Spring Classics Spectator Tour

Today we head into Belgium to visit its most stunning city – Bruges. This is Belgium’s most perfectly preserved medieval town, and it’s jaw-dropping, beautiful architecture attracts more than two million visitors a year. With its wealth of interesting old buildings and canals, Bruges still retains a distinct medieval air. Take a walk through the narrow streets or a boat trip on the canal and fall under its spell, charmed by the atmosphere of what many consider the most delightful city of Flanders.

Today will be an epic day as you get to experience the Tour of Flanders! We’ll head over to the course early morning, before the roads close. The race brings to area to a halt with its thousands of fans waving their flags, lining many of the tiny farm roads and cobbled sections, waiting in anticipation for the riders! We will head to the fan zone on Oude Kwaremont, a walk of approximately 1.5km along the route, joining hordes of fans in an unbelievable atmosphere! Bars, local food, music, flags, excitement, we will get our spot for the viewing. In the race build up you can even stroll to the Paterberg to see the famous climb, before heading back to our spot. The women’s race tackles this section once, with the men’s passing three times! A real locals day out!

After a whopper day yesterday, today is a more chilled day. We’ll head up to Dunkirk, which hosts the finish of Stage 3 of the 2025 Tour de France! This coastal port town is famous for the Battle of Dunkirk, named Operation Dynamo.  The old port has been developed into a maritime museum, marina and retail area, there’s the beautiful white sandy Plage de Malo les Bains, and the area is famed as a fantastic fusion of French and Flemish cuisine. You will be free to enjoy the area at your leisure. Once back in Lille you’ll have a free evening for dinner on your own.

Today we’ll head to  Flanders Fields starting in Ypres and see Menin Gate which commemorates the 55,000 fallen from the British commonwealth in WW1 between 1914-1918. In Ypres itself is the magnificent 13th Century Cloth Hall which is now a museum. You will have chance to visit the town before we head to Waregem and visit the American War Cemetery.

We’re back on the race circuit and heading to watch the Scheldeprijs! The oldest of the Flanders classics is gradually gaining more recognition. Teams taking part in Flanders and Paris Roubaix will be taking part in this race too. We’ll head over to Schoten early morning and watch the start of the Women’s race, which also finishes here. Then its over to our VIP area for a Welcome Reception. Champagne and Oysters before we settle down to a culinary 4 course lunch on our personalised VIP table. A live broadcast will allow us to follow the races until we see both the Women’s and Men’s race finishes, as they lap 3 times, sprinting to the finish line!  A fantastic day out in this beautiful municipality of Antwerp.

Today will be half a rest day and we’ll take a trip to Roubaix. We’ll visit the famous velodrome and get access to the showers, where many a legend have sealed their win. You can also visit the gift shop to buy any memorabilia, including your own piece of cobble and other Roubaix goodies. It will be great to see the empty velodrome before we head back in 2 days for a very different experience! You’ll have a free afternoon and evening to recharge the batteries.

Belgium’s fourth large and most beautiful city Ghent, is a wonder to visit. It’s pedestrianised city centre is like a museum to early Flemish architecture and a testament to the city’s medieval might. Impressive Gothic sites such as St Bavo’s Cathedral and the Castle of the Counts are a must see! We’ll take a boat trip around Ghent’s inland waterways before you have free time to explore

We’ll visit the famous Flanders museum in Oudenaarde, the town where the Tour of Flanders finished on Sunday!  The entrance hall has each winner’s name displayed on its own cobblestone, an excellent gift shop and is steeped in history. Explaining bikes through the ages, how they were used in the war, a tour through the decades – it’s a must for cycling fans!  After lunch in the peloton café and a short stop in Oudenaarde we will head to the cobbles and Carrefour de l’Arbre and enjoy the amazing atmosphere as thousands of amateur cyclists complete the Paris-Roubaix Gran Fondo. We’ll see if we can catch the Thomson Cyclists on their way past!

VIP Start & Velodrome Finish Could you even think of a better final full day than this? You’ve seen them on the cobbles. You’ve seen them battle it out in Schoten and now you’re going to watch the legendary Paris Roubaix! We’ll leave early and drive to the start where we will have breakfast in a VIP lounge and have access to the exclusive team warm-up and sign-on area! Watch the bikes been prepped, the cyclists warming up and passing by inches from you, as crowds stand behind barriers and you’re in the paddock with the teams. A spectators favourite! As the cyclists head off we’ll get in our private vehicle with its VIP sticker, allowing us to drive on closed roads. We’ll have a mid-race stop to watch the cyclists come past on the cobbles, then we’ll head up to the velodrome. In our VIP area, in the middle of the Velodrome, we can watch the race on giant screens, enjoy the free nibble, canapés, and open bar and get ready to see the cyclists as they head into the velodrome. An exhilarating day.

Unfortunately, our trip must come to an end. You can walk to Lille Europe TGV Railway Station. From here you can catch a high-speed train to Paris downtown or to CDG airport. We hope to see you back in the future. Join us at the Tour Down Under,  Tour de France or La Vuelta.