2013 TOUR DE FRANCE HOLIDAYS

As a cycling fan you will have no doubt enthusiastically followed the Tour de France on television. 2013 is set to be a special celebration as it is the 100th edition of the race, so why not make this the year to leave your living room, head over to France, and get properly involved! Whether you’ve always wanted to watch the race live on the roadside, or fancy the challenge of actually riding a stage of the Tour de France, Exodus has the perfect trip for you.

This year the ‘Grand Depart’ of the 100th edition of the Tour de France will be on the beautiful island of Corsica. Although it boasts spectacular cycling terrain, incredibly this is the first time that the Tour will visit the island. We have designed an exciting new cycling trip to make sure that you can be a part of it. The ‘Corsica Tour de France Special’ offers the opportunity to watch the action live on the roadside on all three Corsican stages, as well as riding many of the same roads yourself.

Alternatively our ‘Tour de France Special’ trip is based in the picturesque village of La Breole in the French Alps and offers the chance to see the finish of stage 16 to Gap, the stage 17 individual time trial in Chorges, and the start of stage 18 from Gap. Thousands of fans will be lining the route and the holiday atmosphere helps to make the whole experience almost as enjoyable as the cycling itself. As well as watching the pro peloton, there are also six fabulous rides taking in some of the local Tour de France climbs.

If you fancy competing yourself, then the ‘Etape du Tour Cyclosportive’ is the trip for you. The Etape was established in 1993 to allow amateur cyclists from all over the world to test their legs on exactly the same roads as their heroes. This year’s route will mimic stage 20 of the 2013 Tour de France – a challenging 130km day with six climbs from the beautiful town of Annecy to the summit finish at nearby Semnoz. A few riders will be there to win, but for most participants the real goal is to complete the course, claim a finisher’s medal and enjoy the fantastic sense of achievement.

Riding the challenging cols of the Alps can be a humbling experience and only affirms the impressive strength and stamina of the professionals. For either trip you’ll need to be fit and well prepared, but it is amazing how signing up for a holiday like this will help to motivate you to train through the winter months. Join us this summer and your reward will be a once in a lifetime experience.