Tour de France 2011 - First Rumors

I am starting my France 2011 blog early in hopes that I can convince some people to join me for part or all of the 2011 trip.  My plan is to go to France for about five weeks next summer (anything to get out of the east Texas heat).  You are welcome to join me for part or all of the trip, but I think that six people at any one time is the largest manageable number.

I want to spend about two weeks in the Pyrenees, maybe two weeks in the Alps, and separate the two by  working on my French at Crea Langues in Province for a week.  Ideally, I will leave at the end of June and be back around the beginning of August, but this will depend on airline fares and whether or not I can use my frequent flyer miles to get over there.  The official announcement of the 2011 route will be sometime in early October.  As rumors become more concrete, I think that it would be best to lock in accommodations for the Tour days in late September.  Other accommodations can wait until after the first of the year.

Here are the first rumors of the Tour de France for 2011. It will begin on July 2 in the Vendée department of France located in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean (confirmed).  You can find a map of the first few stages at the following page.  The race will go south for the next few days, then to the Pyrenees, the Alps, and finally Paris.  You can find an early look at what the 2011 route might look like at http://www.steephill.tv/tour-de-france/.


Here would be some good days to see the TDF in the Pyrenees or the Alps.

• Thursday, July 14 - Toulouse to Luz-Ardiden with Aspin (1C), Tourmalet (HC),
  Luz-Ardiden (HC).  Luz Ariden is just up the road from Saint Savin and the Lantern Rouge.
• Friday, July 15 - St. Gaudens to Limoux with Larrieu (3C), Port (2C), Montségur (2C), Saint-Benoit (3C).  It's a pretty good bet that the route will go through Massat and pass Les Deux Velos on the way up the Col du Port.
• Tuesday, July 19 - Dignes - Risoul with Allos (1C), Vars (1C), Risoul (1C).  It will go right through Barcelonette.  I stayed at the Hotel du Cheval Blanc in Barcelonette this summer.
• Thursday, July 21 - Pinerollo - Col du Lautaret with Mont-Cenis (HC), Télégraphe (1C), Galibier (HC).  If you stay in Le Freney d'Oisans, it's easy to get to the Galibier and Alpe d'Huez.  I have heard that L'Auberge du Freney d’Oisans might be a good place to stay.
• Friday, July 22 - Bourg d'Oisans - L'Alpe d'Huez avec Grand Cucheron (2C), Glandon (HC), L'Alpe d'Huez (HC)

Paddy Sweeney of the Lantern Rouge thinks that the Etape du Tour will be in Brittany this year because that's where Hinault hails from.  This means that the Etape would be during the first part of July.  Others say that the Etape will follow the Bourg d'Oisans - L'Alpe d'Huez route.