About this Cycle Tour
The world's most iconic cycling event returns to Thailand for a second year. Le Tour de France one day series, L'Etape, will be held in the beautiful, mountainous southern province of Phang Nga, Thailand.
The world's most iconic cycling event returns to Thailand for a second year. Le Tour de France one day series, L'Etape, will be held in the beautiful, mountainous southern province of Phang Nga, Thailand.
DestinationsThailand
Tour MeetsPhuket
Fly in toPhuket International Airport (HKT)
Group Size2-10 riders
SpiceRoads jerseyWater bottleSupport vehicleGuide(s)Meals (as indicated)Airport pick upAirport drop offAccommodationSnacks and drinksEntrance fees
International flightsDomestic flightsVisa feesAlcoholTips
The route for L'Etape Thailand is a total of 159 kilometers on sealed and fully-closed roads. The riding begins by the coast in Khao Lak, and pushes inland, heading south towards Phuket through the mountainous terrain of Phang Nga province. Compared to the route in 2018, this year's route begins with nearly 100 kilometers before the KOM challenge.
The first 100 kilometers have several short and steep climbs, typical of Phang Nga's terrain. The first KOM challenge takes place at nearly 100 kilometers, followed by the second at 128 kilometers. These KOM challenges are 3.2 and 1.9 kilometers, with 5-6% average grades. A King of Sprint Challenge takes place at 142 kilometers, before the finish line at 159 kilometers.
As with 2018's race, the 2019 event features a shorter, 70 kilometer, route. This route includes the second KOM challenge and King of Sprint Challenge from the longer route.
From our resort in Khao Lak, we'll conduct a warm-up ride the day before the race to get familiar with the road conditions, the route, and its many twists, turns and climbs. You're welcome to ride as much or as little as you need to prepare yourself for the event. Our support vehicle will be close at hand when you're sufficiently warm and ready to rest until the race day.
Our staff will meet you at Phuket International Airport for pick up, and transport you and the team to the resort for a pre-tour briefing and welcome dinner.
The Sands Khao Lak
DinnerFrom the resort in the morning, your guide and team will conduct a warm-up ride and survey of the route to get familiar with the course before the race.* You may ride as much or as little as you choose in order to get familiarized. Afterwards, relax at the one of the resort's many pools or have a massage to prepare your legs for the big day. Dinner at the resort. *In case of early road closure due to the event, we have an alternate scenic route available for the warm-up ride.
The Sands Khao LakBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 65km
+540mThe day begins with an early rise and breakfast at the resort, followed by a transfer to the race starting line. Your tour leader and driver will follow the group and provide support, but it's up to you to get across the finish line. Following a long event and fantastic finish, transfer back to the hotel where you can relax, go for a massage, take a nap, or all three! A celebratory post-race dinner will be held at the resort.
The Sands Khao LakBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 159km+1600mFollowing breakfast, transfer to Phuket International Airport for departure or onward travel.
BreakfastSerious cyclists wouldn't dream of racing without their own, precisely calibrated machine. For those that prefer not to travel with their own bike, we provide top of the line Trek carbon bikes for hire for this event. Our Trek Emonda S5 carbon bikes are equipped with one of the lightest frames on the market, 11-speed Shimano gearing, and disc brakes.
For those bringing their own machines, we recommend getting a pre-race tune-up to make sure everything is in working mechanical order before the big day.
Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.
Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.
You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.
We recommend that you visit a travel medical doctor and ask about the following vaccinations: typhoid, polio, tetanus and hepatitis A. A certificate for Yellow Fever is required when arriving from an infected area within six days.
Thailand generally has a tropical climate with fairly high humidity. The North and Central region have a tropical climate with fairly high humidity. Northeast Thailand has a humid hot and dry weather alternatively with medium rain while the coastal areas of the east is humid and hot with intermittent rain. The South of Thailand has a tropical climate with fairly high humidity.
There are three seasons: from March to June it is hot and dry, with temperatures between 27˚C/80 F and 40˚C/104 F, with night temperatures in the 20s. The rainy season is from July to October, but temperatures are slightly lower, because of the effect of the rain. During this time it will not rain continuously, but in sharp bursts, and the sun can come out quickly. The cooler season is from October to February, with average temperatures between 20˚C/68 F and 30˚C/86 F.
Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Most meals are local and feature noodles, rice, curries, and soups. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.
Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit, and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere but is NOT included in the price.
SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for traveling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveler of the same gender and if we cannot match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.
We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$20 per day, for incidentals.
The Thai currency is the baht. ATMs, which are abundant, are the easiest ways to get Thai baht. Have a supply of US dollars in cash on hand, just in case your card doesn’t work. Banks or the rarer private moneychangers offer the best foreign-exchange rates. Credit cards are accepted in big cities and resort hotels but you’ll need baht for family-run guesthouses or restaurants.
If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place: Read our Booking Conditions
From the tour page click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office. For the next steps you'll need to know the names of the people traveling and have either a Visa or a MasterCard. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height, or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). However, if you wish to get a children's discount, please do fill out the date of birth of the riders. If you are having any problems, please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 2 381 7490) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.
For Long Tours (7 days or more) to guarantee your place we require a 30% or 500 USD deposit, whichever is the greater. For Short Tours (6 days or less) we require full payment to guarantee your place. We also require that you take out travel insurance when you book your holiday. Besides covering you during your holiday it will also enable you to claim for any money that you have paid to us, including your deposit, should you have to cancel your trip.
Full payment must be paid 45 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights. Our confirmation will include personal details you provided us (including your flight information), visa application advice, a packing suggestion list and a detailed tour itinerary. It will also include a checklist to ensure you get everything ready for your holiday.
On the rare occasions when we, SpiceRoads, must cancel a trip, all payments received to date will be 100% refunded, which constitutes full settlement. There will be absolutely no deductions. If you, the client, must cancel your reservation, your cancellation fee will be determined according to when you cancel. For full details, please read our cancellation policy.
For those who have been on several long tours with us we reward customer loyalty by offering repeat customers a special discount off the tour price (excludes single supplement and bike rental). If this is your fourth scheduled tour or more you will receive a 5% discount. If this is your eighth scheduled tour or more we will extend a 10% discount. The discount will be reflected in your online booking, but please contact us if any questions. Loyalty discounts can not be used in conjunction with any other offer. Note: Only tours of 7 days or more will be applicable for loyalty discount.
International flights, to and from the start and finish points are not included in the tour price. Once your tour is Guaranteed to Depart you can book your flight. Please contact us for advice before arranging flights for the best arrival and departure times. We would only cancel a trip for an extreme circumstance, but in that case, where we cancel your trip, we cannot be liable for losses incurred relating to any flight booking you have made. Please claim any losses from your travel insurance that you acquired when you booked your holiday.
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The information in this document is given in good faith, and covers the average range of conditions likely to be found on this trip. Please note that the itinerary is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, however, we will always do our best to adhere to this original itinerary
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Excellent, trouble-free organization, makes it easy to focus on enjoying the rides. And Aum was a brilliant ride leader, very thoughtful and supportive.