June 15th - 19th practicebicycle.com - Tour de Suisse 2010

The practice bicycle tour calendar offers you two spectacular cycling holidays in Switzerland in 2010.  The Tour de Romandie in May and Switzerland's No 1 event the major bike tour of the Tour de Suisse in June.

practicebicycle.com - Tour de Suisse is an exclusive opportunity of a 5 day Swiss bike tour in mid June, this early summer month is a beautiful time of the year to visit this uniquely beautiful landscape and a truly authentic experience of Swiss culture awaits you! 

The National Tour of Switzerland is the fourth largest bike race on the International World Calendar after the Tour de France and tours of Italy and Spain.  Each year the race route visits many parts of the Swiss country, for 2010 we have chosen the historic city of Luzern in Central Switzerland for your luxury stay.  Accommodated in the heart of this charming city, the ideal location to enjoy a short Swiss bike tour holiday. 

practice bicycle bike tours for 2010 offer a variety of world class race tours each month, we would like to share with you the thrill and excitement of watching live from the roadside the very best professional bike racers in the world.  Combined with the added opportunity of personalised fully-guided rides, carefully planned and tailored to the ability of our clients, what we like to call the perfect balance of riding and relaxing. 

These speciality bike tours are ideal for the fan of cycling, looking for the experience of watching the best and at the same time experiencing riding on some of the same roads at the same time of the year, all within a quality small group environment.

In addition, at practice bicycle we believe that quality bike riding, sometimes easy, sometimes challenging can only be fully appreciated with an ideal location too rest and relax and experience the local traditions, including the food and wine of the area.  It's why we specialise in the one idyllic location without the additional stress and fatigue of moving on to a different hotel each night.

This ensures that your valuable time is spent with us enjoying a superb bike tour, either riding, being amongst the race action or relaxing, what we like to call ....escapism!

The "Tour de Suisse" race

 The 2010 race will be the 74th edition of this pro tour and World Calendar event and you will see the best professional bike riders in the world at the national tour of Switzerland with "practicebicycle.com - Tour de Suisse".  This major international bike tour along with the "Criterium du Dauphine Libere" (France) are the two most important final preparation stage race's for the Tour de France which follows shortly after in July.

This pro tour event is one of our favourites due to it's close proximity to France and our many frequent enjoyable visits to this wonderful country, so much so that we feel very at home with each visit.  This land locked country is bordered by Germany in the North, Austria and Liechtenstein in the East, Italy in the South and France in the West.  The France - Swiss border is only a short 30min drive from the practice bicycle base in Annecy (France).  It's with great pleasure that we can share with you this exclusive Swiss cycling holiday.  

As you may expect from all things Swiss, this bike race is no different, impeccable organisation throughout and the opportunity to get close to the riders in a relaxed environment in a Swiss start village.  What a perfect opportunity to get that cherished photograph or autograph with your favourite team or rider, it's amazing how amicable and professional these guys are at such an important event as the Tour de Suisse.  You may even get to meet champion cyclists of the past like Alex Zulle or other famous retired Swiss professional stars at a VIP lunch opportunity. 

In 2010 we will enjoy all the pleasures of Central Switzerland from the city of Luzern, with the opportunity to view live from the road side 3 contrasting stages of this magnificent bike race, surrounded by lakes, mountains and rolling green countryside, nothing less than spectacular.  practice bicycle pride ourselves on giving our guests the perfect balance of riding as much or as little as you wish with time to rest and relax and enjoy everything Swiss.

There is a distinctive difference between our signature cycling holiday "Cycling in the French Alps" and a bike tour in Switzerland, these two great cultures differ in many ways, the most obvious being how pristine Switzerland appears.  It's famous for its green pastures, the unusual wildflowers only seen in the Swiss high mountains, not to mention some of the most hospitable and polite people you will ever meet!

In 2009 the Swiss sports star, Fabian Cancellara won a hard fought event through his native high mountains, eventually overcoming the German rider Tony Martin and the 2008 winner Roman Kreuziger (CZE) a possible grand bike tour winner of the future.

The history of Switzerland's national bike tour goes back to 1933, with the very first Tour of Switzerland won by Max Bulla from Austria, since that date many great professional racing cyclists have won this event including Tour de France winners; Eddy Merckx (BEL), Lance Armstrong (USA) and Jan Ullrich (GER).  The English speaking winners have been Sean Kelly (IRL), Phil Anderson (AUS) and Andy Hampston (USA).

 Take a look at the practice bicycle tour Photo Gallery here

Your "Tour de Suisse" brief tour itinerary for 2010

Tue June 15th - Arrival day in Geneva (Switzerland) and transfer to your hotel in Luzern.

Wed June 16th - Ride/relax and view Tour de Suisse Stage 5 - Wettingen - Frutigen.

Thu June 17th - Ride/relax and view Tour de Suisse Stage 6 - Meiringen - La Punt.

Fri June 18th - Ride/relax and view Tour de Suisse Stage 7 - Savognin - Wetzikon.

Sat June 19th - Departure day from Luzern, transfer to Geneva and "Bon voyage".

PLEASE NOTE:  The carefully designed ride options of all the practicebicycle.com itineraries are flexible and can be tailored to meet the requirements and abilities of the specific tour guests.  Each day you have the option to either ride or relax and enjoy the comfort of the support vehicle ( also, ideally suited for the accompanying non-cyclist) we believe that everyone can practicebicycle...as much or as little as you wish.  Should you wish to extend your practicebicycle.com tour with additional days, please contact us. 

For the detailed itinerary for the Tour de Suisse 2010 contact us Click Here

Your "Tour de Suisse" holiday tour includes:

4 nights 4**** Luxury modern hotel in the centre of Luzern (Switzerland).

4 Swiss traditional buffet breakfasts each morning.

Unique and Spectacular live viewing of 3 contrasting stages of the Tour de Suisse 2010 including breathtaking scenery each day of the mountains of central Switzerland.

Superb guided rides, carefully planned, designed and structured with the highest level of safety and tailored for your enjoyment throughout the tour around Lake Luzern, the most beautiful lake in Switzerland.

Qualified professional coaching services and full support of Paul Hughes (highly experienced, qualified Level 2 Australian cycling coach).

Experienced female cycling guide and highly acclaimed International bike racer Bridget Evans and your discoverer of fine gourmet experiences.

Support vehicle, mechanical assistance and a selection of sports drinks & nutrional bars.

Professional "practice bicycle" cycling jersey.

"practice bicycle" -  Swiss welcome pack!

Welcome Aperitif followed by a superb gourmet experience of a traditional dinner of Switzerland with magnificent views of the Swiss mountains.

Swiss gastronomic lunch or dinner in one of the fabulous local restaurants during the 3 stages of the Tour de Suisse.

Small group tailored personal service.

Airport pick-up & drop-off at Geneva International Airport (Switzerland) and practice bicycle transfer to your accommodation in the city of Luzern (tour arrival & departure days).

Cost per person (twin share) AUD $3900.00

(For your convenience click-on the Cost of your chosen tour & Optional Extras to see the price in your local currency.)

To view the Booking Conditions of your cycling holiday click here.

 The "Tour de Suisse" region

For 2010 practice bicycle has chosen central Switzerland and the wonderful city of Lucerne for your unique and idyllic cycling holiday to the "Tour de Suisse".  The city is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and beautifully located on the edge of Lake Lucerne and the River Reuss, surrounded by both Mount Pilatus, the Rigi and the majestic Swiss Alps.  The cities history dates from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 6th century and the influence of the Germanic people.  In 1332, Lucerne along with three other cantons formed the Swiss Confederacy and today the city is the 7th largest in Switzerland.

The medieval Chapel Bridge is one of the cities major structures and is considered one of the oldest covered bridges in Europe, another landmark is the 'Museggmauer' the well preserved fortified town wall and towers.  Lucerne is a city of town squares and churches, with these picturesque squares decorated with historic houses, a good example is the 'Weinmarkt' square in the car-free old town.  Tradition and modern stand side by side in Lucerne with the futuristic Culture and Convention Centre one of the architectural highlights and no visit to Lucerne would be complete without a visit to one of the many Watch shops famous in Switzerland.

On a clear day a trip up one of Lucerne's regional mountains, by either cable car or the worlds steepest cog wheeled train is a must or a steamship cruise on Lake Lucerne with it's many arms and amazing variety of views of the surrounding Swiss mountains.

There will be plenty of time to sample a few of the Swiss traditional dishes of Lucerne including; Alpine Macaroni ('Alpler Magronen') served with apple sauce is as typically Swiss as the holes in Emmental Cheese.  This delicious Alpine speciality found its way from high up on the mountain to the valley below many years ago.  The 'Lozärner Chügelipastete' is the most famous example of local cuisine: a puff-pastry shell filled with diced veal and mushrooms in a creamy sauce and to finish off a must try is the delectable 'pear bread' a sweet Swiss temptation!

With over 10 years of riding, racing and experiencing the thrills of French and Swiss culture, we are delighted to be able to offer you an incredible cycling holiday experience with practice bicycle Tour de Suisse and the opportunity to admire the breathtaking scenery and enjoy the atmosphere that Switzerland is famous for, this trip is perfect for both the cyclist and accompanying non-cycling person and will leave you with memories that will remain with you forever.

Limited places are available for your unique quality cycling holiday with practicebicycle.com register your interest today Click here to start planning your cycling tour!