Stage 5 – Caen to Caen – 33km – Wednesday 2^nd July
Total Climb: not yet published 

For the Tour de France racers this will be a monumental effort, but for us a 33km stage offers the opportunity for a more restful ride.

The route is pan-flat and transports us swiftly from Caen to a cycling paradise of perfect tarmac, lined with golden fields of rippling wheat. Caen is known to many Brits solely as an arrival town for ferry trips to France – but the town and surrounding countryside have much to offer; Caen itself has a beautiful historic centre and its significance during the 2^nd world war is presented proudly.

Soon after leaving town we visit the small village of Colomby-Anguerny, which contains several monuments to the Canadian regiment who liberated this area in 1945. Then for historical contrast we pass through the quiet settlements of Thaon and Cairon with their ancient stone cottages.

Returning along fast, flat roads, we finish our brief outing at the Hippodrome de Caen – the city’s famous horse racecourse.

For those who’d like to ride a bit further, or those riding the Tour de France Adventure Loop, it’s a scenic 35km ride to our Bayeux hotel if you’d prefer not to get back on the bus!

Tour logistics
Start: Transfer from Rouen
Finish: Ride or transfer to Bayeux hotel

Stage 6 – Bayeux to Vire Normandie – 201km – Thursday 3^rd July
Total Climb: 3,500m

Every year we swear that Christian Prudhomme won’t be able to stretch the definition of a ‘flat’ stage any further, and every year he proves us wrong. The director of the Tour gleefully claims this to be “the most challenging flat stage in the Tour’s recent history.” It features 3,500m of ascent, and passes through a rugged inland area that the French call ‘Suisse Normande’, in honour of its vertical scenery.

Our road rises steadily as we bid farewell to the pretty medieval streets of Bayeux, and head into the wilder landscape of Normandy. There’s barely a metre of flat road on this stage, as the ground ripples beneath us, thanks to a series of rivers that have carved their way through the ancient rocks of the Armorican massif.

After passing Mont Pinçon, the highest point in Normandy, we visit Clécy, a small town nestled amongst the rocks of the Orne gorge, with possible sightings of paragliders and rock climbers if the weather’s fine.

We encounter six categorised climbs (and many others!) on this stage including the Col de Berjou, site of a popular annual hill climb race.

Later in the day, we tackle the 12% Côte de Mortain, and as we arrive in Vire we’ll meet possibly the toughest climb of the day: the Côte de Vaudry. Don’t underestimate the difficulty of this short but brutal ascent – its gradient peaks at over 11%, and by this point you’ll have almost 200km in your legs. There’s only the finishing straight to go – 700m at 10% – and then you can finally get off the bike and comfort yourself with a glass of Calvados and some camembert. Hooray for France!

Tour logistics
Start: Bayeux hotel
Finish: Transfer to St Malo

Stage 7 – Saint-Malo to Mûr-de-Bretagne Guerlédan – 194km – Friday 4^th July
Total Climb: 2,450m 

Today’s stage takes us through Hinault country, and if you’re very lucky, you may ride past the five-times Tour winner, who still owns a farm in the area. The earlier part of the day will have a maritime feel, as we leave the port of Saint-Malo and skirt the Rance estuary en route to the medieval ramparts and half-timbered houses of Dinan.

From here we strike out through the quiet villages of Brittany, appreciating Brittany’s lovely relaxed vibe and marvelling at how French it all looks! Eventually we rejoin the coast to admire the pine-shaded villas and sandy beach of Pléneuf-Val-André. This area is famous for its mussels, and very popular with French holidaymakers.

The next hour or so will be scented by sea breezes as we follow the coast, catching the occasional glimpse of the Bay of Saint-Brieuc, passing through Yffiniac, where Hinault was born. Saint-Brieuc itself is another pretty seaside town, with a spectacular harbour, cobbled streets and an imposing medieval cathedral. From here we turn inland, and follow quiet roads south towards our final challenge of the day.

Mûr de Bretagne (Brittany’s Alpe d’Huez according to locals) is 1.6km at 7.5%, and dead straight. There’s no hiding, and as you approach it from the village of Guerlédan, it looks like a vertical wall in front of you. And – sorry – we’re going up there twice. Following our first ascent, a 10km loop will take us gently downhill, along wooded valleys, and then deliver us back to the Mûr for a second encounter, ending this long ride on an undeniable high point.

Tour logistics
Start: St Malo hotel
Finish: Transfer to St Meen

Stage 8 – Saint-Méen to Laval– 174km – Saturday 5^th July
Total Climb: not yet published

This stage promises to be not only flat but also relatively sheltered, meaning that the wind will hopefully present less of a challenge than it often does on sprint stages. We set off from Saint-Méen, an ancient Roman crossroads, and birthplace (and final resting place) of the elegant Louison Bobet, who won the Tour three times in the 1950s.

Our ride should be a relatively fast one, since there are no significant hills to contend with, and no big cities to slow us down – just miles and miles of smooth tarmac, winding its way through the peaceful Breton countryside. This is a big dairy producing area, so expect to be cheered on by a lot of cows.

Along our route lie the historic village of Montauban-de-Bretagne, fringed with ancient woodland, and the tranquil Lac de la Cantache, which is popular with fishers and birdwatchers. We pass through Vitré, one of Bretagne’s best preserved medieval towns, whose cobbled streets are overlooked by handsome timber-framed buildings and the fairytale towers of its distinctive triangular castle – and Craon, another architecturally fascinating place, whose strategic position on the river Oudon has ensured its prosperity for many centuries.

From here it’s a fairly swift ride north to Laval and the associated glory of feeling fast and strong at the end of a stage.

Tour logistics
Start: St Meen hotel
Finish: Laval hotel

Stage 9 – Chinon to Châteauroux – 170km – Sunday 6^th July
Total Climb: not yet published

Today’s ride is about as flat as a Tour de France stage can get, so the main challenge will be from the wind; several changes of direction towards the end of the day mean that there’s bound to be at least some time when it’s coming from an unfavourable angle. But there’s so much more to this beautiful stage than meteorology – this region has been inhabited for thousands of years, and wears its history on its sleeve, so as you ride through its verdant countryside, you’ll glimpse all manner of châteaux, churches, abbeys, and cobbled village squares.

Midway through the morning we reach Châtellerault, a former centre of sword production, where we cross the 400-year-old Henri IV bridge over the river Vienne. From here the route will undergo some gentle fluctuations as we cross into the valley of the Creuse, and from there make our way through quiet fields and woodlands to Preuilly-sur-Claise, which has buildings dating from every century since the 900s. The trees of the Brenne national park will provide some welcome shade during the heat of the afternoon, and then the landscape will open out around us as we approach Châteauroux.

Chateauroux is the location of so many of Mark Cavendish’s victories (he won stages here in 2008, 2011 and 2021) that Châteauroux’s mayor has proposed the main Avenue be renamed in honour of the Manx Missile.

Tour logistics
Start: Transfer to Chinon
Finish: Chateauroux hotel

Stage 10 – Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy – Monday 7th July
Total Climb: 4,400m

As far as scenery goes, this will be one of the most memorable of the Tour. The Auvergne’s mountains lack the sheer stature of the Alps, but they make up for it with their utterly unique contours – this is an ancient chain of volcanoes, and there are green spikes on every horizon.

Today we ascend 4,400m, over a series of seven categorised climbs (and a few more, for good measure), beginning with the Côte de Loubeyrat, which we encounter less than an hour into our ride. This 4km climb is one of the shallowest we tackle today, and eases us up out of the valley to the small village of Loubeyrat, from which we descend back down to Volvic, home of one of France’s most popular mineral waters.

You’re likely to experience déjà vu during the first half of this stage, as the route climbs up into the Chaîne de Puys volcano ridge and descends back into the valley another four times before it finally heads west. Along the way we pass through the charming spa town of Royat, briefly visit the centre of Clermont-Ferrand, and enjoy the contrast between the bustling lowlands and the fresh air and green grass of the hilltops.

Passing close to the famous Puy de Dôme, we then set out across the volcanic plateau, gradually losing height as we approach Rochefort-Montagne, which nestles in the valley with its slate rooftops and octagonal church tower. From here it’s a steady climb up to the beautiful Lac de Guéry, a brief descent, and then another climb up to the Col de Croix Morand. You’ll want to touch your brakes on the descent, so that you can savour the views for longer, but there’s more to come. After skirting the shimmering Lac du Chambon, the route turns west again, heading for the Col de la Croix Robert – the high point of today’s ride, from which you can admire the hilltops that stretch away in all directions. The descent to Le Mont-Dore is swift and enjoyable, and at the bottom waits the river Dordogne – barely a trickle at this point – which we follow uphill to its source on Puy de Sancy, the Auvergne’s highest peak.

Tour logistics
Start: transfer to Ennezat
Finish: dinner at the finish and a late transfer to Toulouse