ITINERARY

RACE TRACK TOUR DE FRANCE
21 stages / 11 different race tracks (some visited more than once)
Estimated kilometers: between 900 and 1,000.

This itinerary may be altered, especially depending on the weather. A heat wave calls for bicycling in the early morning, taking a midday train on non-race days, and bicycling again in the evening to compete connections. We’ve been battered by heat waves the past two summers, which were unusually hot, precisely on the days we chose to ride, so we are due for more normal weather.

ITINERARY
RACE TRACK TOUR DE FRANCE
21 stages / 11 different race tracks (some visited more than once)
Estimated kilometers: between 900 and 1,000.

This itinerary may be altered, especially depending on the weather. A heat wave calls for bicycling in the early morning, taking a midday train on non-race days, and bicycling again in the evening to compete connections. We’ve been battered by heat waves the past two summers, which were unusually hot, precisely on the days we chose to ride, so we are due for more normal weather.

Date Track Bicycle Route
3rd Longchamp (Paris).
Stage 1: round-trip by bicycle 20km 4th Chantilly. (North of Paris) by train.
Stage 2: After races, cycle to Compiègne. 50km 5th Compiègne.
Stage 3. After races, cycle to Creil: 50km. Then take train back to Paris. 6th Train to west Paris suburb.
Stage 4. Cycle west direction of Deauville. To Evreux. 80km
7th Lisieux. Late-afternoon-evening, after Stage 5 Evreux-Bernay-Lisieux. 70km
8th Clairefontaine. Stage 6 Lisieux to Deauville 35km
9th Deauville. Stage 7: bicycle along boardwalk and then to races 10km. Train back to Paris.
Or option to remain in Deauville for another day’s racing.
10th Enghien. Stage 8: Commute from Paris. 35 km. Or we stay in Deauville and bicycle around coast of Normandy.
11th Maisons-Laffitte. Stage 9: Commute between Paris and Maisons-Laffitte, 45 km rd trip.
12th Chantilly. Stage 10: commute one way (return), 40 km 13th rest
14th Longchamp. (Grand-Prix de Paris: Groupe 1 Classic) Stage 11: Commute to Longchamp 20km
15th Maisons-Laffitte or Enghien Stage 12: commute from Paris, 45km
16th Chantilly or rest 17th Train to Laval (west). Stage 13: packed dirt bicycle-path over old railway route, slow going, Laval to Renazé (50km) search for housing.
18th Senonnes-Pouancé (this is a real bush track, with only on-track wagering and no simulcasting) Stage 14: before races, Renazé to Senonnes 20km, and then after races, Senonnes to Chateaubriant 35km
19th Chateaubriant Stage 15: begin long journey, direction Vichy. 75km Chateaubriant-Angers. We’ll be cycling with the sun at our back.
20th No racing: Stage 16: along Loire, try Angers to Tours. 100km or stop at beautiful castles along the way, filling up with classic Saumur and Chinon wines.
21st No racing: Stage 17: Keep going towards Vichy. Number of kilometers depend on weather.
22nd Vichy Stage 18: explore region around Vichy. Kilometers to be determined.
23rd Vichy Stage 19: Morning, explore region around Vichy. Kilometers to be determined. Evening train back to Paris. (With option to remain one more day
in Vichy)
24th Enghien. Stage 20, commute from Paris. 35km
25th Maisons-Laffitte. Stage 21, commute between Paris and Maisons-Laffitte