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Kick With Us
Welcome to kick with us!
It's appropriate to start with Kick With Us video presentation to keep you in a right mood:
Riding some stages with us, you can enjoy this beautiful land, without the strain of kicking three weeks. We, on the other hand, like the strain and don't want to miss a single kilometer. This is the celebration Tour de France and course is said to be more scenic than ever before.
Kick France will include 21 stages, 4 easy, 12 hard and 5 really hard plus 2 rest days. You are invited to kick with us any number of stages you wish. Following is a short description of our 21 days of fun(?).
For those of you wishing to take part on several stages, consider Sunny Corsica long weekend (From Bastia thursday 27.6. to Calvi sunday 30.6.) or King of the Alps week (From Givors saturday 13.7. to Annecy friday 19.7.)
There will be often a transfer between stages. Three of them are especially long. Calvi to Nice by ferry, Pyrenees to Nantes by car and Annecy to Paris by car or train. After long transfers there will be a short day or rest day to make things easier.
How to take part?
Enter latest till April 30th 2013 via e-mail mailto:info@kickfrance2013.comPlease mention these details:
- Name, surname, date of birth
- address
- stages you want to kick
- anything you want to tell us
We will precise the terms and conditions of the Kick With Us and the final fee till May 15th 2013, we will mail you all detailed information.
Then it is your time for your decision. YES – I GO / NO I DO NOT and your payment till some June 5th 2013 latest.
Introduction and basic terms and conditions here:
DOWNLOAD - KickWithUs - basic terms and conditions (.pdf)
And now? It is time to go!!!!
1/ Friday 28 June 2013 - Porto-Vecchio > Bastia - 212 km, hard, flat.
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
We'll set a base camp near Bastia, and drive early in the morning to Porto-Vecchio for our Grand Depart. Glass of champagne, Jan gives a speech to the audience, girls wave us goodbye, Porto Vecchio is woken up with a magnificent fireworks show and Johnny Cash plays 'Thrni si Nohou' his first ever single in Czechish.
It's rare the Tour de France starts with a road stage instead of prologue time trial. This is great for us. There will be three time trials giving us extra rest days during the tour.
Favorite for the stage: Vaclav Liska, André Greipel of our team.
Places of interest: Coastal road between 80 and 100km markers, beach by the finishline.
|
sunrise |
Porto-Vecchio |
Porto-Vecchio again |
Bastia |
sunset |
|
05:50:00 |
09:00:00 |
12:00:00 |
21:00:00 |
21:00:00 |
2/ Saturday 29 June 2013 - Bastia > Ajaccio - 154 km, hard, low mountains
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
|
sunrise |
Bastia |
Col de Vizzavona |
Ajaccio |
sunset |
|
05:50:00 |
09:00:00 |
17:00:00 |
19:00:00 |
21:00:00 |
3/ Sunday 30 June 2013 - Ajaccio > Calvi - 145 km, hard, hills,hills
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Favorite for the stage: Alpo Kuusisto, Joop Zoetemelk of our team.
|
sunrise |
Ajaccio |
Porto |
Calvi |
sunset |
|
06:00:00 |
09:00:00 |
14:00:00 |
18:00:00 |
21:10:00 |
4/ Monday 1 July 2013 - Nice > Nice - team time trial - 25 km, easy, flat
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Ferry from L'Ile-Rousse departs at 7 and lands in Nice 13 o'clock with plenty of time to kick the day's stage. This will be a much appreciated first rest day for us. Three first days are all tough and we'll be tired here already for sure. Short stage goes through downtown Nice, first west and north along the valley of Var, then back the same way. We might stop for some shopping and naturally enjoy a swim after the stage.
Nice is the place to fly to reach first stages of le Tour, so we expect to see lots of cycling fans here. For night life Nice is, a bit hotter place than Calvi. We have 220km tomorrow, sorry girls.
Favorite for the stage: Michal Kulka, ..... of our team.
Places of interest: Wayne's, High Club
|
Ferry from L'Ile- Rousse |
Ferry to Nice |
Promenade des Anglais |
sunset |
Wayne's closes |
|
07:00:00 |
13:00:00 |
15:00:00 |
21:10:00 |
01:00:00 |
5/ Tuesday 2 July 2013 - Cagnes-sur-Mer > Marseille - 219 km, hard, flattish
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
The difficulty on this stage comes from the 220 kilometers. That's 12 hours working time and probably 15 hours from start to finish. This is also very populated area with lot of traffic and probably some big roads. With good luck there might be more of the scenes below. Exact route is revealed in May, but guess is this is not the best stage to enjoy the tour atmosphere. But this is hard work and that's fun too.
For followers, I'd recommend taking a train to Marseille to enjoy this huge city, that is also the European culture capital of 2013. For program see http://www.mp2013.fr/
Favorite for the stage: Jarda Odvarka, Ivan Basso of our team.
Places of interest: City events, Les Calangues
|
sunrise |
Cagnes-sur-Mer |
Vidauban? |
Marseille |
sunset |
|
05:55:00 |
07:00:00 |
14:00:00 |
21:00:00 |
21:20:00 |
6/ Wednesday 3 July 2013 - Aix-en-Provence > Montpellier - 176 km, hard, flat
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Today is a totally flat stage, that can be almost easy if the winds are with us. A little disappointingly, the route makes a big arc passing the famous Camargue natural park from the north.
Montpellier, the stage finish city is large but charming and flourishing old town. It has also been an important scholar center through the last millennia, it's university sporting world renowned talents Nostradamus and Enver Hoxha.
I have been highly recommended to visit Nimes. But have always missed it by few dozen kilometers, and will do so this time as well. Schade.
Favorite for the stage: Rene Koning, ... of our team.
Places of interest: Camargue, Nimes
|
sunrise |
Aix-en-Provence |
Arles |
Montpellier |
sunset |
|
06:00:00 |
07:00:00 |
12:00:00 |
17:00:00 |
21:30:00 |
7/ Thursday 4 July 2013 - Montpellier > Albi - 205 km, hard, hills
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Today we will exit the populated coastal area and cross southern parts of massif Central mountains to finish in Albi. Scene makes a transition from beauty of culture to beauty of nature. More hills and very importantly: significantly less cars. Today is the first day to combine really long distance and hills. Quite clearly the hardest day so far. We have now been kicking for one week and this stage could be a good indication how the tour is going to develop for us. Kick this kind of rolling over 200km stage in schedule and the whole tour seems quite possible. Struggle here and the next two days will be killers.
Favorite for the stage: .... ,nutritional supporter (a cook) of our team.
Places of interest: Albi, Gorges du Tarn
|
sunrise |
Montpellier |
Lacaune? |
Albi |
sunset |
|
06:20:00 |
07:00:00 |
14:00:00 |
20:00:00 |
21:40:00 |
8/ Friday 5 July 2013 - Castres > Ax 3 Domaines - 194 km, hard, mountains
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Stage Starts flat, with some remnants of nice limestone cliffs of yesterday. It's a long day but to the afternoon we can take it easy with just few hills, no tougher than what we are used to. But theres nervous anticipation in the air ... at 120km road gradually turns to uphill that gets steeper and steeper, eventually leading to Col de Pailhares, our introduction to the Pyrenees and the first real mountain of the tour. It should be noted that this mountain is also: the hardest single climb of the whole Tour! Harder than anything on the Alps. That's a way to build the course boys. ”Heti paukusta luu kurkkuun ja jauhot suuhun” as Hannu would say.
We'll probably end up walking, to keep the team together. If the weather is fine, it's gonna be beautiful. In the other case, it's gonna be cold. To top off the stage, there's a very steep 600m climb to the finish. Check the Tdf 2010 video when these two mountains were climbed together:
Favorite for the stage: Someone spirited enough to attack even if knowing he'll die later, Thomas Voeckler of our team.
Places of interest: Pyrenees
|
sunrise |
Castres |
Quillan |
Ax Trois Domaines |
sunset |
|
06:20:00 |
07:00:00 |
14:00:00 |
21:00:00 |
21:40:00 |
9/ Saturday 6 July 2013 - Saint-Girons > Bagnères-de-Bigorre - 165 km, very hard, mountains
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
If you love climbing, and downhills, you better not miss this stage. If you favor flatland on the other hand, there's hardly a single kilometer for you today. Mountain stages do not get much harder than this. We will stop to honor Fabio Casartelli, a young most talented biker who crashed and died in the descent of Portet-d'Aspet during Tour 1995.
We will score Col de Portet-d'Aspet, Col de Menté, Col de Peyresourde, Col de Val Louron-Azet and Hourquette d'Ancizan. These passes need to be kicked up. Otherwise it will take 20 hours to finish the stage.
This is already fifth hard day in a row and the group might split up, the last arriving on the finishline long after dark. There's a rest day coming, so it's also a celebration of conquering the Pyrenees. Anyone reaching this far has made a huge kick effort that in my opinion is so far unrivalled in the scooter history.
Favorite for the stage: ..., physiotherapist of our team.
Places of interest: All the mountains. Fabio Casartelli memorial
|
sunrise |
Saint Girons |
Bagneres-de-Luchon |
Bagneres-de-Bigorre |
sunset |
|
06:20:00 |
07:00:00 |
13:00:00 |
21:00:00 |
21:40:00 |
Sunday 7 July 2013 - rest day (Road trip to Nantes)
After a late night, heavy sleep and breakfast, we start 600-700km drive to Saint Nazaire in the north. Remember to bring neck pillows for sleeping in the car. Hopefully we have some strength left to kick half an hour in the midway to strecth our legs a bit. We will be riding through Champagne county so let's remember to get the celebration bottle for Champs Elysees here.
Favorites for the stage: xx , the drivers of our team.
Places of interest: Bordeaux, Atlantic Coast
|
sunrise |
Bagneres-de-Bigorre |
Bordeaux |
Nantes |
sunset |
|
06:20:00 |
09:00:00 |
13:00:00 |
18:00:00 |
21:55:00 |
10/ Monday 8 July 2013 - Saint-Gildas-des-Bois > Saint-Malo - 193 km, hard, low hills
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
This 200km ride is supposed to be our warm up/rest day. Early start, slow pace, few hours siesta and late finish is the recipe. We have rest days both before and after so no tight schedules.
Bretagne is not completely flat so we will see some easy rolling hills on the way. Overall pleasant French kick roads. Not too heavy traffic either. Unjust for French landscapes, the only thing we probably enjoy here is food and sleep.
Favorite for the stage: xx ,nutritional supporter (a cook) of our team.
Places of interest: Saint-Malo oceanside
|
sunrise |
SGDB |
Paimpont swim? |
Saint-Malo |
sunset |
|
06:10:00 |
07:00:00 |
12:00:00 |
20:00:00 |
21:55:00 |
11/ Tuesday 9 July 2013 - Avranches > Mont Saint-Michel - individual time trial - 33 km, easy, flat
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Important time trial for the cyclists, easy recovery for us. Route takes about two hours at easy pace – just right to keep the legs going. The finishline is on Mont Saint Michel, one of the most visited tourist attractions in France, so this is clearly the tourist day for us.
In the evening we'll have a two hour drive to the next stage start at Fougeres.
Favorite for the stage: Pavlina Soukupova, the photographer of our team.
Places of interest: The Mont Saint-Michel
|
sunrise |
Avranches |
Mont Saint-Michel |
|
sunset |
|
06:10:00 |
11:00:00 |
13:00:00 |
|
21:55:00 |
12/ Wednesday 10 July 2013 - Fougères > Tours - 218 km, hard, flat
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Similarly to the fourth and fifth stages in the south, the challenge today are the 200 plus kilometers. No hills whatsoever and even winds are more likely with than against us. Let it roll - Let the bike do the work for you. This is a start for a hard four day block that finishes with 240km stage to Mont Ventoux. Not wearing out our legs is priority one.
Scenery is, like two days ago, pleasant French landscape. Towards the end we'll arrive to Loire valley, which is rich in French cultural history with magnificent chateaus and gardens. I'm certain we don't stop to play kick hide and seek in Villandry park maze.
Favorite for the stage: Honza Horak, equipment specialist of our team.
Places of interest: Langeais castle, Villandry castle park mazes, Tours historic center.
|
sunrise |
Fougeres |
La Fleche? |
Tours |
sunset |
|
06:10:00 |
07:00:00 |
14:00:00 |
20:00:00 |
21:55:00 |
13/ Thursday 11 July 2013 - Tours > Saint-Amand-Montrond - 173 km, hard, low hills
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
We are approaching the Massif Central hills with another nice but long and tiring day. These four days from Wednesday to Saturday will take us in a straight line diagonally across France and comprehensively teach us how big country France really is. Better to find yourself a good answer to question: ”Why am I doing this?” and learn that answer by heart. You'll need it.
If someone can still enjoy the nice landscape he is a superhuman. But let's try even for a moment. Ten hours a day is a lot for pure grinning and pushing forward.
Favorite for the stage: Petr Novotny, you helped us get this far, from now on it's more mental than physical.
Places of interest: Visions of the Alps inside our heads
|
sunrise |
Tours |
Chateauroux |
Saint-Amand-Montrond |
sunset |
|
06:10:00 |
07:00:00 |
14:00:00 |
18:00:00 |
21:45:00 |
14/ Friday 12 July 2013 - Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule > Lyon - 212 km, hard, hills
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
This is the only stage of 2013 in the Massif Central. These old rounded mountains make up the central part of France. Landscape is barren, quiet and open. There's small roads with not too much traffic. This is absolutely great kicking terrain, and there's enough of it for a week or two of enjoyable touring. Unfortunately we will have to cross this area in one day. Tour organizers have thrown in two steep hills: the Côte de la Croix Rousse and the Côte de La Duchère right before the finish in Lyon to entertain the spectators. If you have decided to join us for the Ventoux Day or the whole Alpine Week this is a good place to meet us and encourage us through the final kilometers. I won't promise we are smiling though.
We will absolutely need some macigian this evening to heal our legs.
Lyon offers superb evening life on numerous riverside terasses. It's a really big city too. As a tourist you will find entertainment for days here.
Favorite for the stage: Petr Bouzek, masseur of our team.
Places of interest: Massif Central, Lyon
|
sunrise |
SPSS |
Villefranche-sur-Saone |
Lyon |
sunset |
|
06:10:00 |
07:00:00 |
19:00:00 |
21:00:00 |
21:35:00 |
15/ Saturday 13 July 2013 - Givors > Mont-Ventoux - 242 km, too hard, mountain
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Similarly to the entry to the Pyrenees a week earlier, we now enter the alps with a long stage that starts flattish and finishes with huge climbing. Differences to Pyrenees are:
1) we are very tired now, bad
2) this stage is 50km longer, bad bad!
3) we have a rest day coming, salvation!!
Tactic is following: We'll treat this stage as 220km hilly one. We'll ride 14 hours from morning to night and finish on the foot of the climb. Eat, sleep, survive. Two o'clock wake up. Start the 20km climb, with hopefully some friends to share this night with us and encourage (whip) us up the mountain.
Mont ventoux night climb is a classic. It is a lonely mountain with flat landscape far far to the southwest and that makes it so magnificent. When sun rises for you on the top the plains are still dark but soon you can see the daylight chasing the shadow of the night westward across the plains. And here some breakfast - Armstrong´s attack on Ventoux´last passages:
Favorite for the stage: Luc Teilles, the record holder
Places of interest: clear skied sunrise, Tom Simpson memorial
|
sunrise |
Lyon |
Valence |
sunset |
Bedoin |
|
06:10:00 |
08:00:00 |
15:00:00 |
21:25:00 |
22:00:00 |
|
sunset |
Bedoin |
Chalet-Reynard |
Mont Ventoux |
sunrise |
|
21:25:00 |
02:30:00 |
04:30:00 |
05:30:00 |
06:08:00 |
R2/ Sunday 14 July 2013 - rest day in the Vaucluse
This is a good day to join us for a sunny mountainside picnic. Baquette, big sortiment of cheeses and fruits, maybe a wine for support team and riders with us. If we are able to arrange it, we'll camp high on Mt. Ventoux to use our only chance during the Tour to actually see the cycling race. And what a day it is to watch the race: Today is Bastille Day, the French national day, and all shops and offices will be closed. The Mountain will be FULL of people. This is why I wrote: IF we are able to arrange a camping place.
16/ Monday 15 July 2013 - Vaison-la-Romaine > Gap - 168 km, hard, low mountains
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
This is the day between rest days we should take really easy. Shortish stage. A bit hilly but now we can afford to even walk the hills. Tour is having a total rest day now so Tour followers will be passing us on their way to Gap to get good places for tomorrows stage. Let's keep smiling to them all. We will visit Gap about at 150km point and make a short final loop to the hills north of Gap. This is a good point for tired kick with us-riders to take a shortcut. Or you could kick with us only this last loop, that includes the infamous 'Beloki crash point' where Lance Armstrong showed how a champion rides a bike.
Favorite for the stage: ?? , Armstrong the mountainbiker of our team.
Places of interest: The Beloki turn
|
sunrise |
Vaison-la-Romaine |
Gap |
Gap |
sunset |
|
06:10:00 |
09:00:00 |
18:00:00 |
20:00:00 |
21:25:00 |
17/ Tuesday 16 July 2013 - Embrun > Chorges - individual time trial - 32 km, easy, mountains
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Camp will stay in Gap as we take a car to nearby Embrun-Chorges time trial start. This is a hills time trial above a large artificial Alpine lake of Lac du Serre-Poncon. Chorges should be a nice place to relax and have a lunch in beautiful mountain scenery before taking a car back to basecamp in Gap.
Favorite for the stage: Genepi, a local schnaps.
Places of interest: Alpine scenery
|
sunrise |
Gap to Embrun |
Embrun |
Chorges |
sunset |
|
06:10:00 |
10:00:00 |
11:00:00 |
13:00:00 |
21:25:00 |
18/ Wednesday 17 July 2013 - Gap > Alpe d'Huez - 168 km, very hard, mountains
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Back to work, and this is THE day of the Tour. Stage starts with moderately hilly ride over quite easy and scenic cols Manse and Ornon. At 100km point we arrive to Bourg d'Oisans, a real road cycling capital just at the foot of the 21 hairpin turns of Alpe d'Huez. The following climb up to Alpe will be crammed absolutely full of spectators, nearly half of them Dutch. Should we wash our clothes before this stage??? On the top we continue towards the Alpe d'Huez 'backdoor' col de Sarennes and descend back to the valley along a mountain road that wasn't much more than a gravel ditch before Le Tour last year got a brand new asphalt laid on it. Then we climb Alpe the second time. We will likely finish our stage by riding back down, since it will be almost impossible take cars up there. Or take them back down the next morning. And the Dutch corne???:
Favorite for the stage: Nico Faaij, tougher than our team.
Places of interest: the 21 hairpins and especially all the spectators that somehow fit in there
|
sunrise |
Gap |
Bourg d'Oisans |
Alpe d'Huez |
sunset |
|
06:10:00 |
09:00:00 |
15:00:00 |
21:00:00 |
21:25:00 |
19/ Thursday 18 July 2013 - Bourg d'Oisans > Le Grand Bornand - 204 km, hard as a rock, mountains
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Col du Glandon is way bigger than Alpe d'Huez. Col du Madeleine is bigger than Glandon. After that we descent down to Albertville and still have three passes to climb. Tamie: a moderate 500m climb, Epine: a steepish 500m climb and Croix Fry: a steepish 800m climb. Combine this with 200km length, and this is an hors categorie stage for le Tour. All of us will have hard time getting to the finish. This day will continue long to the night so be prepared with good lights. And again, there will be folks lining up the Madeleine and Croix Fry.
Favorite for the stage: No favorites, we just need to survive this.
Place of interest: the place you have to kick the asphalt next time
|
sunrise |
Bourg d'Oisans |
Abertville |
sunset |
Le Grand Bornand |
|
06:10:00 |
07:00:00 |
17:00:00 |
21:25:00 |
24:00:00 |
20/ Friday 19 July 2013 - Annecy > Annecy - Semnoz - 125 km, hard, mountains
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Panultimate stage is this year much tougher than usually. This is a real mountain stage and for the cyclists it gives a chance to gain or lose placings right to the end of the three week tour. We have probably got very little sleep last night and will wake up later to struggle this through before nightfall. There will once again be lots of spectators by the final climb known as Mont du Chat or Annecy Semnoz. There will be a special prize for fastest Kick with us rider for this final climb, IF he is faster than anyone of our team.
For kickers seeking out more challenges:
This stage is also the 'Etape du Tour', an open for all (if you have luck with registration, as it's full booked every year) event where any cyclist can ride an actual Tour de France stage with food, drinks and mechanical support stations. Etape du Tour will take place sunday July 7th. If you prefer stiff entry fees, 10000 cyclists and really fast pace then this is your race. (you'll have to ride about 25km/h average in order not to get taken off the road). And if you are this tough you could warm up with a nice event called la Marmotte saturday july 6th.
Favorite for the stage: All you riders with us, the extra spirit of our team.
Places of interest: Champs Elysees
|
sunrise |
Annecy |
Cusy |
Mont Semnoz |
sunset |
|
06:10:00 |
12:00:00 |
19:00:00 |
21:00:00 |
21:25:00 |
21/ Saturday 20 July 2013 - Versailles > Paris-Champs Elysées - ~40km, easy, flat
JOIN THIS STAGE - send us an e-mail to info@kickfrance2013.com
Le Tour will ride this as evening event and so do we. To get to Versailles at 20:00 we need to take a train or car from Annecy 14:00. So there's plenty of time to sleep. Cyclists 118Km distance comes from making a final loop on Champs Elysees several times. We will not and can not do that, as they won't close the traffic for us. Our goal is to manage one loop, to survive one round in the Arc de Triomphe roundabout alive and then pop the champagne.
I'll say this in the final speech, but also now beforehand cause it's more useful that way: Thank you all the riders who have given us mental support by riding with us and kicking our asses when we didn't feel like kicking anymore.
Favorite for the stage:
Unlimited Liberte to kick as much as you want. Fraternite of our team, support crew and riders with us. Egalite of all the non-motorized two wheelers worldwide. And Josef Zimovcak, le Roi Soleil of our team
Places of interest: Paris?
|
Versailles |
sunset |
Champs Elysees |
champagne |
sunrise |
|
20:00:00 |
21:45:00 |
24:00:00 |
24:00:00 |
06:10:00 |
