Fulfill Your Fantasy At A Price Within Reach
We started offering overseas trips in 2003. At the time, I called them group self-guided tours. Now I call it a very natural way to tour in Europe.
Traditional guided tours provide one or more bilingual guides, a van to help you along the way with anything from drinks and snacks to repairs and many other great amenities that all add to the cost of your tour. By eliminating some of these services, we save quite a bit of money while still experiencing the most exciting aspects of a European cycling tour. Our bikes are high quality hybrids, so mechanical problems are rare and we have a local emergency contact just in case. And we now offer ebikes too!
On our tours, people come together to form a community where some people may speak a little of the local language, others are comfortable changing flat tires or making minor repairs, or navigating…..you get idea; everybody contributes in whatever way they can. It’s very much like the comfort of cycling with a group of friends. Only you are doing it in a grand new place.
We generally ride together, stopping to see interesting sights along the way and free to be spontaneous. The focus is on the experience rather than getting to the destination as quickly as possible. Really, our only deadline is to be at our hotel in time for dinner
Fitness Level Expectations
On our tours, we ride together as a group and, therefore, need people to come adequately prepared. We design the rides keeping a minimum fitness level in mind. If people do not meet the fitness requirements and come on a tour, it means that the rest of the group might
- spend much of their day waiting for people,
- have less time to enjoy the sights and
- have to bypass some wonderful attractions.
Not meeting the fitness level expectations is just not fair to the rest of the group
If you cannot keep up the recommended pace, we recommend that you rent an E-Bike, but you must still be comfortable with the speed and with coasting downhill at a same speed equal to what we do on flat ground.Our minimum fitness level requires that you:
- Be comfortable riding for several miles at 12 mph (on flat ground) without stopping.
- Have been able to ride 25 miles at least two days in a row in the month before the tour.
- Are able to ride up and down moderate hills coasting at the same speed as on flat ground.
Cancellation Policy
All cancellations are subject to a fee:
- $200 per person if done 60 days before tour departure date.
- 50% per person if done 31 to 60 days before tour departure date.
- No refund will be given if cancellation occurs less than 31 days prior to tour departure day.
- Some tours have a different cancellation policy. If so, it will be noted on that specific tour page.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is insurance that is intended to cover trip cancellation or interruption, medical expenses, lost luggage, transportation issue and other losses incurred while traveling, either internationally or within one’s own country.
Like most insurance, one rarely needs it. But we believe it is something that you should be aware of and consider purchasing just in case something happens before or during your trip. In case you want to know more about. If you want to know more about travel insurance, here is a fairly comprehensive article on the subject
Below are several reputable insurance companies we know of that you might want to review. We do not personally recommend any one company and there are many other companies out there to choose from.
http://www.travelexinsurance.com/