"PERFORMANCE" Trip

2011 Advance Reservations Now OPEN Click here to make your advance reservation! Full details of our 2011 trip will be available November 15th. What is an advance reservation? click here to find out! And don't forget to reserve your Orbea Rental Bike (limited supply)

Our "King of the Mountains" series of trips have become the standard for others to emulate. 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 Pyrenean climbs of our King of the Mountains Performance trip to the French Pyrenees.

Our 2010 "Performance" trip will continue to set the standard with a full program of challenging rides and THREE of the key days in the Pyrenees; the Port de Bales climb on July 19, the Col d'Aubisque on July 20 and the Col du Tourmalet on July 22.

And no Thomson Bike Tour trip would be complete without a full program of legendary cols to climb. Tourmalet....Aubisque....Luz-Ardiden....Hautacam....Aspin....Pla d'Adet....are just some of the climbs you'll ride on this 7-day journey through the Pyrenees!

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

As always you can relax and enjoy the rides knowing that you have the best support team in the business behind you.

So join us for a thrilling week of LIVE action and challenging rides over the toughest and most spectacular cols in the Pyrenees!

LIVE VIEWING

Our vantage points will be present on the following climbs:

• July 19 - on the Port de Bales
• July 20 - on the Col d'Aubisque
• July 22 - on the Col du Tourmalet

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Tourmalet: ride the most famous climb in the Pyrenees!
• Luz-Ardiden: great climb but an even better descent....maybe the best descent in the Pyrenees!
• Hautacam: where Lance blew the field apart to set up his victory in 2000.
• Final Day Ride: a spectacular Pyrenean ride - over Hourquette d'Ancizan, Col d'Aspin, Col d'Azet and for those who still want more - up the HC climb to Pla d'Adet.

YOUR DAILY RIDES

Day	Route Summary	Ride Distance	Elevation Gain	Hotel Location
1	Vielha › Artiga de Lin › Vielha	20 miles	1,950 ft	Vielha
2	Vielha › Col de Portillon › Port de Bales › Vielha	95 miles	7,600 ft	Vielha
3	Bagneres de Bigorre › Col de Soulor › Col d'Aubisque › Aucun	50 miles	5,950 ft	Aucun
4	Aucun › Luz-Ardiden › Hautacam › Aucun	75 miles	10,100 ft	Aucun
5	Aucun › Col du Tourmalet › Hourquette d'Ancizan › St Lary Soulan	60 miles	7,750 ft	St Lary Soulan
6	St Lary Soulan › Hourquette d'Ancizan › Col d'Aspin › Col d'Azet-Val Louron › Pla d'Adet › St Lary Soulan	65 miles	9,300 ft	St Lary Soulan
Total:		365 miles	42,650 ft
Daily Average:		61 miles	7,108 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	Average Grade	Length	Profile (m/km)	Difficulty Index
Col du Tourmalet (from Luz)	4,606	7.4%	11.8 miles		138
Port de Bales	3,888	6.3%	11.7 miles		130
Hautacam	3,839	6.8%	10.7 miles		129
Pla d'Adet	2,825	8.0%	6.6 miles		115
Luz-Ardiden	3,314	6.9%	9.1 miles		111
Col d'Aubisque (via Soulor)	4,091	4.1%	18.7 miles		110
Hourquette d'Ancizan (from south)	2,641	7.8%	6.4 miles		98
Col d'Azet-Val Louron	2,034	8.3%	4.7 miles		92
Hourquette d'Ancizan (from north)	2,966	4.0%	14.0 miles		78
Artiga de Lin	2,156	7.2%	5.6 miles		75
Col de Portillon (from Bossost)	1,913	6.8%	5.3 miles		68
Col d'Aspin (last 5km only)	1,122	6.8%	3.1 miles		50
Col de Soulor (from west)	374	4.4%	1.6 miles		28

 

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 2010. Please call Paul Rogen on 1-888-446-5502 or e-mail Peter ( ) for full details.

WHAT's INCLUDED

• 7 days / 6 nights fully accompanied trip
  
• Mixed level of accommodations (4-star, 3-star and 2-star hotels)
• All breakfasts
• All dinners
  
• 3 lunches
• Pick-up at Toulouse Blagnac Airport
• Drop-off at Toulouse Blagnac Airport
• All ground transportation
• All luggage transfer
• Services of our expert guides
• Experienced mechanic
• 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 to Bagneres de Bigorre on Day 3 to get us in place for the climb to the Aubisque. 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.