Barcelona and beyond!
The 2026 edition of Le Loop is well underway, and what an opening few days it has been.
We always love the first arrival day – the nervous tension is palpable, but it’s balanced by the enthusiasm of alumni re-acquainting with friends and staff from previous tours, as well as the new friendships immediately forming. It’s exciting, fun and nerve-wracking in equal measure – but it’s a great vibe.
Those who arrived a day or more in advance had time to explore the city’s iconic sights while the brilliant Le Loop team worked hard behind the scenes preparing bikes and make sure everything was ready. Months of preparation all lead to this moment.
Around 50 riders rolled out for the Barcelona time trial, with experienced Loop alumni helping newcomers settle into life on tour from the outset. Riding through the bustling streets without closed roads made for more of a sightseeing ride than the pro racers will experience, with plenty of opportunities to chat at traffic lights before a photo stop at the Sagrada Família. It was a gentle warm-up before the real challenge began (and a steep learning curve on how to follow our infamous yellow arrows!).
Following an early transfer to Tarragona, the sun-baked Catalan coastline pushed beyond 40°C. Keeping cool became almost as important as turning the pedals, with beach showers, car washes and every available water source pressed into service. A late route change meant a shorter stage after the pro-Tour organisers diverted around an area affected by swine flu – no one was complaining about a shorter amount of time out in the heat!
Stage 3 – a morning transfer, nearly 200 kilometres and almost 4,000 metres of climbing are challenge enough, but the weather presented a whole new set of challenges. Starting in searing heat, by feed stop 3 we were in the mountains and cycling through torrential rain that turned descents into skating rinks, hail on one of the highest passes, and a mountain-top finish.
This stage epitomised the spirit of Le Loop – the resilience, humour and camaraderie of the riders never wavered despite the relentless conditions. Dry clothing at feed stops was a gamechanger and improvised equipment came into its own (it’s amazing what you can do with a Sainsbury’s carrier bike and a roll of duct tape!). To all those Loopers heading out for mountain stages – let this serve as a salutary tale! We aren’t joking when we tell you to pack for ALL weathers!
A late, long transfer followed to Carcassonne with buses pulling in around midnight. It was a LONG day for everyone – but we had reached France!!
For our Barcelona Start Loopers, it was time to say goodbye – and ‘bravo’ for all their incredible efforts not just in the elements, but in their fundraising too. Superb! Come back soon. Waiting for us in Carcassonne was our new contingent of cyclists, riding the Pyrenees Loop. Welcome!
For many, the highlight of stage 4 was meeting our first charity visitors on tour: Will and Connor from the excellent XO Bikes. Will (MD of Onwards and Upwards who operate the XO Bikes project) pointed out: “We’ve all done things where we could have been caught – and absent of the cloak of privilege or love, things would have been different”.
With that thought in our minds, we headed out into the blazing sun once more for a beautiful ride into the Pyrenean foothills. The best parties were being had around the various watering holes in the villages we passed through, with group head dunking and even full immersion in the old clothes washing baths. Another hill-top climb to Col de Montségur gave us a taste of what’s to come over the next few Pyrenean stages.
Over dinner, young Connor shared his deeply moving personal story of overcoming a childhood surrounded by violence and discovering hope and opportunities through XO Bikes:
“Change means accepting responsibility… and choosing every single day to become a better person. XO Bikes helped me realise that change is possible.”
His message resonated with everyone in the room and was a powerful reminder of why Le Loop exists. Every climb conquered, every mile ridden and every donation raised helps charities like XO Bikes create opportunities for young people who need them most.
If you want to follow our progress each day, check out our social media daily updates @rideleloop. We’ll be back with another blog update in a few days!
Vive Le Tour!
