Stage 16 has moved!
Le Loop, what have you done?
We’ve moved stage 16 (Alps time trial) from it’s location after the second rest day to a new location between stages 20 and 21.
How will it work in practice?
We’ll still call the Time Trial stage 16 but for Grand Loop, Second Half and Mountains Week Cyclists, the order will be:
Rest Day 2 – Mon 13th July
Stage 17 – Tue 14th July
Stage 18 – Wed 15th July
Stage 19 – Thu 16th July
Stage 20 – Fri 17th July
Stage 16 – Sat 18th July
Stage 21 – Sun 19th July
I get it. But why?
1. Getting from Alpe d’Huez (where we finish on stage 20) to Thoiry (where we start stage 21) is an 8hr drive. Without this switch, we’d need to leave Alpe d’Huez at 3am or worse. Nobody wants that, especially after such a tough stage 20. We need to catch our breath and celebrate. Plus…
2. The Etape du Tour will take place at Alpe d’Huez on the same Sunday as we’d be leaving, which would make things extremely difficult. Roads will be closed, buses won’t get in or out, the logistics would be terrible.
3. For us, a Time Trial is a de-facto rest day. To have it straight after an actual rest day is no help for our Grand Loop or Second Half cyclists and something of a waste of money/time for Mountains Week cyclists.
So how will the Time Trial happen/ how do I get home?
For Grand Loop and Second Half cyclists, we’ll leave Alpe d’Huez on Saturday morning, drive to Evian les Bains, ride the Time Trial route, eat some lunch and hop back in the bus for the rest of the drive to (close to) Thoiry. We’ll be in our Saturday night hotel in time for dinner and a good sleep before the last stage into Paris.
For Mountains Week and Alps Cyclists, we’ve included a transfer to Geneva train station/airport on Saturday morning. For any Mountains Week cyclists who feel bad about missing stage 16, you can opt to take the bus with Grand Loopers and Second Half cyclists instead (but in this case, you would leave us after the Time Trial and would need to make your own way home from Thonon les Bains)
Anything else to note?
As you can see from the dates above, the switch means that between stages 17 and 20, we’ll be 8 days ahead of the pros rather than 7.
You mentioned the Etape du Tour. Is that going to make things difficult at Alpe d’Huez?
Fear not, we’ve been close to the Etape du Tour before and rather than getting in the way, it just lends an extra level of fun and Tour spirit. We’ve secured accommodation in Alpe d’Huez for both the Thursday and Friday nights so you’ll sleep where you arrive (/fall off your bike); just with extra buzz and atmosphere!
And you’re sure this is the best plan?
Yes we are! It might take a little while to get your head round the switch, especially if this is your first Le Loop and you haven’t experienced Tour logistics before. But we promise we know what we’re doing and that come mid July, every cyclist will high five us for making this call.