Inspired by the Tour De France that sets off from Leeds this Saturday? There are a number of tours, both here and in France, that take on the various stages of the world’s greatest cycle race – and you don’t even have to get on your bike to do many of them. Here’s our choice of the Top 10 Tour de France tours.
Munch the route
There’s more to the Yorkshire Dales than great cycling routes and outstanding natural beauty – there’s great grub too. Yorkshire Food Finder offers a two-day Taste Le Tour cycle rides that samples Yorkshire charcuterie, wines and cheeses along the way.
£395 per person
See yorkshirefoodfinder.org
Three wheels better than two
Scoff at cyclists trying to climb the 526m Buttertubs Pass, one of the King of the Mountains stages on Day 1 of Le Tour, by heading to the summit on a motorised trike that has the same engine as a Ford Focus! Yorkshire Trike Tours offers five-hour trips around Stage 1, starting in Ilkley and finishing in Harrogate. The chauffer-driven bikes can take two passengers and a gourmet picnic hamper is thrown in too.
£224 per person
See yorkshiretriketours.co.uk
Seeing double
Share the load of a cycle around the Dales by hiring a tandem for the day. JD Tandems in Gargrave, North Yorkshire, offers tandem hire and the store is just a short ride from both Yorkshire stages of the Grand Départ.
From £50 per couple
See tandems.co.uk
Go electric
Fancy doing part of Le Tour on two wheels but afraid you won’t have the steam? Jump on one of the electric bikes at luxury hotel Swinton Park and let it take the strain. Some 4 miles of Stage 1 passes through the Swinton estate in Masham, so you can start right on the route. After a day in the saddle, you can relax in the hot tub before getting a cyclist massage and for those who take their own bikes, there’s complimentary hose downs of their chariots post-ride.
From £190 per person, per night
See swintonpark.com
Saddle up for horsepower
Saddle up for some real horsepower to see the Dales from on the back of trusty steed. Draughton Riding Centre has group trips, but riders need to be experienced and comfortable at a canter.
From £25 per person
See draughtonridingcentre.com
Go off-piste
While Le Tour is obviously a road race, some of the countryside it passes through on Stage 2 in the Peak District is also ideal for mountain bikers. Lost Earth Adventures offers cycling trips around the national park that head off road and tackle some seriously strenuous terrain.
From £55 per person
See lostearthadventures.co.uk
Take the easy way out
Cycling for Softies is a relatively new holiday company that offers cycling trips for those who’ve little or no experience on bikes (or indeed, for anyone who wants the emphasis of a break to be more on relaxation). Their Alsace and Rhine Valley seven-night trip takes in parts of Stage 10 of Le Tour, taking on easier routes through vineyards and medieval villages. Accommodation is in 3- and 4-star hotels, some with Michelin-starred chefs.
From £1624 per person including bike hire, dinner B&B but not travel to France
See cycling-for-softies.co.uk
Tackle Le Tour like a pro
The Etape du Tour race was established in 1993 to allow amateur cyclists the chance to test their legs on the same roads as their heroes. It takes in Stage 18 of Le Tour in the French Pyrenees, a 145km route from Pau to Hautacam, including the legendary Col du Tourmalet climb. This year’s race is on July 17 and there are still places available.
From £1079 for five days, including flights
See responsibletravel.com
Bicycles and bubbles
Enjoy some of France’s finest countryside on a seven-day cycling trip exploring the vineyards, valleys, chateaux and cellars of Champagne over 184km. Highlights on the route, which covers parts of stages 6 and 7 of Le Tour, include towns such as Bouzy, home to Grand Cru status vineyards, and Epernay which houses the headquarters of prestigious Champagne houses such as Möet Chandon and Perrier-Jouët.
From £725 per person
See macsadventure.com
Become a King of the Mountains
Get ready to don the famous polka dot journey for the best mountain climber on two wheels by heading for a cycling weekend in Mont Ventoux. The famous mountain, named the Giant of Provence, reaches some 1800m and tackling it is not for the faint-hearted. The four-day trip sees a warm up on a quiet route from Sault to Montbrun before attempting the climb the next day. Gluttons for punishment can also try to join the ‘Club des Cingles du Ventoux’, founded in 1988 and created for those bonkers enough to attempt to climb from all three directions in one day.
From £655 per person, including flights
See exodus.co.uk
For more on the Grand Depart see letour.yorkshire.com
Download the free iPad magazine TRVL later today to check out James’ feature on Yorkshire
