Bike Dreams

Most people have seen the famous pictures of South America. The ruins of the Incas surrounded by rainforest and deep valleys. Snow covered summits and volcanic cones. Indians in colourful traditional costumes. Magnificent granite pillars. Vast white salt plains and immense glaciers. South-America has so much more to offer. Bike Dreams has created a wonderful route which incorporates many attractions allowing you to experience the full beauty of the South American continent.

The Mitad-del-Mundo monument at the equator marks the start line of this epic journey. The first stages in Ecuador you cycle through the mountainous heart of the country and pass sleeping volcanoes. Isolated areas and tough climbs await you in Peru, but you don't have to miss the highlights of Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. You'll bike at high altitudes at the altiplano in Bolivia.

Crossing the flat plateau with little oxygen, herds of llama and vague tracks on the white salt of the Salar-de-Uyuni makes the cycling a surrealistic experience. The trail drops further down into Argentina with a mix of landscapes : coloured canyons, giant cacti, green valleys, the pampas and the Aconcagua - the highest mountain of the American continent. You cross the Argentinean-Chilean border more than once to experience the best of which Patagonia has to offer : crystal blue lakes, impressive glaciers, green forests and craggy, granite peaks. The finishing line of this grandiose bike ride is drawn in Ushuaia, the most southern city on the globe, the entrance gate to Antarctica and called the Fin-del-Mundo. The "End-of-the-World".

The start of "The Andes Trail" is at July 28th, 2023 from the equator, just outside Quito. The finish is 140 days later and 11.000 kilometres (6.875 miles) further south in Ushuaia at December 14th, 2023.

You can expect all kinds of conditions along the trail. The majority of the roads is nicely paved, but you come also across some rough roads with washboards, rocks and loose sand. The weather conditions can also vary enormously in the Andes. Although we have chosen the best season, intense heat, severe rain showers, freezing temperatures and fierce wind are still possible. The high altitudes give an extra dimension to the tour. Anyway, smooth roads or dirt tracks, good or bad weather; it is all part of the game. You cover the kilometres within your own capabilities and in a pace you determine. This means that you can take it easy and enjoy the beauty of the Andes in all her facets. The landscape, the culture and the people.

"The Andes Trail" is more than just a normal bike ride. It's a combination of the physical challenge, the adventure, the appreciation of the natural beauty and above all, a mental freedom. Next to that, the bike journey is open for cyclists from all around the world to create an exceptional atmosphere, during as well as after the bike ride. The people of the Andes and your fellow-cyclists will make it a memorable journey.

It started in 1891 as a challenging bicycle race of 1.200 kilometres from the French capital to the most western city of France, and immediately back. In an era when diamond safety frames and pneumatic tires were taking over from high-wheelers with solid rubber tires, Paris-Brest-Paris was an "épreuve", a test of the bicycle's reliability. The riders carried their own food and clothing and only Frenchmen were allowed to enter, 207 participated.

Nowadays Paris-Brest-Paris is grown into a mythical cycling event with thousands of riders from all around the world and is held every four years. The holy grail of long distance cycling is a kind of "Olympics" for determined cycling enthusiasts. They leave Paris in western direction, keep on riding, fill themselves up with energy bars and gels on the bike, continue during dusk and darkness, take powernaps in bus stops, reach almost straightaway Brest, and return to the French capital in the same rhythm. 1.200 km in less than 90 hours, the time limit.

Paris-Brest-Paris is a great event, but it's also a pity that such a rich and diverse part of France is traversed so quickly, partly passed in complete darkness, and so missing all attractive and historic sites. As you may expect from Bike-Dreams, we want to ride Paris-Brest-Paris in an alternative way. We take our time, we cycle along a varied mix of interesting places and have planned some rest days in between to absorb and enjoy the French splendour, style and gastronomy. From the fairy-tale castles along the Loire to the assault beaches of D-Day. From the prehistoric Carnac to the oyster farmers near Saint Malo. From iconic places of the Tour de France to the enchanted appearance of Le Mont Saint Michel.

Bike-Dreams returns to her roots. We go back to the places where we started cycling as teenagers, where we climbed our first "mountains" and where we crossed our first cobblestone roads. We go to Belgium, France and The Netherlands. We go to the heart of Flanders, the short steep climbs in the Ardennes and to the Hell of Northern France. We don't only return to our own history, but even more to the places where since more than 100 years the major one day cycling races are organised. The Classics. We have combined five of the greatest cycling races into one great journey : Tour of Flanders, La Flèche Wallone, Amstel Gold Race, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and of course Paris-Roubaix.

The start and finish places of the Classics are linked together with a few stages along charming villages, through historic city centres and over nice, quiet country roads.

The 2nd edition of "The Classics" starts Thursday March 30th, 2023 near Brussels. You return to the Belgium capital after 20 days, 16 stages and 1.800 kilometers through the epic centre of the European spring Classics.

The whole tour follows the course of the Classics for professionals the best as possible. This means cobble stones in Flanders and the north of France, and short, steep climbs in the other Classics.

The weather conditions can be very diverse in this part of Europe during springtime. We hope of course to get bright sunny days with comfortable temperatures, but also a cold eastern wind with rain and even snow is possible. Expect temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius, but bring cycling gear for more heroic circumstances. So, be prepared. Good or bad weather conditions; we make sure that your engines keep on running and that every day a warm shower and a comfortable hotel room are waiting.

The tour gives you also the opportunity to experience the real feeling of the Classics. You join in the third stage the "Tour of Flanders"-cyclo for 140 kilometers with thousands of other cycling tourists. One day later you can support the professionals along the course when they ride their Flanders' Finest. It's not only cycling. A visit to Belgium is not complete without tasting one of the more than 1000 sorts of beer. You certainly deserve a Trappist or Abbey beer after a day out in the wind, bumping over the cobblestones and after numerous challenging climbs.

You don't have to be a famous professional to experience the toughness of the Classics. Climb the cobblestone hills in Flanders, struggle on the steep Ardennes and push your way through the legendary Hell. You can try to imagine that you are Eddy Merckx, Fabian Cancellara or Tom Boonen for a moment. But it's probably more realistic that you suffer, and don't cycle like a Cannibal, a Spartacus or a Tornado Tom.

The first Paris-Dakar started in 1979. By car as you probably know. During the next decennia this rally grew into a world-class event without equal. In the course of years loads of people have been attracted to accomplish this journey mostly by motorized vehicles. We offer you the possibility to experience this extraordinary dream on your bike. You will taste the sweetness of completing this wonderful ride on a bicycle.

Out of Paris we will follow peaceful roads to show you the most beautiful places of France. Via the mountain Princedom of Andorra in the Pyrenees we drop down in the rough inner lands of Spain to continue further south. The ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar gains you access to the immense African continent. Morocco offers fascinating cities of former Kings, valleys of dates, oasis and the rugged landscape of the Atlas Mountains. The journey continues by traversing the Sahara via the Atlantic Route, where we will experience the emptiness of Mauritania and sleep below breath-taking starry skies. The finish lies in the most western point of Africa, Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

Paris-Dakar is a journey through different cultures, sceneries and climates. You cycle from the catwalk in Paris to the little huts below baobab trees in Senegal. Rolling hills, burning sun, spectacular down hills, winds blowing from all directions, roads with potholes, pouring rain, tarmac like silk, freezing temperatures in the night and forties in the desert, challenging mountains and everlasting flats.

The start of the 4th edition of "Paris-Dakar" is September 3rd, 2023 at the base of the Eiffel Tower. More than ten weeks later, on November 12th, 2023 you arrive after 7.200 kilometres (4.500 miles) with a great feeling of satisfaction in Dakar.

Paris-Dakar is more than just a "normal" bike ride. It's a combination of the physical challenge, the appreciation of the natural beauty, the view of the cultural inheritance and above all a mental freedom. Next to that, the bike journey is open for cyclists from all around the world to create an exceptional atmosphere, during as well as after the bike ride.

Since 2008 we organise La Bella Italia, a real Giro d'Italia. We made a big loop through France over more than 100 Cols in 2015 and 2022, a real Tour de France. It was waiting for a real Vuelta a España. So, here we are. La Vuelta Ibérica.

We start near Barcelona at the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea and cycle inland over quiet roads which soon start to climb. The Pyrenees loom up above the horizon and is the inspiring décor for the first week. Unknown Pyrenees passes are alternated with tranquil dam reservoirs and narrow canyons. A rest day is planned in the centre of the Pyrenees in the Monte Perdido National Park.

We drop down to sea level in San Sebastián at the Bay of Biscay. The city has dozens of tapas bars and tops frequently on lists of the world's best places to eat. Perfect ingredients for a second rest day. We ride along the Basque coastline with tiny fishing villages till Bilbao, an old hardworking harbour town which is decorated nowadays with a shimmering titanium Guggenheim Museum. We leave the cities and sea behind for more than 800 challenging kilometres. Fabulous cycling is waiting over small winding roads through the unspoilt Cantabrian Mountains which stretch east-west across northern Spain. We are captivated in the centre of the massif by the beauty of the jagged, deeply fissured Picos de Europa.

Santiago de Compostela in the northwest corner of the peninsula is for many travellers their final destination, for us it's one of those magical places along the route. The world famous town is definitely worth a rest day on our cycle pilgrimage around the Iberian Peninsula.

We continue south and enter soon the North of Portugal with green fertile hills and the valleys of the Rio Duoro with innumerable vineyards for the renowned Port. The golden river flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Porto, the second city of the country and the place where we have time to taste its famous wine. Rolling Portuguese inland and flat coastal roads bring us to the alluring capital, Lisboa. On the way we visit the old university city Coimbra.

The area south of Lisboa is flatter, emptier and dryer. A few longer stages bring us back into Spain, where Andalusia is decorated with its famous white cities and villages. The tour leads us along beautiful historical places like Sevilla and Córdoba before we end up in maybe the most picturesque city of Spain, Granada. It's known for its wonderful Moorisch architecture, but for us it's more than that. Granada is located at the foot of the impressive Sierra Nevada and the start for the climb up to Pico Veleta. We don't want to miss out on that of course. What a finish! Cycling up to 3.394 meter, the highest paved road of Europe.

The second edition of "La Vuelta Ibérica" starts Monday May 22nd, 2023 near Barcelona and finishes after 42 days, 34 stages, 3.500 kilometres and 56.000 climbing meters in Granada.

La Vuelta Ibérica has everything in it for a fabulous roadtrip around Spain and Portugal with a rich history, an interesting culture and a delicious cuisine. Fortunately it doesn't miss out on the challenge of a real Vuelta a España. This makes the trilogy of Tour, Giro and Vuelta complete.