First European bike holiday??

londoncommuter

Looks like I might have permission to disappear for a week with my bike. Slightly overwhelmed by where I should go. What tips have you all got for a beginner to this?

Key things are, it's just me and I don't need anything to mollify the family like beaches or shops. Should be able to do cheaply as I don't need frills and as it's my first trip I don't have to seek out that last exclusive Italian ski resort to find the riding amazing!

Nothing scientific in this but my first thoughts were maybe Gran Canaria in September, after the school holidays. This is from a position of complete ignorance though, just that hopefully it would be fairly cheap, has lots of hills, not too windy and not too hot. Any better ideas?

1) Looking at prices, I think I'll probably buy/rent a bike box and take a bike
2) I don't want to rent a car so I need to be able to get from the airport to wherever with a bike box and be close to a supermarket/restaurant etc
3) Jet2 look pretty cheap from Stansted and charges £30 each way for a bike
4) Will just be me so I need accommodation that's cheap for 1 with no hideous single supplement
5) No idea where to base, somewhere in the middle or even Las Palmas? Hoping the middle would be better for cycing and both those options look cheaper than the southern resorts?
6) As I guess it's coolest in the morning, I just need somewhere quiet in the evening and with places to gorge on pasta
7) Never used AirBnB before but looks a lot cheaper with rooms from £18 per night

Really just starting to think this through so if I should look at other obvious places like Mallorca or the Alps instead. Sorry this is so vague but has anyone else been through this?

Htclee

I would recommend anywhere on the TGV lines - Nice is a good option.. reason being you can take your bike fully built on the Eurostar, change stations in Paris and then take the bike on the TGV direct to wherever you want.. No messing around with bike boxes makes life a lot simpler. I’ve done a few trips over like this rather than flying and it’s a lot more relaxing not worrying about your bike as much.. You have to pre-book your bike spot on both the Eurostar and TGV and the easiest way I’ve found of doing this is calling the SNCF and booking everything over the phone with them.

sloppyschleckonds

^I'd echo this, Majorca & GC are places to holiday with family that you can also cycle.
I'd head to Pyrenees or Alps.

mercia_man

Pyrenees or Alps would also be my choice. I’ve been a satisfied user of the European Bike Express coach. No need to put your bike in a box or bag. It travels with the bus in a special trailer.

http://bike-express.co.uk/

kingstongraham

If you can even think about stretching to it... I'd recommend doing a supported trip. You can share a hotel room to keep costs down, but all you have to think about is riding your bike, and you don't have to ride the same start and finish each day as you would in a single base.

Gran Canaria is fine - great for a few days cycling, or winter training - some of the climbs are really lovely, and really long. But if you are planning to go first week in September just after the end of the holidays, you still have the option of the Alps or Pyrenees.

Dorset_Boy

You could try something like this:
https://chaletbeyond.nl/zomer/en/home/
Half board, room in a cycling hotel, and might find there are others there at the time who you could ride with.
There are a few other similar operations around the bourg d'Oisians / Alpe D'Huez area.

Morzine also has a number of cycling chalets, but these tend to be full of downhill MTBers.

Matthewfalle

Bollox to all that.

Base yourself in Pescara - beautiful beaches, people, food, bars, city.

Stunning riding everywhere there (look at yesterday's' Giro stage through Pratols plus numerous Giro stages). The Abruzzo is gorgeous and friendly and sunny and offers every type of riding.

Loads of hotels, air b'n'b etc.

Ride. Drink wine, eat pizza, hang out with lovely people.

Easy jet in.

If you're lucky you may see MF about

Job jobbed

ronnierocket

If you don't want a car I would recommend these guys. I have used them for a couple of long weekends doing sportives in Morzine. They do airport transfers and are flexible on dates in the summer so don't need to go sat to sat if you can get a good deal on flights. It will be catered but if you are on your own it can be useful and you will have some company at night. It is likely to be more MTB people but that area is amazing for road cycling as well.

http://www.ridersrefuge.co.uk/summer/

Col de Joux plan and Col de Ramaz from recent Tour De France are on your doorstep but they are loads more in the vicinty.

davep1

Matthewfalle wrote:

Bollox to all that.

Base yourself in Pescara - beautiful beaches, people, food, bars, city.

Stunning riding everywhere there (look at yesterday's' Giro stage through Pratols plus numerous Giro stages). The Abruzzo is gorgeous and friendly and sunny and offers every type of riding.

Loads of hotels, air b'n'b etc.

Ride. Drink wine, eat pizza, hang out with lovely people.

Easy jet in.

If you're lucky you may see MF about

Job jobbed

+1 for Pescara from me. Ryanair to Pescara, hire a bike when you get there so you don't have to worry about the bike box. Or the bike in the box with baggage handlers...There's also flights to Rome with quite a few airlines, and then a 2.5 hour coach trip across the mountains to Pescara.
The Gran Sasso is stunning, there's also the Blockhaus climbs, gorgeous routes around Lake Scanno...easy riding along the coast for your recovery days. Proper pizzas for €4-8, great food...

kingstongraham

Gran Sasso did look pretty good yesterday.

Matthewfalle

KingstonGraham wrote:

Gran Sasso did look pretty good yesterday.

And the roads are gorgeous and empty for hundreds of km around it.

Training area for Italian national team and Ironman Italia.

Raiano, just up the road, is the home of heavy metal pizza man, the best pizza in Italy.

No Brits like in Chiantishire or France.

Cheaper to holiday, stunning countryside, lovely people. Head to L’Aquila, Sulmona, climb up to the ski resorts. Ovindoli and all that area is lovely.

No reason to go elsewhere.

Pescara has a cool university politico life with a load of finance cash chucked in. In 20 mins you can go from the seaside to silent mountainside if you want.

Matthewfalle

DaveP1 wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Bollox to all that.

Base yourself in Pescara - beautiful beaches, people, food, bars, city.

Stunning riding everywhere there (look at yesterday's' Giro stage through Pratols plus numerous Giro stages). The Abruzzo is gorgeous and friendly and sunny and offers every type of riding.

Loads of hotels, air b'n'b etc.

Ride. Drink wine, eat pizza, hang out with lovely people.

Easy jet in.

If you're lucky you may see MF about

Job jobbed

+1 for Pescara from me. Ryanair to Pescara, hire a bike when you get there so you don't have to worry about the bike box. Or the bike in the box with baggage handlers...There's also flights to Rome with quite a few airlines, and then a 2.5 hour coach trip across the mountains to Pescara.
The Gran Sasso is stunning, there's also the Blockhaus climbs, gorgeous routes around Lake Scanno...easy riding along the coast for your recovery days. Proper pizzas for €4-8, great food...

Get off the Rome - Pescara bus in Pratola (where the stage went through) and cycle through the low mountains to Pescara.

Wave at MF’s house as you pass.

Matthewfalle

You could ride here

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rXzMTfTRQ04

Or go on holiday with a bunch of clubbies with one of the above.

Search out new company, not a bunch of dull clubbies from Phukton Wheelers and their brayinglaughter/inbred jokes.

Go to Pescara.

Matthewfalle

Did I mention that MF also mentioned that if you want the best coffee and gelato in the world then go to Italy. If you want mediocrity go to France.

Matthewfalle

This where you will be if you take MF’s advice

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_(2010_film)

This is where you will be if you go to France
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qqibZZpmYEY

animal72

Ive just got back from Lanzarote.

Whilst I stayed on the other side of the island, there were loads of hotels not too far from the airport and the riding was just stunning.

londoncommuter

Many many thanks for all the comments.

First, very interesting point about GC being for family holidays. This is probably my only chance for a pure cycling trip so I'll take on board the Alps/Pescara tip.

That coach to France looks interesting but they don't stop in London. Odd as if you have to drive or get the train to meet it then you might as well drive to France or stay on the train through the tunnel.

I guess the whole Eurostar/flying thing is covered in 100 threads but my main thoughts are that I'm ludicrous when it comes down to scratches and keeping things immaculate so not sure I could cope with travelling with the bike built up and not in a case. Maybe another solution would be to pick up a good deal on a used Boardman Team Carbon or something similar.

Thieving Ryanair want £120 round trip for bikes so that must tip the balance to renting if I went to Pescara. Any tips for renting there?

Where's best to stay in Pescara in terms of ease from the airport/bike rental/distance to riding? Better Pescara or somewhere nearer the centre of the country? Alternatively, are there even better places to stay if I flew to Rome (only been to Italian cities before)?

My head's swimming a bit now after also noticing this now that you've mentioned Italy:

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/lates ... aly-346405

big_harv

+1 for the French trains but DO check the SNCF strike schedule. It's ongoing 2/7 days indefinitely. Vive la France!

Can highly recommend the Champagne Ardennes region. Rolling hills, rather than monstrous.. Troyes would be a good base.

Edit: Robert Millar used to think so.

Edit 2: Buy some pipe lagging for the frame.

mercia_man

The Bike Express coach doesn’t go into the centre of London but around it on M25 with pick up points at South Mimms services, Waltham Abbey and Gravesend, all accessible by bike. Many London riders cycle to the pick up point or get a mate to drop them and bike off by car.

What I like about it is your precious bike doesn’t get damaged and you relax on coach with meals and DVDs before waking up next morning in the heart of a great cycling area. I’ve always found it hassle-free and convenient compared to flying, albeit more expensive than budget flights.

navrig2

We have tried different aproaches.

French alps with own bikes. Fly Geneva, hire a car and van drive to La Rossiere (cheap chalet owned by distant relative). Great but hard cycling. Logistics were a pain in the neck.

Tenerife with own bikes. Fly to south airport and hire a man with a van to get us to accommodation with bikes plus hired a couple of Berlingos to transport us around a bit with bikes. Great cycling. Easier than France but still interesting logisitics. AirBnB

Mallorca (twice) hiring bikes (although one guy took his own). Turn up and take a Hoppa transfer to resort. Bike hire shop delivers to accommodation. Cycle for a week and no car or van hire. Bike hire collects bikes at end of week. Hoppa to airport. Flay home. Great cycling and dead easy logistics. Homeaway accommodation.

This year is Calpe with bike hire. Homeaway accommodation. Hoppa transfers. Bikes delivered and collected. Still swithering with car hire. Once we have routes planned we will decide.

For the first holiday I would recommend Mallorca. Basically turn up and cycle.

Matthewfalle

mf would fly into rome with your bike, bus to pescara, stay in beach front hotel 3 mins walk from the center and 20 mins ride from the start of the really lovely cycling.

ignore all the other stuff on this thread unless you want to hang out with a bunch of club riďers.

navrig2

September in Mallorca didn't have a lot of club riders. Could easily have cycled for a week without coming across a lot of them.

Thanks for the tips on Pescara. Now on the list for next year's discussion.

cruising on empty

Come to Tenerife, the only people who go past you are Pros and the only people you go past are not pros.

Some really good recommendations already.
I would just add, don't underestimate the difficulty of finding Co2 wherever you go if you don't take a pump. especially if you can't say "bicycle shop" in chosen language. And doubly
especially on a weekend or between 12-4pm!!! Other than that, I box my bike in a cardboard bike box. AirBnB works really well. Last minute bookings don't help with tough language barriers so a bit of notice is useful.

Also maybe pay for a longer taxi ride and get away from airports.

svetty

Gran Canaria is generally pretty windy and there isn't a huge variety if you want to avoid lots of climbing. Great otherwise tho

yiannism

Why dont come in Cyprus? we have amazing places to ride here, and i can help you with some routes too. At September heat is fading away too. Plenty bike shops (you can even rent good bikes), and almost everybody is speaking English.

londoncommuter

Thanks again for all the comments. Couple of "quick" questions:

Is there any bike hire in Pescara?

How do all the above suggestions compare to a flight to Alicante and a) stay in Calp or Denia or b) stay inland.? If inland, where best to be based?

pblakeney

londoncommuter wrote:

Thanks again for all the comments. Couple of "quick" questions:

Is there any bike hire in Pescara?

How do all the above suggestions compare to a flight to Alicante and a) stay in Calp or Denia or b) stay inland.? If inland, where best to be based?

A friend of mine flew down to Granada airport for an organised cycling holiday.
It was all done from a base in Cadiar and there were a good selection of routes.