To all the members of our Taste of the Tour d France 2014 tour :
It's now only 6 months until your cycling trip of a lifetime, although I must warn you that there have been many before you that start off with the intention of crossing the “cycling trip to France” off their bucket list as a once in a lifetime venture only to realize that you can’t do it just the once. This of course is not a bad thing although it may be a little difficult to justify/explain to your non cyclist partner.
I will be sending out a monthly update on your tour as a way of keeping you informed on any changes as well as sharing any useful information. I will try and cover everything you will need to know but I do ask that you don’t hesitate to contact me if there is anything that I have missed.
I will be using this blog for these updates, as well as the updates for this year’s tour this blog follows last year’s tour and will also be used to follow our tour this year. Group members can comment on the updates for all to see offering the opportunity for a group discussion and I encourage you to do this. This blog will also then convert to the live blog of your tour offering the opportunity for your envious friends and deserted partners to keep up with your exploits.
The Itinerary
So first up is the updated itinerary for our tour, please note we work on the basis of flexibility for our itinerary and the day to day routes may change due to the weather, road closures or even group requests. Click here to check out the latest itinerary for your tourHere is the Tour de France route
The French Alps
Our first stop is the mountain village of Venosc, a beautiful village in the Oisans region of
the French Alps riding distance from the base of the infamous Alpe d’ Huez. We
have exclusive use of Chalet Morville for our 7 day stay, a luxury chalet that
features 5 bedrooms all with ensuites, a cinema, an outdoor hot tub and an
infrared sauna.
This is superb accommodation in a stunning location, you
will be treated to a big breakfast every morning and a sumptuous 3 course
dinner including wine on 6 of the evenings.Click here to check out Chalet Morville.
Riding in the French Alps
This region features some amazing cycling including many of
the routes/climbs made famous by the Tour de France and there also plenty of
other equaling amazing routes that are less famous but hidden gems. We’ll be
doing a mixture of both.Here is a link to 30 bicycle touring routes in Oisans, the routes are described as “The discreet”, “The iconic” “The untamed”, I’ve got some hard copies of this guide which I will post out.
Some General Information and Tips
Some of things that you can start thinking about:Passport: You can’t leave home without one, most importantly your passport will need to have a minimum validity of 6 months from the date that you depart Europe ie. The expiry date of your passport must be no earlier than 28th January, 2015 if you are departing France on 28th July, 2014. CHECK THIS NOW just in case you need to renew your passport to comply with this condition, it’s definitely not recommended to try and do this at the last minute I can assure you.
Travel Insurance: You should also take out travel insurance now to cover you for cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances (conditions apply, mostly health issues that prevent you travelling), your travel insurance should cover you for cancellation fees and most importantly UNLIMITED medical expenses whilst overseas.
We are able to offer QBE Travel Insurance at a 20% discount when taken out online, click here to take out QBE Travel Insurance.
Travel Money : I would recommend getting a travel money card of some sort for the trip, there are numerous products out there, the best solution is to find one that you are able to load with foreign currency at the current rates and able to use for purchases without fees, you mostly have to pay a fee for withdrawing cash.
Here are some options:
Global Roaming : You are able to set your phone to roam overseas but beware this can be very expensive and a rude shock when you get your bill on your return home (may also make it hard to justify your next trip with the partner you left behind).
You are able to buy a local sim on arrival but this can be a
very stressful process as you will need to try and work out the instructions
that are also in the local language. A much better option is to buy a glocal
roaming sim before you leave, I have had success with the Woolworths Global Roaming
card, this card allows you to:
· Add a local Australian number so your friends can contact you for the price of a local call
· Add a bundle that includes data so you can use email and internet (this is much much cheaper than paying Telstra overseas rates)
· Track your credit and usage
· Top up easily online.
There are other options out there but I’ve only tested this, here is a link to WoolworthsGlobal Roaming
Well I’m thinking that’s enough to get everyone started, please feel free to leave your comments for all to see especially if you find something that is useful that I have missed.
· Add a local Australian number so your friends can contact you for the price of a local call
· Add a bundle that includes data so you can use email and internet (this is much much cheaper than paying Telstra overseas rates)
· Track your credit and usage
· Top up easily online.
There are other options out there but I’ve only tested this, here is a link to WoolworthsGlobal Roaming
Well I’m thinking that’s enough to get everyone started, please feel free to leave your comments for all to see especially if you find something that is useful that I have missed.
