We will meet you in Geneva to transfer you to your first night’s accommodation in Thonon les Bains. Help will be on hand if you require assistance to build your bike and if time permits, we’ll suggest a suitable gentle route to stretch your legs.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 2,800 Metres Approx.

Climb of the Day: Col de Ramaz

We’ll start the day with a short ride to the lake shore where we can mark the beginning of our journey with that all important group photo before weaving our way through the streets of Thonon to get onto the route.

There is nothing too demanding on the first day and it is a great opportunity to find our climbing legs as we enjoy the spectacular scenery. It is not entirely without challenges however and within the first 11km we will have 3 cols under our belts; Cols des Moises, Mouilles and Jambaz, all just over 1,000m with little descending between them. A little later in the day we come across the Col de Ramaz (1,608m) which will be our biggest test of the day.

Our final challenge of the day delivers us to Megève (1,107m), a luxurious ski resort town, considered to be one of the finest in France. It’s well worth taking a wander round the boutique lined streets later, even if it is just window shopping!

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 3,700 Metres Approx.

Climb of the Day: Cormet de Roselend

Our day begins with a short descent out of town before reaching Col des Saisies at 1,633m, which is quickly followed by the Col du Pré at 1,703m. From the top of the Col du Pré there are beautiful views of the bright blue Cormet de Roselend lake, a great photo opportunity. Both the Saises and the Cormet de Roselend featured in a stage of the 2002 Tour and this was the stage used for the Etape du Tour, the same year.

For much of the day we can admire stunning views of the permanently snow-capped Mont Blanc as it towers above the surrounding peaks.

We finish the day by climbing the first stages of the Col de l‘Iseran, ending in the world famous ski resort of Val d‘Isère, where we will spend the evening.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 3,400 Metres Approx.

Climb of the Day: Col du Galibier

What lies ahead today is likely to be, for many of us, the most challenging stage of our tour. Having climbed approximately two thirds of the Col de l‘Iseran already, we start our day by completing the remaining, and most spectacular, 10kms to reach the summit of the second highest mountain pass in France, where we will regroup, enjoy the magnificent views and wrap up for the lengthy and exhilarating descent to the base of Col de la Telegraph which follows.

We’ll spend the rest of the day in the company of the Telegraph and its big brother, the Col du Galibier, two of the most famous climbs in Tour de France history, which, when paired together as they so often are, make for an unforgettable afternoon’s cycling.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,700 Metres Approx.

Climb of the Day: Col d‘Izoard

A shorter but no less dramatic day awaits which we begin with a morning assault of the stunningly-beautiful Col d‘Izoard, a regular feature in professional cycling and a gateway to the high alps.

On reaching the summit we are welcomed by an unusual and rugged Casse Déserte landscape, where, once again we will don extra layers as we prepare for the descent, two kilometres into which we may wish to pull in to admire the monuments erected to commemorate legendary Tour de France winners Fausto Coppi and Louison Bobet.

Finally, having descended to the town of Guillestre we end the day with the Col de Vars, a spectacularly pretty climb littered with the remains of numerous Napoleonic forts which hark back to the time when this region of the alps was the main frontier between France and Italy.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 3,300 Metres Approx.

Climb of the Day: Col del la Bonette

We have a dramatic, challenging and spectacularly beautiful day in store as we take on the Col de la Bonette. The highest point of the stage, and indeed our entire journey, is the Cime de la Bonette, sitting at 2802 metres above sea level. The cime is in fact a supplementary loop constructed 87 metres higher than the actual mountain pass, built with the sole purpose of putting the region on the map and staking a claim as the highest paved road in Europe and the highest point ever reached by Tour de France.

After admiring the magnificent views from the rarified summit we indulge in a thrilling 26km descent which swiftly delivers us to Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée where we will regroup before dropping even further into the gently-descending Vallée de la Tinnée.

By the time we’ve lost 2000m in altitude it is time to start climbing once again as we embark on the Couillole, a relatively minor col but a dramatic one into an ever-more Mediterranean terrain. We end this fantastic stage with a spectacular descent through the beautiful Gorges de Cians and one final minor climb to the peaceful and secluded hamlet of Puget Rostang.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,500 Metres Approx.

Climb of the Day: Col de Bleine

The high alps and the majority of the climbing might well be behind us but with around 100 miles of fantastic riding still ahead of us, our final day in the saddle still gives us a lot to look forward to.

We begin by retracing the last few kilometres of yesterday’s stage as we drop down to Puget Théniers and cross the Vars river before starting to climb the Col de Saint Raphael. It is the first of a series of relatively minor cols that we will explore via a network of narrow country lanes which wind their way through numerous pretty hamlets and villages such as Sigale and Le Mas.

After completing the Col de Bleine, the last significant asset of our entire journey, we’ll pass through Grasse, capital of the world’s perfume industry and one the French Riviera’s major attractions, before making our way down to sea level, emerging at the coast near to the historic resort town of Antibes.

From Antibes we will make our way along the glitzy coastline of the Côte d‘Azur, ending our adventure on the world-famous Promenade des Anglais where we can celebrate with a glass of bubbly and customary dip in the Med.

• Meals: Breakfast

Alas it is time do bid farewell, hopefully with fond memories and a great sense of achievement. After breakfast, we will transfer to Nice for your onward journey.