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 rest day.  We are heading off to our next hotel in  Verviers, in the heart of the Ardennes. Verviers is a city known for its fountains and the river De Weser that crosses the entire city. An easy afternoon of free time  to explore the local town and then a visit to the local Chocolate factory, to recharge the batteries for the 6 days ahead!

Today we’ll visit Holland and the beautiful town of Maastricht. It has become well known through the Maastricht treaty and as the birth place of the euro. It has 1,677 national heritage buildings, the second highest number in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam. You will have free time to enjoy a self guided short walking tour of 3km, taking in all the important sights of this quaint little town, or simply enjoy sitting in one of the many street cafes. We’ll head back to Verviers mid afternoon

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.

When you’re able to visit 4 countries in one trip, then why not?! A short trip over the border brings us to Aachen. Some people say that the special feature of Aachen is its location in the border triangle Germany – the Netherlands – Belgium. Other people think it is Aachen Cathedral that attracts numerous visitors to the city. We say it is both – and many things more. But find out yourself what makes the most western metropolis in Germany so special

Today we head back to our first hotel and after lunch 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!

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. Our shuttle will take you 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 Giro,  Tour de France or La Vuelta.