Vive la France! A Tour de France on Skis

Lumi trip leader Annette in her yellow jersey

There’s a lot happening in France this month. Bastille Day was this past weekend– France’s National Day marking the start of the French Revolution in 1789. Picnics, fireworks and parades take place across the country, with the largest festivities in Paris. Every July, thousands of Parisians line Champs-Elysées for the Bastille Day parade, the same street where just days later Tour de France cyclists typically finish the final stage of Le Tour. However, this month is the first time that both the Tour and parade will not be on Champs-Elysées. Why? Paris is preparing to host the Olympics in just a couple weeks!

Ahead of this summer’s Olympics, Lumi guests on the France-Jura trip last February got some insights into Olympic culture and history from their trip leader Annette whose son is an Olympic gold medalist. Guests also took a visit to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. Interestingly, Lausanne has been home to the International Olympic Committee headquarters since 1915 when it was relocated from Paris to a rural area during World War I. The visit stoked guests’ excitement about the upcoming games during a winter with less snow in the Jura Mountains than usual. Learn more in the recent New York Times article about Lausanne: “Lausanne, Where the Olympics Never End” (gift link).

Lumi guests outside of the Olypmic Museum

A cycling statue at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland

This winter, we’re hoping for a return to the usually excellent ski conditions on about 200 km of trails that connect four villages in the Jura Mountains. Watching the Tour de France this month is bringing back fond memories of skiing through the French countryside with past Lumi guests.

There are many parallels between the Tour de France and the Lumi France trip; a Tour de France for skiers, complete with multiple stages, stunning countryside, impeccable trails, cultural immersion and haute cuisine.

The Tour de France often starts in a different country. This year’s tour started in Italy before heading into France. Guests on the Lumi trip fly into Geneva, Switzerland. Sure, you can arrive the day the trip starts and get whisked north to our Nordic paradise in the Jura mountains. But most of our travelers arrive a couple of days early to recover from jetlag and explore the Swiss lakeside city of Geneva. Site of the European United Nations headquarters, Geneva is an international capital and home to the Red Cross and United Nations museums – where both of these organizations were founded. A special highlight in winter is the Bains des Pâquis: outdoor spa on Lake Geneva, where you can take a hot sauna then go for a dip in the scenic lake.

Lake Geneva in winter with the iconic Jet d’Eau from the Bains des Paquis spa (Geneva Tourism)

From Geneva, one of France’s prominent Nordic ski regions – the Jura – is just 90 minutes north. Geologically speaking, the Jura are considered “pre-Alps.” The mountains in the Jura region are much lower and more rolling than the steep, jagged peaks of the Alps. The trails offer something for everyone, with flat trails in the valleys and rolling trails in the hills. 

Similar to the Tour de France, the ski trip includes stages of skiing throughout the week. Many days are loops of concentric circles, so travelers can choose to ski a smaller or bigger loop, depending on how much they want to ski. Other days are point-to-point with bus pick-ups available if people want to ski less than the full distance. Each day we ski a different trail network, so we get to experience different areas.

Ideal crust cruising conditions

Sunshine and perfect corduroy

Similar to the team managers in the Tour de France, the Lumi trip leaders take care of all of the logistics on tour. As French speakers, they are our connection to the local culture. Unlike Austria, Switzerland and Italy where you can walk into a trailside hut at any time and order a quick bite or drink, the trailside huts in France follow a very strict schedule. Reservations are required and a full menu is served. Lumi trip leaders make reservations at their favorite huts, so the warm, French cuisine is waiting when we arrive.

Watching the Olympics from a trailside cafe in France

Meeting the chef at a favorite hut in the Jura

Our two leaders are experts in the region. Annette is the former race director of the Transju’ ski marathon and she knows pretty much everything and everyone in the region. Imagine having Ben Popp lead you around the Birkie trails and all the history you’d learn and people you’d meet throughout the week. Adele is a bike tour leader in the summer and pilates instructor. Her morning stretching clinics helped everyone get ready for the day and her sense of humor kept everyone laughing throughout the week.

Lumi trip leader Adele helps serve healthy portions of Rösti potatoes

The trip finishes with the Transju’ Worldloppet ski marathon. Similar to the Birkie, there are distance options for everyone, from a 25 km classical “experience” event to the 70 km freestyle main event. Two days of events help spread everyone out and keep a low-key feel for the Transju’. In 2022, I chose to ski the 50 km freestyle, which also earns a Worldloppet Gold passport stamp, without having to ski a full 70 km. Most Lumi guests on the trip choose either the untimed 25 km Transju’ “Experience” event or the 50 km skate or classic. For the non-racer, you can still walk from the hotel to the start to cheer on your travel companions, then head off in the other direction for some quiet skiing away from the race course.

Skiing the Transju’ race course

The course connects many of the different trail networks we ski throughout the week. It is a fun way to get an overview and appreciation for everywhere we ski during the week. Some of my favorite Worldloppet events are the ones that go through towns and bring out lots of spectators, like skiing down Main Street in Hayward or through Italian villages in the Marcialonga. The Transju’ does just that and the race organizers bring snow onto the streets of Les Rousses.

Getting ready to go at the Transju

Perfect tracks await Transju skiers

The Tour de France is known for its mountain climbs lined with spectators. In the Transju’, the Queen and King of the Mountain points are awarded at the top of Optician’s Climb, which draws huge crowds – this climb is definitely a spectacle!

Opticians climb is short, but steep

No need to take anything too seriously

Cowbells keep skiers going along the track

The finish of the Transju!

Finding friends at the finish is always a highlight

Of course, finishing a ski marathon calls for celebration! During their typical laps around the Arc de Triomphe and along the Champs-Élysées (in a normal year), Tour de France finishers are known to raise a glass of champagne while riding their bikes. After the Transju’, Adele and Annette meet Lumi finishers with wine and Panaché. No, not “panache” in the English sense of the word, though they certainly have style. Panaché is a drink similar to the Radler, which is a combination of lemonade and beer and means “cyclist” in German. Panaché is the French equivalent and a refreshing way to rehydrate after a ski marathon. Santé!

Keep the party going!

If watching Le Tour this month inspires a trip to France, we still have limited space available on the France Transju trip this winter.

See you on the trail,
Garrott Kuzzy