Compete In Your Own REAL Tour de France

If the Tour de France, to you, is like the Super bowl with a French accent and wheels, you're not alone in your fanaticism. Fans the world over covet the greatest mountain cycling race in Europe and look forward to the following year's event from the moment the winning rider zips across the finish line in the current year.

If you like engaging in sports on your travels, you'll be thrilled to learn that special tours are available that incorporate the famous race into a lively itinerary. It's not for the feint-hearted; however, as participants even get to bike along actual Tour de France stages, on the same day as the actual Tour competitors. No hobby riders here, this is for the purists, the super-fit and the real nuts of the sport.

Depending on the kind of trip you're interested in, the schedule of a Tour de France itinerary can be as gruelling as the race itself. Imagine the honor of pedalling your own bike along the very same roadways that the competitors themselves use, feeling the same burn they feel, under the same summer sky and in the exact same conditions that the famed riders will experience that day.

Picture yourself with your own guide and race team, transporting the bikes through the various stages of the tour, on hand to repair and maintain your machine while you focus on your personal challenge. There's a definite camaraderie amongst participants, who find themselves competing against each other a la the Tour de France, but with a friendly bent. Intense training before embarking on such a trip is a must so that riders can go the distance.

Being able to soak up the culture of the event is a huge drawcard. Not only can you ride the course, but you can cross the actual finish line and have your photo taken on the famous Tour de France podium. What a story you'll have to tell your buddies when you arrive back home. Does it get any better than that?

VIP access is provided to two stage finishes and one stage start, plus there are unique opportunities to meet the riders and mingle with the press and officials.

Package deals for Tour de France interactive experiences are available across a range of budgets, with accommodation offered at both the budget and luxurious ends. Reviews of these trips have been glowing, with participants detailing exhilarating accounts of their journey. When you can ride your own bike in the path of esteemed outdoor racing legends such as seven-time winner Lance Armstrong, you can really say you've "been there, done that".