Has anybody ever used Cyclomundo in Europe for a tour?

[Benny Profane]

Hi. New here.

Anybody used Cyclomundo? The self guided tours are priced for mortals. The French Alps stuff sounds awesome, if a bit of a workout. Also, I'd be interested in some of the easy stuff, with the girlfriend.

Thanks

[Ken Robb]

I used to enjoy "easy stuff with the girlfriend". :banana:

[dave thompson]

I've not used Cyclmundo but I have used VanGogh tours ( http://www.vangoghtours.com/ ) twice for self-guided bike tours in Germany and Austria. Totally happy with everything they arranged for us on the Salzburg to Vienna route. For the second tour we took a slightly different ride on the Danube and they helped us with some special requests. I highly recommend these folks and will use them again in the near future.

As a side note, the Danube RadWeg (Danube bike route) is a long established route that can take you through many countries, is mostly flat and can really acquaint you with the multiple cultures along the way. Small villages, large cities, food, beer and some of the nicest folks we've encountered anywhere in the world are along the Danube.

[bontie]

Friends of mine have, they are pretty good.
Expensive though, a home made self tour is more enjoyable, more freedom and cheaper...
Italy and France is very very open to self guided tours/trips.

[Benny Profane]

Friends of mine have, they are pretty good.
Expensive though, a home made self tour is more enjoyable, more freedom and cheaper...
Italy and France is very very open to self guided tours/trips.

Hey, this is the first time for me. Maybe on the third or fourth trip I'll be confident enough to do all of that arranging myself, but, not now. I don't speak the language, either. And, it's a whole lot cheaper than the 5 grand a week luxe tours that Trek and some others run. I'm pretty sure that 5 grand will buy me a month or so biking somewhere in Europe, which is the plan in a few years.

[Ken Robb]

You might enjoy John Hermann's book "Motorcycle Touring In the Alps" sold through Whitehorse Press. He has toured there twice a year for more than 25 years. Roads and hotels/inns good for motorcyclists are often good for bicyclists too. He names the people in charge at the places he recommends "and tells it like it is."

[dave thompson]

Hey, this is the first time for me. Maybe on the third or fourth trip I'll be confident enough to do all of that arranging myself, but, not now. I don't speak the language, either. And, it's a whole lot cheaper than the 5 grand a week luxe tours that Trek and some others run. I'm pretty sure that 5 grand will buy me a month or so biking somewhere in Europe, which is the plan in a few years.

On the 3 self guided tours we did in Europe, language and logistics were never a problem. Our tours were fully arranged; hotels, most meals, daily luggage pick-up and drop-off, bikes, etc. All we had to do everyday is ride from point A to point B. How long we took and exactly what route we took were pretty much up to us though excellent route maps were provided. Our luggage and hotel rooms were always waiting for us at the end of the day. Self-guided means there were no escorts, guides or SAG which was never a problem as there were many villages and towns along the way.

A big feature in Italy are 'bicycle hotels' which cater to cyclists with everything from bike rentals, multiple rides daily (from easy to Pro level), huge post ride meals, your cycling clothing washed everyday and what can I say about Italian food?! We use the Belvedere Hotel in Riccione ( http://bike.belvederericcione.com/ ) which came highly recommended and is was nothing short of the best vacation I've ever had in Europe!

[Benny Profane]

That place looks pretty sweet. Is it my understanding that, waking up in the morning, you have your choice of a list of rides out the door, guided and unguided, of various difficulty levels?

May be a solution to the easy girlfriend issue.

[dave thompson]

That place looks pretty sweet. Is it my understanding that, waking up in the morning, you have your choice of a list of rides out the door, guided and unguided, of various difficulty levels?

May be a solution to the easy girlfriend issue.

That's correct. There are about 4~6 rides starting at the Belvedere every morning. The Leisure and Panoramic rides are perfect for starting out, plenty of stops for espresso and cakes. The other routes are tougher and can get up to rip your legs off hard. Remember, once you get away from the seacoast, every direction is up. At the end of the ride day, a lavish lunch is laid so your body can be stoked for the next day.

The Belvedere is a very short block from the Adriatic Sea and very popular beachs. Lots of non-cycling stuff to do too.

The Belvedere has been rated the #1 bicycle hotel in Italy by TripAdvisor and I heartily agree.

You can e-mail the Belvedere and expect rapid responses in English.

[Benny Profane]

OK, so, I was thinking of an obvious follow up question during today's ride. If this is the best cycling hotel, how many other are there, and where? Is this done in France and other countries? Where can I find a directory? Google isn't too friendly in this matter.

This is a pretty cool way of traveling that I never knew existed, but, kinda makes sense. It's like the ski industry over there, with the massive multi lift valleys, and, you just settle in at one place and take it all in, at whatever level you want to, or can.

[choke]

OK, so, I was thinking of an obvious follow up question during today's ride. If this is the best cycling hotel, how many other are there, and where? Is this done in France and other countries? Where can I find a directory? Google isn't too friendly in this matter.

Here's another one in Italy - http://www.alexanderbikehotel.com/holiday-hotel/hotel-gabicce-reservation-home-page_49.html

And something more intimate in the Pyrenees - http://www.pyractif.com/index.html

[choke]

OK, so, I was thinking of an obvious follow up question during today's ride. If this is the best cycling hotel, how many other are there, and where? I stumbled across this http://www.italybikehotels.it/en/all-our-hotels though it doesn't appear to be a complete list as the one I linked previously isn't there.