Why and how Le Loop is such good value for money.
We know that the cost of any holiday is significant but this blog explains why Le Loop is such good value for money, and how we manage to do this!
How do we keep the cost so low?
We’re a small, efficient team of 2 through the year (plus a fantastic events team on Tour) and we both work from home, keeping overheads as low as possible. Between us, we have over 40 years’ experience and expertise in the events and travel industry, from handling 3,000 passenger cruise ship shore excursions, to leading dog sledding groups in the Arctic Circle and cycling groups all over the world. We manage all our own logistics and bookings, keeping everything in-house. We focus on just one thing (Le Loop), and we do it really well.
We don’t out-source anything. On Tour, this extends to running all our own feed stops which have become legendary (fresh coffee and sandwiches at stop 2, fresh salads at stop 3, and so it goes on). Our events team includes around 15 staff at any one time and associated vehicles. They’ve all got many years of experience working on events and are the cream of the crop. Some of them we’ve been working with for almost 20 years – pre-Le Loop. They return year after year (despite us working them to the bone!) because they love this event and the camaraderie on tour. They work very hard, very long hours with cheerfulness and a smile. They know the job inside out and are efficient and expert in their roles.
Our combined experience and contacts enable us to keep Le Loop as low-cost as possible; the service we’re able to provide for such a low fee is something we’re often asked about and are also incredibly proud of.
We're a 'not-for-profit' organisation
Le Loop is the trading arm of the William Wates Memorial Trust and, as such, we’re not here to make a profit – we’re here to raise funds for the Trust.
And this is the important part … we keep the cost of your participation entirely separate from the fundraising: the Loop cost is paid directly to Le Loop and covers your “holiday” whilst the fundraising goes separately to the Trust’s charity bank account and is given as grants to projects that help disadvantaged young people. You can read more about the Trust and the charities they’re currently supporting here.
The Loop cost and what it covers
We charge £210 per night for all our Loops, and you commit to a fundraising minimum (which you’re welcome to pay yourself if you prefer) with a target linked to the Loop you choose:
| # of nights | Loop cost | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|
| 3 stages, 2 nights (eg Alps and Pyrenees Loops) | £480 | £1200 |
| 7 stages, 8 nights (eg. Mountains Week Loop) | £1,680 | £1,500 |
| Grand Loop (all 21 stages) | Just over £5,000 | £3,000 |
Hotels – these range from 3* to the occasional 5* and are sometimes the same hotels the pros will be using a week later. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us.
Meals – breakfast and dinner in your hotel, then 4 feed stops throughout the day with fantastic food, loads of variety and flavour and all the nutritional elements you need to support your body through a tough Tour de France stage.
Coach & bike transfers between stages – as needed, either at the start of the day, or the end, depending on the stage where they are not contiguous.
Luggage transfers – we change hotel almost daily and your main luggage is transport separately by our evening-shift mechanics and physios.
Mechanical support – we can do running repairs at feed stops and in our back van, but we have a team of professional mechanics working through the evening and often into the night at the hotel at the end every stage. They’re brilliant! If carry some spares and parts, but anything more specialised can usually be sourced en route. They’ll do all that for you while you keep riding (on one of our spare bikes provided by Orro Bikes if necessary).
Physio and medical support – available at feed stops, along the route and back at the hotel. If you’re got a medical issue, they’ll help sort you out.
What's NOT included
The only things not included in the Tour cost are:
- transport to/from the event (but we help you plan that)
- bike transport to/from the event (which we offer for £40 each way from/to the UK if you need it),
- massage (€10 per visit and available at the end of each stage)
- lunch on any rest days
- drinks with dinner
What money can't buy ... but we're renowned for
Camaraderie, a truly supportive and inclusive feel, the friendliest, most helpful team of staff… in short, an event that it just feels “really bloody nice to be part of” (we’re quoting one of our many Alumni there). There’s a reason that over 40% of our riders are repeat Loopers and make up our super-friendly Alumni family.
How we compare to other 'similar' events
This is a really difficult one because we’re so unique.
Sure, there are other ways to ride parts of the Tour de France route or go on a Tour de France themed holiday – but not really in the same way that we do it. If you’re after a bells-and-whistles pro-feeling, luxury accommodation trip, we might not be the best answer (but give us a ring and we’ll tell you who is – we’re friends with everyone and can point you in the right direction). But if you’re happy to wash your own bike, be part of a group of 80 or 90 (rather than 10) and roll along in 3 star hotels (with the occasional 4/5* treat), you’re not going to find a cheaper way of soaking up the Tour de France and enjoying some pretty spectacular cycling.
The main thing that sets an event apart from a standard sort of holiday is the degree of logistics needed to offer great support as you’ve already seen. That’s not really standard “training week in Mallorca” back-up so if your goal is a few days of lovely riding for as little money as possible, Mallorca (or Girona or…) might be a better bet.
In summary
We can’t be everything to everyone but we’re proud of who we are and how we operate and we don’t think you’ll find a better organised, better supported ride anywhere else for this little, even taking into account your fundraising component.
We’d love you to take the plunge and join us. If you’d like to read about other aspects of the event, here are some good links to our “Loop examples”, “how the event works”, “training advice” and “what sets us apart“.
Vive le Tour!
Check out all our recent blogs here.
