2013 Advance Reservations Now OPEN Click here to make your advance reservation! Full details of our 2013 trip will be available Mid-January . What is an advance reservation? click here to find out! And don't forget to reserve your Orbea Rental Bike (limited supply)

When the Vuelta a Espana route was announced in Pamplona on January 11 the climbers couldn't have been happier. With SEVEN mountain-top finishes and three more steep uphill finishes, the 2012 Vuelta should be a fascinating race, dominated by the pure climbers!

And, of course, a plethora of summit finishes is music to our ears when designing a King of the Mountains trip! Great race-viewing opportunities and a wealth of fantastic climbs - the perfect ingredients for a fascinating Thomson Bike Tours Vuelta trip!

Join us and follow the final week of the Vuelta through the Cantabrian mountains, down to the Sierra de Guadarrama for the gruesome climb to Bola del Mundo then on to the grand finale on the Plaza Cibeles in Madrid.

Witness these key stages "LIVE"...

• LIVE Viewing of Stage 15 Summit Finish on Lagos de Covadonga
• LIVE Viewing of Stage 17 Summit Finish on Fuente De
• LIVE Viewing of Stage 20 Summit Finish on Bola del Mundo
• LIVE Viewing of the Final Stage in Madrid

The Rider's Trip:
But our trip is not just about watching the Vuelta. We also have a full program of challenging daily rides that will give you the opportunity to ride many of the legendary climbs in Cantabria and the Sierra de Guadarrama.

Lagos de Covadonga.... Bola del Mundo.... Puerto de San Glorio.... Puerto de Pandetrave.... Collado de Hoz.... Collado de Ozalba....Puerto de Piedrasluengas.... are just some of the famous climbs you'll ride during this fantastic 10 day feast of cycling!

Click here to view the complete list of famous climbs on this trip.

Trip Highlights

• LIVE Viewing of 4 stages including the finish in Madrid.
• Climb to Lagos de Covadonga - the most famous climb of the Vuelta a Espana
• Collado de Hoz - one of the best descents ever!
• The 30km Puerto de San Glorio - a spectacular climb and gateway to the Picos de Europa National Park.
• Climb the Bola del Mundo - scene of the epic battle between Vincenzo Nibali and Ezequiel Mosquero in the 2010 Vuelta a Espana
• As always the top support in the industry!

Our Race-Viewing Points

Enjoy your afternoon on the mountain-side in the comfort and safety of our comfortable viewing points:

• Prime viewing spots - our vantage teams are in place well before the race ensuring that we secure prime viewing spots
• Large marquis tents
• LIVE Satellite TV race coverage in English
• Full picnic lunch and refridgerator stocked with cool drinks

Our Daily Itinerary

Day	Route Summary	Hotel Location	Ride Distance	Elevation Gain
1	Warm-up ride around Cangas de Onis	Cangas	20 miles	1,700 ft
2	Cangas de Onis › Alto del Torno › Alto del Mazuco › Lagos de Covadonga LIVE RACE VIEWING - Stage 15 Summit Finish - Covadonga Lagos de Covadonga › Cangas de Onis	Cangas	83 miles	7,550 ft
3	Cangas de Onis › Collado de Llomena › Collau de Moande › Cangas de Onis	Cangas	52 miles	5,200 ft
4	Cangas de Onis › Puerto de Panderuedas › Puerto de Pandetrave › Puerto de San Glorio › Potes	Potes	75 miles	8,500 ft
5	Potes › Puerto de San Glorio › Fuente De LIVE RACE VIEWING - Stage 17 Summit Finish - Fuente De Fuente De › Potes	Potes	61 miles	6,900 ft
6	Potes › Puerto de Piedrasluengas › Collado de Ozalba › Collada de Hoz › Potes	Potes	71 miles	7,400 ft
7	Transfer to San Ildefonso - Rest Day	San Ildefonso	TBD	TBD
8	San Ildefonso › Puerto de Navacerrada › Bola del Mundo LIVE RACE VIEWING - Stage 20 Summit Finish - Bola del Mundo Bola del Mundo › San Ildefonso	San Ildefonso	41 miles	4,150 ft
9	Transfer to Madrid LIVE RACE VIEWING - Stage 21 Finish - Madrid	Madrid
10	Transfer to Madrid Barajas Airport - DEPARTURE
Total:			403	41,400
Daily Average:			58	5,914

Climb these Famous Cols

In just 1 week climb many of the legendary cols of the Vuelta a Espana! Here are some of the cols included in our itinerary (sorted by Difficulty Index):

Climb	Elevation Gain	Average Grade	Length	Profile (m/km)	Difficulty Index
Bola del Mundo	4,429 ft	6.2%	13.5 miles		136
Lagos de Covadonga	3,465 ft	7.4%	8.8 miles		129
Collada Llomena	2,411 ft	9.2%	5.0 miles		105
Puerto de San Glorio (east)	4,193 ft	4.8%	16.6 miles		98
Puerto de Panderruedas	3.881 ft	4.0%	18.5 miles		78
Puerto de Pandetrave	2.083 ft	6.4%	6.2 miles		71
Alto del Mazuco	1,453 ft	6.2%	4.5 miles		67
Puerto de Piedrasluengas	3,386 ft	3.6%	18.0 miles		63
Collado de Hoz	1,444 ft	6.1%	4.5 miles		57
Alto de Fuente De	2,549 ft	3.2%	14.9 miles		57
Collado de Ozalba	1,276 ft	6.7%	3.6 miles		55
Puerto de San Glorio (west)	1,276 ft	4.3%	5.59 miles		39

 

Our Support

Quite simply, we provide the best support in the industry - guaranteed!

• Staff to client ratio of 1:4
• 3 ride groups of approximately 10 riders in each group - allows us to manage riders of varying ability levels
• 1 TBT experienced ride leader and 1 SAG van per ride-group of approximately 10 riders
• Experienced Mechanic
• Top-of-the-line rental bikes available

What's included in the price of our trip

• 10 days / 9 nights fully accompanied trip with Thomson Bike Tours
• Mix of 4-star and 3-star hotels
• All breakfasts
• All but 2 dinners
• Lunch on Day 1
• Pick-up at Bilbao Airport
• Drop-off at Madrid Airport
• All ground transportation
• All luggage transfer
• Services of our expert guides
• Experienced mechanic
• Support vehicles
• Daily 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
• Lunches (except Day 1 lunch which is included)

 

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: LESS VAN - MORE BIKE: Minimized Van Transfers between your hotels and the start/finish of the bike rides. We will have one van transfer on Day 7 from Cantabria to San Ildefonso and another short transfer from San Ildefonso to Madrid on Day 9. Our local knowledge, extensive planning and vast experience mean that you spend less time in a van and more time on the bike! Best-in-class Support & ride leaders: another key to our success! Sag van and ride leader for every 10 riders. Highest Staff to Client Ratio: 1 staff member per 4 clients! 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 Europe counts!