Pyrenees Pro Experience with Ivan Basso

Welcome to the Pyrenees and the start of your Pro Experience!

The Mummu Cycling team will collect you this morning from Toulouse airport or train station and transfer you to our accommodation in the buzzing city centre of Toulouse at the Mercure.

Take some time to check in and settle before joining staff in our allocated bike room who will assist with assembling and fitting bikes ahead of our afternoon warm-up ride around the scenic surrounds of beautiful Toulouse.

There will then be time ahead of our ride depart to grab a bite and check out the vibrant city street surroundings, where countless reputable bars, restaurants and the humming main city square, Place du Capitole are within very close proximity to our centrally located hotel.

Today’s ride will be nice and gentle, all about getting used to the roads, our surrounds and gearing up for some big days on the horizon.

On arrival, we will settle in to watch the stage 5 finish together at the hotel over a well deserved beverage, before taking some time to freshen up and relax. We will then regather for this evening’s welcome group dinner.

Today will be all about conquering bucket list cols as you set out into the heart of the magical Pyrenees !

Enjoy a substantial breakfast, before we begin today’s Pyrenean adventure where we will be tackling the Tour de France prominent Col de Menté that averages a testing 8.7% over 10km and will feature in Stage 8 of the 2020 route. As a ‘warm-up’ ahead of the big one, you’ll travel over the well-known Col de Portet d’Aspet, shorter in distance, yet climbing to a height of over 1000m and reaching gradients just shy of 11%…

Keep in mind that the Mummu Cycling support team will always be near, with assistance where needed…

Your day will certainly take some grit and determination, however the truly surreal landscape and exceptional views, will absolutely make it all-worth the suffering endured!

On arrival back to the hotel, take some time to put the feet up and unwind before enjoying a group dinner to welcome your tour host for the next few days on tour – none other than legendary two-time Giro d’Italia champion and Tour de France Pyrenees successor, Ivan Basso!

Enjoy a more relaxed start this morning…perhaps time to explore the city and treat yourself to that much talked about French croissant or a deserved sleep in?

We will then be setting out from the hotel to start today’s ride, on route to the Stage 7 finish in Lavaur. It’s time to step into the Tour de France circus!

Following a scenic, undulating ride we will arrive in Lavaur in time to change ahead of a big afternoon kicking back in official VIP finish line hospitality – the Izoard, exclusive to select invites and official tour operators.

Here, you’ll be able to enjoy all the stage 7 action over big screen entertainment, French canapés and unlimited beverages, while chatting to tour host, Ivan Basso about his thoughts and stage predictions for the expected thrilling sprint finish to come! With the region well known for it’s forceful winds, however – who knows what sort of finale we could be in for…

You’ll then witness the action live, from an incredible viewing position…get set to cheer your favourite riders on in full force!

Concluding the excitement of the Stage finish and your first taste of Tour de France madness, we will return to Toulouse where the evening will be at your leisure to explore or relax following a big day out.

Today is going to be a cracking day getting right amongst the Tour de France mountain madness!

Following breakfast and checkout, we will set out to the Stage 8 start in Cazeres. Here, you’ll be enjoying exclusive access to the official Tour de France Departure Village and rider pre-race zone.

To start, you’ll be able to kick back over a coffee and local delicacies, while watching the riders sign on for the stage within close proximity and embracing the lively stage start atmosphere. You’ll then have VIP access to the team bus area, where riders tentatively prepare for the stage ahead. A unique opportunity that will allow you to see up-close, all the pre-race rituals, warm-up’s and routines, catch a glimpse of the latest high-tech, advanced equipment on display and if you’re lucky, get your photo with some of the sports biggest names!

Stick with your tour host, Ivan Basso and we’re confident he’ll bump into an old mate or two of the pro peloton…

Once the pros have set off for the stage, we will transfer to our ride start for the day where our focus will be the Pyrenees-famous, Col de Peyresourde. A daunting 15km in length and averaging just over 6%, it won’t be an easy challenge, however as it lies just ahead of today’s stage finish, along the race route, expect to be cheered on by lines of excited, passionate supporters, awaiting the action to come. Also, perhaps a nice chance to quiz Ivan on his racing days…As a former world-class climbing specialist, we’re confident he’ll have a word of advice!

Following a valiant effort, we will gather together to join the energetic fans roadside and embrace the lively, mountain-madness as the world’s best cyclists come flying up there seemingly effortlessly!

Once the peloton has passed, we will transfer to our next destination in Lourdes – the Grand Hotel Moderne, where we will enjoy a well-earned 3 course group dinner to cheers to a big day out at the Tour de France and farewell Ivan, who will be departing this evening.

After breakfast this morning, we will transfer to Arette where we will jump onto the Stage 9 race route to contest the challenging closing 40km to the finish in Larun where you’ll be enjoying an exclusive finish line experience.

First, you’ll have to conquer the Col de Maris-Blanque – a daring 9.5km that averages a steady 7.5%, with cruel ramps of up to 15%…let’s just say, come the summit you will be loving every moment of descent to the finish line.

On arrival to Larun, you will then have the incredible opportunity to pass the barriers at the Flamme Rouge (final km) to ride the last km of Stage 9 and cross the official finish line, a mere hours before the winner claims the stage!

To top, you will then 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 one that we thrive off delivering every time!

Following your winning moment, there will be an opportunity to change before settling in for another expected tense battle to the line…Now that you’ve ridden the final climb of today’s stage, we’ll leave it in your hands to predict who the winner might be. Judging by the profile, it’s safe to assume that it won’t be a sprinter today! Either way, we’ll be toasting champagne all round…

Following the stage action, we will transfer back to Lourdes for our final group dinner to cheers to what we expect has been a special week experiencing the best of the Tour de France through the Pyrenees.

This morning, following breakfast and check-out, the Mummu Cycling team will transfer you to the Lourdes train station, before saying bon voyage and thank you for joining us on tour! We trust that you’ve had a memorable trip and hope to have you back on future experiences.