With the Grand Depart of the 2025 Tour de France from Lille, a ride in France taking in the spectacle!
Thursday 3rd or Friday 4th July to Monday 7th July 2025
Day One Thursday 3rd July: Ferry to France, check in at hotel – afternoon bike ride 57km (or RandoRail) …. VeloRail (RandoRail) at 3pm + Rides
Day Two Friday 4th July: Cycle ride to the coast 110km (or Ferry to France, check in at hotel – afternoon bike ride) Ride Start at 9am Ave Bernard Chochay Rond Pont D342 / D192 Lumbres.
Day Three Saturday 5th July: Ride out to watch The Tdf Stage 1 Caravan and Peleton Roadside 84km ….. UPDATE: Ride starts at 11.30am Ave Bernard Chochay Rond Pont D342 / D192 Lumbres. Dress Code Standard (Blend) or Original jersey.
Day Four Sunday 7th July: Ride out to watch The Tdf Stage 2 Caravan and Peleton Roadside 84km UPDATE: Ride starts at 11.45am Rond Pont D342 / D192 Lumbres. Dress Code ‘Mondrian’ jersey.
Day Five Monday 8th July: Check out of hotel then drive towards Channel Ports. Park up then ride out to watch The Tdf Stage 3 Caravan and Peleton Roadside 69km before returning to car and catching evening ferry home UPDATE: Ride starts at 1.30pm Ave Anthony Caro, Bourbourg (midway between Dunkerque and Calais near the A15 Autoroute junction). Dress Code ‘Peugeot’ jersey.
Watching the tour, involves standing at the roadside for two hours and then seeing a peleton fly by in seconds. This may sound odd, but in fact it is very social and there is the fun of trying to catch as many free gifts as one can from the Commercial Caravan (a procession of advertising vehicles that drive the route ahead of the peleton). The atmosphere is buzzing and social, although one is not always aware of what is evolving in the race, there is an awe as they speed by with a huge sense of occasion … people love it but remember that you can’t follow the action unless on your phone or at an amenity such as a local bar or a minuciple ‘big screen’ (if available), it is just about witnessing a spectacle. You’ll never forget it and most people go back and do it again (this writer is into double digits for visiting the tour live at the roadside).
The rides we devised involve a loop which rides out to the Tour to watch the race go by then rides back in the second half of the loop. It may be possible to catch the Tour twice during the Boulougne stage.
DAY FIVE … Tour de France 2025 Stage Three
DAY FOUR … Tour de France 2025 Stage Two
DAY THREE … Tour de France 2025 Stage One
DAY TWO … Ride to Hardelot Plage
DAY ONE: Ferry, Short rides and Velorail Fun!
Riders booked their own Ferry and drove over (Two persons per car with bikes is optimal) and booked the hotels and gites individually. Details of ferries is set out below.
MEMORIES FROM OUR PREVIOUS TOUR de FRANCE TRIPS IN 2022 AND 2023…..
2022 DUNKERQUE & CALAIS
2023 PARIS
FERRIES
We recommend going on the Dover – Calais route as Dunkerque is likely to be busy on the return day (due to Le Tour de France). Calais is also nearer to our intended location.
8.15am from Dover on 3rd July and 22.25 (or 19.00) from Calais on 10th July around £260 with car and two persons (RIDERS HAVE ALEADY BOOKED THESE CROSSINGS, SO YOU WILL FIND CLUBMATES ON BOARD)
Not yet available at the time of this article
Not yet available at the time of this article
