The steep mountain passes. The determination to make it up peak after peak in the Alps. The burning thighs. The peloton. The utter exhaustion. This can be you on vacation!
If you think you have a bike race in you, or just the desire to hear the imaginary roar of the crowd as you cycle (even if it's at tricycle speed) you should look into the many companies that offer rides on some part of the Tour de France route.
Many cycle companies offer trips in sections of the six countries the tour passes through during its 21 stages (including the principalities of Andorra and Monaco).
The company Great Explorations offers an Alps to Provence to Paris trip that takes cyclists to three to four stages of the Tour. It includes a stay in a hotel overlooking the Champs Elysee on the final night of this year's race. (Lance Armstrong is back this year!)
From the hotel's balconies, guests can watch the peloton head down the grand boulevard for the victory ride.
Bikestyle Tours, Beaux Voyages and Thomson Bike Tours are a few of the other companies offering "Tours de Amateurs." I particularly like Thomson's description of its "Giants of the Alps" tour in June. And I quote…"boldly going where no bike tour has gone before…!!!" Boldly go solo on the trip!
The seven-day tour includes the "biggest and most spectacular passes" in the Italian and French Alps. Read: steep as hell. But I've got to believe some of my readers are hard core cyclists?
(One of these days I'll write about the Grand Canyon trip I took during which I biked both a century one day–100 miles–AND 120 miles on another.)
FYI: This year, the Tour de France is from July 4 to 26.
Photo: Thomson Bike Tours
Boldly Go Solo 
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