Fitness / ride protocol

How fit do I need to be?

If you are riding as part of your own private group, you need only be about as fit as your friends!

The road along the coast is a mix of flat and undulating, without any challenging climbs, but it’s boring to cycle the coast road all day, every day. Turning inland means climbing a minimum of 500m, so we suggest you should be capable of that at the very least to enjoy the terrain.

If you are joining one of our mixed groups, then you should have the fitness of a “typical club cyclist” (if there is such a thing!). Depending on the size of the group, we can suggest routes of different length and intensity if necessary. If in doubt, get in touch and we can discuss it.

 

How does group riding work on the climbs?

Ride protocol is typically to ride together on the flat and undulating sections, either sharing the work at the front or the stronger riders taking the lion’s share, and then people ride at their own pace up the climbs. We re-group at the top.

Booking

What dates can I book?

We will do our best to accommodate your preferred dates. Get in touch to discuss availability; email is generally easiest as we’re often out on the bike during the day so speaking on the ‘phone can be tricky.

 

is there a minimum time between a booking and the start of the trip?

No – but the more notice you can give the wider the choice of hotels from which to choose.

 

How do I book and pay for a trip?

Once trip details are finalised, we will email through a contract with pricing, Ts&Cs, and bank details for payment of a 25% non-refundable deposit.

Once the deposit is received, the booking is secured.

The balance is required at least 3 months before the 1st day of your trip. If your booking is less than 3 months away it might be easier to pay 100% with the booking rather than making two payments within a few days.

 

What currencies do you accept?

We accept £GBP and €EUR by bank transfer to HSBC in the UK. All receipts must be net of any international, foreign exchange or transaction costs.

 

What if I have to cancel the trip?

  • 3 months or more before the arrival date                       75% of trip cost refunded
  • Between 2 and 3 months before the arrival date            50% of trip cost refunded
  • Between 1 and 2 months before the arrival date            25% of trip cost refunded
  • Less than 1 month before the arrival date                        0% of trip cost refunded

We strongly urge all customers to take out appropriate travel insurance to cover any losses in case you have to cancel or cannot travel for whatever reason. We understand that there are perfectly valid reasons for customers needing to cancel – illness, bereavement, work commitments and so on – as well as there being occasional problems with travel. We sympathise, but cannot accept responsibility for for circumstances beyond our control.

 

Can I change my dates?

You can change your dates within the same calendar year as your original booking, subject to the following:

If the arrival date of your original trip is:

  • at least 3 months away, 100% of the value of the original trip booking will transfer to the new booking
  • between 2 and 3 months away, 75% of the value of the original trip booking will transfer to the new booking
  • between 1 and 2 months away, 50% of the value of the original trip booking will transfer to the new booking
  • if your original trip is less than 1 month away, 25% of the value of the original trip booking will transfer to the new booking
  • the value of the new booking must not be less than the value of the original booking

 

Can I change the number of people in the group?

Yes you can, but bear in mind:

  • your price might have been based on a minimum of 4 people which means, for example, that a booking for 5 people reduced to 4 people would result in a 20% reduction in the total cost, whereas a booking for 4 people reduced to 3 people would not result in much of a reduction
  • bookings that require hotel bookings are subject to the hotel’s cancellation charges; if a hotel room is no longer needed, you would need to contact me to determine if a cost reduction is possible and if so, how much – this will depend on the notice given to the hotel.

Insurance

Do I need insurance?

We strongly recommend you take out insurance to cover the following risks:

  • trip cancellation
  • travel problems / delays in reaching Nice
  • costs of medical treatment, and repatriation in the event of serious accident or illness
  • theft of your bike, or hire bike

other locations & bespoke tours

Do you offer supported tours in other locations?

Yes, we do. We would love to support your group and run tours to a number of European destinations, including the French Alps, Pyrenees, Swiss Alps and Dolomites.

We will organise the tour, plan the routes, and then support your group during the tour, including airport transfers, carrying luggage from one place to the next and providing back-up during the ride as needed e.g. offering water / nutrition, access to kit etc.

Please contact us to discuss your plans.