A great way to conquer a lot of Cols in a relatively short space in time is to take part in one of our cycling raids and we are pleased that for our 2017 selection of Raids, Simon Warren has produced the road books.
For many years cyclists with a desire to conquer the mountain climbs of the Alps and Pyrenees have made the easy journey over to France for a week’s worth of glorious two-wheeled pleasure pain.
Some people’s idea of hell, it doesn’t get much better for the avid amateur cyclist. Stunning scenery, beautiful weather and a whole week of you and your bike ticking of iconic climbs with a small group of like-minded people. Life is good.
The thing that sets cycling in the mountains apart from for example running a marathon is that there is always this nagging bit of doubt in the back of your mind about not being able to make it up that final climb. You can always finish a Marathon by walking, right? Climbing Alpe d’Huez at the end of the Marmotte or the Col d’Izoard at the end of the Etape du Tour is another thing altogether though. It makes the sense of achievement all the more satisfying when you do make it up that climb.
Simon Warren
For our 2017 Raid Alpine, Raid Pyrenean and Route des Grandes Alpes, Simon Warren author of the great ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’ series of books has produced the road books for us. These great books include everything you need to know to navigate your way successfully around the Alps and Pyrenees.
You will receive the digital version of the road book ahead of your Raid together with the GPX files for each day and some handy pocket-size route cards with directions and the location of the Carnet points. One for each day to carry with you.
Cycling raids
Our multi-day cycling challenges are based on the concept of the French ‘Randonnées Permanentes’ that exist for both road cycling and mountain biking. These are cycling itineraries that have been brought into life by cycling clubs to let tourists discover their region. These permanent itineraries can be done at any given time and the organising club will provide a route card, itinerary and medal or souvenir on completion. To ‘prove’ that the cyclist has indeed done the route you need to obtain a physical memento in the form of a stamp in a book called a Carnet at a variety of obligatory stops called Carnet points. These Carnet Points are set and you will know in advance where they are and usually have been the same places for years. This could be a hotel, a souvenir shop or a cafe for example. Very low-tech but it all adds to the experience we think.
Fully supported or self-guided?
We offer you 3 options to experience this cycling adventure depending on the level of support that you want. Self-guided, fully supported and bespoke.
The self-guided option can be booked at any time for dates that suit your travel arrangements, our fully supported cycling tours run on set dates and our bespoke option lets you tell us exactly what you want from duration to hotels to support and we will put it together for you.
Contact us here for a quote for your bespoke cycling tour
Self-guided
We realise that some of you will require a lower level of support as you are experienced and self-sufficient cyclists who are able to guide themselves and pack light. You may use panniers to transport clothing etc. for example. It could also be that you don’t need any airport transfers or vehicle support as you are driving to France and you have someone who is driving your support car for you.
Our self-guided Raid option starts at £549 per person and includes:
The Road Book produced by Simon Warren with daily route cards, maps and GPX files
Hotel bookings for 6 nights at various hotels for your required dates
Evening meals and breakfasts
Nightly secure bike storage
Packed lunches on riding days
Entry fee and the official Carnet
More info and to book the self-guided Raid Pyrenean – from £549 per person
More info and to book the self-guided Raid Alpine – from £699 per person
More info and to book the self-guided Route des Grandes Alpes – from £ per person
Fully supported tours
Our fully supported cycling tours run on set dates and you will get vehicle and staff support included as part of your tour. You simply book your flights and we will take care of the rest, apart from the actual cycling of course.
Our fully supported Raid option starts at £950 per person and includes:
The Road Book produced by Simon Warren with route information, daily route cards, maps and GPX files
Airport transfer to the first hotel and back to the airport from the last hotel
Daily luggage transport from hotel to hotel
Feed and support stops on each day’s route
Hotel bookings for 6 nights at various hotels for your required dates
Evening meals and breakfasts
Nightly secure bike storage
Packed lunches on riding days
Entry fee and the official Carnet
More info and to book the fully supported Raid Pyrenean – from £ per person
More info and to book the fully supported Raid Alpine – from £ per person
More info and to book the fully supported Route des Grandes Alpes – from £ per person
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