Hey Reader

Great news!

All hotels have confirmed availability for us, so we are locked in and good to go with our number one preference.

This means we'll be in the Alps to see the Queen Stage of the TDF, which literally passes the front door of our hotel in La Chambre.
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Here is our confirmed itinerary...

Tuesday, July 1st: Arrive at Barcelona Airport early morning (or the B&B Hotel Validecans we use near Barcelona Airport) and drive to Argeles Gazost in the Pyrenees (7 nights).

Tuesday, July 8th - Depart Pyrenees / arrive in Provence (4 nights)

Saturday, July 12th - Depart Provence / arrive at Lake Annecy (5 nights)

Thursday, July 17th - Depart Annecy / arrive at Alpe d'Huez (4 nights)

Monday, July 21st - Depart Alpe d'Huez / arrive at La Chambre (4 Nights)

Friday, July 25th - Depart La Chambre for B&B Hotel Validecans we use near Barcelona Airport (1 night)

26th July - Depart Barcelona for home or onward travels

3 IMPORTANT THINGS I NEED FROM YOU ASAP

1️⃣ — Confirmation: Would you like me to book you a hotel bed near the airport in Barcelona for the night of June 30th (or earlier)?

This is not included in the trip's estimated cost. It's an affordable hotel (around €70 per person twin share/double or €130 for a single room).
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I'll be staying there the same night and leaving the hotel in the morning for France or the airport if we need to collect anyone on the morning of July 1st.

You do not need to stay here, but you will need to get to this hotel or the airport on the morning of July 1st.

2️⃣ — Confirmation: Would you like me to book you a hotel bed near the airport in Barcelona for the night of July 25th before you fly out on July 26th? This is included in the trip's estimated cost, but I know some people are leaving us early or from the Alps.

3️⃣ — Can you please make an additional payment of $1000 ASAP to cover the hotel deposits and car hire bookings.

Bank details are:
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Andrew Hellmich
Westpac Bank
BSB 032 545
Account 250049

Please use your name as a reference, and feel free to let me know when you've made a deposit.

Training and Preparation for the Trip

One of the common questions I get asked about the France trip is how to train for it if you want to arrive fit and ready for the climbing and riding daily.

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A few things worth noting about getting in shape for the trip...

✅ Arriving fit is way more fun than trying to get in shape while in France.

✅ You can train on smaller hills at home and still arrive in top shape for the big climbs in the Pyrenees and Alps.

✅ Riding up mountains doesn't need to be any harder than riding on the flat — if you have the correct bike gearing and aren't looking to break records on every climb you do.

So how do you get fit for a trip like this?

The easiest and most fun way is to build slowly and plan your training over months in the lead-up.

I'm a massive fan of finding a training plan and following it as best I can.

You can hire a coach (which can be expensive but great) or download all sorts of plans online. If you're easily motivated and can follow a program, some of the best I've found are by cycling coach Frank Overton of Fascat Training.
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I've used his plans for years and confidently recommend them to any cyclist.

Here's what I've done and how I plan to get fit for France 2025

Purchased the 18-Week Sweet Spot Plan here: https://www.trainingpeaks.com/training-plans/cycling/road-cycling/tp-126403/18-weeks-of-sweet-spot-intermediate​

And the 7-week Haute Route Plan here: https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/training-plans/products/haute-route-training ​

Along with these plans is access to the Training Peaks platform to manage your training — you don't need this, but it's an excellent way to manage the programs and move sessions around due to weather, your calendar, etc.
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If you're arriving in France on July 1st, I suggest starting the 16-week Sweet Spot Plan at the beginning of January and the Haute Route Plan in early May.

That'll leave a week or so between the plans to move things around as required.

These sessions can be done on the trainer or outdoors. I prefer the outdoors only because I don't have an indoor trainer or enjoy indoor training.

You don't need to follow the plans strictly, but I aim to complete the work part of the sessions per the schedule as best I can. I'll still race, do group rides, and have fun riding, but I aim to complete the intervals at the prescribed outputs (power, heart rate, or RPE—Rate of Perceived Effort).
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You don't need to purchase or follow these plans. The main thing is to consider your training in the lead-up to your trip. Arrive fit to get the most enjoyment out of it.

If you have any questions, please reply, call me (0413 852 222) or post in our Group chat on FB Messenger.
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If you're not in the Group Chat, send me a friend request at www.facebook.com/andyhellmich or a PM on Messenger, and I'll add you.

Speak soon
Andy

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PS

I'll have updates on what to pack, bike gearing and set up, etc, in December/January. If you have questions you'd like answered earlier, get in touch.