2 days cycling, 367km, 4,450m ascent
(or 290km and 3,350m ascent if you take the Lite option on stage 9)
For two days, you’ll be transported to another world… seriously fun cycling with friends and colleagues. What could be better!
Stages 8 & 9 are two stages of magnificent Tour de France cycling which make up the 2026 PwC Loop
Both stages are the same distance but the second has double the overall climb of the first (unless you take the Lite option – see below) so you’ll experience one stage designed for the sprinters and one designed for the GC group. With both, watching the pros do the same thing one week later is half the fun.
The views on both stages are what makes this Loop so compelling and such a good choice for PwC – you cycle through regions that you might not otherwise explore and will be extremely glad that you did.
If you haven’t cycled in the Dordogne, the Massif Central (or indeed France!) before, you genuinely won’t find better than this. It’s France on a plate, breathtaking cycling, and the spirit, decorations and kudos of the Tour thrown in on top!
If you’re a keen cyclist and ready for a challenge, look no further. If you’re keen but slightly concerned at what you’re taking on (Tour de France stages aren’t designed to be easy!), please don’t worry. Le Loop is an extremely friendly, non-competitive and fully supported event; the challenge is riding the same stages as the pros, not trying to be fast. We have a huge range of ability and experience on Tour and everyone is welcome. (If you need more reassurance, see “Stages” for the Lite description for stage 9).
Itinerary
Fri 3rd July – Travel under own arrangements to our Perigueux hotel by 7pm. Meet the team, meet your fellow cyclists, arrival briefing, then dinner
Sat 4th – Sun 5th July – Cycle stages 8 & 9
Mon 6th July – Depart from our Ussel hotel – a transfer from Ussel to Clermont Ferrand train station is included. For more information, see the Travel Advice page
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 archways of fortified city walls, under 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: Transfer to Brive hotel
Stage 9 FULL: 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 13th-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.
Stage 9 LITE: Malemort – Ussel. 108km / 2,200m 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 after your Lite lift to the Côte de Naves, you start with a descent as 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 13th-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. No need to decide in advance.
Tour logistics
Start: Brive hotel
Finish: Overnight Ussel hotel
PwC is meeting the cost of this Loop for those who take part, including single room supplements and bike transport.
There is a £1,000 fundraising commitment for each cyclist which we will help you achieve with advice, email templates etc. (80% of this needs to be raised by the end of April).
(More information will be provided once the team is finalised)
- Accommodation (Mostly twin share. Single supplements are subject to availability)
- All food (3 meals and the best feedstops you’ve ever seen)
- Fully signed route, the stuff of legend
- Mechanical, medical and moral support
- Luggage Transfers
- Coach transfers to the next stage start when the stages aren’t contiguous
- Travel to and from France (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)
- Evening massage (£15 or €15 per massage if you’d like one – highly recommended)
- Beer/wine/drinks at dinner