Tour de France Provence Biking

“Great Explorations provided a truly amazing once in a lifetime experience of the Tour de France. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. Again and again!”

The riding was fantastic. I was expecting challenging climbs and great viewing areas of the riders and this tour delivered.

Too many highlights to pick just one. It was the trip we were looking for….great guides, great food, great climbs, great secondary routes, great new friends, great scenery, great viewing spots for the Tour….It may take a year to clean the smiles off our faces.

As usual I loved the trip. Being so close to the Tour de France was a real highlight for me! It was wonderful to cycle in France and the Alps!

It was absolutely superb. The hotels were all great. The food was excellent. Most importantly the guides were fantastic, knowledgeable, extremely resourceful, flexible in plans and routes that group wanted to take, very well organized and superb communicators in English. They certainly seemed to go above and beyond what I would expect from them and remained bright and upbeat at all times no matter what was thrown at them, or what the day brought. Superb leaders and a great pairing together, I cannot imagine the trip without Dimitri and Sebastien as the guides. Van was there wherever it was supposed to be, stocked with whatever was required. Technical support was tremendous, as guides hunted down pedals for the pair of us having forgotten to pack them. Nice bikes, suitable for the job, mechanically sound. The region is absolutely stunning, with amazing scenery and beautiful little villages. It was the French Alps, nothing more to say.

“Could not have been happier. Loved being in the Alps. Just beautiful. Guides Sebastian and Dimitri were great. Went above and beyond to make sure we had a great trip. As you know Dimitri even arranged for Karen and me to sit in the grandstands on the Champs Elysees during the final. We enjoyed every aspect of the Tour de France. Sebastian and Dimitri made every effort to combine cycling with tour viewing. Riding our bike from Briacon to the base of Col du Galibier was so much fun.Then watching the tour pass within inches was amazing. Collias Hotel, Annecy Hotel and Le Meridian in Paris were all great. Sebastian and Dimitri customized Karen and my routes. Either a guide was riding with us or the van was close by. We never had to use the RidewithGPS. The paper maps were nice to get an overview. we rode as much as we wanted. Riding up Ventoux was HARD. Glad I did it -almost all the way. There were some challenging rides, but our guides were always close by to help out or give us a ride in the van. Of course Sebastian and Dimitri had the TDF Yellow Book which was great to read and study.”

“Our guides really made the trip!! Dimitri and Sebastien felt like friends rather than guides within minutes of meeting them. They were a great team! Sebastien is so organised and Dimitri is so laid back. We were made to feel that they would be happy to accommodate the trip to suit our needs. My partner was able to climb as many mountains as he desired and the rest of us mere mortals could also have a challenging ride. Having been to France before and after having watched the tour for many years I knew what to expect, I already knew I loved the area. I was nervous prior to my arrival knowing that I would be cycling in the mountains and wasn’t sure I was ready however, my fears were allayed as a result of our guides. they were able to rate our riding skills and find something challenging but possible for each of us. All the hotels were great. Dinner at both the Collias hotel and the following night in the town of Collias were delicious. Hot lips hotel was fantastic too! Our gastronomique meal in Annecy was delicious too. Can’t even imagine how complicated it must have been to organize this trip! Adam and I teased Sebastien that he was our parent! I know how my kids feel now…all we had to do was show up at the time specified and everything was done for us! I loved the fact that we were able to be so flexible. Adam and I really wanted a trip with a lot of cycling while catching some of the tour..it exceeded our expectations! Loved the triple ring!! Was wishing for a quadruple ring halfway up the Ventoux but, seems I’ll have to get Adam to invent it for me. Honestly can’t say enough how much we loved this trip! So appreciative!!”

“The trip was a great mix of cycling challenging terrain to beautiful destinations and being able to observe many facets of the TDF. Plus it was fun to be with our leaders who were both cycling and TDF enthusiasts. It is pretty amazing to have cycled the “Alps to Paris!”. We appreciated the small group, enabling us to be nimble when needed, plus be comfortable “living” in the van. Meals were fine; as expected. Guides were helpful with my being a vegetarian. Our “fancy” dining experience in Annecy was really special. The main focus was the TDF. This led to early mornings, a lot of logistical maneuvering for the guides — who handled it masterfully — and quite a bit of time in the van. Enjoyed it all under the circumstances. Massage was nice! Didn’t use the maps. Most of the time we either were following the guides wherever there may have been turns or we were riding up a single road with no chance to get lost. Guides got to know us quickly and assessed our interests and abilities and accommodated our every need. Van/water/snacks were always readily available and plentiful. Bike was just fine. We brought our own pedals to clip in, which was key!”

“Seeing 3 stages of the Tour de France was amazing. I loved the trip and would do it again! The guides were very flexible and accommodating.”