©ASO/Pauline Ballet
A little under two months sees the Grand Depart for the Tour de France 2018. This year's tour is a little different to previous years, when the early stages have taken place outside France. The 2018 event is all within France and covers all points of the compass from north to south, east to west.
Kicking off in the Vendee region on 7th July, the tour winds around the country and will arrive in the Alps for the first mountain stages on 17th July. Here the riders will face the gruelling Col de la Colombiere on their journey from lakeside Annecy to Le Grand Bornand.
The following two days sees further punishing climbs as they make their way further south through Savoie and into Isere culminating with the infamous ascent into Alpe d'Huez.
On day 11 - July 18th - the Tour leaves Albertville and heads up to La Rosiere. This is the first time this charming little alpine village has been a stage finish, so there will be lots of celebrations both before and after the tour rolls into town.
The 11th stage will set off from Albertville and pass through Beaufort, the Cormet de Roselend and Bourg-Saint-Maurice. The cyclists will then have a steep climb of 20km ahead of them (1,000m ascent) up to the resort. In total, they will pedal 108km, making it a relatively short stage, but one that promises some spectacular action. It is expected to be one of the key stages of this year's tour.
If you haven't yet witnessed the Tour de France up close, it's definitely worth it. The excitement and atmosphere are amazing. The small towns and villages along the routes pull out all the stops to make sure that the day is special. You can't help but be infected by the enthusiasm of the visitors and locals and enjoy the anticipation!
If you'd like to experience the buzz first hand then we have a few options. Chalet Pecchio is a great place to stay for that week. It's a large, beautiful, self-catered chalet which sleeps up to 10 and is a perfect venue for your friends or family holiday. You can book the whole chalet for just €2600 for the week!
Alpine Vista's Chalet Mathilde is also a great option if you want to catch the tour and if you want to ride some of the climbs yourself. Situated in the heart of the Savoie you can start and finish your rides from the front door. They offer catered packages for groups of up to 10 with prices starting from just £275 per person!
