Our "King of the Mountains" series of trips have become the standard for others to emulate (and copy!). In May our King of the Mountains trip visits the mountain stages of the Giro d'Italia and in September we turn to Spain for the Vuelta a Espana.

In July our attention turns to France and the legendary Alpine climbs of our King of the Mountains trip to the French Alps.

Fantastic week of cycling...!!!

We're absolutely thrilled with our KOM Alps itinerary this year! The inclusion of PRATO NEVOSO in Italy gave us a few initial logistical challenges but, after some creative planning, we've overcome these challenges and put together an absolutely awesome route!

Check out this fantastic week of cycling.....

Day 1: Climb Pian del Re - 11 miles at 7.5%. Harder than Alpe d'Huez!

Day 2: PRATO NEVOSO

Day 3: Ride the '07 Giro d'Italia Stage 12 including Colle del'Agnello!

Day 4: Another awesome route - the Luc Alphand Cyclo-Sportif

Day 5: ALPE d'HUEZ

Day 6: Our annual Alpe d'Huez TT and BOURG d'OISANS

Add 1 extra day and ride the Galibier...!!!

And for those who wish to conquer one of the most formidable rides in road cycling you'll want to extend your trip to include our extra "Ride the Galibier" Day. Stay with us for 1 extra day and ride the classic route of the most famous century ride in France: La Marmotte.

108 miles and 15,000ft of climbing over the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Telegraphe, Col du Galibier and Alpe d'Huez! Dont miss it!

And if you'd really like to ride the Galibier but don't fancy 15,000ft of climbing in one day then stay with us and ride the Mi-Marmotte route! 50 miles and 7,500ft of climbing over the Col du Galibier and finish on Alpe d'Huez!

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• LIVE-Satellite TV (in English) at our mountain-top picnic spots on Prato Nevoso and Alpe d'Huez.
• L'Etape du Giro: ride the same route as Stage 12 of the 2007 Giro d'Italia over the mighty Colle del'Agnello and the Col d'Izoard! To check out this famous route: click here
• Alpe d'Huez Time Trial: compete in our annual time trial up the famous 21 switch-backs
• Ride the Luc-Alphand Route: ride the route of another very popular cyclo-sportif over the spectacular Col de L'Echelle
• NO VAN TRANSFERS: the TBT difference....thanks to our expert planning all of this is possible on the bike!
• Ride La Marmotte Route (EXTRA DAY): ride the route of the most famous cyclo-sportif! 108 miles and 15,000 ft elevation gain or ride the Mi-Marmotte - 50 miles and 7,500 ft elevation gain.

YOUR DAILY RIDES

Day	Route Summary	Ride Distance (miles)	Elevation Gain (feet)
1	Saluzzo › Pian del Re › Saluzzo * Shorter option available = 30 miles / 1,500ft	50	4,500
2	Saluzzo › PRATO NEVOSO › Saluzzo * Shorter option available = 50 miles / 3,500ft	95	3,500
3	Saluzzo › Colle del'Agnello › Col de L'Izoard › Briancon	78	11,000
4	Briancon › Col de Montgenevre › Col de L'Echelle › Briancon	55	3,500
5	Briancon › Col du Lautaret › ALPE d'HUEZ	50	7,000
6	AM (optional) › Our Annual Alpe d'Huez Time Trial .....then meet the Euskaltel Team in BOURG d'OISANS PM (optional) › Bourg d'Oisans › Col de Sarenne › Alpe d'Huez	20 10 30	3,580 0 5,770
7	Extra "Ride the Galibier" Day: Alpe d'Huez › Col de la Croix de Fer › Col du Telegraphe › Col du Galibier › Alpe d'Huez * Shorter option available = 50 miles / 8,200ft	108	15,000
Total:		496	53,850
Daily Average:		70	7,690

CLIMB THESE FAMOUS COLS

In just 1 week climb many of the legendary cols in the Alps! Here's the complete list of cols included in our itinerary (sorted by difficulty index):

Climb	Elev. Gain (feet)	Average Grade	Length (miles)	Profile (m/km)	Difficulty Index
*Col du Telegraphe & Galibier	6310	5.5%	21.7		184
Colle del'Agnello	4800	6.5%	13.9		163
*Col de la Croix de Fer	4240	4.7%	17.1		144
Col de Sarenne	3510	5.5%	12.1		138
Pian del Re	4230	7.5%	10.7		132
Alpe d'Huez	3580	7.7%	8.8		125
Col d'Izoard	3590	6.9%	9.9		124
Prato Nevoso	3640	6.8%	10.1		118
Col de Montgenevre	1620	6.4%	4.8		59
Col du Lautaret	2800	3.1%	17.2		54
Col de L'Echelle	1560	5.4%	5.5		53

* included in the extra "Ride the Galibier" day

NON-RIDERS WELCOME!

Non-riders can accompany their riding partner and receive a fantastic 20% reduction on the trip price! Space on our special Non-Rider program is limited to 8 guests! Please call Paul Rogen on 1-888-446-5502 for full details.

WHAT's INCLUDED

• 7 days / 6 nights fully accompanied trip
  (8 days / 7 nights if you select the extra "Ride the Galibier" day)
• Choice of 2 accommodation levels - STANDARD and PREMIUM
• All breakfasts
• 3 dinners
  (4 dinners if you select the extra "Ride the Galibier" day)
• 3 lunches
• Pick-up at Turin Caselle Airport
• Drop-off at Lyon St Exupery Airport
• All ground transportation
• All luggage transfer
• Services of our expert guides
• Support vehicles
• Thomson Bike Tours maps, cue sheets and elevation profiles

WHAT's NOT INCLUDED

• Airfare
• Travel and personal insurance
• Additional hotel expenses i.e. phone charges, mini-bar, gratuities

 

The Thomson Bike Tours Difference Your trip to Europe may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and you deserve the best! Performance cyclists now rate Thomson Bike Tours as the premiere provider of performance trips to Europe. Here are a few details that set us aside from the rest: LIVE Satellite TV coverage in English: our strategically placed mountain-top picnic spots have become the reference for the industry and the envy of the mountain! No-one else has LIVE Satellite TV coverage in English! LESS VAN - MORE BIKE: NO Van Transfers between your hotels and the start/finish of the bike rides. Each day we ride from and back to the hotel. Our local knowledge, extensive planning and vast experience mean that you spend less time in a van and more time on the bike! THE THOMSON RIDES: over the years we've also gained a reputation for providing the best (and most challenging) rides. 25 years experience riding in the Alps counts! Choice of rides: shorter distance options are available on most days. Choice of accommodation package: we offer 2 levels of accommodation: our STANDARD package features ONE 3-star hotel and TWO 2-star hotels. Our PREMIUM package offers top quality 3-star hotels. Best-in-class Support & ride leaders: another key to our success! Sag van and ride leader for every 10 riders.