Stage 8: Périgueux – Bergerac. 182km / 1,150m ascent. Sat 4th July

Expect a summer holiday feeling on this stage which is entirely in the Dordogne area of France. Scenery-wise, it’s a French paradise, with fairytale chateaux, spectacular rock formations, and village after spectacular village built from honey-coloured stone.

The route is a near-copy of a 2017 stage which French TV viewers voted as the most beautiful stage of that year’s Tour. Whilst the helicopters will be busy for the pros, we get to enjoy the view from the ground; cycling through the archways of fortified city walls, under the rocky limestone overhangs and alongside the river that gives its name to the region.

Our morning’s ride takes us close to the Lascaux caves, where 17,000-year-old paintings showcase the skills and interests of our ancestors. The route winds through the region in a big loop, taking in as much of the regional scenery as possible with many gasps and “wow” moments as we round corners along the route today! Then the afternoon keeps close to the river and the visual treats keep coming, with views of vineyards replacing the river gorge scenery as we get closer to Bergerac.

For a Tour stage, 1,150m of climbing is nothing. It’s the second stage in a row designed for sprinters and a total joy for us amateurs. It’s impossible to describe the exceptional scenery of stage 8; this is a world away from home and an absolutely charming day of cycling. There’s every chance that stage 8 will get voted top for beauty again in 2026!

Tour logistics
Start: Perigueux hotel
Finish: TBC

Stage 9: Malemort – Ussel. 185km / 3,300m ascent. Sun 5th July

The Massif Central, a remote range of mountains deep in the interior of France, has a completely different feel to the Alps and the Pyrenees, and although the region is popular with French holiday makers, it’s also very thinly populated, so we should feel like we have the place to ourselves for much of the day.

There is barely any flat terrain on this stage, and the climbing begins almost immediately as we set off into the wooded hills that surround Malemort (a suburb of the better known Brive la Gaillarde). Following winding, view-filled balcony roads, we make our way south, and then north, eventually descending into the smart riverside town of Tulle, the accordion capital of France!

Heading out of Tulle via the steady climb of the Côte de Naves, we dip down to the River Vimbelle, before ascending through chestnut and pine woodland to Chaumeil, a small town with glistening slate rooves whose pitches foreshadow the massive climb that lies ahead of us. Suc au May, today’s only categorised climb, is quiet but deadly, with an ever-changing gradient that means it’s difficult to get into a rhythm. The road emerges from the trees towards the summit, giving us momentary views of the distant hilltops before we begin our descent to Treignac, a charming medieval town with a 13^th-century bridge and numerous half-timbered houses, overlooked by a famous twisted bell tower.

There will be more views to enjoy on our ascent of Mont Bessou – the high point of today’s stage, at 977m – and from here it’s mostly downhill to Ussel, a small town in the middle of the “plateau of a thousand cows”, though there are still quite a few lumps and bumps over this last 24km – a test for our weary legs.

*LITE: We will give you a lift to the cote de Naves at 77km, removing 1,100m of ascent and making it a 108km stage with 2,200m of climbing
*Simply opt to ‘go lite’ the evening before the stage.

Tour logistics
Start: TBC
Finish: Overnight Ussel hotel