There's a distinctly Spanish flavour to this years Pyrenees section of the route and we're absolutely thrilled to be starting our Pyrenees King of the Mountains trip in our home city of Barcelona!

On July 9th we'll be present, along with our Spanish partner Orbea, on the final climb to Montjuic to bring you an incredible afternoon of cycling action in Barcelona!

From Barcelona we'll head up to Andorra for a thrilling mountain-top finish to the Arcalis ski station.

We continue with a grand ride across the Spanish and French Pyrenees to get us in position for the ultimate test in the Pyrenees - the mighty Col du Tourmalet!

In recent years our "King of the Mountains" series of trips have gained the reputation as the premiere performance trips to the Grand Tours and our 2009 Pyrenees trip will certainly live up to this reputation.

Join us in the Spanish and French Pyrenees for an incredible week of cycling including LIVE viewing of THREE key days in the Pyrenees and the opportunity to ride many of the legendary Pyrenean climbs including....Col du Tourmalet....Col d'Aspin....Col de Peyresourde....Port de Bales....Col du Portillon....and more!

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

LIVE VIEWING

Our vantage points will be present on the following climbs:

• July 9 - FINISH in Barcelona
• July 10 - MOUNTAIN-TOP FINISH in Andorra
• July 12 - on the Col du Tourmalet

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Barcelona: our backyard! Thomson Bike Tours is based in Barcelona and we're thrilled to be able to share this fantastic city with you. We'll be present, along with our Spanish partner Orbea on the final climb to Montjuic!
• Andorra: The first venture into the mountains and a certain young Spanish rider will be looking to make his mark here.
• Rat Penat: test your climbing abilities on the feared 23% grades of the "Rat".
• Tourmalet: ride the most famous climb in the Pyrenees
• Port de Bales & Col d'Azet Loop: in our mind, one of the most beautiful rides in the Pyrenees!
  

YOUR DAILY RIDES

Day	Route Summary	Ride Distance	Elevation Gain	Hotel Location
1	Sitges › Garraf National Park › Sitges	30 miles	2,450 ft	Sitges (Barcelona)
2	Sitges › Rat Penat › Col de Ventosses › Col de Castella › Sitges	75 miles	6,550 ft	Sitges (Barcelona)
3	No ride today - LIVE viewing in Barcelona			La Seu d'Urgell (Andorra)
4	La Seu d'Urgell › Andorra-Arcalis › La Seu d'Urgell	60 miles	5,400 ft	La Seu d'Urgell (Andorra)
5	La Seu d'Urgell › Coll del Canto › Puerto de la Bonaigua › Col de Portillon › Col de Peyresourde › St Lary-Soulan	125 miles	12,500 ft	St Lary Soulan
6	St Lary-Soulan › Col d'Aspin › Col du Tourmalet › Hourquette d'Ancizan › St Lary-Soulan	65 miles	9,000 ft	St Lary Soulan
7	St Lary-Soulan › Port de Bales › Col de Peyresourde › Col d'Azet Val Louron › St Lary-Soulan	85 miles	12,000 ft	St Lary Soulan
Total:		440 miles	48,000 ft
Daily Average:		73 miles	8,000 ft

CLIMB THESE FAMOUS COLS

In just 1 week climb many of the legendary cols in the Pyrenees! Here's the complete 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%	10.68		133
Port de Bales	3888	6.3%	11.74		130
Rat Penat	1575	10.4%	2.9		115
Col de Peyresourde	3081	6.1%	9.48		96
Coll del Canto	3609	4.2%	16.33		92
Col d'Azet-Val Louron	2034	8.3%	4.66		92
Andorra-Arcalis	3094	5.2%	11.18		82
Col d'Aspin	2556	6.5%	7.45		81
Puerto de la Bonaigua	3681	4.9%	14.28		78
Hourquette d'Ancizan	2966	4.0%	14.03		78
Col d'Ordino	3120	4.9%	12.2		73
Col de Portillon	1913	6.8%	5.34		68
Coll de Castella	1755	3.4%	9.81		42
Coll de Ventosses	1148	4.3%	5.03		34

 

OUR VANTAGE POINTS

Enjoy your afternoon on the mountain-side in the comfort and safety of our elaborate vantage points:

• Large marquis tents provided by our partner Orbea
• LIVE Satellite TV in English
• Large "changing-room" tent allowing you to change out of your cycling clothes into dry, warm clothes (the clothes are transported to the vantage point several days in advance by our support team).
• Full picnic lunch and refridgerator stocked with cool drinks
• Prime viewing spots - our vantage teams are in place several days before the race ensuring that we secure prime viewing spots

OUR SUPPORT

Quite simply, we provide the best support in the industry - guaranteed!

• Staff to client ratio of 1:4
• Several ride groups of approximately 10 riders in each group - allows us to manage riders of varying ability levels
• 1 TBT experienced ride leader and 1 SAG van per ride group of approximately 10 riders
• Full-time Mechanic
• Top-of-the-line rental bikes available through our partner Orbea
  

NON-RIDERS

Space for non-riders will be limited in 2009. Please call Paul Rogen on 1-888-446-5502 or e-mail Peter ( ) for full details.

WHAT's INCLUDED

• 8 days / 7 nights fully accompanied trip
  
• SUPERIOR accommodations (4-star and 3-star hotels)
• All breakfasts
• All but 2 dinners
  
• 4 lunches
• Pick-up at Barcelona 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: Minimum Van Transfers between your hotels and the start/finish of the bike rides. Unfortunately we can't avoid the transfer from Barcelona to Andorra but on all other days 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 Pyrenees counts! Best-in-class Support & ride leaders: another key to our success! Sag van and ride leader for every 10 riders.