The Official Ride Your Bike Overseas Thread

[shaper]

Hi there,

 

A group of us are doing a bike trip in France from Annecy to Nice in September, and we need to send our bike boxes down to Nice as they won't fit in our support vehicle. I came across another thread that recommended bikeflights.com but I'm sure that we can use cheaper transport than flying empty boxes at $300 a box.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Try these, UK based but might be able to assist

 

https://www.tribiketransport.com/international/

https://www.nirvanaeurope.com/en/about-us

[Duane_Bosch]

Agreed with the black cat. People will still be skiing in the Alps at that time of year.

 

Your best bet would likely be around tbe Riviera or Mallorca. Maybe Girona?

Edited January 7, 2020 by Duane_Bosch

[Duane_Bosch]

Hi there,

 

A group of us are doing a bike trip in France from Annecy to Nice in September, and we need to send our bike boxes down to Nice as they won't fit in our support vehicle. I came across another thread that recommended bikeflights.com but I'm sure that we can use cheaper transport than flying empty boxes at $300 a box.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

What about renting a bike? We did this last year and it was WAAAAY less hassle than lugging bike boxes around and all of the associated hassle and stress that goes along with taking your own bike.

 

Take pedals, gps and saddle and note down your measurements.

[100Tours]

sounds lekker, I'll be doing the 2 big Spring classics, Flanders & Paris Roubaix, which is a week apart in between I was thinking of getting in one or 2 Cols over in the Alps or Pyrenees, does anyone think this is feasible & can make any recommendations and suggestions?

 

Those are 2 awesome rides - I did the same week's programme a few years ago and they were both very memorable. RVV is a celebration, Paris Roubaix is a battle. I would think however that it is a bit of a trip to try to get into the Alps and back in between, plus you're already in an awesome part of the world..

 

Getting to the Alps would be e.g. TGV from Lille (Roubaix) to Grenoble, then hire a car to drive up to Bourg d' Oisans - this is a full day's travel in each direction, so Monday and Thursday would become travel days (assume Friday registration).If you do want to ride more rather stay in Oudenaarde - probably more interesting local cycling options than Bruges (but less 'touristic').

 

Your week looks a bit like this:

 

Friday - visit Oudenaarde. register. drive over to Bruges, unpack and sample local beer (we stayed in a hotel called 'Koffieboontjie' which was a few 100m from the start). Potentially leave extra vehicle in Oudenaarde if you don't have any riders doing the short RVV options. or stay in Oudenaarde and drive through to Bruges before the ride otherwise.

 

Saturday - RVV Sportif (245km - took me 9h). End in Oudenaarde with beer flowing, especially if the sun is shining.

 

Sunday - position yourself on suitable cobbled section for the Pro race. really good fun day out with a lot of roadside support. watch ladies and mens, and on some sections they will pass multiple times.

 

Monday - recover? it's been a big weekend. do a local ride around Bruges. Or visit the RVV museum if you're in Oudenaarde. Buy a cobbled Kwaremont beerglass (museum only).

 

Tuesday, Wednesday - find some local rides. suggest go inland rather than to the ports. I believe Dunkirk isn't all that safe. Stock up on cassoulet and bouillabaisse. Transfer over to Lille.

 

Thursday - dry run the cobbles. look out for all the pros doing the same thing. We spotted Sagan, and rode Mons-en-Pavele just behind Geraint Thomas (we hopped on the route just past the Arenberg forest and rode 5 or 6 sectors finishing on Carrefour del' Arbre)

 

Friday - Paris Roubaix registration at velodrome. visit showers and clubhouse.

 

Saturday - P-R sportif (170km - can't remember how long it took, but I went back to do the 267km route from Compiegne, and that was 9 1/2h). Enjoy the last k into the Roubaix and the velodrome. lounge on the grass.

 

Sunday - wake up at 5am and drive down to Compiegne for the start (highly recommended :-D). Then chase the race - we made stops at sector 28 (to watch Thomas take a fall right in front of us), then 15, before dashing back to Roubaix for the finish.

Edited January 7, 2020 by 100Tours

[milky4130]

 

Thanks for that insight I'll definitely incorporate some of it into our trip. And Thanks to Duane & black cat,

Didnt really think it through that there would still be snow. I guess that will have to wait for another trip one day.

[BuffsVintageBikes]

If all goes well I'm hoping to do Flanders & Paris Roubaix next year with some mates as well. Already frothing that the bum just thinking about that all that Belgium beer.

[100Tours]

If all goes well I'm hoping to do Flanders & Paris Roubaix next year with some mates as well. Already frothing that the bum just thinking about that all that Belgium beer.

 

I'm trying to work out what that is and how many beers it takes 

 

We got properly schooled though - one round of 16% beers and we were all off to bed.

[100Tours]

Ahhh… The Kwaremont. This was our spectator point on race day

 

The Oude Kwaremont is a cobbled road that ascends steeply for a distance of 2.2 km up the Kluisberg hill in Kluisbergen, East Flanders.

Nicknamed the ‘calf biter’, it forms part of the route of the legendary Tour of Flanders cycle race. And, like the Tour’s winners, this cyclists’ beer has earned its own palmarès.

Riders and cycling fans alike will testify to the difficulty of this hill. The whole race is often decided on the cobblestones of the Oude Kwaremont.

Closely packed together, encouraged by the cheering supporters that crowd the route, the pedallers conquer the cobbles of this bumpy climb.

It feels like a mountain stage. And before you even start to attempt this climb, you have to be ahead of the pack or else you can forget about the victor’s jersey.

And don’t feel that you have made it after the first steep climb, because you have to do it twice more.

This challenge suits a light, blond thirst-quencher. You can bet your bottom dollar that the Kwaremont will be flowing out of the taps during and after the race.

This koersbier (literally, a race beer) is perfect for a good post-ride party.

The brewers know their cycling trivia: the 6.6% alcohol volume of the beer corresponds exactly to the incline of this hill near Oudenaarde.

Kwaremont is a welcome guest at many Belgian road races.

Edited January 7, 2020 by 100Tours

[Try2Tri]

What about renting a bike? We did this last year and it was WAAAAY less hassle than lugging bike boxes around and all of the associated hassle and stress that goes along with taking your own bike.

 

Take pedals, gps and saddle and note down your measurements.

 

Thanks for the advice, could be a good option. A Scott Solace carbon with Shimano 105 @ 40euro a day is not bad. Found it on cctbikerentals.com. Will do a bit more homework on this. 

[Nokka]

Thanks for the advice, could be a good option. A Scott Solace carbon with Shimano 105 @ 40euro a day is not bad. Found it on cctbikerentals.com. Will do a bit more homework on this. 

Just regarding bike boxes, are you talking about the hard case bike box? Because Nice airport sells carton bike boxes - used them last year. 

[Nokka]

You guys are roadies with a love for cols of the big races. But if someone is more into general road touring, or even the latest European craze, bikepacking, feel free to ask. I go travel every year with my bike, tent and sleeping bag, and mostly in Europe. 

Here are some pics of last August's short bikepacking hop from Turin to Nice via a couple of big mountains and a nice coastal cruise along the Riviera. As it was still hot in the south I went lightweight with only a bivvy bag to put my sleeping bag and pad in. 

Don't know how to do the captions, but: Col de Colombardo, Col de Finestre, and the French Riviera.  

[Duane_Bosch]

That looks AMAZING!!!

[Red Robin]

Wow.  Looks so nice!

[Spirog]

I was lucky enough last year to ride London Paris with Hot Chillee

https://www.hotchillee.com/event/the-london-paris-bike-ride/

If you look closely, at around 1:06, you get a splash of my Qhubeka shirt...

 

Three days of incredible riding. Fantastic organisation, superb marshaling. Just an incredible event. Plus, you ride up the Champs-Elysées on the day before the Tour arrives in Paris. Sunday and the finale of the Tour is a bucket list experience for every road cyclist.