Massif Central Experience

Welcome to Cognac and the start of your Tour de France experience!

The Mummu Cycling team will collect you mid-morning from Gare d’Angoulême train station (there is a direct TGV from Paris), before transferring  to our premium accommodation in the heart of the stunning historic city of Cognac, renowned for its incredible brandy and hugging the charming Charente river.

On arrival, take some time to check-in and settle, before joining our team in our allocated bike room. Here, they will assist you with assembling and fitting bikes ahead of this afternoon’s warm-up ride.

You will then have opportunity to explore and grab a bite, before we set out on a short, scenic 30km spin, to appreciate our stunning vineyard prominent surroundings and get the legs into gear following travel.

On arrival back, you will have time to freshen up, before we transfer to enjoy an an exclusive meet and greet with a professional team on their rest day. This will be an incredible chance to see how the team operate, prepare and reset on their ‘day off’. You’ll gather some fantastic insight from the riders and the ‘team behind the team’ of mechanics, to sporting directors and beyond. Get your questions and cameras ready!

On return, we will enjoy a group welcome dinner at the hotel to cheers to the exciting Tour de France adventures that lie ahead.

Today, you will officially step right into the Tour de France bubble as we set out to witness the Stage 10 action LIVE!

Following an early breakfast, we will transfer in vehicles to the Start in Île d’Oléron – a distinct island off the west coast of France,  joined to the mainland by a bridge…not a bad back-drop for a stage start!

You will then enjoy an exclusive opportunity to ride off the official start line, on closed roads, just hours ahead of the pros themselves and within the Tour de France race caravan!

This unique experience is a huge privilege we can deliver as an official Tour Operator and an occasion that will absolutely have you glowing Tour de France excitement from start to finish.

Expect to have lively-passionate crowds cheering you on as you make your way off the start line and along the race route. We will ride 50km before setting up roadside along the coast to kick back over a picnic lunch as we await the pros to fly by and show us how it’s done! Get set to cheer like mad for your favourite riders…

Once the race has passed, we will transfer back to Cognac where the evening will  be yours to relax and unwind or explore our humming surroundings.

This morning, following breakfast, you will set out on a stunning scenic ride along the Charente river and Cognac’s idyllic surrounding, quiet roads.

On return, take the time to shower and check-out before we take a short walk to Martell, one of the city’s oldest Cognac houses, founded way back in 1715. Here, you will enjoy an immersive Cognac tour + tasting experience that will undoubtedly have you leaving with a much greater appreciation for the distilled liqueur and the dedicated history, knowledge and passion behind it. When in Cognac, right?

Concluding your experience, we will transfer to our next destination in Brive-la-Gaillarde where you will be staying at a gorgeous 4* boutique hotel, located right in the heart of the vibrant, medieval town, rich in culture and history…

On arrival, we will set up to watch the flat Stage 11 finale together and another expected sprint battle! Perhaps a Sagan, Ewan, Viviani fight…who will you be backing?

You can then take this evening to explore our lively surroundings and enjoy dinner at your leisure.

This morning, enjoy a substantial breakfast to fuel well ahead of a challenging ride on the radar!

Today, we’ll be transferring to our ride start where you’ll be setting out into the hills to tackle part of today’s undulating race route (on course) into the finish in Sarran. Following a few flatter, sprint-dominated days on tour, we’re confident the climbers will be warmly welcoming some vertical metres today! Also, now the perfect opportunity for you to put your legs to the test and have a crack (if you so desire) in the hills!

Your key challenge of the day lies up the slopes of the testing Suc au May climb – 5.7km and averaging a tough 8.8% with viciously steep ramps of up to 22%! A bit of grit, determination and suffering later and you’ll be arriving to its summit shattered, yet satisfied and elated. Well worth it for the stunning panoramic views on offer atop.

On arrival to Sarran, you will then have the incredible opportunity to pass the barriers at the flamme rouge (final km) to ride the last km of Stage 12 and cross the official finish line, just hours before the winner claims the stage.

To top, you will take a step onto the champions podium for a celebratory photo and pose, before exploring the ‘winners zone’ where post-race interviews take place. This is a very privileged experience granted to official tour operators of the Tour de France and will certainly be one for the memory books!

Following your winning moment, we’ll set up roadside over a picnic lunch to get amongst the finish line festivities, while awaiting the final thrilling moments of stage 12 and what could well prove a critical day for key overall contenders.

Concluding another dose of Tour de France live action, we will transfer back to Brive-la-Gaillarde, where the evening will be yours free to rest or explore the buzzing city centre.

Today, you will experience Tour de France hospitality at its greatest!

Following breakfast, we will transfer via vehicles to our ride starting point for the day along the Stage 13 race route. You will then ride along the official course, that travels along a tough, mountainous route. Safe to say, by the time you arrive at our on-course hospitality zone for the day, the Relais Etape, you’ll be more than ready for what lies ahead!

The Relais Etape is an exclusive hospitality experience, offering a real day of ‘special treatment’ that will have you sitting down to a divine three course long-lunch, paired with unlimited delicious local French wine, while watching the Stage 13 action from big screen entertainment, amidst some star-studded company…

As the atmosphere continues to grow, you’ll soon see the promo caravan, followed by the peloton blitz by seemingly effortlessly…by now you’ll be glowing with excitement, chanting support at your favourite riders and embracing the lively Tour de France buzz that surrounds!

Concluding a huge day out riding and in hospitality, we will transfer back to our accommodation. The Mummu Cycling staff will assist you with packing bikes ahead of tomorrow’s depart and this evening, we’ll enjoy a final group dinner to toast to what we’re confident has been a fantastic week on tour.

This morning, following breakfast and checkout, we will transfer to the Stage 14 start in Clermont-Ferrand where you will experience ‘Departure Village’ Tour de France hospitality, another asset we have privileged access to as an Official Tour Operator.

Here, you’ll be able to kick back over local delicacies and enjoy the humming, excited pre-start atmosphere, while seeing the riders step onto the stage for official sign-on. You’ll then enjoy exclusive access to the team bus area, where riders will be all-go, tentatively preparing for the stage ahead. A unique opportunity that will allow you to see up-close, all the pre-race rituals and routines, catch a glimpse of the latest advanced equipment on display and if you’re lucky, get your photo with some of the sports biggest names.

Following the Stage start, in the afternoon we will transfer for departures. This tour has been designed to link in with our Alps and Pyrenees experiences, so all guests continuing on to the Alps will transfer to Grenoble, or alternatively ‘Lyon’ on route.

We’ll then say Bon Voyage and cheers to a fantastic Massif Central Experience. We trust you’ve had a great tour with Mummu Cycling and hope to have you back with us again soon!