GIANT VIP TOUR'09

Dates: July 20th-26th 2009

Price: €2.750  (Single supplement, €700)

Registration period: SOLD OUT.


 

 

 

 

Dream landscapes, legendary climbs, cuisine for connoiseurs, surprising museums, exquisite hospitality. All this, and more, is offered by the GIANT VIP TOUR – an extraordinary holiday for lovers of cycling, travelling and life, all in six marvellous days divided between the Basque Country (one of Lonely Planet's Top 10 Best, Must-see, Destinations for 2009) and the French Pyrenees, through green valleys and along an amazing coastline, with visits to the best restaurants and climbs up cycling legends like the Tourmalet or the Aubisque.

What more could anyone who loves cycling and life ask for?

We’ll help you to cycle without any worries. What’s more, the restaurants and hotels have been especially chosen in order to make your stay with us a delight for all your senses. From the moment you set foot in Bilbao Airport until the moment you have to leave you’ll have the pleasure of being treated like royalty. You won’t have to worry about a thing, since at every moment we’ll be available for your every need. We’ve taken great care to plan for everything you may need during these few days. For example, you’ll be able to enjoy a GIANT of composite, and we’ll even invite you to a beer when you fancy one!
 

PROGRAMME:

Monday: We’ll pick you up at Bilbao Airport and take you to the Gran Hotel Durango (4 stars) where we’ll provide something to eat and drink while you settle in. Then our technicians will prepare your bike to your individual measurements, before a meeting with all the participants to discuss the details of the holiday and then dinner.

Tuesday: After a sumptuous breakfast we’ll set off towards the Basque coast, climbing a couple of small cols on the way. We’ll stop in the pretty fishing village of Lekeitio for a bite to eat and then we’ll make our way back to Durango, making about 80 km in total. Back to the hotel for a shower and lunch. In the afternoon a bus will take us to visit Bilbao for a guided tour of the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, through Gaztelugatxe, a marvelous lanscape in the coast of Biscay. Afterwards we’ll enjoy the Basque cuisine in one of the top restaurants in the city (Etxanobe, one Michelin Star) before returning to the hotel.

 Guggenheim Bilbao Museum

Wednesday: After breakfast we’ll cycle off to the enchanting Atxondo Valley, where, local legend has it, “you can hear the silence”. Then we’ll return to the hotel for a shower and a snack before driving down to the famous bodega of Marqués de Riscal, wine cellar, in La Rioja, in Álava (Euskadi). There we’ll be able to see how a good wine is made as well as enjoying the local gastronomy.

Thursday: Early breakfast today, so as to travel by bus to the heart of the French Pyrenees near Argeles Gazost. Lunch on the way. As soon as we arrive to the charming Hotel Le Viscos (3*), we’ll pick up our bikes to climb one of the Tour’s great ascents, the Col de l’Aubisque, riding through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Pyrenees: the "Cirque du Litor". Dinner in the hotel.

Friday: The big day on the GIANT VIP TOUR, as today it’s time to face probably the most famous of all climbs in world cycling, the Col du Tourmalet. We’ll stop for a good while at the top and have lunch in its famous restaurant. Back to the hotel for a shower and then, in the afternoon, we’ll travel by bus to the beautiful village of Gavarnie, a World Heritage Site. After a visit to the valley which takes you to the highest waterfall in Europe we’ll have dinner in the Restaurant Les Cascades. Then back to the hotel.

Saturday: After breakfast we'll cycle off to Cauterets and Pont D'Espagne, a marvelous climbing surrounded with waterfalls. Back to the hotel for a shower and lunch. In the afternoon we will visit Lourdes. Dinner in the Hotel. 

Sunday: After breakfast, we’ll set off for the Bilbao airport. En route, a chance to take a look at the week’s  photos, a DVD of which will be given to each participant.

 

WHAT’S INCLUDED ON THE GIANT VIP TOUR?

  • We meet you at Bilbao Airport and provide transport back again on arrival and departure. 

  • Accommodation in 4-star hotels (Basque Country) and 3-star (France) with buffet breakfast included in double rooms. (Contact us if you prefer a single). 

  • All meals, some in highly rated restaurants. 

  • All drinks at rest stops during the excursions. 

  • Bus or van for transport between stages. 

  • Insurance for accidents. 

  • Free bag with cycling clothes. 

  • Availability of top of the range GIANT bikes for use during the trip. 

  • Guides for all excursions. 

  • We’ll be joined by ex professional cyclists. 

  • Souvenir DVD with photos. 

  • Guided visit to Bilbao Guggenheim Museum . 

  • Support van with spare parts and provisions for all stages. 

  • Route map for all stages.

 

BOOK YOUR SPOT NOW, reservations are open: If you are interested in this trip, book your spot now. Go to online reservation form. After fill in it we'll send you the account to pay a deposit of €500, and before july you must pay the totality.