucoup de bruit pour rien ?

Primoz Roglic : enfin conquérir le Tour

À 34 ans, Primoz Roglic revient tenter sa chance dans le Tour de France avec une nouvelle équipe mais une ambition intacte, décrocher en le grand Tour qui manque à son palmarès. Passé de Visma-Lease a Bike à Red Bull-Bora cet hiver pour sortir de l'ombre de Jonas Vingegaard, le Slovène veut profiter d'une course avec laquelle il entretient une relation compliquée. Passé à un contre-la-montre de la victoire en 2020, emporté par la tornade Pogacar, il s'est vu pris de vitesse par la jeune génération incarné par "Pogi" et son ex-coéquipier danois. Pris lui aussi dans la chute au Tour du Pays basque, il était cependant le moins touché. Sans compter qu’il vient également d’envoyer un message à la concurrence lors du Dauphiné en l'emportant.

Matteo Jorgenson : bousculer la hiérarchie

L’équipe Visma - Lease a bike est comme une hydre : coupez une tête, il en repousse d’autres. Si Vingegaard venait à faillir sur ce Tour de France, la meilleure chance des “Abeilles” serait sans nulle doute Matteo Jorgenson, l’Américain débauché chez la Movistar lors du mercato. La France lui réussit depuis le début de l’année : vainqueur de Paris-Nice , 2 e du Dauphiné… Il ne connaît cependant pas encore ses limites sur trois semaines. 

Lenny Martinez et Romain Grégoire : doublette prodigieuse de Marc Madiot

Depuis la fin de carrière de Thibaut Pinot, le poids du leadership au sein de la Groupama-FDJ était censé être porté par David Gaudu . C’était sans compter la méforme de ce dernier et l’émergence de la nouvelle génération, incarnée notamment par Lenny Martinez et Romain Grégoire. Le premier a déjà tout d’un coureur de Grand Tour, lui qui a levé cinq fois les bras cette année. De son côté, Romain Grégoire est davantage typé puncheur, à la manière d'un Alaphilippe, et a remporté son premier succès World Tour au Pays Basque en avril. Avec ces deux-là, qui suscitent les convoitises des autres équipes, la Groupama-FDJ peut espérer de grandes choses sur ce Tour 2024.

Paul Lapeira : le Tour en bleu-blanc-rouge

À l’image de son équipe, le jeune Normand de 24 ans est sur un nuage depuis le début de la saison. Le coureur de Decathlon-AG2R a connu un apprentissage express au sein d'une formation en pleine réussite :  première victoire en professionnel en mars lors de la Classic Loire Atlantique, premier succès World Tour au Tour du Pays basque, passage remarqué sur les classiques ardennais avec une 5 e place lors de l’Amstel Gold Race. Il sera aisément reconnaissable : il vient de conquérir le maillot bleu-blanc-rouge lors des championnats de France. 

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Romain Bardet : un dernier pour la route

Le Français l'a annoncé récemment , cette édition 2023 sera son dernier Tour de France. À 33 ans, le deuxième du Tour 2016 arrive libéré pour viser la gagne quand la route s'élèvera, et offrir quelques derniers frissons au public français. Et l'hommage devrait être à la hauteur au moment de traverser les monts du Cantal, chez lui, lors de la 11 e étape. Un "Virage Bardet" se prépare, sur le modèle de celui organisé pour Thibaut Pinot l'an dernier

Mark Cavendish : "projet 35"

En parlant de retraite, Mark Cavendish l’a repoussée d’une année supplémentaire. La faute à un record qu’il espère battre cette année, à 39 ans. Avec 34 victoires d’étapes, Le "Cav'" codétient pour l'heure le record de succès dans le Tour en compagnie d’Eddy Merckx. Cette année, son équipe Astana lui a adjoint les services de deux experts pour l’emmener dans les meilleures conditions possibles jusqu’au sprint final : le Danois Michael Morkov, surnommé le "meilleur poisson-pilote au monde",  et l'Italien Davide Ballerini. Cavendish s’était déjà lancé dans la quête de ce record en 2023 pour ce qui devait être son dernier Tour de France, mais avait dû abandonner, la clavicule cassée lors d'une chute pendant la huitième étape entre Libourne et Limoges .

Jasper Philipsen : attention à l’actuel roi du sprint

Lors de la septième étape du Tour de France, c’est lui avait grillé la politesse au "Cav"  pour l’empêcher de battre le record de Merckx. Le maillot vert 2023 semble le mieux placé pour sa succession. Vainqueur cette saison de Milan-San Remo , le Belge aura à ses côtés une équipe solide à son service, avec notamment le soutien du champion du monde Mathieu Van der Poel. Un "VDP" qui vaudrait aussi la peine d’être dans cette liste s’il n’était pas dans la peau du coéquipier de luxe pour préparer au mieux les JO de Paris…

Alberto Bettiol : faire vibrer l’Italie

Le champion d'Italie sera comme chez lui au moment du Grand Départ, à une trentaine de kilomètres de là où il a grandi. Vainqueur de Milan-Turin, cinquième de Milan-Sanremo, il a vécu un beau début de saison, cinq ans après sa victoire au Tour des Flandres. Redoutable lorsqu'il se glisse à l'avant, le coureur de EF Éducation voudra briller devant ses compatriotes, sur ses terres, avec le maillot vert-blanc-rouge sur les épaules. Et raviver la flamme d’un cyclisme italien qui n’a plus beaucoup de champions depuis la retraite de Vincenzo Nibali .

Auraient pu également figurer dans cette liste 

Le voltigeur d’Ineos Tom Pidcock, son collègue Egan Bernal en pleine renaissance, le grimpeur italien Giulio Ciccone, l'outsider de Decathlon-AG2R Felix Gall, le 4x4 Mads Pedersen, le philosophe Guillaume Martin, le feu follet Ben Healy ou encore le prometteur Kévin Vauquelin.

Le résumé de la semaine France 24 vous propose de revenir sur les actualités qui ont marqué la semaine

Emportez l'actualité internationale partout avec vous ! Téléchargez l'application France 24

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Planning on booking multiple tours with us? Contact us to receive a 10% discount . Discount only apply when booking 2, 3 or 4 tours on different dates.

Family Owned & Operated

We create and run all of our tours.

Blue Fox Travel is run by a French-American family living in Paris. The French part of the family is a pair of Parisian born brothers, Jean-Baptiste and Jean-Philippe. The American part comes from Hava, Jean-Baptiste’s wife, who has been living in Paris since 2005. To learn more about them see the About Us Page

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Small Group = Better Experience.

We keep our groups small to ensure a more personal and higher quality experience for you. • 8 participants max on our Day & Half-Day Trips. • 12 participants max on our Paris city Bike Tours. • 14 participants max on our Versailles Bike Tour.

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We’ve received thousands of 5 ★’s!

We greatly appreciate having the feedback from our past guests and encourage everyone who has done a tour with us to share their experience with others in a review. You can read many of their reviews on our own website and you can also find several other websites that have reviews for our tours on them as well.

Welcome to the Blue Fox Travel website!

Join us for an a adventure in Paris or the French Countryside and you’ll come away with memories to last you a lifetime. We love exploring one of a kind places and sharing what we find with others. That’s why Blue Fox Travel has only small groups, passionate guides , and well thought out activities.

Our goal is to help you discover the authentic charms of France and its very unique culture. Our tours and day trips from Paris are full of exploration and discovery. They entertain and educate both the novice and the most discerning of travelers.

We guarantee that your experience with us will be fun, hassle free, and full of great memories. We are not interested in being the biggest tour provider in France. We want to be the best tour provider. We want to help you fall in love with our country. So don’t wait to book your tour as our small groups fill up fast!

Have a minute? Watch the Video!

These are the Terms & Conditions that apply to any tour run by BLUE FOX TRAVEL in France under the brands BLUE BIKE TOURS or BLUE FOX TRAVEL. In this document, BLUE BIKE TOURS might be abbreviated as BBT and BLUE FOX TRAVEL as BFT.

BLUE FOX TRAVEL is a registered SARL (Société à Responsabilité Limitée - Limited Liability Company) at the Paris Chamber of Commerce under the number : 534 151 576 BLUE FOX TRAVEL is a registered French Travel Operator under the licence : IM075160040 BLUE FOX TRAVEL is a registered Public Service Vehicle Operator under the Licence : 2016/11/0007784 Because BLUE FOX TRAVEL is a registered French company, and all of our tours take place in France, only the French Law will apply in the case of any conflict. Last updated : January 2019. Valid until : the end of the world.

I - Cancellation Policy

BFT offers a 100% refund if a reservation is cancelled more than 24 hours before the scheduled start of the tour. The notification must be made by email. No refunds are given for ANY reason once within the 24 hrs prior to the scheduled tour. All of our tours run Rain or Shine. We do not issue refunds if you choose to skip your tour because the weather doesn’t suit you. You can always wait until the last minute to book your tour to ensure the weather suits you that day. BFT reserves the right to cancel any of its tours last minute in case of an Act of God or crazy act from a large group of people. Flooding, hail, dangerous weather conditions, riots, etc. In such instances full refunds will be given to anyone who had their tour cancelled.

II - Satisfaction Guarantee Policy

If the tour you took with us didn’t live up to what we promised you on our website and failed to meet your expectations, we will be heartbroken. We will also give you a 100% refund so long as you do all of these things: You remember that we we are in no way responsible for the weather and that our guides actually have to give 110% of themselves to you on days when the weather is not as nice in order to help you enjoy the tour. You participate in the entire tour from: being on time at the meeting point until the “goodbyes” at the very end of the tour. You can’t leave a tour half-way and ask for your money back. At the end of the tour you tell your guide, in person, that you were not satisfied with the tour you took. You provide your tour guide with the reasons you were not satisfied with the tour itself.

III - Payment Policy

A valid credit card is required to secure your booking. All reservations must be prepaid online prior to the tour. We accept Visa, Mastercard. None of your personal credit card or billing information is stored by BFT.

IV - Privacy Policy

We are committed to protecting your privacy. Your personal informations will never be disclosed to any third parties.

V - Child Policy

All reservations made for children under the age of 18 years old must be made by an adult and we must be informed at the time of booking exactly how many children are in your party and their ages. This is vital information as it allows our guide to prepare the proper child sized equipments for the bike tours and the booster seats for all day trips/excursions that use one of our vans. All reservations made for a minor under the age of 18 years old must also include the reservation for an adult who will be 100% solely responsible for the safety and well being of the child while on the tour. Every child, under the age of 12 years old, partaking in a bicycle tour will be required to wear a helmet and a reflective vest as per French Law. The adult who accompanies the child agrees to the responsibility of choosing a properly sized helmet, adjusting the helmet, and keeping the helmet on the head of the child during the whole tour. Blue Fox Travel has helmets in multiple sizes for you to choose from at no cost. Don't forget: Children who will be riding in a baby/child seat, on a tandem attachment bike, or in a booster seat in one of our vans absolutely MUST have their seat reserved beforehand. We NEED to know exactly what your child will need before they show up. Please make it clear in the “Special Requirements” section of our booking form.

VI- Child Bike Policy

Children who will be riding on their own may be subject to a very short test run before the tour starts in which they will be expected to demonstrate: that they are well suited for their bike’s size and settings, that they know how to brake properly and that they are, in general, good cyclists who can be trusted to follow their tour guide in a safe manner. We own 20” and 24” kids bikes (size of the wheel). Adult bikes are 26”. If the guide, or manager, finds that the child is not, for any reason, a good enough cyclist then the guide, or manager, has the right to refuse to let the child follow the tour on a personal bike. This means they will either be asked to ride on one of our ‘tandem attachments’ which is attached to the back of a parents bike OR asked to ride in a child seat attached to the back of a parents bike. If the child refuses the change, then the guide or manager has the right to cancel the reservation, and not allow you and your child on the bike tour. Refunds will not be issued if your reservation is cancelled because of your child not being able to cycle and their refusal to ride attached to you. Baby seats are for kids that are between the ages of 1 and 3 years old (max weight 22 kg (48 lbs)). We also have some cool Burley™ tandem attachment bikes that are suitable for little kids who are too big for the baby seat but too small to cycle on their own (max weight 38 kg (85 lbs) - max height 137 cm (4 ft 6 in)).

VII - Damages to Blue Fox Travel Property

If you or anyone in your party damages a vehicle, a Blue Bike™, a vehicle, a child's bike, a helmet, a baby/child seat, a tandem attachment bike, any bike attachments, or a booster seat in such a way that it becomes badly disfigured, broken, or unusable, then BFT reserves the right to claim a fee of up to the cost of repair of the damaged bike/vehicle or object.

VIII - Miscellaneous