Recent bike tour reviews

Dubai also hosts many top sporting events and offers attractions for passionate athletes. The United Emirates is an excellent destination for cycling, with everything from 200 km hilly routes to very long and challenging climbs. Here you can ride safely on wide cycle paths designed for road cycling training. Local cycling community organizes weekly races as well as Gran Fondos. Cycling in the Arab Emirates will surprise and delight you, and the beautiful beaches of this area are the perfect the place to relax after training. And after that? You will be in Dubai, a city that offers many entertainments! So this winter let's train in the warm United Emirates!

Highlights

• Ride among dunes and antelopes in Al Qudra
• Climb for more than 40 km to reach the 1.600 meter asl in Jebel Al Jais
• Ride your bicycle in the Yas Marina Abu Dhabi Formula 1 circuit

The first part of the week will be dedicated to the inspiring story of Gino Bartali, narrated in the famous book Road to Valour, by Aili and Andres McConnon: not only one of the strongest cyclists at Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, but an underground hero during the Second World War. Reviving his journey, from his house in Florence Ponte Ema to Terontola train station, we will visit Bartali’s Museum and ride the same route along which Gino saved the life of many Jewish people during the second world conflict, carrying forged identification documents in the tubes of his bicycle. Our journey will then head to the magnificent city of Assisi, UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The second part of the week will take us across two more UNESCO sites, the marvelous Val D'Orcia all the way to Siena. We all have in mind those Tuscany postcard-like dirt roads, running between lines of cypresses, surrounded by vineyards of famous Brunello di Montalcino, Montepulciano and Chianti red wines, and set of the L’Eroica, Strade Bianche and Giro d’Italia most incredible stages. Add to this the epic winding road, set of Millemiglia historic car race, arriving at San Quirico d’Orcia and you will live the true spirit of Italy, while a triumphant entrance in Siena main square, set of the Palio delle Contrade historical horse race, and finish line of Strade Bianche will be the well-deserved “grand finale” of this unforgettable week with Ital Cycling.

Highlights

• Relive Bartali’s story of the book Road to Valour
• Ride through the beautiful medieval villages of Tuscany and Umbria
• Try hand made Pici, Fiorentina Steak and enjoy Brunello di Montalcino wine

The west coast of Ireland is rich in awe-inspiring landscapes, fascinating characters and foot-tapping music. Cycling Ireland End to End from the most southerly point to the most northerly will leave you with rich memories, new friends and a thirst for more! There is no better way to explore the wild beauty of the Wild Atlantic Way than from the saddle. The grandeur of the Cork and Kerry mountains. The warmth and joy of a night in a Galway pub. The lunar like landscape of the Burren. The packed mountain ranges dominating the horizon of the Connemara National Park. The giant Sea Loughs of the Inishowen Peninsula. Your Ireland end-to-end journey of 12 days has a breath-taking finish on the rocky promontory of Malin Head.

For a more challenging ride check out the Mizmal Ireland End to End tour.

The Central West Cycle trail provides a 400 km circuit through the rolling rural landscape away from the main road. Located in the state of New South Wales, Australia the circuit has been developed by local cyclists who know the backroads between the towns.

• Day 1: Dubbo to Wellington via Geurie – 64km
• Day 2: Wellington to Gulgong via Goolma – 76km
• Day 3: Gulgong to Dunedoo – 58km
• Day 4: Dunedoo to Mendooran – 63km
• Day 5: Mendooran to Ballimore – 52-61km
• Day 6: Ballimore to Dubbo via Wongarbon – 55km

Our cycling holidays are small scale, with no more than 8 bikers, so we are able to give you an individual personalised service, thus making sure you get the best experience possible cycling in Provence, France.

We live here all year round, so we have lots of local knowledge. And we use this to guide you along quiet, beautiful backroads, that will take you through picturesque landscapes, some beautiful lavender fields and on to the best sights; whether it be to an unknown pretty stone village, a favourite local restaurant, an authentic farmers' market or renowned vineyard.

Our Provence bike trips from our our 17th Century farmhouse in Coustellet are self-guided and flexible. And we are always happy to help you choose the right ride, distance and level of difficulty to suit you on a daily basis. And you ride at your pace, after all these are your cycling holidays!

And you'll use our quality, new Trek hybrid bikes & the latest, easy to use, stress-free Garmin GPS systems, preprogrammed with all of our most popular rides, for all levels.

We have been running our single base Provence bike trips for the last 13 years, and have had a 5* rating on Tripadvisor for all of that time, along with a 100% recommendation rate.

{I did this tour last year and loved it - Neil and Nat are so flexible and accommodating and the location is magical. Read my account, 'A Week in Provence'. Bruce (CTG Editor)]

Ride through Colombia, will take you through regions 1.3 times the size of Costa Rica, where you’ll experience the best Colombia has to offer; everything from coffee plantations and flower farms to heritage towns and green mountains! Each region is diverse, making each day completely unique. This road cycling adventure begins in the flower and dam region, where we will have flat and roller terrains reaching 2,300 meters above sea level. From there, we will return to Medellín to discover the Colombia’s second largest city at night. The last part of the trip takes us to the coffee region where we will visit a beautiful heritage towns that show our ancestral culture.

Highlights

• After cycling through the coffee plantations, you will visit a coffee farm to learn about the process of coffee production.
• You won’t want to miss trying aguardiente Antioqueño, a local liquor, that we’ll share on the town’s main square with the farmers of the region.
• In addition to seeing and smelling the beautiful flowers, you’ll have a chance to visit a flower farm, where you will learn about the cultivation and export processes.
• We will visit a workshop of personalized steel frames, you will see how in Colombia we make a work of art in each bicycle.
• Know Medellín by bicycle, eat the typical food, and see original coffee shops with tango music that will take you back 50 years. Drink a beer or a special coffee in places you don’t want to miss.

Distance: 40-100 Km
Elevation Gain: 940 m to 2.200 m
Duration: 8 to 11 rides / 9 to 12 nights

Come and join us. We welcome people of all religions and political persuasions; Christian, Jew, Muslim and atheist. From teens to 70 year old veterans. We are a truly mixed bag of cyclists. We ride to experience and educate ourselves in this little understood region.

Bike Palestine will offer the chance to experience the cultural and religious diversity of this fascinating country. Secure and easy cycling in an enchanted landscape rich in history. We will collect you from Jerusalem, a short bus ride from Tel Aviv airport, and take you to your hotel in Jenin.

The hospitality, laid on by my colleagues at the Siraj Center, is second to none. 3 enticing meals a day of outstanding Middle-Eastern fare- and you’ll get to stay in the very best hotels. Your bike, helmet and high-visibility jacket will be provided- although you can bring any of these items with you if you wish. There is always a support vehicle ready to take you on board should you flag- and a plentiful supply of bottled water.

This is an adventure holiday in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. You’ll enjoy the cycling, the food, the guided tours, the hospitality of the people and the warm Palestinian Sun.

In the evenings you’ll have a chance to chill-out in your hotel or at a nearby coffee shop or bar. You’ll get a chance to shop in one the many souks- picking up local fabrics or exotic Palestinian spices. Each day there will be guided tour of the historic city-centres we visit and a lecture from one of the local historians.

Highlights

• Nablus
• Taybeh
• Nabi Musa and Jericho
• The Jerusalem Wilderness
• Monastery of Mar Saba
• Bethlehem

The tour brings in a little money for cash-strapped Palestine; not just the cost of the tour but what the riders spend in shops and cafes. The guides, the hotels, the restaurants all benefit.

Riding into the land of salvation, Himalayas where the trails has its own beauty but rich in culture, people and the history itself. Experience the world’s 8000m high mountains Dhaulagiri, and many more mountains lost into the trails with the local Marpha “Local alcohol” one of the top mountain biking destination for your suitable adventure here in Nepal. This trip is suitable for moderately fit riders with at least strong intermediate technical skills. The majority of the riding is between 2000m to 4000m with the highest point, Gyu La Pass, at 4500m! The riding is roughly 60% singletrack, 35% doubletrack, and 5% free-riding or hike-a-bike.

Travelling to the Temple “Muktinath” a Hindu pilgrimage where 108 flowing taps for holy bath and inside the same boundary the Buddhist monastery exists which is very rare in the world, having the mutual respect, peace and prosperity. Riding through the ancient salt trading yak trials here in the Himalayas to the deepest gorges in the world made of Kaligandi river (The Kali Gandaki Gorge or Andha Galchi is the gorge of the Kali Gandaki (orGandaki River) in the Himalayas in Nepal. The Kali Gandaki gorge is the deepest canyon in the world, being 24,071 ft or 7,337 m lower than Annapurna I which bounds it at one point.)

Pedal on the Ancient Appian Way, a 2300-year-old cobblestone Roman road while going past ancient Roman ruins, statues, an imperial palace, Christian catacombs and pagan mausoleums. Then leave the "Regina Viarum" to cycle towards the Roman aqueducts rising over the fields on the horizon and follow them on their way back to the center of Rome.

Leave the bustling city center of Rome behind and enjoy a bike ride through the Roman countryside, which inspired 19th-century travellers such as Byron, Goethe and Stendhal. On this extraordinary bicycle tour of absolute beauty we take you on a journey through a unique landscape where nature, farmlands and ancient history meet. This tour goes 60% off road, along dirt tracks and small paths

Please note that approximately 40% of the route of this tour takes place in the city. We ride carefully chosen city streets, but some traffic is unavoidable to connect the Ancient Appian Way Park to the Aqueducts Park. In the remaining 60% of the route (riding in the parks) we encounter no traffic.

Highlights

• Aurelian Walls
• Catacombs of St. Callixtus (or Saint Sebastian)
• Ancient Appian Way park
• Circus of Maxentius
• Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella
• Villa dei Quintili*
• Park of the Aqueducts
• Caffarella Park
• Baths of Caracalla

We offer two versions of our Appian Way Bike Tour: a 6-hour version and a 4,5-hour version. The two itineraries are almost identical, and so is the distance traveled, which is a total of approximately 27km (17 miles). The longer tour also includes a guided visit to the catacombs of San Callisto (San Sebastian on Wednesdays).