Le Tour de France 2018: 7th July – 29th July
105th Tour de France
The Tour de France will be from Saturday July 7th to Sunday July 29th as the annual race enters its 105th edition. The race will consist of 21 stages, covering 3,329km in total.
The 2018 edition is made up of:
- 8 flat stages
- 5 hilly stages
- 6 mountain stages including 3 altitude finishes (La Rosière, Alpe d'Huez and Saint-Lary-Soulan col de Portet)
- 1 individual time trial
- 1 team time trial
- 2 rest days
New to the race: Out of 39 sites and stage cities, 9 locations are brand new for 2018
These include Fontenay-le-Comte, Mouilleron-Saint-Germain, Sarzeau, Dreux, La Rosière, Trie-sur-Baïse, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, Espelette and Houilles.
These stages pass close to several of the resorts offered by Peak Retreats:
- Rest 1 Monday 16th July: Annecy
- Stage 10 Tuesday 17th July: Annecy - Le Grand Bornand
Starting in Annecy, this stage involves a climbing the Col de la Croix Fry, the Col de Romme and la Colombière, and finishes in Le Grand Bornand. - Stage 11 Wednesday 18th July: Albertville - La Rosière Espace San Bernardo
This stage involves a climbing the Col du Pré before reaching the Cormet de Roselend. This is followed by an 18km climb to La Rosière. - Stage 12 Thursday 19th July: Bourg-Saint-Maurice - Alpe d'Huez
Starting in Bourg-Saint-Maurice, this stage involves 21 bends that lead to l’Alpe d’Huez, followed by climbing the Col de la Madeleine, Lacets de Montvernier and Col de la Croix de Fer.
Accommodation
See the Tour de France! We still have availability in the following 4* self-catered apartments for the week commencing 14/7!
4* Village de Lessy in Le Grand Bornand from £145pp!
4* Les Cimes Blanches in La Rosiere from £132pp!
4* Le Coeur d'Or in Bourg St Maurice from £166pp!
Prices based on 7 night stays with 4 people sharing a 1 bedroom self-catered apartment (sleeps up to 4).
Resorts near Rest 1 and Stage 10
See below for the Etape du Tour which mimics Stage 10!
We have several properties in Annecy for the start of Stage 10: Les Chataigniers, Hotel Imperial Palace and Le Royal. In Le Grand Bornard we offer Village de Lessy. Les Saisies and Notre Dame de Bellecombe would be good alternative resorts to access the finish at Le Grand Bornand or the start at Albertville, accommodation options include Le Hameau du Beaufortain, Chalets d'Emeraude, Residence des Armaillis and Le Village des Lapons.
Resorts near Stage 11
La Rosiere is a very popular destination where we offer several properties including Cîmes Blanches, Chalet les Marmottons and Les Balcons. Sainte Foy is just around the corner from La Rosiere so may offer a quieter alternative, our properties include Les Fermes de Sainte Foy, Le Ruitor and Etoile des Cîmes.
Resorts near Stage 12
Le Coeur d'Or is a great property in Bourg Saint Maurice. We also offer Les Chalets d'Arvan and Oree des Pistes in Saint Sorlin which this stage passes through. Vaujany is another alternative base at just 30 minutes' drive from Alpe d'Huez. Our properties in Vaujany include Le Crystal Blanc, La Cascade Les Epinettes, Le Grenier and Dome des Rousses.
Etape du Tour 2018
The Etape du Tour is probably the most famous sportive in the world and is the only chance each year to ride the same route as the pro riders in the Tour de France on closed roads!
Each year around 15,000 lucky riders get the chance to ride a stage of the Tour de France just a few days before the professional riders cover the same route. Always run on one of the rest days of the Tour, the Etape du Tour has the same support cars and police outriders as the actual Tour.
This year, on the 8th July, the Etape du Tour will mimic Stage 10 of the race from Annecy to Le Grand Bornand.
Helpful Information
You can view more details on the official Tour de France website: www.letour.fr
'Cycling in the French Alps' from publisher Cicerone is a helpful guide that may be worth acquiring if you're considering cycling this summer.
