Need more cyclists for Spain Andalusia Tour 4 Oct to 11 Oct

[MauiRockHopper]

I'm going to Spain and want to do this tour offered by www.cyclingsafaris.com/andaluciasev.html

is is E995 for the week and includes
- 7 nights accommodation in village hotels
- all breakfasts and four dinners
- 21 speed tour bike / pannier bag
- Guide in a support van

Here are the full details in pdf http://www.cyclingsafaris.com/andalu...to%20granada%2...

It's about 30 miles/day and they stay in these super quaint b&bs and offer the best itinerary from the dozens I've checked out.

They need a minimum number of participants and I am traveling alone. I'm not asking for a roommate necessarily, but I do want to do this tour. Let me know if you wanna go!

[Eden]

That is so funny.... a few years ago my husband and I planned out our own bike tour and did it self supported - almost that route to a tee... The only real difference is that we went directly out of Sevilla to Palma del Rio. (and we went on in a big loop back to Sevilla from Cordoba too)

I hope you get enough people to go its a great trip.

[fidlfreek]

Oh my god that looks amazing! Anybody been on one of these? How was the bike? I am skeptical about the provided bike...

[MauiRockHopper]

Oh my god that looks amazing! Anybody been on one of these? How was the bike? I am skeptical about the provided bike...

I wrote to Cycling Safaris about this and put their reply in red. I suppose you could bring your own bike if you wanted to. Anyhow the bikes look ok to me for the distance & type of riding. I'm going to book!

I have attached a picture of our bike models used on our Andalusia tours - they are new HYBRIDS, made in Europe and the brand is La Pierra (france).
These are excellent bikes with comfy saddles and in line with cycle touring / not road riding.

We have no dropped handle bars nor are the seats narrow and hard like road bikes.

We have not had any complaints about our bikes and nearly all riders have noted how pleased they have been with the quality.

Hope this helps!



Best regards
Sofia
Sofia Hansson
Irish Cycling Safaris Ltd.
Belfield Bike Shop
University College Dublin
Dublin 4
Ireland

www.cyclingsafaris.com
Ph: 00353 (0) 1 260 0749
Fx: 00353 (0) 1 716-1168

[michelem]

Have you seen this review? Just something to keep in mind.

http://bicyclespokesman.com/irish-cy...f-the-company/

P.S. I found these photos on flickr, which might give you a better idea of their tours:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cycling...7603909642699/

[MauiRockHopper]

Hmmm, doesn't sound like a good experience, but hopefully the Spanish branch will be good. I think this tour is more self-guided, with the van acting more as a shuttle for luggage. Which is why the price of the tour is about half price of a fully guided tour.

Looking at the photos, it appears that the cyclists aren't very "hard core" so this tour may be too easy. I'm looking at some other possibilities too.

[fidlfreek]

Looking at that description of the bikes "no hard road seats" "no dropped bars" it seems like this is more of a tour for people who maybe don't ride bikes all the time....

[MauiRockHopper]

I ended up booking with Bike Spain for the Vuela a Espana 2009 Tour! It is 10days of between 49-55 miles per day closely following the race. There will be numerous opportunities to see the actual race, and VIP area tickets to the finale. It includes a cool jersey too. The lodgings are more upscale, some Paradores. The support van has a long trailer for all the bikes so the van has passenger room.

September 12 to 21, 2009. Cost 1650 Euros

http://www.bikespain.info/en/t_roadVuelta_en.asp

[ginny]

I did a self supported (short) tour this summer in Europe. When I was figuring out the route, I called some tour companies there. They were actually snobby to me and said no one would want to do the mileage I proposed. They told me I was nuts for planning it the way I was. I was SUPER happy with the mileage. I rode alone so didn't have much else to do but ride, and the distances I did (40-60mi/day) were fine for a whole day. Based on this experience (okay, and n of about 3), I think maybe the tour companies often plan for people who aren't used to riding serious miles. If you can put that aside, any tour with a bicycle has to be way better than a bus!

[MauiRockHopper]

Yeah, when I was shopping around it was either super easy (25 miles) or way too hard like 75-100 miles per day. I think 50 is just right so you have time to enjoy the scenery & culture rather than just pedalling like mad. I hope one can tell by the photos of the riders & their bikes what kind of tour to expect. The easy tours showed people in street clothes & shoes w/ hybrid bikes, and more out of shape. Then once you go over the 40 mile mark the riders are in their kits, lean bodies, and road bikes.

Right now I'm averaging about 100 miles a week and I have to work on riding 50 miles/day for 9 consecutive days. At least I have 7 months to work up to this.

Someone told me they are able to take their bike on the plane for free internationally. I find this hard to believe when they charge you for every suitcase. Plus it would suck if the bike got lost or was delayed. I suppose I could insure it for the value of a new titanium fully loaded bike LOL. At this point I am unsure whether I am taking my bike or not. I'd hate to feel uncomfortable on a strange bike that didn't quite fit. When the tour was only 30 miles/day I didn't care if I rode a hybrid or crappy bike. But this tour will be more challenging and I think I need as much performance and familiarity as I can get.

Any advice on shipping a bike to Europe?