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'Regretting agreeing to this!' - Fan entertains peloton by cycling on crane

A fan entertained the peloton on Stage 4 of the Tour de France by cycling in the air whilst being attached to a crane. Only in the Tour! Stream the 2023 Tour de France and Giro d'Italia Donne live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk.

Tour de France winning bikes: Pinarello is the top dog

We look back at the last 15 bikes to be ridden to victory and Italian brands dominate

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It goes without saying that the Tour de France is the biggest race in cycling, which means it's the perfect proving ground for brands to test their range-topping superbikes, with many companies timing new releases with the Tour each year.

The bike brands are fighting nearly as hard for the top step of the podium as the riders and teams themselves - so which brands have come out on top over the years?

Well, the last decade has been an almost totally Italian affair. Eight of the last ten editions have been shared between Pinarello (Team Ineos) and Colnago (UAE Emirates), with the only upsets coming from Specialized (Astana in 2014) and Cervélo (Jumbo-Visma in 2022).

Looking back a little further and 2011 saw the first ever Australian victor of the Tour de France in Cadel Evans (Team BMC), who rode a BMC Team Machine. Before that Specialized also secured a bike win in 2010 with Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank). 

Schleck was awarded the title after though only after Alberto Contador's disqualification. That didn't actually change the winning bike brand as Contador's Team Astana were also on Specialized.

El Pistolero did win the year before, though, but in 2009 he was on board a Trek Madone. The year before that, and rather neatly topping and tailing our ever-so-slightly arbitrary 15 year timeline, Carlos Sastre won the 2008 race on a Cervélo!

Here's a look at the machines that took their riders to victory from 2008 to 2022 - but first, a few commonly asked questions...

What kind of bikes do Tour de France riders use?

The vast majority of stages are road stages, requiring road bikes. In 2022, there are two time trial stages (stage one and stage 20), where riders will be aboard time trial bikes. But you wanted more detail than that, right?! Most brands supply teams with two road models: a lightweight climbing bike, and an aero bike - the latter being more suited to fast, flat stages. Exceptions include Pinarello, where the Italian marquee says its Dogma F can do both.

How much do Tour de France bikes cost?

The Pinarello Dogma is perhaps the best example to give. Relaunched in August 2021 as the ' Pinarello Dogma F ', the top-end SRAM Red eTap model will set you back £12,000 / $14,500. 

Can you buy a Tour de France bike?

WorldTour bikes ridden by the pros are commercially available. Brands across the board will tell you that the bike you can buy in the shops is exactly the same as that ridden by the pros. However, some skepticism surrounds this assertion. If pro bikes are treated with a slightly different carbon layup and geometry, as is often suggested, the changes will be minimal and likely take into account the lesser requirement of longevity and greater strength/flexibility of professional riders. 

Which bike brand has had the most Tour de France wins?

Pinarello hasn't just dominated the past decade or so - bikes bearing the Italian brand's name are the most successful in Tour de France history. The first of its 16 wins came in 1988 with Pedro Delgado and Team Reynolds, with further successes coming with Miguel Induráin, Bjarne Riis and Jan Ulrich and then Team Sky/Ineos Grenadiers.  The next most successful brand is Peugeot. Now better know for cars, the French brand first won in 1905, with its last victory in 1977. Trek can only claim two official Tour de France wins, with Alberto Contador in 2007 and 2009. The US brand would be equal with Gitane on nine wins but, of course, Lance Armstrong's seven 'wins' aboard a Trek have been struck from the record books.

Tour de France bikes

2022: Jonas Vingegaard's (Jumbo-Visma) Cervélo R5 and S5

The 2022 Tour de France was a display of dominance from the squad we have seen at the forefront of racing for so long now, Jumbo-Visma. Last year, the team swept up the overall victory and KOM jersey with Jonas Vingegaard , as well as the points classification with Wout Van Aert . Six stage victories to top things off made this a pretty memorable run for the Dutch cycling team.

Vingegaard used a combination of Cervélo's S5 aero bike, and R5 climbing bike throughout the Tour, but he ultimately rolled into Paris aboard his custom-painted S5.

Both bikes were fully clad in the latest 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 and featured matching wheels. The Dura-Ace wheelsets varied from the C35 offering for mountain days, while the C60s saw use on the flatter stages.

Interestingly too, 2022 is the first year in history to be won strictly on disc brakes . Though Tadej Pogacar did roll into Paris one year earlier on discs, he also used rim brakes in time trials and for a select few mountain stages - Jumbo-Visma on the other hand, ran exclusively disc setups during the 2022 Tour. If ever there was a sign that rim brakes are on their way to extinction, surely this is it.

2020 & 2021: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) Colnago V3Rs

Pogačar's winning machine from stage nine of 2021

Pogačar's 2020 win made him the first ever Slovenian rider to win the Tour de France, the youngest ever rider at 21-years-old, and he achieved that feat riding a Colnago V3Rs , with Colnago having never won cycling's most prestigious race before either.

Though he rode the same bike model each year, his setups differed. In 2020 he opted for a more 'traditional' feel, with a Campagnolo Super Record EPS 12-speed groupset, Bora One tubular wheels and a set of Campagnolo’s Super Record rim brakes. 

In 2021, though, he used Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS groupset and Bora Ultra WTO 45 wheels with Vittoria Graphene 2.0 tubeless tyres. He switched to disc brakes too for most stages, helping his stability in the often tumultuous French weather.

For two stages he did revert to rim brakes though, one of which came during his stage five time-trial win while using his Colnago K.one time trial bike. He used the same setup that helped during 2020's decisive La Planche des Belle Filles time trial, before he ditched the TT bike in favour of a road bike . 

Pogačar's 'traditional' bike without a power meter or computer on stage 19 of the 2020 Tour de France

Pogačar proceeded on a bike without a power meter or computer, riding on feel alone in one of cycling's most pure rides.

In 2021, his bike featured yellow accents as early as stage nine, when he first wore the maillot jaune, so dominant was his performance. 

2019: Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) Pinarello Dogma F12

While the team may have undergone a name change and re-brand, there was no shock at the top of the Tour de France standings as Team Sky, now Team Ineos, took another title.

The 2019 Tour was a historic moment, however, as Egan Bernal became the first Colombian to ever win the yellow jersey and the youngest rider - at the time - in the modern era, at 22-years-old.

It took  Pinarello  another two years to bring out the Dogma F12 after the launch of the Dogma F10, on which Thomas won last year’s Tour de France. In that time, Pinarello said it had improved the aerodynamics, saving eight watts at 40kp/h, and made the frameset stiffer and lighter too.

Bernal stuck with rim brakes in 2019, twinned with Lightweight wheels for the climbing days and Shimano Dura-Ace wheels on the fast and flat days.

The Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 made up the rest of the components.

2018: Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) Pinarello Dogma F10 X-Light

Thomas won the 2018 Tour d France aboard a Pinarello F10 X-Light - which uses a slightly different carbon fibre compared to previous iterations, resulting in a weight drop of around a kilogram.

The geometry remains fixed, as does the use of an asymmetric bottom bracket, plus the wind cheating concave down tube is designed to incorporate bottles in optimal position.

The Tour's first Welsh winner opted for an integrated 40mm Talon handlebar and 130mm stem, with a  Fizik Arione  saddle that carries his optimum position marked in pen. The saddle height was around 78.5cm and Thomas rode with 175mm cranks - which are longer than most opt for.

The groupset is  Shimano Dura-Ace,  with a 53/39 crankset and 11-30 at the back, alongside a Stages power meter. The wheels fitted when we saw the bike were carbon tubular Dura-Ace hoops, wearing Continental Competition tyres and the paint job carries a speed line for every Team Sky victory.

Read more and see the bike via video

2017: Chris Froome (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma F10

Froome's third consecutive Dogma win. By this point, the employees at  Pinarello 's painting factory in Treviso were probably quite used to applying (apparently) last minute yellow paint jobs  before the roll into Paris.

The  F10 had some minor tweaks from the F8 , but no major overhauls - quite simply, Pinarello and Team Sky felt it was a pretty good bike. Pinarello made the F10 a little bit more aero, a little bit stiffer, and very slightly lighter.

The diet the frame had been on meant that Froome didn't need the X-light model he used when the F8 was in production, so his frame is as per an off-the-peg creation in terms of weight.

When we saw it, Froome had opted for a 53/39 standard set up with an 11-28 cassette, though the chainrings themselves are  osymetric - a preference which can help improve pedalling efficiency.

On flatter stages, Froome used deeper wheels, but when  we had the chance to video it , the bike was shod with shallow Shimano Dura-Ace C40 wheels and pro-only Continental Competition Pro Ltd tubular tyres.

The bars, stem, and bar tape are all Shimano's own brand, Pro, fitted with a K-Edge out from computer mount and Fizik saddle.

See more:   Chris Froome's 2017 Tour de France winning Pinarello Dogma

Like Bradley Wiggins before him, Froome rode the Bolide  time trial bike  during the ITT stages of the race.

Froome opted for 175mm cranks, used a chain catcher to guard against necessary trauma. The saddle height was 79.6cm - 1mm lower than that 79.7cm on his road bike. There was grip tape on his saddle, which helped him maintain the ideal position and he opted for a 58/48T chainring set up with 11-28 cassette.

In a touch of perfectionism, the 3D printed handlebar was made from titanium and moulded perfectly to fit its rider.

Read more:   Chris Froome's Tour de France Pinarello Bolide

2016 & 2015 : Chris Froome (Team Sky) Pinarello Dogma F8

To represent his Kenyan upbringing and passion for wildlife as an ambassador for the charity United for Wildlife, Froome's 2015 and 2016 winning bikes featured unique rhino decals. 

The  osymetric  chainrings are present, with a chainguard to guard against unfortunate chain-drop moments. The rest of the drivetrain was Shimano Dura Ace, with an 11-28 cassette and Stages power meter.

Froome's preference for having two shifting buttons close together meant the satellite shifters were stripped down, also saving him weight in the meantime too. 

The wheels we shot the bike with were Shimano's Dura-Ace C50s, bottle cages were 15g Leggero's from Elite and the bars were Pro.

The winning machine was polished off with a 121mm stem, Fizik Antares 00 saddle with carbon rails and  Continental Competition Pro Ltd tubular tyres.

See more:   Chris Froome's 2016 Tour de France winning Pinarello Dogma F8

2014: Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Specialized S-Works Tarmac

Vincenzo Nibali managed to break up the Pinarello domination in the Tour in the early 2010s, as he rode to victory in 2014 aboard an S-Works Tarmac painted with decals that hark to his nickname - Lo Squalo - or 'the Shark'.

This Tarmac became the first edition to feature a size specific carbon-layup, improving ride quality by better catering for the individual's needs and desires. Nibali added an FSA stem to his machine too, with Corima Viva wheels and a Campagnolo Super Record groupset also included. 

Specialized even customised the Italian's bike for the final day, adding yellow stickered wheels from Corima and a custom FSA stem with yellow decals to the already painted yellow frame. 

During time trial stages, Nibali rode the brand's slippery Shiv TT bike. He finished fourth on the 54 kilometre stage 20 solo event to comfortably maintain his place on the top step of the podium, finishing seven minutes 52 seconds ahead of second-placed Christophe Peraud overall. 

Read more: Vincenzo Nibali’s 2014 Specialized S-Works Tarmac

2013: Chris Froome (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma

The Dogma model before the F8 was the  Dogma 65.1 Think 2 , and it's that iteration which Froome rode to his first Tour de France victory in 2013.

Its standout features were the asymmetric design and wavy forks, seatstays and chainstays. The 65.1 gained its name from the use of a new carbon fibre material: Torayca high-modulus 65 as opposed to the 60 ton carbon of previous years’ models. According to Pinarello, this helped the bike become lighter, and therefore more reactive, which Froome managed to showcase expertly throughout his stellar ride.

Froome's model was of course fitted with osymetric chainrings, Fizik saddle, and the old-faithful looking SRM data-box of days gone by.

2012: Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma

Wiggins rode onto the Champs-Élysées in 2012 on Pinarello's Dogma 65.1, the brand's newest machine, as he secured his maiden Tour de France title. Despite flaunting the sleek bike in Paris that day, Team Sky actually opted for their main rider to stick to the Pinarello Dogma 2 for the rest of the race.

Similarly, Sky ensured Wiggins felt comfortable throughout the three weeks, keeping him on a Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical 10-speed groupset (q for the majority of the time. 

Across both the bike he used in Paris and what he used throughout the rest of the Tour, Wiggins also added a Fizik Arione saddle and yet more osymetric chainrings to complete his machine. 

2011: Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team), BMC Team Machine

Cadel Evans Tour winning machine

Cadel Evans was the first ever Australian to take the Tour victory 'down under', and he did so aboard his BMC Team Machine. The 2011 Tour de France winning machine was the first bike in history to win the biggest bike race in the world with electronic shifting.

Evans' Team Machine featured a relatively chunky carbon lugged design, that even featured an aero seatpost - something more rarely seen back in the early 2010s. The bike was clad with Shimano's first iteration of Dura-Ace Di2, 7970, and featured an SRM power meter too. 

Evans also rode 50mm deep Easton carbon tubular wheels which put together an aero package, that we think, wouldn't look overly out of place today - bar the rim brakes of course!

2010: Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL3

Andy Schleck battling the alpine gradients

Andy Schleck was only officially crowned the 2010 Tour de France champion in early 2012, after the original winner, Alberto Contador, received a doping ban that led to the revoking of his title.

Schleck rode a Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL3, which can be seen above in a dazzling chrome colourway. The eventual winning bike featured mechanical shifting in the form of SRAM Red 10-speed, along with rim brakes.

Carbon wheels were still the order of the day in the form of Zipp's 202 lightweight wheels. Interestingly too, there was no power meter to be seen on the 2010 Tour winner's bike, making Schleck the last winner before power data became more mainstream.

2009: Alberto Contador (Astana) Trek Madone 6.9 Pro

The Spanish climbing legend did retain his 2009 title, this time with a dominant 4m11s winning margin over Andy Schleck. Alberto Contador rolled down the Champs-Élysées on his Trek Madone 6.9 Pro, fully equipped with yellow flashes.

The Madone of 2009 sits in a different postcode to the aero-optimized Trek Madone we know today. The Madone sat as Trek's all-round race bike, with oversized OCLV carbon construction that was influenced by a design ethos based on stiffness and light weight.

'El Pistolero' didn't use a power meter, and used SRAM's 10 speed Red mechanical shifting. Bontrager, Trek's in-house component manufacturer, provided the deep-section carbon wheels and finishing kit to the Spaniard's bike.

2008: Carlos Sastre (Team CSC) Cervelo R5

Carlos Sastre post stage 21

We end our dive into the history books with a nice Cervelo-bookend here, with Carlos Sastre winning the Tour 14 years ago aboard the same line of bikes that Jonas Vingegaard used in last year's race.

The two iterations bare more slightly resemblance than the previously discussed Trek Madones, but 14 years of research and development has certainly seen some changes. 

Sastro's 2008 winning machine featured Zipp 202 lightweight carbon wheels and Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 ten-speed shifting. 3T, who worked closely with Cervelo through this time provided the finishing kit.

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Michelle Arthurs-Brennan the Editor of Cycling Weekly website. An NCTJ qualified traditional journalist by trade, Michelle began her career working for local newspapers. She's worked within the cycling industry since 2012, and joined the Cycling Weekly team in 2017, having previously been Editor at Total Women's Cycling. Prior to welcoming her daughter in 2022, Michelle raced on the road, track, and in time trials, and still rides as much as she can - albeit a fair proportion indoors, for now.

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Bikes of the Tour de France: What the pros are riding

Pinarello, Look, Orbea and Fuji

Caisse d'Epargne's asymmetrical Pinarello Dogma

The Pinarello machines of Caisse d'Epargne are consistently among the easiest to spot in the Tour de France peloton what with their distinctive red, white and black paint jobs, color-matched componentry, and unmistakably curvaceous front and rear ends that are said to improve rider comfort and road feel. Yet while many frame manufacturers are content to include asymmetrical chain stays – and sometimes seat tubes – Caisse d'Epargne's latest Dogma frames are asymmetrical almost throughout the entire structure.

Pinarello claims this better accounts for the uneven forces applied while pedaling with features that include a bigger driveside seat stay, a driveside chain stay that's narrower up at the bottom bracket but wider at the dropout, a non-driveside chain stay that adopts an opposite profile, and even a bigger and stronger driveside fork leg.

Whether or not you buy into the theory, adding in the color-matched brakes from Campagnolo and the MOst integrated carbon bar and seatpost adds up to quite the eye-catching package.

Campagnolo supplies most of the rest of the componentry, too, including Super Record Ergopower levers and derailleurs, Record cranks, chain, and cassette, and even carbon tubulars in various rim depths depending on the conditions and course profile.

Finishing up the build kit are Continental tubulars, Selle Italia saddles, Look KéO pedals, and Elite carbon bottle cages.

New Look 695 road racers for Cofidis

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Some Cofidis riders at the Tour de France are still using Look's current 595 but the rest – including team leader Rein Taaramae – are on the company's latest 695. Unlike the tube-and-lug 595, the 695 uses a more conventional modular monocoque setup like on the 586 but the real story is the higher level of integration.

A key feature of the 695 is the new Zed 2 crank, similar to the 596's original Zed crank with its enormous 50mm-diameter spindle (roughly 66 percent bigger than BB30) and one-piece carbon fiber construction that yields an ultralight 320g claimed weight for the arms and spindle. A unique three-sided pedal insert allows for adjustable effective crankarm lengths of 170, 172.5, and 175mm, but unlike the original Zed, Zed 2 will work with any threaded pedal spindle.

Securing the new 295g HSC 7 full-carbon tapered fork is Look's latest Head Fit 3 headset system, all topped with a clever new carbon fiber 'C-Stem'. Angle is adjustable between -9 and +13° and each of the five sizes is adjustable in length by 10mm (80-90, 90-100, 100-110, 110-120, 120-130mm).

Cofidis team bikes are outfitted with Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical groups aside from the FSA chainrings mounted on the Zed 2 crankarms. FSA also provides handlebars and a wide variety of wheels from alloy shallow-section to carbon deep-section tubulars, and naturally, the team is using Look KéO pedals as well.

Rounding things out are Vittoria tires, fi'zi:k saddles and bar tape, Zéfal bottle cages, and BBB computers.

Cushier Orbeas for Euskaltel-Euskadi and a special gold-accented rig for Samuel Sanchez

Euskaltel-Euskadi is using Orbea's latest Orca flagship, which the company says is lighter at just 900g but also adds more comfort relative to the previous edition to help team riders feel a little fresher towards the end of a stage. Rather than rely on tuned flex patterns, though, the 'Attraction' system's kinks and twists in both the seat stays and fork blades are said to attenuate road vibration.

Other key features on the new model include a tapered 1 1/8"-to-1 1/2" steerer, a BB30 bottom bracket (though Euskaltel-Euskadi runs both threaded frames and press-fit adapters to more readily accommodate its Shimano Dura-Ace cranks), and a continuation of Orbea's size-specific frame design, which aims to provide the same ride quality throughout the more generous ten-bike size range for 2011.

Orbea has also adapted the slick DCR cable routing setup from its off-road line on the updated Orca for reduced shift line friction though Euskaltel-Euskadi team bikes are all built around the optional Shimano Dura-Ace Di2-specific version with internal routing and a dedicated battery mount beneath the non-driveside chain stay.

Shimano also provides its range of carbon fiber tubular wheels and Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedals, FSA supplies stems and bars (and ceramic bottom brackets on some team bikes), and all of the team's proprietary Orca carbon seatposts are fitted with the Selle Italia Monolink-compatible heads to fit the saddle makers newest range. Completing the package are Elite bottle cages and Vittoria tires.

Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) also gets a special gold seatpost collar.

Footon-Servetto bikes awash in gold

Hidden beneath the gleaming metallic gold paint jobs of Footon-Servetto's team bikes are Fuji's latest 985g SST carbon frames, which the company says add stiffness relative to the former SL-1 flagship thanks to features such as the tapered head tube, internally ribbed down tube, BB86 press-fit bottom bracket shell and correspondingly wider seat and down tubes, and the deep-section integrated seatmast.

Bolted on to the frame is a conglomerate of parts from a broad collection of companies with the SRAM Red label only adorning the DoubleTap levers, front and rear derailleurs, and cassette, and the rest of the drivetrain filled in with Rotor's Agilis crank elliptical Q-Rings, a gold Wippermann Connex chain, and Time's new iClic Carbon pedals. Rolling stock comes courtesy of Reynolds carbon tubular wheels of various depths wrapped with Challenge tires.

Fuji's parent company recently purchased Oval Concepts so it's no shock to see its bars and stems mounted up here – in gleaming white – but Selle SMP's radical-looking Evolution saddles are more of a surprise. Completing the package are a set of TRP R970 magnesium dual-pivot brake calipers, Elite bottle cages, Rotor chain watchers, and Polar computers.

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Bouwman continues to deliver results for Visma | Lease a Bike, but: "Making the Tour de France team is practically impossible"

Koen Bouwman has notched up his first general classification victory. Dominating the Coppi e Bartali after a week in Eastern Italy, the 30-year-old Dutch sensation has once again highlighted his upward trajectory with Visma | Lease a Bike. The burning question, however, is how much higher can he climb? In am extensive conversation on the last day of the Italian stage race, IDLProCycling.com caught up with Bouwman and his team director Addy Engels. "I'm definitely keen to savor more victories like this!"

Securing the overall win at the Coppi e Bartali was no walk in the park for Bouwman. Before his breakout at the 2022 Giro d'Italia, he had only one professional win under his belt – a significant stage victory at the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2017. Over his nine years with the team, he's largely been a support rider. That all changed at the 2022 Giro, where he snagged two stage wins and the mountains classification, leading to a stage win at the Tour of Slovakia and now, a stage and overall win at the Coppi e Bartali.

"Koen steps up when it counts," Engels observes, leaning on a team car before the start of stage five. "He had that stage win in the Dauphiné, but the Giro really proved to him that he could perform at that level. While opportunities like that are rare, Koen knew the role he had to play last year in the Giro alongside Primoz (Roglic, ed.). He got his chance to shine later in the season in Luxembourg, and we try to plan for those moments. It's incredible to watch him seize the day, whenever he gets the chance."

Read more below the photo!

Bouwman showed up with 'super high level' in Paris-Nice

In 2024, we hadn't seen him racing for his own chances until now. In the Tour Down Under, newcomer Bart Lemmen was outstanding, and in Paris-Nice, Matteo Jorgenson brought along a pair of miraculous legs, good enough for the overall win. "He was superb in France, especially in the team time trial. He led in the sprint stages and was among the top thirty climbers. He had a tough job, but he delivered, offering control and support," Engels notes.

Bouwman agrees. "I had a good winter, although I was sick for about ten days. But then, who isn't these days? In the Tour Down Under, I already felt better than usual for January, although I always take a bit to get into the groove. After that, I spent three weeks in Tenerife, and then in Paris-Nice, I reached a super high level. Basically, from kilometer zero of every stage, I was leading, and I did really well in the team time trial."

"Wilco Kelderman even told me in France to have confidence for the Coppi e Bartali, that I could take a stage. I thought so too," he continues, with a look that screams top form from his chiseled jawline. "I came here with ambitions. Maybe not to win – that's a dream – but from day one, I felt like I could contend for the general classification and a stage win. I've been solid all week, and as a team, we've stayed calm and in control. Winning a GC is very special."

Visma | Lease a Bike and Bouwman explore limits

The Italian cycling week once again showcased Bouwman's ability to deliver when Visma | Lease a Bike opens the door for him. Engels approved wholeheartedly. "We approached the Coppi e Bartali differently than usual. Typically, we rally around a clear leader, but this time, we blended our development and WorldTour teams, offering equal opportunities to everyone. It was a delight to see Koen seize his chance. The team fully backed him in the end, striving for the win when you're in such a prime position. Koen was our standout rider here, and he fully deserved that spot."

The smile on Bouwman's face says a lot. He's relished a week where it was all about him. Those moments are sparse. "Of course, I'd love more tastes of this, but I'm in a team that's incredibly strong. Maybe I get one or two chances a year, and this was one of them. One thing's for sure: when you get a chance here, you have to grab it with both hands and prove you can finish it. Whether I get more chances is up to the team. Sure, you can voice your opinion, but the team decides our approach to a race and who the leader is. That's out of my hands."

He means to say: Bouwman isn't about to demand this role elsewhere. And according to Engels, he doesn't need to. "We never hold anyone back from winning. If Koen becomes a regular stage victor in tours, that will naturally come to light with us. It's just hard to say how much more potential there is. In a race like Paris-Nice, there's no room for him, especially since Jorgenson was aiming for the win. However, if your GC rider is aiming for fifth place, that already creates more opportunities. Starting with Jonas Vingegaard, there's no room, but there are always chances."

Bouwman isn’t your typical leader, but he is a leader

Visma | Lease a Bike's message is clear: show us what you've got. "Koen usually participates in the Tour of Switzerland, where we don’t really compete for the general classification. Those are opportunities, but the Tour of Switzerland is on a different level compared to the Coppi e Bartali," Engels suggests an opening. "Koen has shown in the Giro that he can win at the highest level, so he definitely has the qualities. He also has a knack for it, Koen knows exactly which day is his and then he can finish it. However, for his type of rider, opportunities are rare because races often favor sprinters or GC contenders, and Koen is somewhere in between. There are a few of those moments in every race, and a lot of things need to align perfectly."

Bouwman seems to easily solve that puzzle, but according to Engels, he also has the talent to lay out the pieces for others. "He hasn’t changed his demeanor. He’s super relaxed and grounded. But one area where he has made significant progress is his acute awareness of race dynamics, even in races where we have a single leader. Even though he’s not the GC leader, he possesses leadership qualities and contributes to discussions on race strategy. Especially in a young group like in the Coppi e Bartali, where he can dictate his preferences. He’s incredibly valuable in informing the guys about what’s likely to happen and what’s best for the team."

Alongside the likes of Steven Kruijswijk and Robert Gesink, Bouwman is one of the original members of the team. Well, almost. "Koen has experienced a lot; he’s been here for a long time. 2016 was his first year with us, and he’s witnessed the team’s entire evolution. He’s participated in grand tours where we were in the lead but didn’t clinch the victory, and in grand tours where we did succeed. He’s packed with experience and has the ability to share that knowledge."

Continue reading below the photo!

Is the Tour de France a step too far for Bouwman?

Plenty of praise, but also grounded insights. Bouwman is the first to acknowledge that his record of six Giro participations and three Vueltas, with no Tour de France appearances yet, isn't by chance. "I can certainly continue to dream. A huge dream is to win another stage in a different grand tour someday. Whether that's the Tour de France or the Vuelta... Naturally, I'd choose the Tour, but I'd also find the Vuelta really cool. Moreover, I enjoy supporting a lead rider to win – that's something I find both fun and fulfilling. But having a week like this one, racing for my own chances, is also incredibly enjoyable. I hope to find somewhere a balance between the two."

"So, will he ever ride the Tour de France?" we directly ask Engels. "That’s an impossible question to answer. It depends on Koen, but also on the team's evolution. Every year, new guys come in and the team becomes stronger across the board. Koen needs to keep up, but that applies to everyone. It’s going to be a tough task."

But is Bouwman really at a lower level during a high-altitude training camp than the guys who are considered for the Tour? The Dutchman nods. "Those guys do have a slightly higher level, although I think my level in training differs from in races when I compare myself to other guys. In races, I always prove I'm among the better ones, but making it into the Tour squad of Visma | Lease a Bike... That's practically impossible, and I'm aware of that. I don't harbor any illusions about being part of a preliminary selection. Maybe that's too down-to-earth, but on the other hand, it's also reality. I've been with the team for nine years and have never been close to the Tour de France."

Tour de France Winning Bikes by Year (1903 to 2023)

36 different bike brands won the Tour de France in 110 editions. In this article, cycling fan Alex Lee breaks down the top 12 bike brands that have won at least 3 times.

Jonas Vingegaard rode a Cervélo bike to his second Tour de France overall win in 2023 with SRAM Red eTap AXS electronic groupset and Reserve Wheels.

Depending on the stage profile, Jonas Vingegaard’s bike can be a Cervelo R5, S5, or P3.

• Cervélo R5 is an all-rounder, lightweight road race bike for the mountains.
• Cervélo S5 is an aero bike for the flat stages.
• Cervélo P5 is a time trial bike that Jonas rode to win the Stage 16 ITT.

Full specifications and setup of Jonas Vingegaard’s bike.

Cervelo bikes

2023 Cervelo R5 vs S5 vs Caledonia 5 vs Soloist

Cervelo S5 Frame Geometry (2018-2023)

Cervelo Soloist Frame Geometry (2022-2023)

Cervelo Caledonia Frame Geometry (2021-2023)

Cervelo Aspero Frame Geometry (2019-2023)

2023 Cervelo R5 Size Charts and Guide

Pinarello – 15 wins

L’auto – 10 wins, peugeot – 10 wins, gitane – 9 wins, trek – 10 wins, alcyon – 7 wins, eddy merckx – 5 wins, automoto – 4 wins, bianchi – 3 wins, colnago – 3 wins, helyett – 3 wins, la sportive – 3 wins, tour de france winning bikes by year.

Throughout 110 editions (up to 2023), the Tour de France has been won by 36 different bike brands . Many of these brands are unknown to cycling fans today. Few bike brands, such as Colnago, Pinarello , Specialized , and Trek , are synonymous with cycling fans today.

The road bike industry has undergone massive change and innovation in the past 20 years by introducing new technologies such as electronic shifting , carbon fiber frames, disc brakes, and tubeless tires .

This article will go back in history and explore all the Tour de France winning bikes .

Pinarello has a long history in cycling, dating back to 19534, when it was founded by Giovanni Pinarello in Treviso, Italy. With 15 Tour de France wins, Pinarello is the most successful bike brand at the Tour de France.

Pinarello’s dominance at the Tour de France can be summed up in two eras.

• Mid-1990s. Miguel Indurain won four consecutive Tour de France from 1992 to 1995, followed by Bjarne Riis (1996) and Jan Ullrich (1997).
• Mid-2010s. Team Sky (Ineos-Grenadiers) won seven Tour de France with Bradley Wiggins (2012), Chris Froome (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017), Geraint Thomas (2018), and Egan Bernal (2019).

Today, Pinarello’s top-of-the-line bike is the Pinarello Dogma F .

L’Auto (now L’Equipe) is not a bike brand but the French newspaper that started the Tour de France in 1903.

From 1930 to 1939, Henri Desgrange, the newspaper’s owner, required all riders to paint their bikes’ downtube with L’Auto as part of the marketing campaign and publicity stunt to increase the race profile.

During that period, riders competed based on national teams, so there wasn’t any commercial conflict of interest.

Today, most of us know Peugeot as the French automotive brand. Peugeot started making bicycles way back in 1882 and won their first Tour de France with Louis Trousselier in 1905 and their last win came in 1977 with Bernard Thévenet.

In the past 50 years, the bicycle arm of Peugeot has gone through various ownership. Today it’s part of Cycleuope, which owns bike brands such as Bianchi and Gitane.

Here’s an interesting fact; Peugeot has a complete bike lineup from road to mountain, city, kids, and electric bikes.

2023 Tour de France Bikes and Gear

2023 Tour de France Sunglasses Brands and Models Guide

2023 Tour de France Helmets Brands and Models Guide

2023 Tour de France Bike Brands and Models Guide

Gitane is a French bike brand synonymous with racing from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. All nine of Gitane’s Tour de France wins occurred during this period with legendary French riders such as Bernard Hinault (4), Jacques Anquetil (2), Laurent Fignon (2), and Belgian Lucien Van Impe (1).

Today, Gitane is part of Cycleuope, which owns the Bianchi and Peugeot bike brands. Gitane produces mostly city and mountain bikes today. They don’t have much presence outside of France.

Founded in 1976, Trek is one of the leading bike brands today with its men’s and women’s World Tour teams.

Trek’s first Tour de France win was in 1999 by Lance Armstrong. For the next seven years until 2005, Lance Armstrong dominated the Tour de France, helping to raise Trek’s profile in the United States and worldwide. In 2012, all seven of Lance’s Tour de France wins were nulled.

Trek’s other three Tour de France wins were with Alberto Contador in 2007, 2009, and 2010 although the 2010 win was later nulled.

Trek offers the riders three types of road bikes; Trek Emonda (lightweight), Trek Madone (aero) and Trek Domane (endurance), and the Trek Speed Concept (TT).

Alcyon was a French bicycle, motorcycle, and automotive brand active from 1903 to 1954. They sponsored their own cycling team from 1905 to 1959 under different names such as Alcyon-Dunlop, Alcyon-Soly, Alcyon-Armor, and Alcyon-Leroux

Their first Tour de France win was in 1909 with François Faber, a Luxembourgian rider. Their last win was in 1929 with Belgian Maurice De Waele. From 1930 onwards, the Tour de France organizers required the teams to paint their bikes’ downtube with L’Auto, the newspaper that started the Tour de France.

2023 Tour de France Riders’ Gear

Wout van Aert’s Red Bull Helmet at the 2023 Tour de France

Mark Cavendish’s Sunglasses at 2023 Tour de France

Mark Cavendish’s Shoes at 2023 Tour de France

Mark Cavendish’s Bike at 2023 Tour de France

Jasper Philipsen’s Bike at 2023 Tour de France

Eddy Merckx is no stranger to cycling fans. He’s widely known as the most successful cyclist of all time , winning the Tour de France (5 times), Giro d’ Italia (5 times), and 34 Tour de France stages .

The Eddy Merckx bike brand was only started in 1980 after he retired. Eddy Merckx was riding bikes built by Masi and Kessels with his name painted on the downtube for his five Tour de France wins.

In 2008, Eddy Merckx sold all his shares in the company to Sobradis, a Belgian holding company. In 2017, another Belgian company, Race Productions, which owns Ridley Bikes, took over Eddy Merckx after struggling with sales for the past decade.

Automoto was a French bicycle and motorcycle manufacturer that started in 1902. It was the dominant bike brand in the mid-1920s, with four consecutive Tour de France wins from 1923 to 1923 with three different riders.

In 1930, it was bought by Peugeot and sadly discontinued in 1962.

Bianchi is the oldest bicycle manufacturing company today. It was founded in Italy back in 1885 by Edoardo Bianchi who was a 21-year-old medical instrument maker.

All of Bianchi’s three Tour de France wins were achieved by Italian riders. Fausto Coppi won in 1949 and 1952 and Marco Pantini won in 1998. Bianchi was present at the World Tour with Team Jumbo-Visma (2014 to 2020) and Team BikeExchange (2021.

Team Arkea-Samsic will ride the Bianchi Oltre (aero) and Bianchi Specialissima (lightweight) at the 2023 Tour de France.

Today, Bianchi bikes are known for their Celeste color, also known as Bianchi Green.

Colnago has a long history, dating back to 1952. It was founded by Ernesto Colnago near Milan, Italy. In May 2020, Chimera Investments LLC, based in the UAE, acquired a majority stake in Colnago.

Colnago’s first Tour de France win was in 1960 by Italian rider, Gastone Nencini. It was a long 60-year wait for their second win until Tadej Pogačar won two consecutive Tour de France in 2020 and 2021. He also won the Best Young Rider and Climber Classification in these two years riding the Colnago V3Rs .

In 2023, Tadej Pogačar will be riding the Colnago V4Rs in an attempt to win his third Tour de France General Classification .

Tour de France Race Guide

2023 Tour de France on TV Broadcasts Availability

2023 Tour de France Prize Money Breakdown

How is the 2023 Tour de France Time Limit Calculated?

What is the meaning of Tour de France Jersey Colors?

Why is the Tour de France So Popular?

Helyett is a little-known French bicycle manufacturer started by the Picard brothers in 1926. It took its name from a lead character from a late 19th-century play, Miss Helyett, which is why the Helyett logo has a young women’s face on it.

Frenchman, Jacques Anquetil won three of his five Tour de France onboard a Helyett bike in 1957, 1961, and 1962.

La Sportive’s three Tour de France wins occurred right after World War 1, from 1919 to 1921. Right after the war, Europe was in bad shape and many bicycle manufacturers were either out of business or didn’t have the manufacturing capabilities.

The remaining brands include Alcyon, Armor, Automoto, Clément, La Française, Gladiator, Griffon, Hurtu, Labor, Liberator, Peugeot, and Thomann came together. They provided more than half the peloton with various bicycles and components so that the Tour de France can take place.

Once each brand recovered from the aftermath of World War 1, La Sportive disbanded in 1922.

Tour de France Records and Stats

How Many Rest Days in the 2023 Tour de France?

How Many Riders at the 2023 Tour de France?

How Many Stages in the 2023 Tour de France?

Tour de France Time Trial Winners’ Average Speed

What is the 2023 Tour de France Distance?

What is the Fastest Average Speed at the Tour de France?

Which Rider the Most Tour de France Appearances?

Alex Lee is the founder and editor-at-large of Mr. Mamil. Coming from a professional engineering background, he breaks down technical cycling nuances into an easy-to-understand and digestible format here.

He has been riding road bikes actively for the past 12 years and started racing competitively in the senior category during the summer recently.

Mr. Mamil's content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The content is not a substitute for official or professional advice. Please do your own due diligence.

Mr. Mamil participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We also participate in various other affiliate programs, and at times we earn a commission through purchases made through links on this website.

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© Mr. Mamil, 2023

The 6 Best Things We Saw at Philly Bike Expo

Our editors’ favorite cool, new, and interesting bikes and gear from the 2024 Philly Bike Expo

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

While smaller in scale than other American bike shows like Made or Sea Otter Classic , Philly Bike Expo has an energetic vibe and doesn’t feel overwhelming. The Expo’s pairing of seminars, info from bicycle advocacy groups, and activities for kids meant there was something for every type of cyclist.

Bicycling ’s editors roamed PBE’s aisles, checked out bikes and gear, and caught up with small builders, old friends, and fellow cyclists. While it seemed some brands and builders were holding back on their big product reveals until next month’s Sea Otter Classic event in Monterey, California, plenty of cool new bikes and gear were on display in Philadelphia.

Memento Cycles Heart

One of our favorite bikes (and winner of 2024’s Philly Bike Expo People's Choice Award) was Memento Cycles’ Heart. The creation of Montreal, Quebec-based duo Éliane Trudeau and Ronny Perez Jaramillo, this gorgeous metallic pink-painted bike was the talk of every PBE attendee. But the Heart is notable for more than only its paint. The Heart’s custom rack, triple triangle frame, and aesthetic touches (like the trans flag anodized headset spacers and custom head badge) showed the builders’ passion and love for bikes.

LaMarche Bike Co. Town & Country

There were many wonderful handmade bikes at the Philly Bike Expo this year, but this Town & Country model from LaMarche Bike Co. (on display at the Brooks stand) was Test Editor Dan Chabanov ’s favorite. Don’t let the “Co.” at the end of the brand name fool you; Tom LaMarche is a one-man frame shop. And LaMarche consistently produces beautifully designed and impeccably fabricated frames. But unlike many builders, LaMarche also welds his own forks. This example uses a traditional unicrown design—check his Instagram to see his gorgeous segmented creations.

Wolf Tooth Aero Gravel Chainring

Wolf Tooth started in 2013 with a singular focus on one product: the 1x chainring. Over a decade later, its product catalog is much more expansive, but chainrings are still a core product for the brand and one that sees continuous improvement— the new Aero Rings for GRX cranks are a perfect example. The new rings are designed for gravel racing and are only offered in aggressively large sizes (46T to 52T, in two-tooth increments) in round ($105) or oval ($110) variants. The rings are designed to fit seamlessly with Shimano’s GRX crankset. Wolf Tooth does not make any specific aerodynamic claims about the rings, but they certainly look fast.

Wolf Tooth’s website currently does not show Aero Rings for SRAM cranks, but perhaps that will change soon. We spied a Scarab gravel bike in the Wolf Tooth booth with an SRAM direct-mount Aero Ring.

EVT Field Unit

Unveiled at Philly Bike Expo (and already with a waitlist), the EVT Field Unit was Deputy Editor Tara Seplavy ’s favorite new product at the show. Known for its sturdy, professional-grade bicycle stands and clamps, Washougal, Washington-based Efficient Velo Tools paired up with accessory brand Minoura for the Field Unit. The $600 repair stand features EVT’s all-steel Right Arm Clamp and a robust aluminum-tubed stand (without any load-bearing plastic). The Field Unit is made in Japan and supports bikes up to 79 pounds. With its heavy-duty construction, we expect the Field Unit to pop up at many bike events, demo days, and races in the coming months.

Vicious Cycles Rabbit Fighter

With its unique paint and clean lines, the Rabbit Fighter was Bicycling Maintenance and Repair Editor Gabe Ortiz ’s favorite bike at Philly Bike Expo. When not welding frames under the Vicious name, longtime builder Carl “Snarl” Schlemowitz runs Metal Guru . The New Paltz, New York-based company offers a range of classes, programs, and seminars on welding, design, and finishing for frame builders—from first-timers to professionals. Metal Guru is a great resource if you want to learn how to build a frame and where several small frame builders got their start.

Industry Nine Solix Hubs

North Carolina-based Industry Nine recently launched its latest hub and wheel system built around an ultra-fine engagement hub. The new hubs are available in eleven colors and three different shell designs. The classic hub shell is designed around traditional J-bend steel spokes. The Solix SL shell uses straight-pull steel spokes and the Solix G shell uses the company's unique direct-threaded aluminum spokes.

At the heart of these new hubs is a continuously phased five-pawl freehub that works with a 121-tooth drive ring. It results in an insane 0.59-degree engagement. What’s it like to have that kind of instant hub engagement on a dropbar bike? I don’t know, but a set of test wheels arrived today for Dan Chabanov, so stay tuned to find out.

As Deputy Editor, Tara Seplavy leads Bicycling’s product test team; after having previously led product development and sourcing for multiple bike brands, run World Championship winning mountain bike teams, wrenched at renowned bicycle shops in Brooklyn, raced everything from criteriums to downhill, and ridden bikes on six different continents (landing herself in hospital emergency rooms in four countries and counting). Based in Easton, Pennsylvania, Tara spends tons of time on the road and trail testing products. A familiar face at cyclocross races, crits, and bike parks in the Mid Atlantic and New England, on weekends she can often be found racing for the New York City-based CRCA/KruisCX team. When not riding a bike, or talking about them, Tara listens to a lot of ska, punk, and emo music, and consumes too much social media.  

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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https://www.barrons.com/news/florence-celebrates-100-day-countdown-to-tour-de-france-s-grand-depart-d84d2031

• FROM AFP NEWS

Florence Celebrates 100-day Countdown To Tour De France's 'Grand Depart'

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Tour de France Director Christian Prudhomme in front of 2024 route map

With just 100 days to go before cycling's Tour de France sets off, organisers described the 2024 Grand Depart in Florence as "a dream come true".

At the foot of the Palazzo Vecchio the director of the Tour, Christian Prudhomme, savoured the dream coming true "in an open-air museum".

This year marks the 111th running of the Tour de France with the peloton embarking from Italy for the first time in its history on June 29.

"Seeing the banners and the countdown clocks for the Tour de France here, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, an open-air museum, is powerful," Prudhomme said.

The fact no Italian city has ever hosted the event was described as an incongruity given some of the great champions in the race are Italian such as Marco Pantani, Vincenzo Nibali, Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali.

Florence came close 10 years ago to hosting the start but Bradley Wiggins' victory in 2012 pushed organisers to favour the UK, thus putting the Tuscan candidacy on hold.

Florentine mayor Dario Nardella however reached out, in the middle of Covid confinement, sending a text message to Prudhomme saying: "Florence so beautiful and so deserted. I have not forgotten the dream of the Grand Depart."

Celebrating the countdown, Florence is draped in the Tour de France yellow and even the Palazzo Vecchio was lit-up in the colour worn by the race leader.

"It's deeply satisfying, we feel a great sense of pride," said two-time Tour stage winner Daniele Bennati, now coach of the Italian national team.

"I would have dreamed of taking this start when I was a rider. Florence offers a picture-postcard setting. For the public it will be extraordinary."

The first stage will run over a hilly 205km from Florence to Rimini on the Adriatic coast while the second leaves the Emilia-Romagna town of Cesena and ends in University town Bologna. The third goes from Piacenza to Turin.

Nardella added the event would "remain, I hope, as an unforgettable thing in the history of the Tour de France."

"We want to set up the fan zone in Piazza Santa Croce, in front of one of the most beautiful churches in the world. And the start line will be in Piazza della Signoria where we will have works of Donatello and Michelangelo," he said.

Nardella added he hoped the event would boost professional cycling in the region.

"The three Italian stages pass through three UNESCO world heritage sites, the centre of Florence, the arcades of Bologna and the landscapes of southern Piedmont," he said.

"The Tour de France is too important an event to be reduced to a tourist promotion tool. We lack great champions. Relaunching cycling in Italy is for us more important than promoting tourism," insisted the mayor.

The fourth stage will again start in Italy at Pinerolo, and then head to France where the Tour finishes in Nice this year, due to the Olympics in Paris.

Florence Celebrates 100-day Countdown To Tour De France's 'Grand Depart'

With just 100 days to go before cycling's Tour de France sets off, organisers described the 2024 Grand Depart in Florence as "a dream come true".

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Tour de France cycling tours in 2024: behind the scenes of cycling’s biggest race

Are you considering a Tour de France cycling tour for 2024?

Wondering whether to go DIY or opt for a Tour de France tour package?

Or perhaps you’re just intrigued as to what it takes to plan a trip to the world’s biggest cycling event?

This interview with Clément Cicuto, Sports Tours International’s General Manager for Europe, digs into the detail of planning the best Tour de France cycling tours.

Clément has been organising Tour de France holidays for Sports Tours International since 2011. His vast experience of the event means he has a ton of fascinating insights to share on everything from how to pick the best hotel for the stages you want to see, to what being a premium Tour de France tour operator means in practice.

1. Why are Tour de France cycling tours so special?

The Tour de France is the world’s most famous bike race and watching it live is a magical experience. There’s simply nothing like seeing the icons of the sport at a summit finish or on the streets of Paris, in real life.

Of course there are lots of ways you can watch the spectacle, but if you want a really special experience of the Tour (the kind of unique experiences that are normally reserved for the pros), you need to go with an official Tour de France operator. I explain more about official operators for Tour de France tours 2024 below .

1.1 Experience the tour like a pro

One of my favourite memories of a recent Tour de France trip was in 2015. We arrived at the mountain top finish and, as usual, it was a tiny area full of people and buses.

Our clients were cycling to the finish that day; we saw them come over the finish line, take photos on the podium and then be directed to the special hospitality area amongst all the dignitaries and sponsors, just hours before the peloton arrived. When we went to the buses, ours was parked amidst all the team buses, bikes and riders.

Our clients were so happy to be able to speak with the pros and get some really special photos – you don’t get closer to the action than that!

1.2 Once-in-a-lifetime experiences

There’s nothing like the feeling of the buzz on the coach at the end of the day, after everyone’s had a really unique and special experience. It’s an honour to be providing these outstanding experiences to our clients.

2. What kind of Tour de France bike tours will you offer in 2024?

We offer Tour de France official tours and we try to cover all of the key stages of the Tour de France each year. We offer both Tour de France spectator tours and trips where you can ride and watch.

You can find all of our trips on our website, here.

2.1 Grand Depart

The Grand Depart in 2024 will start in Florence, pass through Piedmont and end in Emilia Romagna. Stages 1 to 3 are Florence to Rimini, Cesenatico to Bologna and Plaisance to Turin. This is the first time the Tour has started in Italy, which makes catching the Tour here a particularly unique experience. Expect incredible scenery, picturesque villages, and passionate supporters.

Sports Tours International is offering a four night tour that includes access to the Relais Etape mid-stage hospitality area on Stage 1, access to the Izoard finish hospitality area on Stage 2 and access to the Village Depart area on Stage 3 .

Check out the four-night spectator tour  – sporting weekends don’t get much better.

The Tour de France’s most memorable moments are often in the Alps.

We’re particularly excited to offer a trip that will take our cyclists from the Alps all the way to the finish in Nice. It includes four mountain stages, including stage 19 (Embrun to Isola 200 via the Cime de la Bonnette) and stage 20 (Nice to Col de la Couillole with a mountain top finish at Col de la Couillole) which are set to be key moments in the race. Our guests will also enjoy final day hospitality at the stage 21 time trial between Monaco and Nice. More details here.

2.2 Finish in Nice

Due to preparations for hosting the 2024 Olympic Games, the Tour de France will not finish in Paris this year. It’s the first time in its 121 year history that the Tour hasn’t finished in the Paris region!

Instead, Le Tour will finish with a time trial in Nice. It’s the first time since 1989 that the Tour has finished with a time trial that has the potential to topple the leader.

We offer a three day weekend trip with Tour de France hospitality access on Saturday (Izoard Finish) and Sunday (Grandstand Finish). More details here .

Surely every serious Tour de France fan has to experience this unique event?!

2.3 Bespoke and custom getaways to the Tour de France

And finally, we also offer bespoke experiences – whether for a small group or 100 people.

Usually groups come to us knowing when they’d like to go and how many people the trip is for.

We’ll come up with an outline for what we can suggest. That might include a stage in an official Tour de France car, a Tour de France helicopter experience, access to the start village and stage finish or VIP finish hospitality.

We can also create special packages that put together different trips and experiences. There are some great options for those that aren’t riding too.

You can find full information about each trip on our website .

3. What does it mean to be an official Tour Operator of the Tour de France?

There are six official Tour de France Approved Operators for the UK. Of these only two are Diamond tour operators (the rest are gold, silver or bronze level). Of course Sports Tours is at the Diamond level and this means Sports Tours International gets the first choice for experiences for our clients.

3.1 Approved Operators

We often find there’s quite a lot of confusion about what being an approved operator means.

The answer is that the Approved Operators get priority access to Tour de France experiences that non-Approved operators can’t get.

VIP Hospitality

Approved Operators can book VIP hospitality areas at the stage starts, finishes, and along the racecourse.

An example is the Izoard VIP access area. It’s usually within 200m of the finish and centres around big food and drink trucks parked in a great spot with a VIP viewing area. There will also be a terrace, tables, chairs, free food, beer, champagne – and of course a TV to follow the race. Our clients will be mixing with the sponsors, dignitaries and organisers.

There are also other hospitality experiences such as a high quality four course meal with wine, with the professional riders passing within the last five kilometres of the stage.

Riding closed roads

Approved Operators can also get permission to ride on the race route ahead of the pros when the road is closed to the general public and cross the finish line.

We also offer clients the experience of meeting the Tour de France organisers at the Flamme Rouge marker, with 1 kilometre before the finish. They then escort us with the official car across the finish line just three hours or so before the pro race crosses.

Podium photos and other extras

Approved Operators can receive permission to take photos on the official podium.

There are also additional extras such as the option to ride in the Tour de France official car.

Our clients often tell us that these experiences make their trip unforgettable.

They mean that our clients can do a lot more with their day – for example they don’t need to get to the race four hours early to make sure they can get a spot by the barriers.

It also means they’re not caught out by last minute changes to the road closures. For example when the police in Tignes made a last minute decision to close the road the night before, it sadly meant many people were caught out – but not guests with an Approved Operator.

3.2 Diamond level Approved Operators

Of the Approved Operators, only two are diamond level Approved Operators in the UK – and we are one of them.

This means we have unlimited access, and first call on the experiences mentioned above.

For example if there are a limited number of spaces at the hospitality area at a summit finish, like Alpe d’Huez that’s always really popular, we get first call on the places; this means our clients don’t miss out on the best bits of the Tour.

So if we get a request for a bespoke trip for 20 cyclists that want to be at the top of Alpe d’Huez on race day, our premium status means that we should be able to accommodate that. In contrast, the non-diamond operators might get given less tickets to an experience or be asked to pick a different stage finish. The diamond level operators get priority.

3.3 Weekly contact with ASO

During the ten months between October and the start of the Tour de France, we have weekly contact with ASO to discuss arrangements for the Tour. Sometimes it’s group briefing calls, sometimes it’s calls with our contacts directly.

They are really helpful in providing huge amounts of detailed information that we need to make sure our trips run smoothly for our clients. For example which routes we should take to the Tour de France hospitality areas, exactly where the premium operator parking is at the finishes, maps and addresses.

They also suggest things that could be a great experience for our clients and help us ensure our clients have a more amazing experience than they expected.

4. What makes your Tour de France cycling holidays special?

We work really hard to make sure we offer the best tour de France cycling tours on the market. Our motto is “our experience makes yours” and we really believe this is true.

Our staff have a huge amount of knowledge and experience of the Tour de France – well over 50 years experience if you combine it together! It’s not just the hosts and guides our clients meet, but the people that our clients don’t always see – people like me!

I have been planning Tour de France trips for Sports Tours for fourteen years now and in total Sports Tours have been running Tour de France tour experiences for over twenty years (that’s twenty years of feedback to hone what we offer!).

I think this really makes a difference in the end product. The route changes each year and it’s only because of my and my team’s personal knowledge of the logistics for the Tour and connections that we can get the best accommodation and experiences for our guests.

The fact that we’re based in France and speak the language means we can have a very close relationship with the organisers and hotel owner. We have our own local knowledge of how things work in France that can really make the difference.

Finally, our guides are all passionate cyclists who love the Tour and looking after our guests. They make our guest experience unforgettable and deliver a first class service.

4.2 Support

We think we have the best logistics out there – we’ve got a fleet of minibuses and vehicles with bike racks and trailers, driven by French people that know their country and the race extremely well.

4.3 Diamond level Approved Operators

I’ve said a lot about the benefits this status has for our clients, so I won’t repeat that. However it does give us flexibility to ensure we can increase our numbers even when other operators have sold out their trips.

We try and incorporate each of the different VIP experiences described above within one of the four day three night Tour de France holiday packages. Usually it will be a different experience each day.

4.4 Larger numbers brings benefits for our clients

Every year we bring more than 500 clients to the Tour de France. We can do this because we’re diamond level Approved Operators and because our knowledge and planning means we can flex our team to ensure we still deliver the highest quality, unique experiences.

One of the reasons that it’s good for our clients that we have lots of clients, is that it means we can afford that diamond level operator access that provides the unique experiences. We can also justify services that other operators with less clients can offer. For example we can have more guides on the road with different speed riding groups. Or if we know we have a group of Spanish cyclists we’ll make sure we have a Spanish host.

We have more staff so we can be more flexible, for example if someone wants to spectate instead of ride or ride a longer or shorter route.

Finally, our clients tell us that they love the opportunity we provide them to meet other cycling fans from all over the world during their trip. The diversity of the countries our clients have come from makes for lots of interesting conversations and sometimes even lifelong new friends!

4.5 Based in the UK

We’re based in the UK, with an office in France and Ireland, and have all the necessary licences to operate in France, which many of our clients find reassuring.

We offer ABTA bonding too, just in case things go wrong. For example our clients won’t lose their money if the event doesn’t take place for some reason.

Take a look at all of our Tour de France trips on our website .

5. How does your Tour de France trip planning process work?

Planning our Tour de France bicycle tours is always a challenge because the route is different every year.

The upside for our clients is that it means they can book a trip with us every year and it will always be unique.

5.1 Finding the hotels

The first step in our planning process is to find the perfect hotels for our trips.

This is one of the most complicated areas to sort out because we can’t wait for the course to be announced to book the accommodation. If we did that, it would be too late and all the best places would have gone!

So we have to work on rumours of where the Tour de France route will go next year. We often have to take some risks and book hotels without having certainty on the route. It can be a bit stressful, but it’s mitigated by our extensive experience of planning these trips and we’ve never gone wrong yet.

We get calls ahead of time from our friends on the ground – for example our local French guides, hotel partners and contacts at tourist offices in the host towns. They tend to have the best knowledge about what’s likely to happen with the route and this means we can book the best accommodation before everyone else!

There’s more information on what we look for in our hotels, below .

5.2 Experiences

Once we’ve sorted out the hotels, we consider what hospitality and experiences we can build into the trip to ensure it’s really special for our clients.

We plan the best daily rides and climbs our cyclists can do to get to the Tour de France event. We flex these depending on our clients’ level of experience and fitness. We also plan unique activities for when it’s the Tour’s rest days.

Some clients ride, some don’t. If they ride, it’s up to them how far they go as we can accommodate non-riders in our support vehicles. Often it’s between 10 and 100km each day, but it’s up to them. We always have e-bikes available too so they can always jump on an e-bike if they’re not as fit as they thought! Our mechanics are always on hand to help with any bike problems.

5.3 Transport and suppliers

After accommodation, it’s time to arrange all the logistics, transport and transfers.

We work with suppliers like bike rental companies, we book restaurants and plan Tour de France merchandising for our clients.

We also prepare a detailed staffing plan to ensure we’ve got the best team on hand throughout each trip.

5.4 Itineraries

With these things in place we then create a detailed itinerary. The version clients see on our website is the brief version of the itinerary. We send a really detailed version to our clients about three weeks before the trip.

5.5 Working hand in hand with ASO

Everything we do is against the backdrop of the weekly calls and meetings we have with ASO. These start in October when the route is announced and continue all the way to the Tour itself. We have an excellent relationship with them and this means we can ensure the experiences we offer are the best, that the transport is slick and our itineraries create a unique trip our clients will remember forever.

6. How do you choose the hotels for your Tour de France holidays?

Picking the right hotels is key to the success of our trips.

6.1 Location, location, location

We look for a central location compared to the Tour de France route. This avoids our clients having to check in and out of a new hotel every day, which is not very relaxing and it’s very time consuming.

We also look for hotels that are accessible from an international airport, have lots to see around them, great views and good guided ride options.

6.2 Good quality

Our ideal hotels are good quality 3 or 4 stars with a secure room for the bikes. We aim to choose hotels that are family run as we find they offer a more authentic experience. The owners also often have a better understanding of what we need in terms of food and they’re great at connecting with our clients.

We also make sure our hotels offer an excellent breakfast and evening meal. In the morning it’s important for getting a busy day off on the right note and in the evening it’s got to be somewhere that’s good for a celebration!

6.4 Pro teams

Sometimes we are able to book our clients into the same hotels as a Tour de France pro team, which is really exciting.

We’re always on the lookout for where the pros will be staying and sometimes we get tips from the hotel owners that they’re going to get a pro team. Also in some towns we know which teams were allocated which hotels the previous time the Tour visited and usually they get allocated the same hotels again. It’s one of the benefits of booking with us – that we are so familiar with the history of the Tour and use this to maximise our clients’ experience.

Likewise, on normal years when the Tour visits Paris, everyone always loves the Mercure Hotel we stay at the Arc de Triomphe. It’s 200m from the Tour de France which is perfect.

7. How to go to the Tour de France: DIY versus a Tour de France package trip?

It can be tempting to plan your own Tour de France cycling trip. That can work well if you’re happy to just watch a stage and don’t mind making getting there, waiting, watching and going home the sole focus for your day.

However if you’re looking to get more from this great annual sporting event, an organised Tour de France trip is the way to get the perfect trip.

There are so many things that you can do on a tour with an Approved Tour de France Operator that you can’t do alone. It’s the things I mentioned above , things like having accreditation to ride the race route on closed roads, getting access to VIP areas and hospitality, having everything planned with the right information from the organiser which you can’t find online and having great hotels that are well-placed for the route.

A trip might only be three nights away in July, but you’re getting the benefit of a year’s worth of planning – and our twenty years of experience before that!

8. Where can people find more information?

You can get more information about Sports Tours’ many Tour de France cycling trips on their website .

Clément and the team would also be very happy to answer any questions – just contact them at +44 (0)161 703 8161 or [email protected] .

A huge thank you to Clément for sharing such an insightful behind the scenes look at what goes into planning a Tour de France trip.

Have you been on a Tour de France bike tour?

If you’ve been to France to spectate the Tour de France, let us know how it went in the comments below!

For those coming into France by plane, you might find this website useful – it shares an overview of all flight routes worldwide.

Got a question for Sports Tours International?

Fill out this form and Sports Tours International will reply (within 24 hours wherever they possibly can!)

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Got a question for Clément?

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Clément Cicuto is General Manager for Europe at Sports Tours International . He’s in charge of creating, planning and implementing all the company’s events in France. He’s been planning Tour de France (and L’Étape du Tour de France) trips since 2010 and loves the challenge, excitement and variety they offer. Based near Paris, he’s close to the Tour’s organisers and grateful to them for their continued support that ensure Sports Tours can offer such fantastic experiences to its clients.

The contents of this website are provided for general information purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on it. You should carry out your own due diligence and take professional advice. We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content on our website is accurate, complete or up to date. If you use any information or content on this website, download from, or otherwise obtain content or services through our website, it is entirely at your own discretion and risk. Epic Road Rides Ltd disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the information and content on this website. Find out more here .

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Are the bikes the pros ride in the Tour de France the same as you can buy in the shops?

First Published Jul 8, 2022

During the Tour de France, we wanted to provide some answers to those questions you're too afraid to ask, fearing they might be silly or that you’d be stuck talking to that weird cycling person in the office about something called ‘Di2’ for your whole lunch break.

This topic concerns the item that transports the riders around their lap of France, the humble bicycle itself. You might have heard that the pros' bikes are extra-special, but what makes them so eye-wateringly expensive? Surely they’re just like the bikes you can buy in your local bike shop?

The question of whether the pros' bikes are the same as ones that you or I can buy in the shops is, broadly speaking, a simple one to answer. More or less, the pros' bikes are these days the same as those that you can buy. All you have to do is hand over £10,000 (or more) of your cash and you’ll be presented with something that is much the same as the bikes that you’ll see being raced towards Paris.

But it would too simplistic to say that the bikes are identical so let’s dive a little bit deeper and look at the individual parts that make up a pro bike. Some you can buy, some are arguably worse than the stuff you get as stock, and there are plenty of tips that we can take from pro race bikes.

The main component in any bike is the frameset and the ones that you see in the shops are the same as the ones that the pros are riding.

Of course, the pros have the lightest, stiffest versions of those frames, and they have them well ahead of general sale, but you should be able to get your hands on a frame that's the same as your favourite rider’s.

There are still instances where a top rider will have a good strop when a rival gets a frame that they believe to be better, and you can usually find at least one pro rider per year who is bad-mouthing their old bike when they leave for a new team. 

If we wanted to fire up the rumour mill – and we absolutely do want to do that – there have been notable cases where the big riders have requested their sponsors make one-off bikes just for them with special geometries. That list includes names like Fabian Cancellara and Peter Sagan who both had custom-made versions of their team’s new race bike because they didn’t like the geometry (the frame’s measurements) of the standard-issue bike.

Sagan is one of the biggest names in the men’s professional peloton and his status within the sport means that he can request stuff like that. Riders that are lower in the pecking order simply have to put up with what they get.

One team folded after continued issues with its bikes, which were blamed for costing the riders wins . The team then blamed a lack of invitations to races and a failed merger with another team for their demise.

There’s rarely any groupset component on display that you won’t find on high-end bikes in your local bike shop. You might find the odd pro bike sporting a non-sponsor correct power meter, but the electronic shifting provided by the main three groupset manufacturers is so good that we rarely see anyone stray from their sponsor's product.

Back in 2019, we did see some of the SRAM-sponsored Trek-Segafredo riders using Shimano’s Di2 sprint shifters instead of the SRAM Blips though.

Speaking of sprint shifters, you’ll also find many modified satellite shifter buttons that the riders can use to shift gears when resting their hands on the tops of the bar. You can certainly buy these special shifters with your new bike, but we'd recommend asking the mechanic if they could fit them for you.

If a stage is set to end in a particularly fast sprint, or tail-crosswinds are predicted to blow, then the mechanics will be busy swapping out the standard outer ring for one with more teeth. With speeds on the flats approaching 70km/h (44mph) in places, the pros need these monster gears simply to keep up. 

Whereas many of the bikes in the local shop will come with cheaper aluminium wheels, you won’t find stock alu wheelsets anywhere near a pro bike these days. Carbon is the only wheel material for the pros because carbon wheels can be lighter, more aerodynamic, and stiffer and that all adds up to being faster.

Poke your head into a pro team mechanic's truck and you’ll see countless wheels hanging from the walls. The riders have a variety of depths to pick from, and there has been a big shift towards tubeless tyres in recent years, although tubulars are still used – where the tyre is glued to the wheel rim.

Stock bikes don't come fitted with tubulars; they're specialist equipment designed for racing. It's easy to get hold of tubular tyres, but you'll need to fit the right wheels in order to use them.

Tubular wheels need tubular tyres to be glued onto the rim. While some amateur riders still use tubs, far more go for clincher or tubeless tyres as the system becomes easier to set up and more reliable. As mentioned, the pros are increasingly moving towards tubeless but tubs are still hanging in there.

Why? The main reason for sticking with tubs is that if you puncture, you can keep on riding in relative safety until your team car comes up to you, giving you a shorter chase back onto the peloton. A clincher or tubeless tyre isn’t glued onto the rim and once deflated, there isn’t much holding it onto the rim.

Generally, a tubular tyre and wheel system is also still lighter than the tubeless option.

On a bike that you see in a shop, you’ll always see clincher or tubeless tyres.

Long, low and narrow

This isn’t strictly a difference between shop bikes and pro bikes, as you can set your bike up in any way that you choose, but the number of pro riders with long, low and narrow positions is greater than you’d see on the average club ride.

Pro riders are generally 20-somethings who spend 20+ hours per week in the saddle and also stretch every day. That keeps them comfortable in what can look like back-breaking positions.

The bikes in a shop will be set up differently for one key reason: comfort. Generally, they will feature a wider and higher handlebar position that is also closer to the saddle. This will often be more comfortable for the average human who is buying the bike.

A good shop will always adjust the position for you, so you can replicate those super-low racer positions if you want. Just be ready to see a chiropractor when your back goes!

Drilling down into the detail

Frame-mounted race numbers.

Pros' race bikes feature a mount to attach a race number. Honestly, this is less helpful to the viewers and race officials than it is to the mechanics. The rider's race number helps to identify whose bike is whose.

The number holders are never included with your shop-bought bike and are often a custom-made solution, though you can buy them.

Water bottles are marked

Before heading out, you and I won’t be taking a Sharpie to remind ourselves that we have Ribena in our bottles, but when a pro wants their specific energy drink over plain water, it is easier for the mechanic and sports director in the team car to identify what the bottle that they’ve just pulled from the cool box contains if it is marked with ‘M’ (mix) or ‘W’ (water). The letter or marking used changes from team to team.

Identical bikes on both team cars

Just bought a lovely new bike from the shop? How about two more identical machines to follow you through France on the roofs of the two team cars following the race? You know, just in case your gears are a little off today or you have a mechanical issue.

Bike too light? Use aluminium parts

If you have deep pockets then the bike you buy from the shop can be lighter than a pro bike. The pros can’t go lower than 6.8kg – that's a UCI rule – and if a pro bike is a bit light riders will often opt for an aluminium handlebar or stem to bring the weight up. These are also less likely to snap when there is a pile-up... and there are lots of pile-ups in the Tour de France.

Garmin dongles, bar tape and electrical tape

Speaking of pile-ups, when one occurs, GPS head units can often detach themselves from their mounts. Riders will use tape inside the computer’s mount, or a little strap to save their bike computer from going walkies.

The pro team mechanics will also put bar tape on the rider's pedals to stop any unwanted movement. Both are neat tricks that you can employ at home.

Does that part come with its own Sharpie?

Look closely, especially at saddles and tyres, and you’ll see a whole load of fun has been had with a Sharpie permanent marker. If a rider doesn’t like the sponsor’s saddle and they’re an important rider then they will sometimes just use their preferred perch and scribble out the logo.

Tyres are a massive culprit for this. Many teams will use Continental’s Pro Ltd tyres even when sponsored by another brand. The poor mechanics have a lot of Continental logos to colour in but an eagle-eyed bike onlooker can usually spot them pretty easily.

Sponsor logos plastered everywhere

The bike that you buy in the shop will often come with a design that you love. Pro bikes often start with the same design, and then the sponsors of the jersey, groupset, wheels, power meter, brake pads and even the team owner’s family’s plumbing business get their logo on the bike. Some can end up looking a right mess, but not your shiny new bike... unless you too have a plumbing company.

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Add new comment

Thanks for an interesting article. 

I've always enjoyed watching motorsport partly because of the coverage of the technical and mechanical side of the sport. 

I've been watching some of the TDF as I've been off work sick this week and haven't seen anything about the equipment they are riding.

I haven't riden a drop bar road bike for 25 years and although I love MotoGP/WSBK etc I've never owned a race replica but it's interesting to know how similar the equipment available at the local dealer is to what the pros ride.

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Probably the same ish on motorbikes. 

Probably all W's, or all M's. A team won't use W and M, just one or the other, such as M for mix, and nothing  for water. 

Paul J wrote: The 'M' and 'W' system for the water bottles doesn't seem like a brilliant idea - just judging by the bottles in the photo. Are they 2 Ms? 2Ws? 1 M and 1W?

Reminds me of one of my favourite rugby stories: a lad who was playing hooker for Cambridge was invited to a trial session for a Welsh team; they told him that the lineout calls were a word beginning with A for front, E for middle and O for back. When it came to the first call, he shouted "Oedipus!" He wasn't asked back, they don't like smartarses in the valleys, look you.

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Alto del Tenebredo

Alto del Torno

Alto do Lagarto

Alto El Angliru

Alto El Caracol

Alto El Cordal

Alto Estadero

Alto La Colladona

Alto La Farrapona

Alto Lestaio

Alto Maria Gomes

Alto Medina

Alto Pantanillo

Alto Santa Elena

Altu de Santu Mianu

Aratena from Riu Sa Piana

Ayacata Viewpoint

Badia a Coltibuono

Badia a Montemuro

Badia Coltibuono

Balcon d'Aunis

Barragem do Alvao

Basilica di Superga

Bealach na Ba

Belvedere Monte La Nave

Bemelerberg

Bocca di Marsolinu

Bocca di Vezzu

Bocca d'Ominanda

Borgata Pamparato

Borgata Silio

Brennerpass

Bruncu Spina

Cabeco da Calcedonia

Cagigas Plantadas

Cala Gonone

Caltabellotta

Cap de Formentor

Cap de Long

Carretera de la Cabra

Castel Viscardo

Castellar de n'Hug

Castellina in Chianti

Castello di Brolio

Castelnuovo

Castelnuovo Nigra

Casteltermini

Castillejos

Cava de Fanna

Cerdeirinhas

Četena Ravan

Chalet du Lac Besson

Champagny-en-Vanoise

Charmant Som

Chinaillon Le Grand-Bornand

Cima Sappada

Cirque de Troumouse

Col Bagargiak

Col d'Agnel

Col d'Agnes

Col d'Allos

Col d'Aspin

Col d'Aubisque

Col de Bacinu

Col de Bagargui

Col de Bavella

Col de Belle Granaje

Col de Braus

Col de Buis

Col de Celaccia

Col de Chateauneuf

Col de Chaud Clapier

Col de Cornille

Col de Elgol

Col de Fontbelle

Col de Fouchure

Col de Foureyssasse Sud

Col de Granon

Col de Grosse Pierre

Col de Joux Plane

Col de la Biche

Col de la Bonette

Col de la Cayolle

Col de la Chaine

Col de la Chaudiere

Col de la Clarté

Col de la Colmiane

Col de la Colombiere

Col de la Core

Col de la Couillole

Col de la Creueta

Col de la Croix Blanche

Col de la Croix de Fer

Col de la Croix des Moinats

Col de la Croix

Col de la Croix Fry

Col de la Croix Morand

Col de la Croix Rouge

Col de la Croix St Robert

Col de la Forclaz de Montmin

Col de la Forclaz de Quiege

Col de la Joux Verte

Col de la Ligne

Col de la Lombarde

Col de la Loze

Col de la Machine

Col de la Madeleine

Col de la Madone

Col de la Mort d'Imbert

Col de la Pertie

Col de la Pierre Saint Martin

Col de la Ramaz

Col de la Sausse

Col de la Schlucht

Col de la Sentinelle

Col de la Sinne

Col de la Vaccia

Col de la Vayède

Col de Latrape

Col de Lautaret

Col de Lauwy

Col de L'Avernaz

Col de L'Echelle

Col de L'Encrenaz

Col de L'Epine

Col de Leschaux

Col de Lingous

Col de L'Iseran

Col de Lizarieta

Col de Luitel

Col de Marie-Blanque

Col de Marmare

Col de Marocaz

Col de Mente

Col de Meyrol

Col de Montfuron

Col de Murs

Col de Notre Dame des Abeilles

Col de Palomieres

Col de Peguere

Col de Perty

Col de Peyresourde

Col de Plainpalais

Col de Plan-Bois

Col de Port de Tarascon

Col de Porte

Col de Portech

Col de Portet d'Aspet

Col de Portet

Col de Quatre Chemins

Col de Richemond

Col de Romme

Col de Sabot

Col de Sainte Anne

Col de Salvi

Col de Santa Lucia

Col de Sapois

Col de Saraille

Col de Sarenne

Col de Seize

Col de Sorba

Col de Soulor

Col de Spandelles

Col de St Ignace

Col de St Raphaël

Col de Tamie

Col de Tarter

Col de Tentes

Col de Terramont

Col de Turini

Col de Val Louron-Azet

Col de Valouse

Col de Vars

Col de Vence

Col de Verde

Col de Vergio

Col des Aravis

Col des Ares

Col des Borderes

Col des Champs

Col des Glieres

Col des Hares

Col des Hayes

Col des Pres

Col des Saisies

Col des Trois Termes

Col d'Ichere from

Col d'Ichere

Col d'Ispeguy

Col d'Izoard

Col du Ballon d'Alsace

Col du Calvaire

Col du Chat

Col du Chaussy

Col du Chioula

Col du Corbier

Col du Corobin

Col du Firstplan

Col du Frêne

Col du Galibier

Col du Glandon

Col du Grand Ballon

Col du Grand Colombier

Col du Grand Cucheron

Col du Grand Taillet

Col du Granier

Col du Granon

Col du Lautaret

Col du Maquisard

Col du Marais

Col du Marocaz

Col du Mollard

Col du Mont Bel-Air

Col du Petit Ballon

Col du Pillon

Col du Platzerwasel

Col du Portillon

Col du Rosier

Col du Tamie

Col du Telegraphe

Col du Tourmalet

Col du Trébuchet

Col La Roque-Alric

Col le Debat

Col St Anne

Coll d'Alforja

Coll de Bracons

Coll de Bucs

Coll de Burgueres

Coll de Canes

Coll de Caselles

Coll de Collfred

Coll de Comadevaques

Coll de Condreu

Coll de Fores

Coll de Josa

Coll de la Batallola

Coll de la Buixeda

Coll de la Creueta

Coll de la Gallina

Coll de la Garga

Coll de Pal

Coll De Puymorens

Coll de Porrera

Coll de Pradell

Coll de Prades

Coll de Rates

Coll de sa Batalla

Coll de Sa Gramola

Coll de Sentigosa

Coll de Serra Seca

Coll de Sobirana

Coll de Soller

Coll de Subirana

Coll dels Reis

Coll den Bleda

Coll des Grau

Coll des Pi / Es Grau

Coll d'Orient and Coll d'Honor

Coll Fornic

Coll Ordino

Collá de Arniciu

Collada de Beixalis

Collada de Moandi

Collada Mohandi

Collado de Carmona

Collado de Hoz

Collado de Igena

Collado de Ozalba

Collado de Zardon

Colle del Lys

Colle del Nivolet

Colle dell' Agnello

Colle della Fauniera

Colle della Maddalena

Colle della Scala

Colle delle Finestre

Colle di Lana

Colle di Sampeyre

Colle di Valmala

Colle Gallo

Colle San Carlo

Colle Santa Lucia

Colletto Basso di Isasca

Colli di San Fermo

Collsuspina

Colma di Sormano

Cormet de Roselend

Corso Principi Di Piemonte

Cortals d'Encamp

Cote au Roux

Côte d'Auribeau

Cote de Bellaire

Cote de Bohissau

Cote de Buisson

Cote de Cherave

Côte de Colombiès

Cote de la Haute-Levee

Cote de la Redoute

Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons

Cote de La Vernaz

Cote de Langueux

Cote de Laoul

Côte de Moyrazès

Côte de Peyrouse

Cote de Plérin

Cote de Razal

Cote de Saint-Nicolas

Cote de Stockeu

Cote d'Ereffe

Crieff Road

Cruce Bailadero

Cruce Pico del Inglés

Crucero San Jose

Cruz de Tejeda

Cruz del Carmen

Cruz San Antonio

De Buisson Rond

Degollada de La Aldea

Degollada de las Yeguas

Dervaig Hill

Dientner Sattel

Donji Humac

Drynie Hill

Duke's Pass

Dunning Glen

Edinbane Climb

El Chagualo

Encinas Borrachas

Era Artiga de Lin

Ermita del Cristo de Balaguer

Eyserbosweg

Falla Lobos

Faschinajoch

Filzen Sattel

Fontana Sa Mela from Sologo

Forcella Aurine

Forcella di Monte Rest

Forcella di Pala Barzana

Forcella di Priuso

Forcella Franche

Forest of Alyth

Fornos de Algodres

Fuentes de Cesna

Gairn Sheel

Gairo from Riu Sant Andrea

Garajonay Cruce

Geulhemmerweg

Glaubenbielenpass

Glen Quaich

Glen Salach

Glen Tarbert

Gorges de la Nesque

Gornji Humac

Gornji Majkovi

Grimpée de Venon

Grimpee d'Hery

Grimselpass

Grosse Scheidegg

Grossglockner-Edelweissspitze

Grossglockner

Gualan Dubh

Guia de Isora

Gurnigelpass

Hahntennjoch

Heiligenschwendi

Hinterwaldberg

Hochtannbergpass

Hourquette d'Ancizan

Iacu Piu from SP18

Justistalstrasse

Kanarieberg

Kranjski Rak

Kuna Peljeska

Kuthai Sattel

La Catedral

La Chambotte

La Cobertoria

La Ensillada

La Escalona

La Fatarella

La Fredonia

La Morera de Montsant

La Super Planche des Belles Filles

La Victoria

Lac d'Aumar

Lac de Bise

Lacets de Monvernier

Lago di Cancano

Lagos de Covadonga

Lake Misurina

Lanusei from Bari Sardo

Las Lagunillas

Le Grand Margès

Le Toit du Var

Lenzerheidepass

Les Alpilles Sud

Les Bossons

Les Deux Alpes

Llanos de la Pez

Llosa de Camacho

Loch Dhugaill

Loch na Draipe

Los Cierros

Los Machucos

Lugar De Pereira

Luz-Ardiden

Madonna del Coletto

Marquetalia

Masca Summit

Mata de Albergaria

Miradoiro do Ézaro

Mirador del Fitu

Mont Colombis

Mont de Lans

Mont du Chat

Mont Revard

Mont Saxonnex

Mont Semnoz

Mont Ventoux

Montagne de Lure

Montant de Tost

Monte Amiata

Monte Calderaro

Monte Crostis

Monte Del Agua

Monte Grappa

Monte Padrio

Monte Ragogna

Monte Rufeno

Monte S'Ospile

Monte Teide

Monte Tuttavista

Monte Zoncolan

Montée Boyat

Montee de Bisanne

Montee de Bourdeaux

Montee de Charlaval

Montee de la Selle de Fromentel

Montee de Lancon

Montee de Puget

Montee d'Ilhan

Montée du Pont St Nicolas

Montée St Laurent

Montée St Michel

Monti Cimini

Coll de Obac

Mount Teide

Mûr De Bretagne

Muro de Aia

Muro di Sormano

Notre Dames des Graces

Nufenenpass

Oberalppass

Odcep Pavlič

Orune from Ponte Marreri

Ostanfahrt pass

Oude Kwaremont

Oz-en-Oisans

Panex Plambuit

Panzano in Chianti

Partidas Guaico

Pas de la Figuière

Pas de Souloumbrie

Pasja Ravan

Pasja ravan

Passo Brocon

Passo Campolongo

Passo Cereda

Passo Cibiana

Passo Colla

Passo Costalunga

Passo Croce Boi from Nuraghe Gilorthi

Passo del Bratello

Passo del Cason di Lanza

Passo del Chiodo

Passo del Cirone

Passo del Giogo

Passo del Silara

Passo Del Tomarlo

Passo della Presolana

Passo della Raticosa

Passo delle Erbe

Passo di Correboi

Passo di Monte Croce Carnico

Passo di San Bernardino

Passo di Zambla

Passo di Zucca Trinita

Passo Duran

Passo Duron

Passo Falzarego

Passo Fedaia

Passo Gardena

Passo Gavia

Passo Genna Ramene from Santa Maria Navarrese

Passo Ghenna Silana from Urzulei

Passo Ghisallo

Passo Gobbera

Passo Incrociati

Passo Lavaze

Passo Manghen

Passo Mortirolo

Passo Pinei

Passo Pordoi

Passo Praderadego

Passo Presolana

Passo Raticosa

Passo Rolle

Passo San Antonio

Passo San Boldo

Passo San Marco

Passo San Pellegrino

Passo Santa Donna

Passo Sella

Passo Staulanza

Passo Stelvio

Passo Tre Croci

Passo Valles

Passo Valparola

Passo Valparolo

Passo Vivione

Passo Zambla

Pavlicevo Sedlo

Peña Cabarga

Peñas de Aya

Penhas Douradas

Petra Longa Salvini

Peyrusse-le-Roc

Pian del Lupo

Pian delle Merie

Piancavallo

Piano Battaglia

Piau-Engaly

Pico de las Nieves

Pico del Inglés

Pico Veleta

Picón Blanco

Pinos de Galdar

Pizzu Silixi from Gairo

Poggio di Sugame

Poggio Rosa

Port de Balès

Port de Bérnia

Port de Cabus

Port de Confidres

Port de la Bonaigua

Port de la Mussara

Port de Lers

Port de Llo

Port de Pailheres

Port de Ransol

Port de Sa Creueta

Port de Tollos

Port de Tudons

Port del Cantó

Port d'Envalira

Port des Canonge

Portella Del Morto

Portillo de Lunada

Postalmstrasse

Pousada Caniçada-Gerês

Pré Richard

Presa del Paralillo

Puente Aures

Puerto Alto del Garajonay

Puerto de Alisas

Puerto de Azazeta

Puerto de Azpegi

Puerto de Boyar

Puerto de Canencia

Puerto de Connio

Puerto de Cotos

Puerto de Erjos

Puerto de Izpegi

Puerto de La Aldea

Puerto de la Braguia

Puerto de la Cruz de Linares

Puerto de la Magdalena

Puerto de la Morcuera

Puerto de la Rasa

Puerto de la Sia

Puerto de la Ventilla

Puerto de Larrau

Puerto de las Abejas

Puerto de Las Estacas de Trueba

Puerto De Las Palomas

Puerto de Lunada

Puerto de Navacerrada

Puerto de Navafria

Puerto de Orduña

Puerto de Otxondo

Puerto de Palombera

Puerto de Panderrueda

Puerto de Panderruedas

Puerto de Pandetrave

Puerto de Peña Negra

Puerto de Peñas Blancas

Puerto de Peñas Blancas & Los Reales

Puerto de Pozo de Mujeres Muertas

Puerto de San Glorio

Puerto de San Lorenzo

Puerto de Torvizcón

Puerto de Zaldiaran

Puerto del Boyar

Puerto del Mazuco

Puerto del Sol

Puerto del Viento

Puerto d'Otxondo

Puerto El Dormio

Puerto El Ponton

Puerto Encinas Borrachas

Puerto Herrera

Puerto Jimena de Libar

Puerto La Braguia

Puerto Los Alazores - Cara Alfarnate

Puerto Martinez

Puerto Montejaque

Puerto Vitoria

Pupnatska Luka

Ratagan Pass

Rocca di Papa

Rocca Priora

Rocca Romana

Romanyà de la Selva

Route de Saint Savin

Rovt Pod Menino

Sa Pedra Bianca from Piras

Sa Pedrissa

Sal Radicofani

Salita Gino Bartali

Salita Louison Bobet

Salita Marco Pantani

Salita Verduno

San Benedetto da Certalda

San Cristobal

San Francesco di Lula

San Gimignano

San Giorgio from Gairo

San Martin de Bada

San Martino di Castrozza

San Pantaleo from Mulino di Arzachena

Santa Barbara

Santa Elisabetta

Santa Isabel do Monte

Santa Isabel

Santa Mariña

Santa Pellaia

Santiago del Teide

Santuari Mare de Deu del Mon

Santuario de Acebo

Sao Cosmado

Saut deth Pish

Schallenberg

Scollino Badia Coltibuono

Seebergsattel

Sella Cereschiatis

Sella Chianzutan

Sella Ciampigotto

Sella Valcalda

Senhora da Graca

Serra de Alvelos

Serra Vermelha

Sheriffmuir

Soriska Klanec

Spomenik Borcu Nob

St Gervais Mont Blanc Le Bettex

St Gotthardpass

Steenbeekdries

Strevčeva Peč

Superbagneres

Talana from Riu Mortorinai

Taquisara from Riu San Girolamo

Tavertet - L'Avenc

The Goat's Path

The Lecht Road

The Schiehallion

Tierra del Trigo Mirador

Timmelsjoch

Top of the World

Topol Pri Medvodah

Torre de la Bastilla

Torrinheiras

Tossal dels Diners

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Truc d'Arbe

Tunel Cumbre

Turó del Home

Tuttavista from Galtelli

Umbrailpass

Val d'Enfer

Valico Arcuerì from Seui

Valico del Morellino

Valley of the Tears

Vallombrosa

Valter 2000

Via Dogliani

Vico d'Elsa

Vidova Gora

Villa Belvedere

Villars-sur-Ollon

Zillertaller Hohenstrasse

March 24 2024

Tenerife & La Gomera Cycling Camp

Tenerife has become the preferred training destination of pro riders and this is your opportunity to discover just what is so special about this island.

March 29 2024

Spring Classics

Real bike racing, rough roads, questionable weather, frites and great beer, welcome to the Classics! Not for the faint of heart, only a spot on the Quick-Step Team would get you a more intense Classics experience!

April 13 2024

Trans Andalusia

The quintessential Spain, Andalusia is famous for flamenco, fiestas, bulls and “pueblos blancos”. But it’s also home to some of the most stunning and challenging rides in Europe.

EPIC Trans Andalusia

April 21 2024

EPIC Trans Portugal

Take the high road across this quiet country’s wondrously diverse terrain. Enjoy the magnificent scenery, historic villages and traffic-free roads – and of course it wouldn’t be Thomson terrain without a few big climbs.

Gravel Portugal with BWR

A spectacular ride  on the cliffs high above the Atlantic Ocean and through the Monchique mountains,  the Algarve, in the south of Portugal, has some of the best Beyond Tarmac riding in Europe.

April 27 2024

Gravel BALI

From beaches to jungles, mountains, and active volcanoes, we take you away from the crowded tourist areas to the seemingly untouched Bali, and through villages where time appears to have stood still.

May 04 2024

Mallorca Cycling Camp

Ride the spectacular Sierra de Tramontana, from Formentor to Port d’Andratx

May 05 2024

Gravel Tuscany with BWR

Famous for it’s hilltop towns, Chianti wine, cypress trees, great food and Italian style, Tuscany is also home to the strade bianche and some of the best gravel and Beyond Tarmac rides in Europe.

May 18 2024

EPIC Trans Scotland

An incredible journey from the magnificent Isle of Mull through Royal Deeside, Speyside, Loch Ness and the UK’s toughest climb, Bealach na Ba.

EPIC Trans Pyrenees

Discover the natural beauty of one of Europe’s most celebrated cycling terrains. Cross the highest peaks in the Pyrenees, conquering legendary Tour de France climbs every day. Includes Tourmalet, Aubisque, Aspin, Peyresourde, Pierre St Martin, Jaizkibel and many more!

Trans Pyrenees

May 26 2024

Gravel Scotland Highlands

Our route has been devised by Ed Shoote, author of the book “Gravel Rides Scotland”. He’s ridden 1000s of miles of Scottish gravel and has hand-picked the very best for this unique tour.

June 01 2024

EPIC Trans Swiss

It’s really hard to match Switzerland for it’s incredible scenery, unique charm and the sheer volume of iconic and challenging climbs. An absolute must for any avid cyclist who loves to climb.

VIP Porto to Costa da Morte

Our latest VIP trip features a sensational ride from the mountains of Northern Portugal and Galicia to the spectacular Costa da Morte.

Please note: this trip is only open to repeat guests and their friends.

June 02 2024

Gravel Scotland Borders

Another gravel masterpiece designed by Ed Shoote, author of the book “Gravel Rides Scotland”. Follow this stunning gravel ride from Coast to Coast through the best of Southern Scotland and Northern England.

June 09 2024

EPIC Trans French Alps

Test yourself on the battleground of the world’s greatest race. Includes the newest paved climb in the Alps, the massive Col de la Loze, first introduced at the 2020 Tour de France and now rated the toughest climb in the French Alps.

Trans French Alps

You’ve seen the pros do battle on the most famous climbs of the Tour de France. This is your opportunity to conquer the very same climbs as you ride this magnificent route across the French Alps.

EPIC Trans Dolomites

Discover the breathtaking landscapes and majestic mountain passes that have featured in so many epic Giro d’Italia stages. Includes the Stelvio, Mortirolo, Gavia, Zoncolan, Giau, Pordoi, Fedaia and many more!

Trans Dolomites

Discover the breathtaking landscapes and majestic mountain passes that have featured in so many epic Giro d’Italia stages. Includes the Stelvio, Mortirolo, Zoncolan, Giau, Sella, Gardena and many more!

June 16 2024

Gravel Girona with BWR

While Girona is a mecca for road cyclists, the true allure lies beyond the popular paved routes frequented by many PRO cyclists. Experience the authentic beauty of this captivating region by going Beyond Tarmac. Discover hidden gems and embrace the charm of Girona and its surrounding Catalan countryside for a cycling adventure that goes off the beaten path.

June 26 2024

2024 TDF K/QOM Challenge – Grand Depart in Italy

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in Italy. Witness the Team Presentation and LIVE race-viewing of the Opening Stage in Florence and Stage 2 in Bologna.

2024 TDF by E-BIKE – Grand Depart in Italy

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in Italy. Witness the Team Presentation and LIVE race-viewing of Stage 1 in Florence and Stage 2 in Bologna.

June 29 2024

2024 TDF K/QOM Challenge – Italian & French Alps

LIVE race-viewing of the key Alpine stages in Italy and France during the first week of the Tour de France. Witness the Tour LIVE on the Col du Galibier and enjoy VIP access to the Stage Finish in Turin. Ride the Colle del Nivolet – and of course Alpe d’Huez!

July 09 2024

2024 TDF K/QOM Challenge – Pyrenees

LIVE race-viewing of the key Pyrenees stages during Week 2 of the Tour de France. Witness the Tour LIVE on the iconic climb to Pla d’Adet and enjoy VIP access to the Stage Finish in Pau. Ride the Col d’Aspin, Col de Peyresourde, Port de Bales – and of course the Tourmalet!

2024 TDF by E-BIKE – Pyrenees

LIVE race-viewing of the key Pyrenees stages during Week 2 of the Tour de France. Witness the Tour LIVE on the iconic climb to Pla d’Adet and enjoy VIP access to the Stage Finish in Pau. Ride the Col d’Aspin, Col de Peyresourde – and of course the legendary Col du Tourmalet!

July 15 2024

2024 TDF K/QOM Challenge – Ventoux, Alps & NICE

A unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the Finish of the Tour de France in NICE. Experience the Grand Finale LIVE in Nice, conquer Mont Ventoux, witness the penultimate stage LIVE on the last climb, and stay in luxury 5-star hotels throughout.

2024 TDF K/QOM Challenge – Ventoux, Alps & NICE (Riders ONLY)

A unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the Finish of the Tour de France in NICE. Experience the Grand Finale LIVE in Nice, conquer Mont Ventoux, witness the penultimate stage LIVE on the last climb, and stay in a luxury 5-star hotel for the final 3 nights in Nice.

2024 TDF by E-BIKE – Provence, Alps & NICE

July 19 2024

2024 TDF K/QOM Challenge – NICE Weekend

A unique, 4-day trip to experience the Final Weekend of the Tour de France in NICE. Watch the penultimate stage LIVE on the Col de la Couillole, witness the Final Stage Time Trial and stay in a luxury 5-star hotel just 100m from the Finish Line!

2024 TDF by E-BIKE – NICE Weekend

August 10 2024

EPIC Trans Cantabrian Mountains

Conquer the legendary climbs of the Vuelta a España in this incredible week of cycling in the Cordillera Cantabrica. Includes Lagos de Covadonga and the Angliru, the toughest climb in pro cycling.

August 11 2024

2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift

LIVE race-viewing of 5 stages including the Opening Stages in Rotterdam and the Queen Stage Finish in ALPE D’HUEZ!

August 18 2024

Gravel Iceland

Ready for a real adventure? Join us on this gravel trip to Iceland and feel the power of raw nature.

August 31 2024

September 02 2024

Vuelta a España

Welcome to the heart of Spain, where the Vuelta a España 2024 promises an unforgettable experience. Dive into the renowned world of Spanish cycling with breathtaking climbs, thrilling race action, and the allure of Asturias, Basque Country, and Rioja’s Northern regions. Cap it off with the Grand Finale in Madrid.

September 07 2024

September 08 2024

September 21 2024

EPIC Trans Provence-Alpes

Featuring the Col de la Bonette, the highest paved through road in the Alps, and Mont Ventoux, the Giant of Provence, this is not a trip for the faint of heart. In addition to being one of our toughest challenges, it’s also one of the most spectacular with an incredible mix of high mountain passes, river gorges, high Alpine and Provençale terrain. A must-ride for the avid cyclist!

September 28 2024

September 29 2024

October 06 2024

Trans Tuscany

The quintessential Italy, Tuscany is famous for hilltop towns, Chianti, cypress trees, great food and the ultimate in Italian style. But it’s also home to some of the most spectacular cycling in Europe.

October 12 2024

October 20 2024

November 02 2024

Gran Canaria Cycling Camp

Gran Canaria has it all: big mountains, endless sunshine, perfect temperatures and wonderful 4-star hotels to rest and recharge at the end of the day. Little wonder that so many pro riders spend the early winter months training here.

Canary Islands 2-week Cycling Camp

Not sure whether to choose the Gran Canaria Camp or the Tenerife & La Gomera Camp? Then why not do both.

November 09 2024

Gravel Morocco

Embark on an exotic adventure with a guaranteed epic journey across the mountains and desert plains of Morocco.

November 10 2024

November 30 2024

Colombia Cycling Camp

Colombia is fast becoming the Mecca of road cycling and the mountain range above Medellin in Colombia’s Antioquia region is the favourite training spot for pro riders.

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Tour de France Bike Tours

Experience vip access at the tour de france: meet lidl-trek, ride routes before the peloton on a bucket-list bike tour..

With Lidl-Trek, enjoy the ultimate VIP experience and gain exclusive access to the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes. Witness the world's most famous cycling race from an insider's perspective as you get up close to the action and experience the thrill of the race firsthand. With VIP access to the best viewing locations, insights from experienced guides, and the opportunity to meet the Lidl-Trek team, these trips are vacations you'll remember forever. Place your 2025 Tour de France deposit below. View Tour de France Bike Tours Travel Info

Showing Trips

Destinations

Rider level, hotel level.

If a date is marked as Private, it is reserved for a private group.

Looking to travel with a small group or looking for a custom date? Call our trip consultants at 866-464-8735

What is the Difference?

Ultimate luxury:.

Savor some of the most spectacular, 5-star properties in the world. Exuding luxury and elegance, these one-of-a-kind accommodations offer the chance to rejuvenate at award-winning spas, dine at Michelin-starred restaurants, and more.

Enjoy luxurious accommodations handpicked for a refined experience. From signature spa treatments to delicious local cuisine, you’ll be more than provided for; you’ll be pampered.

These handpicked hotels provide relaxation and fun in a casual and comfortable environment. Delicious cuisine and great service mix perfectly for a memorable stay.

On select cycling vacations, you’ll stay at a mix of hotel levels, from Explorer to Luxury to Ultimate Luxury. Rest assured, no matter which level of hotel you’re at, our trip designers carefully select every accommodation.

Activity Level

Road : 1-3 hours of riding. Up to 25 mi (40 km). Up to 1,000 ft (300 m).

Gravel: 1-3 hours of riding. Up to 20 mi (35 km). Up to 1,000 ft (300 m).

Road : 2-4 hours of riding. 20-35 mi (35-60 km). Up to 2,500 ft (750 m).

Gravel: 2-4 hours of riding. 15-30 mi (25-45 km). Up to 2,000 ft (300 m).

Road : 3-5 hours of riding. 25-55 mi (40-85 km). Up to 4,500 ft (1,500 m).

Gravel: 3-5 hours of riding. 20-40 mi (35-60 km). Up to 3,000 ft (900 m).

Road : 4+ hours of riding. 40-70 mi (60-110 km). Up to 8,000 ft (2,400 m).

Gravel: 3-5 hours of riding. 30-50 mi (45-80 km). Up to 4,000 ft (1,200 m).

What are your trip styles?

Classic - reserve:.

Savor the finer things as you relax in luxurious 5-star accommodations and wine, dine, and ride in some of the most unforgettable destinations around the world.

Classic - Signature:

Explore beautiful destinations by bike, enjoy extra inclusions, savor delicious local cuisine, and enjoy the perfect mix of accommodations.

Classic - Discovor:

Enjoy a casual cycling vacation with fantastic routes and comfortable accommodations.

Train like the pros in some of their favorite riding destinations.

See the pros in action at the biggest cycling events of the year.

Cross Country:

Tackle an epic adventure that takes you point-to-point across mountains, countryside, and more.

Self-Guided

Enjoy a bike tour on your schedule with just your chosen travel companions.

Single Occupancy

Sometimes it’s more convenient and comfortable to have your own room while on vacation. We understand and that’s why we offer a Single Occupancy option. The additional price guarantees a private room all to yourself

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