From our poll earlier this week, it appeared that our visitors prefer a cycling trip with friends as an alternative to an event. An excellent choice. We list our best tips.
Of course, places like Argelèz-Gazost, Andermatt, Bourg d'Oisans, Barcelonnette, Bormio, Corvara are great bases in the high mountains. But don't forget the mid-mountain range. In the Central Massif, Schwarzwald, Cévennes or the Vosges riding is awesome, while the weather is often more stable.
Agree carefully who takes what with them. Taking five toolboxes and five high-pressure pumps with you is, to put it mildly, an overkill. What you do need to take in excess is cycling gear, because especially in the high mountains the weather can change very quickly.
Do it well in advance when you're still at home. If you have no knowledge, no problem Just outsource it to your local bike mechanic. Always check if there's a bike mechanic on site.
There's also nothing wrong with a long weekend in the Flemish or Walloon Ardennes, Luxembourg, Eifel or Sauerland. The limited travel distance means you'll probably be able to ride a lot more.
Some individuals like to go their own way and ride their own routes, separate from the rest. Others like to determine the route, yet others like to determine where or what to eat. Some like to be in a hotel, others prefer a cottage or a campsite. Make these kinds of arrangements in advance to avoid fussing afterwards.
One pitfall is to make a very detailed daily schedule at home. Especially if you don't know the area yet it can cause problems, because all kinds of unforeseen circumstances can come into play, such as bad weather, late opening hours of a local bakery or a climb that in reality turns out to be much harder than expected. A tip is to make a global plan, and fine tune it on the spot.
Some groups of 10 people have known each other for years and will effortlessly travel together for a week. But this is certainly not always true. Large groups can work quite well, but not for everyone. They can be slow, and making decisions can be more difficult. The group dynamics of a large group are very different than a small group - more people have to agree. Also, finding accommodations can be a challenge. Moral of the story: consider the group size and think about what suits you well.
A tip with a wink, but one based on practice. In the evening, while enjoying the necessary beers, plans are made that become increasingly more intense. The next day half of them already have regrets. This only leads to disappointment because the other half thought it was serious....
Discount on event tickets up to 50% and much more.
