In recent years our "King of the Mountains" series of trips have set the standard for performance bike tours!. In May our King of the Mountains trip visits the mountain stages of the Giro d'Italia and in September we turn to Spain for the Vuelta a Espana.

In July our attention turns to France and the legendary Alpine & Pyrenean climbs in our King of the Mountains trips to France.

The 2008 version of our Pyrenees trip most certainly lives up to it's "King of the Mountains" reputation! We've put together an impressive list of the most famous climbs in an awesome week of bike riding.

Join us and ride legends like......Hautacam.....Luz-Ardiden..... Col du Tourmalet.....Col d'Aspin.....Col de Peyresourde.....Port de Bales.....Superbagneres.....and more...

Click here to view the complete list of famous climbs on this trip.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• LIVE-English-speaking Satellite TV coverage at our mountain-top picnic spots on Hautacam and the Col d'Aspin.
• Spectacular final day ride over the legendary Col du Tourmalet & Luz-Ardiden!
• Paved just last year, the mighty Port de Bales surprised a few pro riders in 2007. Get the chance to ride this "new" hors-categorie col that ranks up there with the Tourmalet!
• Ride no less than 9 Categorie-1 and Hors-Categorie climbs!

YOUR DAILY RIDES

Day	Route Summary	Ride Distance (miles)	Elevation Gain (feet)
1	Warm-up ride around Luchon (includes the Col de Portillon)	35	1,920
2	Luchon › Port de Bales › Superbagneres › Luchon * Shorter option available = 45 miles / 4,500ft	65	8,850
3	Luchon › Col de Portillon › Col de Mente › Col Ares › Luchon * Shorter option available = 55 miles / 4,500ft	65	7,100
4	Luchon › Col de Peyresourde › COL d'ASPIN › Aucun	70	8,000
5	Aucun › HAUTACAM › Aucun	35	6,000
6	Aucun › Col de Tourmalet › Luz Ardiden › Aucun * Shorter option available = 55 miles / 5,500ft	90	9,000
Total:		360	40,870
Daily Average:		60	6,810

CLIMB THESE FAMOUS COLS

In just 1 week climb many of the legendary cols in the Pyrenees! Here's the list of cols included in our itinerary (sorted by Difficulty Index):

Climb	Elev. Gain (feet)	Average Grade	Length (miles)	Profile (m/km)	Difficulty Index
Col du Tourmalet	4160	7.4%	10.7		133
Port de Bales	3890	6.3%	11.7		130
Hautacam	3840	6.8%	10.7		129
Superbagneres	3840	6.3%	11.5		126
Col de Mente	2785	9.1%	5.8		119
Luz Ardiden	3315	6.9%	9.1		111
Col de Peyresourde	3080	6.1%	9.5		96
Col de Portillon (from Luchon)	2175	6.5%	6.3		95
Col d'Aspin	2555	6.5%	7.5		81
Col de Portillon (from Bossost)	1915	6.8%	5.3		68
Col des Ares	1020	4.6%	4.2		35

NON-RIDERS WELCOME!

Non-riders can accompany their riding partner and receive a fantastic 20% reduction on the trip price! Space on our special Non-Rider program is limited to 8 guests! Please call Paul Rogen on 1-888-446-5502 for full details.

WHAT's INCLUDED

• 7 days / 6 nights fully accompanied trip with Thomson Bike Tours
• Comfortable 2-star accommodations
• All breakfasts
• All dinners
• All but 3 lunches
• Pick-up at Toulouse Airport
• Drop-off at Toulouse Airport
• All ground transportation
• All luggage transfer
• Services of our expert guides
• Support vehicles
• Thomson Bike Tours maps, cue sheets and elevation profiles

WHAT's NOT INCLUDED

• Airfare
• Travel and personal insurance
• Additional hotel expenses i.e. phone charges, mini-bar, gratuities

 

The Thomson Bike Tours Difference Your trip to Europe may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and you deserve the best! Performance cyclists now rate Thomson Bike Tours as the premiere provider of performance trips to Europe. Here are a few details that set us aside from the rest: LIVE Satellite TV coverage in English: our strategically placed mountain-top picnic spots have become the reference for the industry and the envy of the mountain! No-one else has LIVE Satellite TV coverage in English! LESS VAN - MORE BIKE: NO Van Transfers between your hotels and the start/finish of the bike rides. Each day we ride from and back to the hotel. Our local knowledge, extensive planning and vast experience mean that you spend less time in a van and more time on the bike! THE THOMSON RIDES: over the years we've also gained a reputation for providing the best (and most challenging) rides. 25 years experience riding in the Alps counts! Choice of rides: shorter distance options are available on most days. ONLY 2 HOTELS: we've designed the trip so you stay in only 2 hotels - 3 nights in each hotel. This greatly reduces the fatigue and stress caused when there are too many hotel changes. Best-in-class Support & ride leaders: another key to our success! Sag van and ride leader for every 10 riders.