Luxury cycling tour operator LeBlanq has announced its 2023 calendar, with new destinations of Cape Town, Rioja, Flanders and Ireland, in addition to return trips to Ibiza and Norway.
With each break offering an opportunity to ride & dine with cycling legends, guests can choose to ride alongside two of the biggest names in Spanish cycling, Miguel Induráin and Óscar Freire, in Rioja, or cycle Flanders’ roads with Belgian riders, Philippe Gilbert and Johan Museeuw.
The tour operator added that… ‘With the 2023 line-up also including Geraint Thomas, Thor Hushovd, Sean Kelly and more, there is as much attention on the kitchen as the roads, with menus carefully curated by some of the world’s finest chefs including Alex Atala, Ross Lewis, Kobus van der Merwe and the Velochef himself, Henrik Orre.’
The six LeBlanq ‘joyriding weekends’ for 2023 are:
- Rioja, April 13-16 – Hotel Marqués de Riscal, with three times World Champion Óscar Freire and cycling legend Miguel Induráin. Menus will be created by the executive chef of Hotel Marqués de Riscal in partnership with Ashley Palmer-Watts. Three nights; from £3,795 riders / £2,495 non-riders.
- Flanders, June 8-11 – Pillows Grand Boutique Hotel Reylof, with two Belgian legends, Philippe Gilbert and the ‘Lion of Flanders’ Johan Museeuw, both World Champions and winners at Paris Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. Three nights; from £2,995 riders / £1,750 non-riders.
- Norway, September 9-12 – 62° Nord Hotels, with two legends of Nordic cycling and gastronomy: World Champion Thor Hushovd, and former Team Sky’s chef for five seasons, the Velochef author, Henrik Orre. Three nights; from £3,695 riders / £1,995 non riders.
- Ireland, September 22-24 – Sheen Falls Lodge, with two of Ireland’s greatest ever cyclists, Sean Kelly, four time winner of the Green jersey in the Tour de France and overall winner of la Vuelta a España, and Nico Roche, twice Irish National Champion. Two nights; from £2,795 riders / £1,995 non-riders.
- Ibiza, October 19-22 – Hotel Riomar, with rides alongside Tour de France legend Geraint Thomas and a feast celebrating the island’s best produce created by Michelin starred Alex Atala, star of Netflix’s Chef’s Table. Also included is a private sunset session at the W Hotel by a ‘world famous DJ’, and Eurosport’s Orla Chennaoui will host the weekend. Three nights; from £3,395 riders / £2,295 non riders.
- Cape Town, November 16-19 – The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel, with Daryl Impey, the first South African to wear Yellow jersey, and David Millar, the first British rider to have worn the leader’s jersey in all three Grand Tours, as well as all leader’s jerseys at the Tour de France. Three nights; from £3,250 riders / £1,750 non riders.
At each weekend, guests enjoy bespoke Rapha x LeBlanq apparel, exclusively designed for each trip, and are escorted on the road by a team of mechanics, with routes including rest stops that sample local produce.
LeBlanq’s brand partners also include Specialized, Michelin, Aston Martin, Champagne Laurent-Perrier, Financial Times, Rapha, Rouleur, Cold Bath Brewing, Sigma Sports, Artisan Coffee Co, and Veloforte.
Justin Clarke, founder of LeBlanq, said “We are delighted to announce our line-up for 2023 in time for Christmas – the one factor we hadn’t predicted last year was the popularity with the gifting market, but we saw guests at every destination coming to celebrate a milestone birthday, or treated by a friend.
“Our weekends are sociable, indulgent and offer pure enjoyment, whatever your level of cycling, and we look forward to welcoming back old friends, and making new ones, next year.”
Prices for each weekend package are based on two sharing, including all riding, meals with paired wines, experiences and accommodation, but not travel, with non-rider packages available for those sharing a rider’s room.
