July 1-8, 2023 • San Sebastián, Pau, Laruns
DETAILS
Fully private tour
up to 4 participants
START
July 1st 2023
DURATION
8 days/7 nights
July 1 to 8
PRICE
€6,990
per person
OVERVIEW
The Pyrenees Hike & Bike Tour is made for passionate cyclists seeking a mix of challenging riding and exhilarating hiking all together spiced up with the Tour de France race.
Enjoy the privileged VIP access to the Stage 5' Village Départ in Pau, and ride some of the Tour's mythical routes in the Western Pyrénées.
Your Cycling program includes several famous climbs including the legendary duet col du Soulor + Aubisque and the majestic Marie-Blanque, as well as the Tourmalet like in 1910!
On the hike side, you will walk on some of the most inner tracks of the Pyrenean mountain range, for truly unique journeys in the wild...
EARLY BIRDS
Register today, get 10% discount!
THE PYRENEES HIKE & BIKE AGENDA
Day 1
Welcome to the Pyrénées! Road cycling 35 km/21.75 mi.
Day 2
In the mountain. Hiking 3,2 km/2 mi.
Day 3
Tour de France 1995. Road cycling 57 km/35.42 mi.
Day 4
Tour de France 1910. Gravel cycling 26.1 km/6.16 mi.
Day 5
Tour de France 2023 Live
Day 6
Tour de France 2023. Road cycling 116 km/72.6 mi.
Day 7
In the mountain. Hiking 18.7 km/11.62 mi.
Day 8
Wrap-up & au-revoir les Pyrénées!
Royal Asport “Aunamendi” allroAD bike
Performing on the steepest slopes of the Pyrenean cols, comfortable yet fast on the Basque gravel tracks.
CYCLING JERSEY & MORE
Pyrenees Hike & Bike exclusive kit: Short sleeves cycling jersey, button-down shirt, teeshirt, arm + leg warmers, socks, gloves, vest, rain jacket, neck tube, cap (value of the whole kit: €699.00).
ITINERARY
4 days Cycling, 2 days Hiking
20,200 feet elevation over 110 miles on Tour de France routes
16 miles on gravel trail, 7% average slope
Highest climb on the bike: 6,939 feet
14 miles hiking, 5,500 feet total elevation
DAY 1
Your Pyrénées Hike & Bike Tour starts in Pau airport, where we will meet you before the transfer to your hotel in Oloron Sainte-Marie.
After the briefing, lunch and bike fitting, you will go out for a warm-up ride in the Basque country. A few miles in a quiet, charming valley, then a steep descent in a forest as appetizer before heading to Barcus and its roller coaster roads and the long yet easy climb to Esquiule. From there, you'll enjoy the unique view onto the Pyrénées mountains and the Jurançon vineyards.
Route map for #OCP2023 Cycling _TestRide by Marc Duchesne on plotaroute.com
DAY 2
After this warm-up ride along the Pyrénées foothills, you will spend the morning litteraly in the Pyrénées mountains. We won't tell you more for the time being, as we want to keep this experience as secret as possible until you're on-site...
DAY 3
Whilst the Tour de France 2023 enters the french Basque Country, we will head over to the route of the Tour '95 16th stage between Tarbes and Pau.
After the breakfast, we'll drive to Pontacq, where you'll jump on your bikes for your first ride in the Pyrénées mountains. To get acquainted with it, there's no better way than climbing the famous duet Soulor - Aubisque. The majestic beauty of the surroundings tempers the harsh difficulty of the ride, the jaw-dropping route between the Soulor pass and the col d'Aubisque being your award...
DAY 4
After yesterday's Soulor and Aubisque, here comes one of the highlights of your week: The Tourmalet, certainly the most famous col of the Pyrénées, thanks to its long history with Le Tour de France and the numerous battles for the Yellow Jersey on its slopes. Fact is, we want you to climb the Tourmalet like in 1910, when it first appeared in the Tour de France.
That's why we'll head to Villanua, a typical village in the Aragon province, for you to enjoy the "Tourmalet 1910", a Gravel experience imagined by some Spanish friends of ours. The Tourmalet 1910 is the exact replica of the real Tourmalet climb via Sainte-Marie-de-Campan: Same distance, same elevation gain, same altitude at the finish line. Since we're in Spain, your recovery meal will be a paëlla, served with local wine and cerveza...
DAY 5
The 5th stage of the Tour de France 2023 starts from Pau today, and you're to see it live!
You will have privileged VIP access to the Village Départ in the royal city. Visit the teams' paddock, meet with the riders as they enjoy their espresso before the start, discuss with some former champions and other celebrities around...
We'll have lunch in town, before going to San Sebastián, Basque Country, for the rest of the day and probably a large part of the evening!
DAY 6
Here is the main course of the Pyrénées Hike & Bike menu: The last 70 miles of yesterday's Tour de France stage, right here in the Western Pyrénées.
After lunch, we'll head to Aramits, a small village at the foot of La Pierre Saint-Martin mountain range which takes its name from the famous Musketeer. You'll ride toward the Basque Country and the Col du Soudet, a long and not-so-easy climb, through magnificent canyons and stunning forests. Turn left for the descent to Arette, then enjoy the landscape whilst you're on the little yet difficult Ichère pass. You'll have just a few miles in the Aspe valley to recover a bit, before heading to the mythic Marie-Blanque pass and its harsh slopes... Once on the Benou plateau, you'll have time to think about the Pros who went there ahead of the peloton yesterday, whilst heading to the finish line in Laruns you'll probably imagine yourself in the Yellow Jersey - We are passionate cyclists, aren't we?
DAY 7
The hiking trip today is set to conclude the week on a high note, with the spectacular Holtzarté footbridge followed by the stunning Pista waterfalls.
After breakfast, we'll drive to Larrau, beautiful village perched at 2,000 feet nearby Spain, to discover the natural heritage of the Basque Country. Your journey begins on the steep trail along the Holzarté canyon towards the eponym footbridge. A suspension bridge over a 200m chasm, it was originally built in 1920 and totally revamped in early 2000's. From there, you'll join the stunning Pista waterfall. Say hello to the Spanish border, and head back to Larrau on the other side of the canyon. The renowned Etchémaïté auberge will offer you a wonderful recovery menu, with great Basque food, lovely wines, and a fantastic view on the mountains...
DAY 8
Everything has an end, so this Pyrénées Hike & Bike tour 2023 ends today!
After the debriefing at breakfast, we will drop you off at the Pau airport, wishing you a safe trip home, and hoping to see you again in 2024 for a new Pyrénées Hike & Bike tour!
DATES & PRICE
July 1-8, 2023 €6,990 per person
HOTEL
Alysson Hotel, Oloron Ste-Marie
WHAT'S INCLUDED
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
- Flights
- Transfer from/to another airport than Pau PUF
- Travel & personal insurances
- Tourist tax, paid to hotel at check-out
- Additional hotel expenses, e.g. mini-bar
- Hotel & restaurants staff gratuities
- Covid tests before or during the trip
HIKING & GRAVEL PLACES
RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL
Since Day One, we are tenants of responsible tourism, from the way we plan and operate our group rides and our tours to the practices of Royal Asport as a business.
We choose accommodations that employs local staff and uses local production, to ensure that our visit has a positive effect on employment levels and economy in the region.
Our Cycling & Hiking tours include stops to local cafés to get a real impression of the Pyrénées lifestyle and local shops to purchase traditional gifts and crafts.
Water is important, and whilst you must stay hydrated, it is also vital to not cause too much waste from single use plastic bottles. Therefore, we provide large water containers so that you can refill your reusable water bottles.
PYRENEES HIKE & BIKE TOUR 2023' CARBON FOOTPRINT
We do offset the carbon footprint of each and every of our organizations. To calculate those carbon footprints, we do use the Conservation.org calculator here. Concerning the Pyrénées Hike & Bike Tour, we do calculate the footprint of the whole event: Driving, hotel, meals, etc. excluding the impact of your flights (see below). For 2023, we will offset 1.92 tons.
Royal Asport is a boutique brand born in 1911 in Oloron Sainte-Marie, in the Western Pyrenees. The brand is reviving today with made-to-measure handcrafted frames for gravel and road bicycles, clothing and lot more for passionate cyclists williing to enjoy the Pyrenean art of living.
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