|
This year’s Tour de France, as always, will be
very exciting. And why not? It’s the world’s premier athletic
event, a competition that demands more from its players than any
other sport; an event contested over a period of three weeks
through teamwork, strategy, strength, endurance, and sheer guts,
the stuff about which we mortal cyclists can only daydream...
With the retirement of Lance Armstrong, there are no clear
favorites. However there will be plenty of strong challengers
for victory in Paris like Jan Ullrich, Andreas Klöden, Ivan
Basso, Damiano Cunego, Alex Vinokourov, and Yaroslav Popovich.
To ride the roads that have contributed to the history of the
“Tour” and to see the action in person will be an unforgettable
experience.
Our
Pyrenees tour will also be very exciting, since on July 13, we
will be present for Stage 11 as the peloton climbs the
highest pass in the Pyrenees, the Col du Tourmalet. At 208 km
(130 mi) and with five hard climbs, this will be one of the key
stages, where the day’s winner may be the eventual champion. To
ride the roads that have contributed to the history of the
‘Tour’ and to see this year’s action in person will be an
unforgettable experience. Not only will we climb most all of the
cols in the Pyrenees of this and past year’s Tours, we will ride
countless small, incredibly scenic roads that are seldom if ever
part of the Tour de France.
It is an understatement to say that biking the
Pyrenees is a cyclist’s dream. These mountains, which traverse
the 400 kilometer distance between the Atlantic and the
Mediterranean in the south of France and north of Spain invite,
or rather demand exploration by bike. The Pyrenees
present a diversity of landscape unequaled in Europe - lush
meadows, peaks crowned with permanent ice or draped in velvety
green, thick forests, and hidden valleys at the foot of sheer
sun-baked cliffs. The Pyrenees’ history of human habitation
goes back thousands of years before it was ever recorded, and in
our travels we will encounter prehistoric caves with their
well-preserved cave drawings, not to mention countless castles
and their rich history of warfare. We will also interact with
a fascinating variety of cultures, dialects and traditions, and
FOOD. Our routes will be for the most part on the smallest and
least traveled roads, taking us to incredible sights (and
heights!) off the beaten path.
These mountains, generally rounded and crumbling,
are more of a seductive challenge than an intimidating one, and
their peaks and passes are attainable to cyclists of decent
experience and fitness. However, in keeping with our tradition
of spirited cycle tours, and to maximize our coverage of this
spectacular region, tour designer, Glenn Erickson, promises the
option of just about every climb and awesome descent ever
challenged by the Tour de France. |
