My Rider Account

We follow the exact route of each year’s Tour de France, with the following exceptions…

We cycle in and out of hotels rather than the exact town-centre start and finish points. This might mean a 2 – 5 kilometre difference at the start or end of each stage (depending on how close to the finish we can find accommodation).

If there is a morning transfer (to a stage start 20 or 30km from the previous stage end), we’ll start from a car park or open area where we can lay out the bikes and park our coach (again, not necessarily the exact start point).

If there is a section of road which we think is unsafe for cyclists, we’ll re-route around on smaller side roads. In reality, this is very rare and probably amounts to a total of 10 or 15 kms each year.

It goes without saying but we have to obey traffic rules. So if the Tour go the wrong way down a one way road, we don’t! These detours are very small.

Occasionally we come to a closed road (road works, accident, village fete) and in these cases we just re-route around and rejoin the Tour route as soon as possible.

The only exception to the above rules is stage 21 going into Paris. The tour often uses roads which are too big and fast for us – and we don’t think you’d want to cycle multiple laps of the central Paris Loop. So we start in (or pass through) the right place but then necessarily alter the route. We always finish by passing the Eiffel Tower for photos and then making just one lap of the Paris Tour loop before heading to our hotel (and a big party)! Obviously, for the 2024 this is not relevant due to the Nice finish.

We think we offer the best supported, most friendly event you can ride. Your Loop cost covers all of the following…

• Accommodation (Mostly twin share. Single supplements are available to buy at cost price from January).
• All food (breakfast and dinner in hotels plus 4 of the best feedstops you’ve ever seen each day).
• Fully signed route, the stuff of legend.
• Mechanical support including spare bikes. There is no charge for mechanical assistance (parts sold at cost price) or the use of a spare bike/ wheel for a day or two (however, if your bike cannot be fixed and you have more than 2 days left on tour, we’ll speak to you about your options and will make sure you find a happy solution).
• Medical support from two volunteer doctors and 2 physiotherapists (massage is available from massage therapists at extra cost).
• Luggage Transfers (your main luggage will be taken from each hotel to the next).
• Day bag vehicles (you can leave a day bag in each of the two feedstop vans each morning and have access to them every 40 kms at the feedstops).
• Coach transfers to the next stage start when the stages aren’t contiguous.

• Travel to and from your Loop (but we’ll give you advice on the best travel routes)
• Bike Transport (£50 each way if you want us to drive your bike there and back from one of our bike hubs – £40 if bought before end of March)
• Evening massage (£10 or 10€ per massage if you’d like one. No need to pre-book: our massage therapists and physios will be on hand every evening when you arrive at the hotel)
• Beer/wine/dinner drinks!

Le Loop exclusively supports the William Wates Memorial Trust and we don’t allow our cyclists to raise money for other charities.

Whilst we know that there are many causes and charities which are dear to our cyclists’ hearts, there are many reasons why we stick to our rules.

Read the full fundraising policy here.

Yes! We eat breakfast and dinner in hotels so we’ll speak to them and make sure that your meals are vegetarian (or something-free).

At our Le Loop feedstops (4 each day), we have a special box for people with dietary requirements and we’ll keep it stocked according to the needs of our cyclists. So you’ll have access to the usual feedstop food (bananas, nuts, sandwiches, rice/pasta, salads, cake…) but also to extra supplies if and when you need them.

If you’re vegetarian, have special dietary needs or have any questions about your diet in France, please let us know.

On average, half the group is made up of Grand Loopers and half the group of Loop cyclists. However, due to overlapping Loops and variation in Loop popularity, numbers can vary quite a bit throughout the three weeks.

The smallest number of cyclists on the road with us on any given day is around 65 and the largest around 110. This number means there are cyclists of every speed and ability and enough people to create a great atmosphere on the road and at dinner – whilst never being too many. We pride ourselves on knowing all our cyclists and offering a brilliant, personal service.

Firstly, we have a huge variety of abilities on tour and a Loop for everyone; whilst some may cycle happily up a 25km climb looking for a strava pb, others may take double the time and feel triumphant to make it to the top without stopping.

Secondly, we’re not a race, so whilst you may decide to push yourself, at certain points, there will be other times when you’ll decide to sit up, cycle (and enjoy chatting with) a slower-paced group, stop for ice cream or just enjoy the view and take it easy.

We expect anyone cycling with us to be able to complete full stages and there’s more information on speed expectations in our Loop descriptions. But with feedstops and photos, the pace feels much more leisurely than racey.

A more accurate way to cover the speed subject is to mention times: on an average undulating 180 or 190km, first week stage, with a start time of 8am, we usually expect the first cyclists to arrive at the hotel at 3pm and the last cyclists at about 6pm.

For the middle mountains, this might be between 4pm and 8pm and on the two or three toughest stages of each tour (200 kms in the Alps or Pyrenees) this can be 5pm – 9pm.

In 2024 The Tour de France is making its gpx files public (via Strava links on the letour.fr website) for the first time. 

However, Le Loop will continue to navigate with arrows, not gpx files. Here’s why:

i. Not everyone has a garmin and we have a strong wish to remain inclusive. We have decided unanimously that arrows are central to the wonderful experience of cycling with Le Loop and should remain; we hope you (will) agree too.

ii. The strava routes are very similar to the Tour routes but not 100%. We have based the Le Loop routes on the genuine, original Tour routes, not the public ones so there may be discrepancies.

iii. Strava (or other online) online routes don’t take into account our feedstops, our hotels, road closures or local markets (!) so following our arrows is always more reliable.

iv. We want you to look up! We have the best arrows you’ve ever seen on an event and the vast majority of our cyclists love the ‘old school’ feeling of looking around themselves and following the route on the road, not on a screen. For some, it might take a day or so to get used to but we get emails every year after the Tour from people joking that they’re missing the yellow arrows and wish they didn’t have to go back to their garmins.