route de france 1972 - velocene.com · 1 velocene adventures ltd. uk registered company number...

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Velocene Adventures Ltd. UK Registered Company Number 11101985

Route de France 1972

Shadowing the epic route of the 1972 Tour de France Peloton

We chose to follow, as closely as possible, the route of the 1972 Tour de France, because

we think it’s the best one: it’s a clean loop around France, it visits many of the classic cols,

and it’s low on inconvenient transfer miles! En route, we’ll enjoy some fantastic mountain

scenery and cycling atmosphere in the Alps and the Pyrenees, visit some of the lesser

known climbs in Languedoc and the Jura, and enjoy some great coastal and team riding in

the flatlands!

We think this is the challenge of the lifetime for cycling enthusiasts – like any great personal

achievement, it requires training and determination – but our experience in leading similar

tours in France tells us that it is highly achievable for a range of abilities, and that the

challenge, camaraderie and team work is part of the fun! We will provide support and advice

in the lead up to the tour, and with our logistical planning and support on the road, we’ll take

all the stress out of the ride, so all you need to focus on is enjoying your cycling!

Highlights

• 2,969km (1,845miles)

• Riding the climbs of the 1972 TdF Peloton

• 10 mountain stages

• Tourmalet, Ventoux, Galibier, Izoard

• Average riding day of 92 miles

• Continuous riding loop, no transfers

• Joining options available

• Comfortable hotels and good food

• Fully supported

Day Stage Date Start & FinishDistance

(km)

Distance

(miles)Major Climbs

Climbing

(m)

1 Saturday 15th June Arrival in Nantes

2 1 Sunday 16th June Nantes to La Tranche-sur Mer 163 101 320

3 2 Monday 17th June La Tranche-sur-Mer to Royan 158 98 370

4 3 Tuesday 18th June Royan to Villenave d'Ornon 141 88 780

5 4 Wednesday 19th June Villenave d'Ornon to Capbreton 168 104 420

6 5 Thursday 20th June Capbreton to Saint Michel 151 94 Puerto d'Otxondo (573m), Col d'Ispeguy (672m), Col d'Arnosteguy (1236m) 2720

7 6 Friday 21st June Saint Michel to Laruns 143 89Col de Burdincrutcheta (1135m), Col Bagargiak (1327m), Unnamed Col (1537m),

Col de Bouesou (1009m), Col de Marie Blanque (1035m)4160

8 Rest Saturday 22nd June Rest Day Laruns

9 7 Sunday 23rd June Laruns to Luchon 154 96Col d'Aubisque (1709m), Col du Soulor (1474m), Col du Tourmalet (2115m), Col

d'Aspin (1489m), Col de Peyresourde (1569m)4500

10 8 Monday 24th June Luchon to Pamiers 134 83 Col de Menté (1349m), Col de Portet d'Aspet (1069m) 2380

11 9 Tuesday 25th June Pamiers to Lacaune 142 88 Route de Brassac (705m), Col de la Bassine (885m) 1930

12 10 Wednesday 26th June Lacaune to Palavas-les-Flots 139 86 Col des Treize Vents (581m) 1350

13 11 Thursday 27th June Palavas-les-Flots to Carpentras 157 98 500

14 Rest Friday 28th June Rest Day Carpentras

15 12 Saturday 29th June Carpentras to Sisteron 158 98 Mont Ventoux (1909m), Col de Perty (1302m) 3040

16 13 Sunday 30th June Sisteron to Savines-le-lac 141 88 Col de Manse (1268m), Orcières-Merlette (1840m), Col de Moissière (1571m) 2550

17 14 Monday 1st July Savines-le-lac to Briançon 144 89 Côte du Sauze (1040m), Col du Vars (2108m), Col d'Izoard (2360m) 3230

18 15 Tuesday 2nd July Briancon to Allevard 153 95Col du Galibier (2645m), Col du Télégraphe (1566m), Col du Grand Cucheron

(1188m), Col du Champ-Laurent (1116m)2890

19 15 Wednesday 3rd July Allevard to Bellgarde 139 86 Col du Granier (1134m), Le Revard (1538m) 2920

20 17 Thursday 4th July Bellegarde to Dole 177 110 Col de la Faucille (1320m) 2080

21 18 Friday 5th July Dole to Avallon 161 100 Unnamed Col (612m) 1570

22 19 Saturday 6th July Avallon to Nemours 146 91 720

23 20 Sunday 7th July Nemours to Paris 100 62 390

24 20 Monday 8th July Departure from Paris

Total 2969 1845 38820

Average 148 92 1941

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Inclusions:

• Twin share B&B/hotel accommodation (additional supplement for single rooms);

• Detailed itinerary; profile maps, elevation data and GPX files;

• Daily luggage transfer;

• Breakfast;

• Dinner in locations of half board accommodation (around 60% of locations, we eat in

recommended local restaurants in the other locations);

• Snacks, water and lunch available in the support van on the road;

• Mechanical support;

• Arrival logistics (assuming arrival on selected flights);

Not included:

• Flights (We will advise regarding selected flights);

• Bicycle (We will ensure back-up bikes are available in the support van);

• Travel, medical and bicycle insurance;

• Any dinners not included above, final night in Paris, additional alcohol and food;

Itinerary

Arrival in Nantes (Saturday 15th June)

Following pick up from Nantes airport, we will transfer to our accommodation on the south side of

the city in Saint-Sebastien-sur-Loire, where the focus will be on tour briefing and final personal

preparations for the morning’s riding, coupled with a relaxed evening meal in a nearby restaurant.

Stage 1 (Sunday 16th June)

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Riding towards the sea in a south-easterly direction, we will begin to pick up the trail of the 1972

peloton, through Saint Philbert-de Grand Lieu, home to the natural wetland reserve of France’s

largest winter lake, Lac de Grand Lieu. Crossing into the Vendée department north of Challans, we

will reach the Atlantic at the resort town of Saint-Jean de-Monts. A short ride further down the coast,

we will enjoy lunch in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, where Eddy Merckx’ all-Belgian Molteni team won

the 16.2km team time trial along Merlin-Plage. From here, we continue south, running with the

Vélodyssée cycle route through Sables d’Olonne, home of the famous Vendée Globe yacht race,

before reaching our first overnight stop in the surfing resort of La Tranche-sur-Mer.

Stage 2 (Monday 17th June)

Our morning’s riding remains within in the expansive Saint Denis du Payré natural reserve, known

for its flowery prairies, birdlife, and even the odd nudist beach. The charming chicken-breeding

town of Marans is our likely coffee stop, before proceeding on to the historic town of Surgères, once

briefly under English rule in 1532 during the Hundred Years War. Overnight we will stay in the

sailing town of Royan, destroyed by Allied bombing in the Second World War, and rebuilt as a

showcase of modernist architecture in the 1950s. Today’s stage was one of 4 won in the 1972 tour

by Breton all-rounder Cyrille Guimard – a track, cyclocross and road national champion who went on

to mastermind the Tour de France victories of Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon and Lucien Van Impe,

and who is credited with much early progress in wind tunnel testing, teardrop tubing and internal

cabling.

Stage 3 (Tuesday 18th June)

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Today, crossing into Aquitaine, we ride inland along the shores of the expansive Gironde estuary,

until we cross the Dordogne river at Cubzac-les-Ponts. From here, the Garonne river takes us south

into the heart of Bordeaux, where the in 1972 the sprint finish in the southern suburbs was won by

Belgian classics specialist Walter Godefroot, who want on to coach Bjarne Riis to his tainted 1996

Tour de France victory with Team Telekom. Amazingly, on the same day in 1972 the riders were also

called to ride a 12.7km individual time trial in Bordeaux, won again by Eddy Merckx.

Stage 4 (Wednesday 19th June):

Riding first through the Médoc wine region, we turn again towards the coast through another of

France’s regional natural reserves, the forested Landes de Gascogne. At Parentis-en-Born, home to

the large inland pond of Lac de Biscarosse, French rocket testing, seaplane building, and the largest

oil reserve in the country, we again meet the Vélodyssée. Our lunch stop for today is likely to be

Mimizan, centre of the rich natural forests, dunes and wetlands of the Landes, and on the Routes de

Santiago de Compostela. From Mimizan, we ride slightly inland through the ponds and dunes before

arriving in the surfing and sailing town of Capbreton, known for its long sandy beaches and historic

Napoleonic jetty.

Stage 5 (Thursday 20th June)

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Immediately south from Capbreton, we begin riding through the protected wetland area, before

weaving into the historic city of Bayonne, with its elegant cathedral and narrow streets, and also

once under English occupation. From Bayonne, we turn towards the Pyrenees and start to warm up

the hill legs – in the form of the 573m Puerto d’Otxondo, and a brief ride in Spain over the 672m Col

d’Ispeguy. After descending to the Basque cheese-making town of Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, there is

an option for tired legs to omit the major climb of the day, the sweeping Col d’Arnosteguy at 1236m.

Stage 6 (Friday 21st June)

Today we ride further into the Pyrenees, continuing to enjoy beautiful riding on the lesser known

climbs. Our first climbs, the twin cols of Burdincurucheta (1135m) and Bargargiak (1327m), first

featured in the Tour de France in 1986, and will take us again close to the Spanish border and into

the remote village of Larrau. From here, we continue to shadow the border on remote roads,

climbing the Gorges de Kakuetta into the Pyrenees National Park, for the first time over 1500m,

before descending to Sarrance and the first of the more famous Pyrenean climbs, the Col de Marie

Blanque (1035m), which has featured 14 times in the Tour de France.

Stage 7 (Sunday 23nd June)

Having enjoyed our first rest day in the spa village of Eaux Bonnes, and host to some of the world’s

first international ski competitions in the nineteenth century, today we ride a classic Pyrenean queen

stage, launching an assault on four famous mountain giants. First up is the Aubisque (1709m),

visited 45 times by the Tour, won by Eddy Merckx in 1969, and most recently by the ever-aggressive

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Thomas Voeckler in 2012. Next up is the Tourmalet (2115m), “The Distance Mountain” in old Gascon,

and the most visited climb in Tour history (83 times). The “Eagle of Toledo”, Frederico Bahamontes,

won on Tourmalet four times, and one British name features on the winners’ role - Robert Millar in

1989. After re-energising in the ski resort of La Mongie, it is on to the Aspin (1489m), appearing 71

times in the Tour de France, taken in 2017 by Steve Cummings, and most recently by Julian

Alaphillippe. The final climb, the Col du Peyresourde (1569m), is the scene in 2016 of Chris Froome’s

famous attack on the descent - en route, emulating Eddy Merckx in 1972, to stage victory in Luchon

and overall.

Stage 8 (Monday 24th June)

Stage 9 (Tuesday 25th June)

We first enjoy a relatively flatter morning to the Roman staging post of Castelnaudary on the River

Orb and the Canal du Midi, an impressive feat of engineering for the late 17th century. From here,

we continue northeast through the natural reserve and Benedictine village of Dourgne, before

arriving at the rugby town of Castres on the Agout river. From Castres, we climb up to the high

plateaus of the Haute Languedoc, an area of outstanding natural beauty populated since the Stone

Age, and a relatively undiscovered gem from the perspective of the road cyclist.

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Stage 10 (Wednesday 26th June)

Starting high, we descend from the Lacaune mountains, via a short climb over the Col de Treize

Vents (581m), appearing 3 times in the Tour de France, most recently in 2013 in a stage animated by

Pierre Rolland and Romain Bardet, but eventually won by Peter Sagan. Two more short undulations

in the day interrupt our descent to the Mediterranean near Montpellier, at the resort town of

Palavas-les-Flots, “City of Water”, on a thin strip of sand dunes separating the sea from two lakes,

and home to a historic 19th century casino and traditional bullfighting arenas.

Stage 11 (Thursday 27th June)

Riding the thin line between the sea and the inland lake of Etang de l’Or (“Gold Pond”), we arrive on

the edge of the Camargue marshland, perhaps inspired to ride like the famous white horses. From

here, we turn more sharply north passing through the wine villages of the Côte de Rhône appellation,

including Roquemaure - “Capital of Lovers”, home to the relics of Saint Valentine and the current

Festival of the Kiss. Across the great river, we ride through Châteauneauf du Pape, also of vinicultural

fame and built once to be the residence of a 14th century Pope.

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Stage 12 (Saturday 29th June)

Hopefully well rested after a day in Carpentras, and reinforced by new additions to the peloton, we

begin our ascent on Mont Ventoux (1909m), rising impressively from the flatlands, topped by a

barren moonscape and oft battered by the dry mistral (also interestingly the reason for the clear air

that so inspired the Impressionists in Provence). The “Giant of Provence”, visited 16 times by the

Tour, often as a stage finish, has produced more than its share of fascinating Tour moments: the

Pantani-Armstrong battle of 2000 – where, with one tour apiece, Armstrong angered Pantani by

gifting him the stage on the line; Chris Froome overtaking Quintana for the stage win and putting

nearly 2 minutes into Contador in 2013; or running up the mountain after a crash in 2016; Eddy

Merckx’ victory and near collapse in 1970; and, of course, the tragic demise of Tommy Simpson, who

remained Britain’s only World Champion until Mark Cavendish finally won 46 years later. In the

afternoon, we tackle the lesser known Col de Perty (1302m), visited five times by the Tour, and a

highly scenic approach to Sisteron in the French Alps.

Stage 13 (Sunday 30th June)

From Sisteron, we creep slowly up the Durance valley to Gap, frequent stage town, and the location

of many successful solitary solo raids over the mountains by the likes of Alexander Vinokourov or

Frank Schleck. From Gap, we ascend the Col de Manse (1268m), which first appeared in the Tour in

1971, and was the location for Armstrong’s brief off-road detour when avoiding a crash in 2003. Just

a little way over the summit, the ascent begins to the ski resort of Orcières Merlette (1840m), visited

by the Tour several times in the 1970s and 1980s, and where in 1971 Luis Ocana had put almost 9

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minutes into Merckx before crashing out in the Pyrenees. From Orcières, via a shorter ascent of

the peaceful Col de Moissière (1571m), we descend to our accommodation on the shores of the

spectacular Lac de Serre-Ponçon. Today, after Gap, there are various options for fatigued or injured

legs to avoid any of the day’s major climbs if required.

Stage 14 (Monday 1st July)

From Savines-le-Lac, we climb gradually around the headland of the Côte de Sauze (1040m), joining

the river Ubaye for the ride into Barcelonnette, gateway to the Mercantour National Park and some

of the highest climbs in the Alps. On this occasion, we turn north at Jausiers over the Col de Vars

(2108m), a gentle climb through alpine fields, often seen as a footnote to its gigantic neighbours, but

nonetheless visited over 30 times by the Tour. From Vars, it is a spectacular gorge ride through the

Queyras nature reserve to the foot of the Izoard (2360m), culminating in the barren scree slopes and

rock pinnacles of the Casse Déserte – visited 34 times by the Tour, but only once as a stage finish,

taken by an impressive Warren Barguil in 2017. In 1972, after two stages won by future tour

winners (Bernard Thévenet and Lucien van Impe), Eddy Merkcx was first over the summit, on his way

back to winning ways, both in Briançon, and the following morning’s short stage to Valloire. Again,

there are alternative route options today for those who have a need to bypass the day’s major

climbs.

Stage 15 (Tuesday 2nd July)

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Riding north-west from Briancon up the Guisane valley, we begin the long and gentle ascent of the

Col du Lautaret (2058m), last won by Joaquim Rodríguez in 2014. The Lauteret is of course most

known as the gateway to the Col du Galibier, the roof of the 1972 tour at 2645m, and won by a long

list of illustrious names, including Fausto Coppi, Frederico Bahamontes and Marco Pantani. Climber

Luis Ocana solidified his win here in Merckx’ 1973 absence, and it was also the scene of Andy

Schleck’s famous solo breakaway in 2011, on a double ascent to celebrate the 100th anniversary of

the Galibier’s first appearance in the tour. From Galibier, it is a long descent over the Télégraphe to

the River Arc, which we follow for much of the afternoon, before finding the peaceful Alpine roads

of the lesser known twin cols from the 1972 Tour – of Grand Cucheron (1188m) and Champ-Laurent

(1116m).

Stage 16 (Wednesday 3rd July)

After a short descent to the river Isère, we ride the lesser known Col du Granier (1134m), visited 17

times by the Tour, and led in 1972 by Lucien van Impe. After enjoying a brief rest in the Savoy

capital of Chambery, we turn again uphill towards Mont Revard (1538m) in the Bauges Massif. In

1972, Cyrille Guimard was back to winning ways here, whilst the popular Jens Voigt led the 2013

peloton over the summit, and in 1998 the stage was unfortunately neutralised at the exposure of

the Festina doping scandal. From the ski resort of Le Revard, it is a slightly bump afternoon’s riding

back to the River Rhône and its confluence with the River Valserine at Bellegarde, where much of the

river water runs underground in a 60m deep geological fault.

Stage 17 (Thursday 4th July)

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This morning we trace the foot of the Jura overlooking Geneva, before turning north over the

mountains at Gex, a Swiss customs town in the early 20th century. The Col de La Faucille (1320m),

visited 20 times by the Tour, but less popular in recent years, takes us up onto the high forested

plateaus that are very popular for ski touring. From here, it is a bumpy but gradually downhill ride

through the Jura to Dole, birthplace of microbiologist Louis Pasteur, known for his extensive early

works on vaccination and germ theory.

Stage 18 (Friday 5th July)

Passing to the south of Dijon, we ride this morning through the vineyards of southern Burgundy, and

enjoy a morning stop at Nuits-Saint-Georges, main town of the Côte de Nuits wine-producing area,

where the main products are Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays under the Premier Cru appellation. After

a long climb out of town, it is a bumpy ride through the Morvan natural reserve to the old Roman

settlement of Avallon, competing with Glastonbury in its claim as the legendary island where King

Arthur’s Excalibur sword was forged.

Stage 19 (Saturday 6th July)

This morning we continue the march towards Paris on quiet country roads, stopping for lunch in the

historic town of Charny on the banks of the river Ouanne, with an elegant timber frame market hall

and 19th century town hall. In the ever-flattening afternoon, we may stop at Egreville in the Seine-

Marne department, with a similarly picturesque historic marketplace and town square.

Stage 20 (Sunday 7th July)

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In the professional peloton, the modern tradition for the approach to Paris is of course to neutralise

the days’ racing – take some photos, drink some champagne, perhaps honour a few retiring

members. In our amateur peloton, we’ve decided to reward ourselves with our shortest days’ riding

– through the beautiful forest of Fontainebleu and along the banks of the Seine to the centre of Paris.

In Eddy Merckx’ day, there was of course no such luck – the final morning was spent haring round

one final 42km individual time trial, won of course by the Cannibal himself, the sixth and final of his

1972 stage wins, before then having to remount for a final 89km stage, rolling finally into Paris the

victor by nearly 11 minutes, and with the points jersey to boot.

The majestic boulevard of the Champs Elysées itself needs no introduction to the avid Tour de

France fan – and nor, Tour winner or embattled first-timers, should any one story of personal

challenge and victory rise above the others. As amateurs, we will inevitably have ridden at a more

reflective pace than the mesmeric fishtailing of the professional lead-out trains – and we are less

coached, trained and resourced than our professional heroes, but we will carry across that same line

the personal experience, knowledge, achievement and inspiration that can only come with three

weeks of challenge, friendship and endurance on some of the world’s greatest cycling roads.

route de france 1972 - velocene.com · 1 velocene adventures ltd. uk registered company number...

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