Yesterday we sold our last room on the "Classic" Tour de France trip. We're in the process of changing the flashing number on our homepage (http://www.tdf-tours.com/) to "0". We're now fully booked for 2010! We even have a waiting list - a first for Spyns tours. Rumours abound that this is Lance Armstrong's final Tour de France. This certainly seems to be the sentiment whenever I speak to 2010 clients. This is the fastest we've ever sold our TDF trips; clearly a combination of a strong reputation, solid tours, and the Lance factor.Speaking of Armstrong, post-2010 my feeling is that Lance will remain part of the TDF in some capacity (perhaps as a spokesman or international ambassador) simply because he is such a huge draw. Lance was the first cyclist who had international star power and, most importantly, star power in the huge American market. Granted Merckx had a huge European following but the woman on the street in Pittsburg probably wouldn't recognize his name. Lance and the Europeans (particularly the French) will continue to struggle with Lance's star-power. Most professional riders in Europe are humble and poorly-paid whereas Armstrong is very publicly making millions of dollars in endorsements so there must be jealousy.
The power of Lance's draw was confirmed when Tour de France organizers went to extreme pains to let him race in 2009. Race director Christian Prudhomme has often feigned indifference about Armstrong, however the ASO (parent company and owners of the Tour) were obviously interested in the hundreds of millions in advertising revenues when Lance races. He is too ambitious to simply retire and quietly build bikes as Merckx did. The next chapter should be interesting.
To everyone who chose to travel with us in 2010, thank you. To all of our former clients, I can't thank you enough for helping with this blog and for your kind words. Knowing that we were part of some incredible memories is a great feeling. It hasn't always been easy taking Spyns from an idea to an actual business and there have been many missteps along the way, but I wouldn't have changed it for the world. And for all of those who couldn't travel with us this year, I hope to see you in 2011!
For more information about Spyns Tour de France tours, or to request references from Spyns former Tour de France clients, please visit our website http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.
