Stage 4: Carcassonne – Foix. 182km / 2,750m ascent. Tue 30th June

Departing from Carcassonne, we start the day with a couple of hours of rolling roads through quiet countryside – big skies, fragrant foliage, and the occasional vineyard. If it’s a clear day, we may see mountains looming on the horizon and, following the short climb up to Villerouge-Termenès, we get to admire one of the many Cathar castles that dot this ancient landscape.

Our elevation gain is fairly evenly spread throughout the day’s ride, but the two biggest climbs come in its second half, as we move into the foothills of the Pyrenees. Setting off from Quillan, with its stone buildings and picturesque red roof tiles, we ascend up out of the valley, via gentle, tree-lined gradients, to the Col de Coudons. We keep our elevation for the next hour or so, rolling across the Plateau de Sault: a remote highland region of the Pyrenees where tourists seldom tread.

After descending through an ancient fir forest into Bélesta, we tackle the Col de Montségur which, with an average gradient of 6.6%, should be our toughest ascent of the day. As we follow the climb’s twists and turns we catch glimpses of the imposing Château de Montségur, which perches on a rocky outcrop, far higher than we go today. The final hour or so of cycling is mostly downhill, albeit with a few noticeable bumps, and we end our ride in the medieval city of Foix, overlooked by yet another château.

*LITE: There is a short cut towards the end of the stage that cuts out 53km and 800m of climbing, making the stage a more manageable 149km with 1950m of ascent
*only available to those who have signed up for either the Pyrenees/Pyrenees Lite Loop options (lite options are not designed for Grand or longer Loopers). Simply opt to ‘go lite’ the evening before the stage.

Le Loop Logistics

Start: Carcassonne hotel
Finish: Foix hotel

Stage 5: Lannemezan – Pau. 158km / 1,600m ascent. Wed 1st July

This stage is billed as being flat, and actually includes more downhill than up – but don’t let that lull you into complacency! There’s still plenty of climbing, albeit only in small doses, as the road takes us in and out of the countless small river valleys that run through this fertile region of France like the veins of a leaf. This is the stage where you can expect those classic Tour views of sunflowers, vineyards, and towering avenues of plane trees.

We begin in Armagnac country, where grapes have been grown – and spirits distilled – since Roman times. Starting our ride with a descent from the Plateau de Lannemezan, we then head west through Castelnau-Magnoac, briefly admiring its half-timbered buildings before crossing several small watersheds. After a series of five short climbs, we pass through the handsome market town of Trie-sur-Baïse (they should have plenty of leftover decorations from having hosted a stage start in 2018!), and continue our gentle downhill progress.

There are more rolling hills as we wind our way across the quiet countryside, past fields of sunflowers, and the vineyards that have brought generations of wine-lovers to this area. A few more ups and downs take us through cornfields and quiet villages to the lip of the Ousse Valley, and from here it should be an easy descent into Pau.

*LITE: We don’t anticipate many cyclists choosing a lite option as this is a great opportunity to ride a full Tour stage. However, for those in need, we’ll give you a lift to the first feedstop
*only available to those who have signed up for either the Pyrenees/Pyrenees Lite Loop options (lite options are not designed for Grand or longer Loopers). Simply opt to ‘go lite’ the evening before the stage.

Tour logistics
Start: Transfer to Lannemezan
Finish: Pau hotel

Stage 6: Pau – Gavarnie. 186km / 4,155m ascent. Thu 2nd July

Today’s ride offers everything you want from a mountain stage – including the nervous excitement as we roll south through the suburbs of Pau and the rolling farmland that surrounds it, watching the mountains draw closer and closer on the horizon.

The landscape will gradually close in around us as we approach the historic pilgrimage centre of Lourdes, and we spend the next couple of hours fairly low down, winding our way through the foothills as we enjoy the wooded slopes and tranquil villages of this region where the mountains meet the lowlands. Then, finally, we turn south into the tight valley of the River Neste, whose icy-cold torrent will accompany us all the way to the foot of the Col d’Aspin, our first big climb.

The Aspin is a beautiful, and very popular climb, with 12km of hairpins, a fairly steady gradient of 6.5%, and increasingly fine views as we move up above the tree line. Take a moment to catch your breath at the top, before plunging down to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan: the site of one of the Tour de France’s most enduring legends. This small village is where Eugène Christophe famously repaired his own fork using a local blacksmith’s forge, having broken it on the descent from the Tourmalet.

We then head up the way he came down, enjoying the Giant of the Pyrenees from its shorter – and slightly steeper – side. En route we pass through the Brutalist ski resort of La Mongie, seeing llamas on the upper slopes if the weather’s clear. Then, after 20km of descent, we head south again for the crowning glory of today’s stage: a very rare opportunity to visit magical Gavarnie. We get to savour the increasingly spectacular scenery of this remote valley as we ride its relatively steady gradients (this is an 18.7km climb, at an average of 3.7%), and if it’s a clear day, we may be able to see the magnificent Cirque de Gavarnie – and the highest waterfall in mainland France – from the finish.

*LITE: A short cut from Bagnerre de Bigorre to Ste Marie de Campan cuts out the Aspin whilst keeping the Tourmalet and Gavarnie climb. The stage is reduced to 131km with 3,000m of climbing
*only available to those who have signed up for either the Pyrenees/Pyrenees Lite Loop options (lite options are not designed for Grand or longer Loopers). Simply opt to ‘go lite’ the evening before the stage.

Tour logistics
Start: Pau hotel
Finish: Gavarnie hotel