Cycling in the Alps will get you race fit and taking part in the Cyclotour du Léman will let you practice cycling race skills. As the Tour pros know, racing really is the best form of training.

Tour du Lac Léman Holiday Highlights

• Wednesday 22nd May to Sunday 26th May 2013
• 5 days riding and 4 nights full board accommodation
• Ride the stunning Cyclotour du Léman sportive
• Famous climbs: Col des Mosses (1,445m), Col du Pillon (1,546m) and Col de la Croix (1,778m)

Cyclotour du Léman

This fully catered cycling holiday finishes with the Cyclotour du Léman, one of the most scenic cycling sportives in the world.

Cycling around Lake Geneva is a great way to finish a week of cycling training and with three distances to choose from the Cyclotour du Léman is a sportive perfect for all fitness levels:

• Tour du Lac Léman: 180km tour of Lake Geneva starting and finishing in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne
• Evian to Lausanne: 110km tour from the spa town of Evian-les-Bains in France to Lausanne
• Geneva to Lausanne: 60km along the lake through vineyards and orchards from Geneva to Lausanne

If you are taking on a challenging sportive like the Marmotte or Etape du Tour then you’ll need to include some hill training in your training plan.

Hill climbing is one of the toughest skills to practice when you are training for a sportive as nothing can replicate cycling in the Alps better than the real thing. Our Tour du Lac Léman holiday will help kick start your summer.

Tour du Lac Léman Holiday Schedule

Wednesday – Bike Set Up and Welcome Ride

After the short transfer from Geneva airport we’ll have lunch before setting up the bikes and setting out on a shake down ride to slowly introduce you to riding in the mountains!

An undulating 45km tour from Les Diablerets (1,160m) to the Lac de l’Hongrin dam (1,255m) will slowly acclimatise your legs to the Alps with several short hill climbs of varying lengths and gradients.

Thursday – Col du Pillon and Col des Mosses

After climbing the  Col du Pillon (1,546m) we glide downhill passing idyllic alpine pastures with the sounds of cowbells ringing in our ears until we reach the famous resorts of Gstaad and Château-d’Oex.

After a coffee stop and check on our legs we climb up to the Col des Mosses (1,445m) before cycling home to Les Diablerets to complete this stunning 60km loop.

Climb the Col des Mosses as featured in the Tour de France

Friday – Col de la Croix

Another door to door ride, this time 60km of steady hill training will see you summit one of the highest paved roads in Europe, the Col de la Croix (1,778m).

The coffee stop in the beautiful ski resort of Villars (1,300m) and views of Mont Blanc will keep you going for the second half of  this classic col. Hill climbing is an essential building block in sportive training and your effort on the Col de la Croix will be rewarded later in the season.

Saturday – Vineyards Tour and Olympic Museum

After collecting our race numbers in Lausanne we will take a short ride along the Cyclotour du Léman course and up into the UNESCO World Heritage Lavaux Vineyards.

Our relaxed recce ride will finish with a tour of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne to provide some inspiration ahead of the Cyclotour du Léman sportive tomorrow.

Tonight we stay in Lausanne so that in the morning we are close to the start of the Cyclotour du Léman.

Sportive Sunday –  Tour du Lac Léman

Your cycling training will pay off today when you successfully cycle around Lake Geneva in the Cyclotour du Léman.

After toasting your successful completion of the Cyclotour du Léman we will transfer back to Geneva airport rounding off an awesome sportive training week in the Alps.

Tour du Lac Léman Holiday Package Highlights

• Cost: CHF 1,195
• 5 days riding
• Cyclotour du Léman sportive
• Cycle guiding and vehicle support
• Nutritional bars and gels on the road
• 12 week sportive training plan to get you fit
• Cyclotour du Léman sportive entrance fee included
•  4 nights full board accommodation in a boutique hotel
•  Nutritious all you can eat healthy breakfast
•  Post ride lunch designed for cyclists on the hotel terrace with mountain views
•  Local Swiss wine served with your evening meal
•  Luxury boutique hotel in a traditional Swiss mountain resort
•  Private transfers from Geneva airport